THE K-FROST CAPER by James Blakley

Published in 2013.

In his sophomore effort author James Blakley introduces a new character but stays in familiar territory. His previous book, The Steel Deal, featured a private investigator that stumbled into something much larger than he had imagined when he took a case,

In The K-Frost Caper Luna Nightcrow, a Cherokee insurance investigator from Oklahoma, is sent to Miami to look into a suspicious life insurance application. It seems that the company paid out life insurance money a few years ago for the drowning death of a man with the unlikely name of Kelvin Frost. His body was never recovered and now a person was applying for more life insurance in Miami with the same unlikely name. 

The Miami Skyline. Photo by Marc Averette

The company, Charmed Life Mutual, already sent one investigator but he has dropped off the grid so Luna Nightcrow is sent to investigate this Kelvin Frost person and find the other investigator. But, when she arrives in Miami she discovers that the Kelvin Frost case is much more convoluted than she could have imagined. Plus, she's being followed by the white car and the detective she is supposed to liaison with in Miami is so darned attractive...

Chock full of odd names and quirky characters and topped off with just a dash of romance, The K-Frost Caper is a light detective story that I would normally call beach reading. But, since it is 14 degrees as I write this on January 3rd, I will suggest that this could be a fun book to read as you while away a snowy day. If you like your detective stories full of grit and gore this will be bound to disappoint - despite the fact that all kinds of people die it is much more like an old Remington Steele mystery than No Country for Old Men. But, if that is your style than you should find The K-Frost Caper to be a fun, quick read.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: The K-Frost Caper by James Blakley.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

The Steel Deal by James Blakley

Published in 2010 by Inkwater Press

Sonny Busco is a down-on-his-luck 55 year old private detective who is broke. He is so broke that he works more for a security guard company than he does as a private detective. He is so broke that he owes money to loan sharks and he is behind on his payments. He is so broke that he's not sure if his car will start and if it does if it will even get him there. He is so broke that he pawned his gun! 

But, Busco gets the offer of his life - just carry a briefcase to Santa Fe, New Mexico for enough cash to get him out of debt to the loan shark. When Busco borrows a car to meet his new client things fall apart very quickly. Soon he's racing across town in a borrowed car trying to figure out what is really going on and most importantly, keep himself alive in the process.

The Steel Deal starts out very strong. Blakley creates a very detailed world for Sonny Busco. Busco is a likable guy with a great set of friends and connections who support him, even if they are getting a little tired of Busco's hard luck ways. I was reminded of The Rockford Files and Magnum, P.I. and how those characters are always asking their friends for favors and that it was often a team effort, albeit a reluctant one. Busco is that sort of character.

But, to go back to the television detectives again, Busco leaves the more realistic world of Rockford and Magnum once his case starts and enters a surreal world much like that of the old Batman and Get Smart television shows. The characters have matching names like Pixy and Bambi, Sage and Savante, Hans and Franz and Bramble and Thorne, just like the Joker and Catwoman used to do with their henchmen. The story keeps getting odder and odder. Imagine Jim Rockford wandering around in a Batman episode and that's how lost I felt at times.

To me, this was like two different books - one is a gritty noir novel about a down-on-his-luck detective looking for a big score and the other is surrealistic and campy. Both kinds of books are fine and this book did them both well - I just did not enjoy the mixing of the two.

Would I come back for another read if Blakley writes another detective book? Yes, there's lots to like in this book. Blakley shows some skill, especially in character creation in the grittier parts of the book. I especially liked the character Zen, a middle-aged overweight woman in spandex from the gym who carts Busco around throughout the middle of the book in her SUV trying to figure out what's going on while he tries to lose her without hurting his feelings or getting her killed. She shows Busco's desperation but also his decency.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Steel Deal.

Reviewed on December 29, 2012.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. The author writes a very nice e-mail and has some of the neatest handwriting I have ever seen (really, it's like a font).