The book synopsis compares them to Starsky and Hutch. I'd say more like Hap and Leonard but I love that team too. THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN may be a debut but it reads as a seasoned author's work. This duo kept me searching to see the same clues as they did all the while knowing that one of them was going to make me laugh before the end of the chapter, usually by the end of the page. They may be hilarious, but they still got the job done. I'm looking forward to our next meeting.

I quite enjoyed reading this novel. Brody James had a great character. I found the noir style perfect and the first person I love to read.

The Boys are Back in Town sees Stonington, Michigan native Brody James return to his hometown after a successful career in the Marines and law enforcement. His first job sees three former classmates all die suspicious deaths, the third of which is a clear murder. Teamed up with a younger partner, Bullock, who seems to gave no filter and fires out every single though that comes into his head (somewhat humorously, sometimes annoyingly), James needs to prove these first two deaths are not accidental and are in fact linked.

This book was a quick and easy read, and I enjoyed it. It does go off on tangents at times, with a few things left unexplained, and I felt there were some plot holes. Perhaps at times, the book tries to be too humorous, but I enjoyed the characters and the story.

Kling keeps things interesting as James seeks a break in the case, something he makes difficult on himself by fixating on one suspect and bending evidence to fit that narrative, as opposed to following the evidence itself. I also enjoyed the small ton cop perspective, as well as Kling sending James and Bullock on "side quests", as most books feature a cop getting all the time in the world to solve one case, as opposed to the reality of multiple ongoing cases, ranging in severity from murder to stolen lawnmowers.

I'd absolutely recommend this book for anyone seeking an easy police procedural read that has plenty of humour, and this was an enjoyable book to read.

Ok, I must confess, I mostly picked this one because of its title. I’m going to date myself with this statement, but can’t you just hear that old Thin Lizzy song (or the Bon Jovi version for you slightly younger folks) now? Cmon, I know some of you are doing your best karaoke version of it right now. Oh well, I digress. Anyway, an A+ to Karl Kling for a catchy title to this mediocre murder mystery. It got my attention! The book summary compares Brody & Bullock to Riggs & Murtaugh and Starsky & Hutch. Personally, I think Shaggy & Scooby Do would be more accurate.

The book summary basically just introduces the main characters and not very well at that. Brody, a former Navy cop or officially, Master’s at Arms, came back to his small, MI hometown after 15yrs. No reason why, he just didn’t have anywhere else to go. It’s not like he still has family there or anything or at least none that has been revealed so far. He takes a job at the local police station and is partnered up with Bullock, an obnoxious rookie, who is absolutely obsessed with food and when and where his next meal is coming from. I even wanted to punch Bullock in the face sometimes; he’s really annoying. There’s also Chloe, who Brody remembers from high school and who now manages the local diner that her father owns.

So, two other people, Rebekah and Gary, from Brody’s high school class die within a few weeks of each other; one from an overdose and the other in a freak accident (supposedly), that the Chief of Police wants to rule as a suicide. Brody remembers them from high school as being bullies and punks along with their friend Joseph. The three of them used to gang up on this one kid named Jared, who has, subsequently, had a pretty rough life since then, according to Jared’s younger brother, Julian. Julian now owns and runs the family hardware store.

Chloe, who was friends with Rebekah, is adamant that Rebekah was clean and that the overdose is suspicious. After checking out the scene of Gary’s freak accident, Brody is suspicious of Gary’s death being an accident or a suicide. Brody zeros in on Jared, while Bullock suspects that Brody is making much ado about nothing just to impress Chloe. Brody has become absolutely smitten with Chloe, which kind of becomes a secondary storyline. None of this is a spoiler since it all happens pretty early in the story.

It's well into the second half that another dead body shows up that the investigation takes some positive turns. However, the end is a bit of mess. I wouldn’t call is a hot messy but just rather clunky and disorganized with a bunch of one paragraph epilogues for a bunch of characters. The final few pages become a lead in to a possible sequel.

The characterization was ok for the MC’s, but pretty thin for everyone else. One character that I would have loved to see and hear more from was Brody’s neighbor, Betsy. As far as I’m concerned (and this is my review), Betsy was the most interesting character in the book. The pacing and storyline were ok, but the writing style was another plus for Kling. The banter between the characters, especially Brody and Bullock, was playful, teasing, humorous and entertaining. Found myself, quite often, laughing at the antics and chemistry between the characters. Even Chloe and the Chief had a good sense of humor. I’m looking at an overall rating of 3.4, so I’m going to round down to a 3star rating. I want to thank NetGalley and Three Dorks Publishing for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #ThreeDorksPublishing #TheBoysareBackinTown

Brody James is a recent addition to the police force. Bullock is his senior partner and not the least bit shy in management. Three people have died in their town of Stonington and they are tasked with finding the reason.

This tome has brilliant writing at times and I enjoyed the tale. Trying to fit a square peg into a round hole seemed to be the officer’s tactic. Decide who did the crime and then prove it. Occasionally forensics would help but the crime did not always fit their theory with confounding evidence.

I enjoyed the book but found it aggravating to have to untangle some of the words grouped together—a formatting problem. The final conclusion was well thought through and overall the book was entertaining. Otherwise, an additional editor or two would greatly smooth the narrative. 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

Karl Kling's "The Boys Are Back in Town" marks an intriguing entry into the detective genre with its protagonist, Brody James. After a 15-year absence, Brody returns to his hometown, only to be greeted by a mystery that hits close to home. The death of Gary Hutchins, followed by the overdose of Rebekah Wertheimer, sets the stage for a complex investigation that challenges Brody both professionally and personally.

What Stands Out:

- The partnership between Brody James and his younger counterpart, Bullock, is reminiscent of classic detective duos, adding a layer of nostalgia and camaraderie to the narrative.

- The setting provides a rich backdrop for the story, with the close-knit community dynamics amplifying the suspense.

- Brody's personal ties to the victims add depth to his character and raise the stakes of the investigation.

Points of Contention:

- Readers might find the pacing inconsistent, with certain sections dragging a bit.

- While Brody James is well-developed, some secondary characters could benefit from more depth.

Ultimately, Karl Kling delivers a solid mystery with "The Boys Are Back in Town." It's a story that will resonate with fans of the genre who appreciate a blend of action, suspense, and a touch of humor. The book sets a promising foundation for future Brody James adventures, and I'm eager to see where the series goes from here.

Brody James returns to his hometown, after years spent in the military. Intrigued by the recent death of a former classmate, James immediately takes to investigating and learns of other mysterious deaths that must be connected. Will he find the killer before it's too late...or before he's pulled off the case?

While this title reads like a debut novel (with a lot of potential), the characters make it so much fun to read. I was not overly excited to read another novel about someone returning to their hometown to join the local police force, but it being told in first person and full of quirkiness certainly helped things along. I feel like the character development was a little...off. Someone who was an MP would not make the mistakes that James did. Perhaps some additional research could come in handy? I also could have done without the cringeworthy romance addition, though I understand why it was pursued. Regardless, I look forward to reading the next Brody James mystery to see where things go.

OOOO this was so good!! The mystery was so so intriguing from the first page, but gosh these characters felt so real! Everyone felt very multi-faceted which was wonderful and the pacing of this book was perfect, cannot wait for the next one!! Also i love how the ending was satisfying even though it was a series!! i LOVE when i feel satisfied at the end and not have to wait!

I think there's a pretty decent novel in here struggling to get out, and what a struggle it's having. The file I received was a complete mess. Words run together, whole paragraphs run together, random jumps in the text, and so on. It made the reading process difficult and, really, downright unpleasant.

That said, what I could make out of the narrative was interesting enough, if a bit bloated and occasionally unfocused, and the prose was solid. I'm going to go with four stars in spite of the annoyance of being forced to read such a badly formatted file. The author and his publisher need to put more effort into the file version they distribute to reviewers, but that shouldn't be allowed to distract from the obvious promise of the novel itself.

I had so much fun with this! I'm really looking forward to more Brody James mysteries. I really liked the noir first person style, and am looking forward to watching the author grow. I can agree with other reviews that more foreshadowing would make the conclusion hit harder but ultimately I had a good time and appreciate opportunity to read!

This debut novel by Karl Kling has some good points and bad points. The general premise of the cop (former Navy officer) moving back to his hometown to be the local plod is, while not original, a solid archetype that offers plenty of promise. The central case is also interesting, if a little underdeveloped from a contextual point of view. The execution of these plot points, however, is somewhat lacking.
I think the biggest issue with the book is that it's not entirely sure what it wants to be - a hard-boiled detective novel or a buddy cop story, the latter of which is more applicable but it's a joke that runs on a little too long at times as well.
As a crime story, it becomes laboured quite a while before we learn the truth which, because there are no real red herrings or twisting subplots is pretty easy to guess.
It's a pity because there was potential here that a good structural editor may have been able to bring out of the text. Writing-wise, Kling uses a lot of good puns and metaphors, but he also mixes his tenses which jars the reader, and there's far too much telling, rather than showing the reader.
About 95% of the book is told in first-person narrative, but doesn't follow all the rules of that particular style. In addition, there are two places when Kling suddenly jumps inside the heads of a couple of other random characters - only one of which is really in any way enlightening, and even that one could have been recounted by Brody. it was more like a TV show structure than a novel, and it didn't work for me.
I do think there was potential here and Kling did a reasonable job of building the environment and the characters - it just didn't all gel together as well as it could have.
Thanks to Three Dorks Publishing for providing this review copy through NetGalley.

This book gives hard boiled noir vibes and the characters jump right off the pages into your head. The author has the kind of writing style I like - a touch of humour and plenty of quirky descriptors. The plot itself is a fast and fun ride with a satisfying conclusion.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the author, Three Dork Publishing for a review copy of The Boys Are Back in Town, a stand-alone set in Stonington, Michigan.

Brody James has returned to his hometown to work as a detective in the local police department. He is intrigued by the death of a former classmate, Gary Hutchins, whose car went over a cliff and believes that foul play may be involved. This is compounded when he learns that Gary’s high school friend, Rebecca Wertheimer died the month before. Brody’s partner, Detective Bullock, isn’t so sure.

I liked the premise of The Boys Are Back in Town and it starts promisingly enough, but I soon found it to be less than riveting. I think that maybe I’m not the target audience for the novel, so I found the humour laboured and the plot flimsy.

The novel is told in the first person from Brody James’s point of view and he’s hardly a first class detective with a series of false steps and assumptions. Perhaps his judgement is flawed due to his budding relationship with restaurant owner, Chloe Brown, but mostly, I think, because he’s not overly mature. He and Bullock have some kind of oneupmanship competition going on and it is, on the odd occasion, funny, but mostly it’s just juvenile.

The plot follows a standard format with Brody chasing clues and landing on a suspect through a confluence of circumstantial evidence. Unfortunately finding that suspect is easier said than done. I did, however, like the ending which has some nice touches and the reality of a job part done.

The Boys Are Back in Town is a light read that I think will appeal to those looking for a fun read.

This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, mystery, murder, satire, a bit of a who done it, and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely, I will recommend reading this book, it was worth reading but not one of my top favorites! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!