Cary Pepper Tells Five-Star Maltese Tale

Reel Life Crime
Author: Cary PepperAuthor’s Website: www.carypepper.comGenre: Fiction/Detective/CrimeISBN: 978-1-4658-4263-3
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/81833

Reviewed by Kathy C originally for Hampton Reviews

Five-Star Review

This book is a lot of fun. It roughly follows the plot of the Maltese Falcon, and it’s fond references to the 1941 movie are skillfully woven into it. The story itself-that of the theft of the statue from the movie, is full of twists and turns. Like the movie, the reader thinks the case is dine until the next monkey-wrench is thrown into the works. The main character, Ed Sampas, is a character right out of 1940’s film noir. He keeps up a running commentary to the reader about his thoughts and feelings about the other characters. Used incorrectly, this device could have become annoying or too precious, but in Cary Pepper’s skilled hands it enhances the story greatly.

A fairly quick read, this story and its characters will absorb the reader to the last page.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Cary Pepper Crime Novel Called "Great Read"

Reel Life Crime
Author: Cary Pepper
Author’s Website: www.carypepper.comGenre: Fiction/Detective/Crime
ISBN: 978-1-4658-4263-3

Reviewed by esmeowl12 originally for ReaderJots
Five-Star Review

I was intrigued by Reel Life Crime by Cary Pepper when I was approached to review it.

Private detective Ed Sampas is approached by an “odd couple” for an interesting case. Aristocratic Thelonius Noble and 300 pound Pago Mundy have a problem. Their authentic movie prop (one of only two that exist), the Maltese falcon, has been stolen and they want it back. The recovery must be done quickly and quietly. No police involvement.

Complicating matters are Sampas’ two totally different friends. McNulty, an up-and-up cop, is on the law side and Hank, the gay antiquities dealer, sometimes operates on the other side. Both become intricately meshed in the case.

Comic relief comes with two doped up computer geeks, a beautiful young photographer named Phoebe and Sampas’ nephew Ralph. There is mystery, plot twists and turns, revenge and near-death experiences. The ending is not what one would expect.

I thought this was a great read and highly recommend it. I enjoyed the suspense and the characters were believable and likable. I have never read The Maltese Falcon or seen the movie but I will now.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :

Noir is Back!

Reel Life Crime
Author: Cary PepperAuthor’s Website: www.carypepper.comGenre: Fiction/Detective/CrimeISBN: 978-1-4658-4263-3
Amazon: B0068438WE

Reviewed by cemag originally for Amazon

Five-Star Review

A GREAT READ for those of us who love the old movies and this genre.

The author takes us back to the days of Spade and Marlow: nicely done with some surprising twists! Based on the story every movie-lover knows - The Maltese Falcon - the author builds on little-known facts about the movie's production and creates a new story around this well-known tale.

While taking us on a tour of San Francisco, a modern noir P.I. tries to put the pieces of this bird puzzle together. The dialogue is crisp, the characters are skillfully drawn and delightfully offbeat, and the plot, while intentionally tracking the original, is new and fresh. And, of course, there's a beautiful woman knee- (or thigh-) deep in the case.

Perhaps the beginning of a series...

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :