Little Elvises
Series: Junior Bender Mysteries book 2
Author: Timothy Hallinan
Narrator: Peter Berkrot
Unabridged
Length: 10 hours
Published: 2013 by Blackstone Audio
Publishers Summary:
Junior Bender is back to untangle one of the weirdest mysteries in Tinseltown.
LA burglar Junior Bender has, unfortunately, developed a reputation as a competent private investigator for crooks. The unfortunate part about this is that, regardless of whether he solves the crime or not, someone dangerous is going to be unhappy with him—either his suspect or his employer.
Now Junior is being bullied into proving aging music-industry mogul Vinnie DiGaudio is innocent of the murder of a nasty tabloid journalist he’d threatened to kill a couple times. It doesn’t help that the dead journalist’s widow is one pretty lady, and she’s trying to get Junior to mix business with pleasure. Just as the investigation is spiraling out of control, Junior’s hard-drinking landlady begs him to solve the disappearance of her daughter, who has gotten involved with a very questionable character. And, worst news of all, both Junior’s ex-wife and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Rina, seem to have new boyfriends. What a mess.
Series: Junior Bender Mysteries book 2Author: Timothy Hallinan
Narrator: Peter Berkrot
Unabridged
Length: 10 hours
Published: 2013 by Blackstone Audio
Publishers Summary:
Junior Bender is back to untangle one of the weirdest mysteries in Tinseltown.
LA burglar Junior Bender has, unfortunately, developed a reputation as a competent private investigator for crooks. The unfortunate part about this is that, regardless of whether he solves the crime or not, someone dangerous is going to be unhappy with him—either his suspect or his employer.
Now Junior is being bullied into proving aging music-industry mogul Vinnie DiGaudio is innocent of the murder of a nasty tabloid journalist he’d threatened to kill a couple times. It doesn’t help that the dead journalist’s widow is one pretty lady, and she’s trying to get Junior to mix business with pleasure. Just as the investigation is spiraling out of control, Junior’s hard-drinking landlady begs him to solve the disappearance of her daughter, who has gotten involved with a very questionable character. And, worst news of all, both Junior’s ex-wife and his thirteen-year-old daughter, Rina, seem to have new boyfriends. What a mess.
© 2012 by Timothy Hallinan
My Thoughts:
Mix together murders past and present, plot twists and surprises, intriguing chapter titles like "stop lighting your hair on fire" and "no one likes to dance with a bear" and you have a mystery that will keep you interested and laughing.
I agree with Junior Bender's landlady at the North Pole Motel, he is a mensch. Even though he is in the middle of saving his own skin, he agrees to help her find her missing daughter. He has to prove that Vinnie DiGaudio didn't kill the tabloid journalist or DiGaudio's nephew (who is a cop) will pin a robbery on him. And on top of all that, Junior is falling for the dead journalist's widow, Ronnie. The book is full of colorful characters like Louie the Lost who thinks the North Pole Motel is like "Christmas for suicides" and Marge, the hard-drinking chain-smoking lady who owns it. But Ronnie is my favorite. When Junior and Louie showed up to interview her, she had her long blond hair twisted in a "long golden rope and twisted on it top of her head and then stuck a fork through it, handle first." When she finds out that Junior is a thief, she tells him that it doesn't make any difference. "We're still going to get into trouble," she tells him.
I chose Little Elvises because I wanted to hear Peter Berkrot again. His performance was flawless, the perfect voice for Junior Bender. I thought he did a wonderful job with the women's voices too. Berkrot has been on my list of favorite narrators since I heard him perform Death is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury.
Review copy provided by Blackstone Audio.
My Thoughts:
Mix together murders past and present, plot twists and surprises, intriguing chapter titles like "stop lighting your hair on fire" and "no one likes to dance with a bear" and you have a mystery that will keep you interested and laughing.
I agree with Junior Bender's landlady at the North Pole Motel, he is a mensch. Even though he is in the middle of saving his own skin, he agrees to help her find her missing daughter. He has to prove that Vinnie DiGaudio didn't kill the tabloid journalist or DiGaudio's nephew (who is a cop) will pin a robbery on him. And on top of all that, Junior is falling for the dead journalist's widow, Ronnie. The book is full of colorful characters like Louie the Lost who thinks the North Pole Motel is like "Christmas for suicides" and Marge, the hard-drinking chain-smoking lady who owns it. But Ronnie is my favorite. When Junior and Louie showed up to interview her, she had her long blond hair twisted in a "long golden rope and twisted on it top of her head and then stuck a fork through it, handle first." When she finds out that Junior is a thief, she tells him that it doesn't make any difference. "We're still going to get into trouble," she tells him.
I chose Little Elvises because I wanted to hear Peter Berkrot again. His performance was flawless, the perfect voice for Junior Bender. I thought he did a wonderful job with the women's voices too. Berkrot has been on my list of favorite narrators since I heard him perform Death is a Lonely Business by Ray Bradbury.
Review copy provided by Blackstone Audio.
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