Nicole is a P I and her partner-and lover- is a laid back ex major league baseball pitcher Jake. Nicole got a call from her Uncle Charles who was a famous director who was in Europe working on a film. An A-List actor Kirk had been with a local girl Kristy he actually cared about. He remembers smoking a joint and having sex with Kristy and that was it he woke up in the morning with a serious hangover and found Kristy stabbed to death with a bra next to him in bed and can’t remember anything else from the night before. Jake’s father -Ray has a P I business but Jake and Ray don’t get along and Jake doesn’t want to work with or for his father but he does for Nicole. Nicole,Jake, Ray. and Pancake- who is a huge built computer wizard- all go to New orleans where Kirk is at out on bail working on hids next sci fi movie. Kristy is the niece of the local gangster Tony Gidrey ruled the French Quarter and ran it with iron control and he wanted revenge on Kristy’s death. Tony had loved his niece. Kristy had DNA under her nails as she had scratched her attacker and it wasn’t Kirks. Also the joint had been laced with the date rape drug so Kirk was cleared.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the pace and plot of this book. This book had a lot to it : mystery, murder, humor. New Orleans, gangsters, danger, laced joint, intrigue, movie star. Making a movie, and a lot more. I liked how the author portrayed New Orleans. This kept all my attention all through this book. I loved Pancake and felt he added to this book. I was surprised by the ending. This was a fun, good read. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend.

This book has all the elements I prize: interesting characters, a mystery right up to the end, great descriptions, and sparkling dialog. Each of the main characters is well-defined and realistic. The pursuit of a murderer who left a corpse in a locked room with an unconscious actor leads down crooked paths through New Orleans. The writing flowed well and made the book easy to read, but very engrossing. While I had read the previous book in this series, this adventure stands entirely on its own. Its entertaining, engrossing and suspenseful.

4 stars

Jake Longly and girlfriend Nicole head to the Big Easy to investigate a murder along with Jake’s father Ray and his techno-wizard Pancake. It seems movie star Kirk Ford woke up in bed next to a dead woman.

The problem is that the dead woman named Kirsti was the niece of a crime kingpin who will do anything to get the guy who killed her. Can Jake, Nicole, Ray and Pancake work with this guy? They need to make a pact before things get out of hand.

Surrounded by famous actors, actresses, police and wise guys, the team tries to make the best of it and to solve the case.

This book is well written and plotted. I understand it is a series, so I went to Amazon to look for others of D.P. Lyle’s novels. It is littered with mild humor which moves the story along nicely. I liked the main characters, and the easy – for the most part – manner in which the characters got along. The suspense in the story starts out almost immediately, but it is a gentle kind of suspense. I believe the added humor offset the tension a bit. It is a good read. I truly enjoyed it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for forwarding to me a copy of this good book to read and enjoy.

Author D.P. Lyle took me on an excursion through the colorful streets of the Bayou. Home of the Mardi Gras - New Orleans. The momentum from the action-packed scenes cascaded with suspense from beginning to end. I was all-in. This well-written narrative carried a fervor that held me in its grasp throughout. Just the place I long to be. I was blindsided by the ending. Never saw it coming.

Retired baseball legend, Jake Longly was livin' the dream in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The beach, the beer, the women - though not necessarily in that order. His father, not far away, ran his own PI firm. Business was healthy. Whenever the need arose, he threw some work Jake's way. Kept his boy off the streets. The need arose.

Sci-Fi movie star Kirk Longly was on set trudging through the swamps in New Orleans. The price of fame. Known as a Playboy, he was often seen with different women on every shooting location. This time things were different. Looked like he might have found a keeper. Might get to discover what a meaningful relationship was all about.

It was not meant to be. One fateful day in his hotel room, after an evening of heavy partying, he and Kristi went to bed. Fell unconscious was more like it. When he awoke, she was dead. Strangled. A bra tightly wrapped around her neck. He freaked out. Had no recollection of the night. Could have been too much booze and marijuana. But never had a complete blackout before.

Kristi was the niece of feared New Orleans gangster Tony Guidry. Not the kind of person you want to get on the wrong side of. Unless of course you had a death wish. The French Quarter was his domain. He ruled with an iron fist. Nobody, I mean nobody messed with him. He doted on Kristi. Anyone doing her harm would ultimately wish for a quick death. Though that wasn't Tony's style. It would be savored.

Kirk had no reason to murder this girl. She was the first one he'd ever cared for. Now, the number one suspect, he was promptly arrested and arraigned in court. Fortunately, he made bail. Only three million dollars. Peanuts. Ordered not to leave the city, he continued his role on set. The Show Must Go On.

It looked like Kirk was in a hopeless situation. All evidence pointed to him as the most likely killer. And worse yet, if he wasn't convicted in court then Tony would inflict his own form of justice. Kirk knew it. Everyone knew it. Suddenly, the clouds parted, the sun had made its grand entrance. A critical finding had turned it up with the ME. DNA evidence was found under one of Christie's fingernails. Evidently, she had scratched her attacker. And it was shown to be that of a female. A game-changer. Who would want Kristi dead? Or was this a setup to frame Kirk?

My thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I haven't read any of this author before but truly enjoyed this zany romp through New Orleans with Jake and Nicole--amateur PI's who work for Jake's Uncle Ray. When an A-lister star winds up in bed with his strangled date and feigns innocence, Jake and Nicole are on the case! Drug dealers, lots of good food and alcohol, and witty banter are all a part of this murder/comedy/thriller. Told mainly from the point of view of Jake, we get lots of humor as he constantly praises his girlfriend, Nicole; but if you can ignore the sexism and just get caught up in the fun, you will not be disappointed!

I loved this book great characters and setting.The main characters Jake and Nicole and also Ray and Pancake were larger than life and I loved the banter and humour between them.I gather this is the second book in the series as usual I am late to the party and didn't read the first book, but I still managed to jump straight in and enjoy this one.If I had a slight criticism it would be that there were so many peripheral characters I couldn't keep up, I don't think all the extras in the book were all needed the main characters and the twins as well and others were such great characters that the extras overwhelmed me a bit, they made me lose focus slightly, this is a very industrious author who certainly gives value for money, and who knocks out a damn good story as well. I would definitely read more books in this series and enjoyed this one very much. Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC.

Happenings in New Orleans always draw me into reading a book. Love the city and Lyle hits on the hot spots in the narrative. This is part of the Jake Longly detective series but this work easily stands alone. Easy prose and comic dialogue shows off Lyle's skill as an amazing author. Jake was a major league pitcher for the Texas Rangers who due to an injury was forced to move his career into other areas. Nicole Jemison is his girlfriend with a kick-ass gorgeous personality who brings a welcome character to the story. These two embark on an investigation of an A-List star who has been convicted of murder. Heading the quest is Jake's father Ray and his Investigation Agency. Lending the muscle to the mix is Pancake who is a show stopping addition to this book. Take a trip through the streets of New Orleans and enjoy this adventure. "A copy of this book was provided by Oceanview Publishers via NetGalley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion."

It is not Los Angeles, so maybe this movie star will get convicted of murder. New Orleans, locked room with one dead body and a A-list movie star, private investigators, drug dealers, and so much more. A fun mystery with snappy dialog. There is some foul language, but the sex scenes are not described in intimate detail. So this book falls within my acceptable reading category. It does bring back wonderful memories of long ago read mysteries by John D. McDonald and Robert Parker. I look forward to reading more Jake Longly stories.

Jake Longly, a private investigator, and his girlfriend, Nicole, along with a couple of others solve a murder in New Orleans at the request of Nicole's uncle who is a movie producer. The story has the glitz of Hollywood and the rich culture of New Orleans, along with a bit of 'thugness' for good measure. The writing is quick-witted, mixed with narrative that describes the movie set and NOLA, which I wish there was a little more of. Nonetheless, it was a fun adventure crime read. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read for an honest review. I give it 4 stars.

Fun storyline even though it’s a mystery. There’s a little bit of many things going on in this book. The Hollywood movie stars in New Orleans to film a movie, but 2 were found in bed together & the man can’t recall what happened the night before. It’s up to the detectives to figure out if the Hollywood man is the suspect.....or did something else happen in the Big Easy the detectives will find? Fast paced, enjoyable, fun read

I’d highly recommend this book esp. for those who enjoy the “Hollywood scene & film making”, perhaps readers that grew up or lived in this area & for any reader that enjoys a fast fun paced mystery, seeing if you can figure out the suspect prior to the detectives

I received a digital copy of this book from #NetGally & #OveanviewPublishing. Thank you for allowing me to read this book & in return I wrote an honest review

My review has been sent to Fresh Fiction, but has not yet been posted to their website. Here is an excerpt from my review:

A-LIST is the second book in D. P. Lyle’s Jake Longly series. Jake and Nicole are strong, intelligent and resourceful characters. There’s a quirky mixture of supporting characters, some returning from book one and others new to the scene. Mr. Lyle develops the character of Ray, Jake’s dad, quite a bit in A-LIST and discusses more of the dynamics and reason for the strained relationship between father and son. The storyline moves through the streets of New Orleans and into the bayou at warp speed, heading to an unexpected conclusion. You’ll also get a good directory of the best restaurants in the Big Easy. Lots of eating and drinking in this novel! This is a dynamic, fun series you do not want to miss!

A good mystery with lots of suspects. The characters are all involved with this twisted plot and kept you guessing.

I love D P Lyle's Jake Longly series. Part noir, part humor, and all fun. Read this one but get the rest of the books in the series. too. You won't regret it. Highly recommended

I can't say I've expected more, I haven't read any of the books D.P. Lyle wrote, including Jake Longly series, but for me this book reads more like a big budget movie: the characters, the set, the glamor, the gargantuan feasts, the SWAT team extraction in the end... Other than that, it's just a classical whodunit.

Unfortunately I wasn't really impressed with this book, I found it quite simplistic and predicted whodunnit from a very early stage. I also didn't find the attempts at humour very good either as they just seemed childish at times. Sorry but I wouldn't recommend this book.

Another entry in DP Lyle's series about Jake Longly pro-athlete turned investigator.

In book one of this series, PI Jack Longly and Nicole Jamison become a detective team. This time, they are sent down to New Orleans by Nicole’s uncle—a movie producer—to find out why his A-List mega-star actor, Kirk Ford, woke up to find a dead girl in his bed. Glitzy Hollywood moves this story both in setting, character and plot. Lyle is known for giving his readers a thrill-ride and in this Hollywood-studded read, he doesn’t disappoint.

A-List is a fun, fast-paced read. The setting, New Orleans, provides a happening background. The characters lack depth but if you are looking for an easy, entertaining read, this is it.

I was glad that DP Lyle decided to continue on with the book series. Nicole and Jakes stories continues in this novel and Uncle Ray makes another appearance, PI extraordinaire. It was awesome to read a novel with a very strong female lead that knew exactly what she wanted and how to take charge. The relationship between Nicole and Jake was very strong and funny even though it is fairly knew you can still feel the emotions for each other on every page; even when they were exasperated with each other. This book was full of comedy, romance, mystery, and some surprises and I loved how the story built and grew. I look forward to reading all books in this series. I hope everyone that reads this series enjoys it as much as I did.
Thank you NetGalley and DP Lyle for allowing me to read and review this novel.

The characters were great, really enjoyed this book - excellent storyline.