Thirty years ago Vincent Malone had been an up-and-coming young attorney until personal demons and poor decisions led to his being a disbarred, unemployed drunk. Necessity led him to a career as a legal investigator – the kind of shady operative who was not above skirting the letter of the law from time to time. But, after years of playing fast and loose, the bottom fell out again and Malone found himself “a few years away from a full Social Security check” with nothing to show for it and no prospects.

All that gets setup as backstory in the first chapter as Malone decides to load up his car and start a new life in Albuquerque, New Mexico... Why Albuquerque? Well, why not? A stopover in Santa Fe leads to a temporary job as a courtesy transport driver for a bed & breakfast which, in turn, leads to him being caught smack dab in the middle of a murder case. And that's where the story begins.

Somewhere along the line, for whatever reason, I got the impression that this was going to be a gritty crime story... possibly a tense legal thriller... definitely something with a little “bite” to it. Such was not the case. Santa Fe Mojo is essentially a cozy mystery with a potty-mouth. I say that as someone who enjoys an occasional cozy and is not particularly sensitive to such language (having been known to utter more than my share of expletives on any given day).

Once I realized that this was not exactly what I had anticipated I adjusted my expectations and continued reading. At first it seemed like an interesting idea – I was intrigued – drop a hard-boiled character (Malone) into the middle of what was essentially a “cozy” and see where that goes... it really didn't go much of anywhere.

After the initial introductions the characters all become more-or-less a series of talking heads spouting expositional dialogue with little or no nuance. The kind of “As you know...” speeches usually seen in old-fashioned English mysteries and mediocre made-for-TV movies where one character must inform another of things they already know for the purpose of getting the information to the audience.

The characters never come to life. With very little exception all of them sound pretty much the same. It could have easily been the same person doing all the talking.

Add the fact that there is little actual investigating, no real tension or suspense, the plot just kind of limps to the finish and Santa Fe Mojo ends up being rather bland. It made me think of one of those mystery weekends that country inns used to stage for their guests entertainment. Not a bad thing if that's what interests you.

It doesn't interest me.

I give Santa Fe Mojo 2 and ½ stars. Since I'm not able to post half star ratings that gets rounded up to three stars.

This book contains language which some readers might find offensive.

***Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me the opportunity to read and review Santa Fe Mojo by providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's a style thing.

Those of you who follow my reviews know by now that I can't stand chatter. This book is full of it and I could not finish. If you don't mind all of the extra words, it's probably a good story.

Vincent lost his wife, his practice, and all of his respect due to a drinking problem. He's not drinking anymore, but he's looking for a cheaper place to live so he decides to move to New Mexico. Before he reaches his destination, he sees an ad for van driver for a new hotel. He applies and gets the position.

Purple Sage Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can grab it now.

The new inn's first guests are meeting on finances. When the money man tells them all their money is missing, all hell breaks out. No one is happy and some even give him death threats. When he's found dead the next day, the most vocal of the group gets picked up by the police. They have him on camera fighting over a baseball bat with the man. However, he was shot and it's Doug's gun that did the deed but there are no prints on the gun.

Vincent finds himself helping the defense attorney and making enemies of the local police. He doesn't think Doug did it, so he's checking the others out.

The killer amazed me. I liked Vincent as a character. I'll be watching for another in this series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and PurpleSage Books LLC for a review copy of Santa Fe Mojo, the first novel in a projected series to feature PI Vincent Malone.

Through a series of poor decisions Vincent has lost his business as a legal investigator in Denver so he decides to pack up and head for Albuquerque but on the way he sees an advert for a driver at the Blue Door Inn B&B in Santa Fe and, on a whim, applies for and gets the job. When a local sports agent is murdered suspicion falls on five of his clients whom he had assembled at the Blue Door Inn and when one is soon arrested it's not long before Vincent is working for the defence.

I thoroughly enjoyed Santa Fe Mojo which is an old fashioned mystery with a lighthearted feel to it. It is narrated in the third person, mostly from Vincent's point of view with a few other points of view interjected when the plot details require some fleshing out, but it has a first person summation at the end of many of the chapters where Vincent voices his thoughts on the preceding events. As he has a quirky, self deprecating voice these thoughts add a little light relief and intimacy to the novel and as such I think they are unusual and add much to the read. I love the summing up at the end of what happens to the main players after the novel ends. It settles any curiosity the reader may have and gives a vicarious sense of satisfaction when the not so good guys get some comeuppance.

The plot revolves around Vincent talking to witnesses and suspects in attempt to clear his client. As he is a take no prisoners kind of guy it doesn't always go smoothly but usually works. I enjoyed the friction and the pitting of wits against unwilling interviewees. I found it to be an absorbing read, and, no, I didn't work out the real perpetrator or motive until they were revealed. It is cleverly done.

The characters are mostly fun. Vincent is jaded and world weary but, somehow, the very nice people he meets in Santa Fe restore his mojo and zest for life. It is uplifting without being corny. The lawyer he ends up working for, Peter Tucker, is another unusual character. He comes out of retirement for the case and also gets his mojo back. Their relationship is initially sticky but mutual respect grows as the case goes on and they become friends. I hope he is in the next novel.

Santa Fe Mojo is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Who doesn't love a "washed up investigator"? This makes the MC more enduring to the reader. And Vincent was very enduring to me. I loved how he just happened upon this crime/mystery. Vincent was a very flawed man who you could tell deep down he wanted to not be that flawed man anymore. To me, that makes a very good MC. This is a fast paced story that never lags...not one single page felt unnecessary and obligatory. Everything was important to the story being told and there was no filler. Filler annoys me in books. Mr, Clifton does a terrific job of keeping this one moving along right up to the perfect ending.
I do hope that we see more of Vincent in the future.

I fast read this book and even doing that I enjoyed it. I love the locale, the storyline was good and I look forward to seeing the characters again. If you want a quick, interesting mystery this ones for you.