Gumshoe in the Dark

Terrific 1st sentence! I was instantly hooked. Loved the wisecracks, and they just kept getting better, all the way to the end.

“As unexpected as a frog in a wineglass.”

At Chapter 8 the action picked up and kept going. Chapters 2-7 would have been better condensed into 1 short chapter, but it didn’t take long to get past that.

This is the latest installment in the Mortimer Angel, P.I. series. My first foray into the series will definitely not be my last.

Thank you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm new to this author and series, but I enjoyed this. While a bit cozy, it does contain violence. The author seems to be in his element with the lead character and the story. I'll have to circle back to the earlier books in the series. Recommended.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!

This time the writer kicked things up a couple of notches. The trouble that Mort gets into is very dangerous. And the violence is more graphic. Great characters.
There are 2 cases for Mort. One he was actually assigned which is chasing down a jiggilo/conman loser to inform him of an inheritance. The second is the one he stumbles into which involves the state attorney general.
Lots of witty banter & clever humor with crazy situations that seem to only find Mort. Since leaving the IRS he's become a magnet for sexy women & dead bodies. I'm pretty sure that's not the usual for someone training to become a PI. There was also a suspenseful cat & mouse chase with the bad guys.
No spoilers except to say that I consider myself fairly flexible but not even close to what happens in the book. YOWZA!!!

Some exceptional quotes:
"Sometimes investigations slog, but sometimes a piece breaks loose and the whole thing unravels like a cheap sweater."  

“Hard to say why we got divorced. I was working for the IRS, which is like being given a daily dose of slow-acting poison that seeps in and turns you into a soulless thug. It might’ve been that.” “The IRS sounds like a wonderful career choice.” “I was stressed, unhappy, a little overweight. Not the best husband material at the time.”

"Anyway, I’m tough. I’m okay with large fast-moving bugs, spiders, and braless women. I let her hang on until she was ready to turn loose. "

“Right. I’m gonna hit the shower. How’s the water?” “Wetter than usual. You’ll totally need a towel after. Just to get dry, though.”


This is book #5 in the series. There are things mentioned that occurred in the previous book which I haven't read yet. While I wasn't that lost I would say that this is a series best read in order.

Gee-Whiz! Only Rob Leiningen could make a trip through the boring landscape of Northern Nevada so wickedly funny!
Once again the genial Mortimer has blindingly entered the lion's den and of course a bloody mayhem ensues. A twisty plot, razor sharp dialogues, characters gone bonkers, plenty of guns, violence, blood, kidnapping, nudity....Name it. This 5th installment of the Mortimer Angel Series is hilariously good and it got me into trouble because I was laughing too much at 4am. So be aware....To be enjoyed without moderation!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date

I had a conversation once with an author of very dark noirs. I told him I thought it would be fun to write a cozy detective story about a vicious hammer killer. We both had fun with the idea though I think we both knew that neither of us would ever write it. Now we don't have to. Gumshoe In The Dark is pretty much that book. The first half of the book is an "It happened One Night"style hitchhiker story with lots of cute banter and sexually charged situations. Very light, very cozy, actually very well-written.. The second half is violent and filled with brutal killings and predicament bondage, also very well-written. Both halves of the story keep the pages turning quite briskly. This is the fifth installment in the Gumshoe series (I've read all but Gumshoe for Two) and this is pretty much how it goes in each of them. Very light until they get very dark. I would prefer a more consistent tone somewhere in the middle but I have to admit that they're all very readable.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for an advance copy of Gumshoe in the Dark, the fifth novel to feature Reno PI Mortimer Angel.

Mort is driving in rural Nevada when he stops for hitch hiker who then tries to carjack him at gunpoint. Resolving their differences Mort and Harper Leeland become acquainted in uncomfortable circumstances on their drive to Ely. Then they find Harper’s mother, Nevada’s AG, dead in the boot of a car and a strange man looking for them.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gumshoe in the Dark, which had me laughing from start to finish. It is told entirely from Mort’s point of view and as he has a special voice it makes the whole novel fun. He likes to portray himself as a put upon man, surrounded by strong, snarky women, but a) he loves it and b) he could do something about it if he really wanted to because Mort is not the mild mannered, respectful and slightly inept man he likes to say he is. He can be cunning, devious and smart when he needs to be. Still it’s a lot of fun watching the women mortify him, allegedly.

The novel is also full of situational comedy, take the journey to Ely on three wheels for example. It is also a running gag in the series that Mort finds famous people murdered, hence the murdered AG. I’m not always big on situational comedy but the dialogue surrounding it in this novel always makes me laugh.

The humour belies or at least disguises some some smart thinking in the plot. There are daft situations and deft solutions with some lateral thinking. I think there is some really clever thought involved to make it all funny, interesting and absorbing. I read it in one sitting, staying up way too late to do so.

Gumshoe in the Dark is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The language here is a little over the top, and I like it very much. The characters are really great, and there's a good mystery in the plot. But then everything is ruined by some very strange and stupid decisions by the main character. If not, this would have been a great book.

Set in Nevada, this book is very...unique. Really like the original witticisms and humorous bits. The author definitely has a particular way with words, the first sentence especially!

Soon-to-be-PI Mortimer Angel driving his truck encounters a woman wearing a brief cm of clothing on the road. The rain is pelting down so he offers her a ride. The first chunk of the book describes the awkwardness and weirdness which ensues as she settles in for the ride. After she first tries to steal his truck, of course. But he prevents that from happening and this act is the catalyst to much of the story. Harper is rather direct with words and actions which get them into all sorts of pickles.

The attorney general with a link to Harper is found dead in a car trunk and adds twists to the case Mortimer is on. Lucy, Mortimer's new wife, is also forced into the debacle. I didn't love the relationship between Mortimer and Harper. I realize it was intended to be light and humorous but to me it just wasn't funny or believable. Perhaps reading other books in the series would have given me a better understanding of the characters' fit and roles. I came late to the game as this is my first introduction to Mortimer Angel et. al. I will try others by this author. Sometimes it takes a second or third book to get hooked!

My sincere thank you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this fun book.