A Dirty Business
August 5th, 2010 | 
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Product Description
WHEN KEVIN BAILEY, a black, jobless twenty-something returns to New York City from a recent hermitage in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, he finds himself both broke and homeless. Armed with a degree in criminal justice, he immediately leans on an associate and former employer for a needed job referral. This leads to a position with the Frank Givens detective agency in Midtown. Bailey is hired for various reasons, three of which are the fact th… More >>
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The problem with reviewing is often more books come than I have time to do in a timely manner. This was the case here as this book arrived just after the start of the year and as the weeks passed got shuffled down to the bottom of the pile. That is never a good thing to happen and certainly not here as this is a very good book.
Kevin Bailey is back in New York City after a year of being away and nothing much has changed except him. The second of January finds him in need of a job. He uses a connection, calls in a favor and before long by being in the right place at the right time, (despite his total non-experience and maybe directly because of it) he is quickly working for Frank Givens. Givens owns a private investigation agency and Kevin Bailey plans on learning the business from him.
While he gradually reconnects with his past, Bailey is eased into his first case. It is supposed to be a simple one perfect for a novice investigator. Selena Eldridge is a wealthy woman and has a son named Edward. Edwards intends to marry and the lucky woman is one that his mother feels strongly is below their station in life. Mom says that the woman is, “…of a different social class, and I suspect she has designs on our fortune. Look into any dealings her family has been involved with, and unearth as many damaging secrets as you can manage. But stop at nothing until the full truth concerning this woman is in the open.” (Page 26)
Givens takes the case and assigns Bailey to it as it should be something easily handled by him. Before long, Bailey is chasing clues, getting beaten up, and getting nowhere with the case in this fast paced mystery reminiscent of classic mystery novels. Bailey himself is an interesting character with little revealed but a lot hinted at and a determination to resolve issues from the past that are never really disclosed. Bailey seems to be carrying a load of personal guilt but the reasons why or what happened are never explained. Then there are the secondary characters such as Givens who also have a lot of potential should this series go forward and at the same time manage not to take over the novel.
The result is an engrossing 184 page read that reminds one of the style and tone of the class mystery novels and yet is clearly set in current times. Along the way, Bailey hints about his past and chases clues in a case that constantly twists and turns surprising Bailey and the reader. The book is a very good read that when finished leaves the reader eagerly anticipating another installment in the series.
Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2007
Rating: 5 / 5
A Dirty Business
by Joe Humphrey
Dakarma Publishing
Are you a crime novel enthusiast? A Dirty Business is the new debut crime novel written by Joe Humphrey, and a recommended read.
Upon recently returning to his home in New York City from the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Kevin Bailey finds himself both broke and with no where to live. Kevin Bailey has a degree in criminal justice and is in dire need of a job, his friend offers a referral, and Kevin gets a position with Frank Givens detective agency. Kevin is thrown into the agency with his new boss being bombarded and up to his neck with cases. Kevin’s boss decides to give him a test case to start with which is an easy assignment involving a New York City socialite. The woman wants someone to dig up the dirt on her son’s fiancée as the woman believes she is only marrying her son for his money. The clients name is Selena Eldritch, her belief and confidence in Kevin is low from the start based on his appearance, but she confides in him anyway.
Kevin is determined to show both his client and his new boss that he has what it takes to get the job done and done well at that. Selena provides Kevin with a photo of her son Edward Eldritch and his fiancée Donna Greenwood. Kevin begins his investigation and starts following Edward in which he finds takes him hours outside of Manhattan. Kevin follows Edward to Cold Spring which is a small historical village where Edward meets with a brunette. Kevin then follows both of them into a local tavern, where he then learns that the brunettes name is Donna Greenwood. So who is the blonde in the photo? Why does Selena believe the blonde to be Donna Greenwood? What painful truths lie ahead?
As Kevin begins to dig deeper into the case he discovers some very intriguing facts. Kevin finds that the blond has been missing for a couple of years and discovers that the police have even deserted the investigation into Norma Vidon’s disappearance. Kevin keeps digging and discovers some weird obsessions in play, and dead bodies begin turning up. What seemed in the beginning to be an easy ordinarily simple assignment has now turned into a complex assignment and enough of one for Kevin to really prove himself. What else with he uncover along this path?
There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout the entirety of the book. If you enjoy a touch of romance, mystery and suspense with your crime, you will love this debut novel. Joe Humphrey has a strong imaginative plot from start to finish, and has witty, memorable characters. A true page turner and a recommended read. I am in anticipation of the next one by Joe Humphrey.
Rating: 4 / 5
When I first spoke with Mr. Humphrey, I was a little skeptical of signing him as an author because I never really got into hard-boiled type fiction. So as the manuscript lay on my desk for a few weeks I finally decided to pick it up and at least read the first chapter. One chapter wasn’t enough; I literally couldn’t put the book down and had to continue reading “A Dirty Business” until I was finished!
This book is an “on the edge of your seat” detective novel from start to finish, with a twist that would throw any hard boiled fiction lover for a loop.
I am so glad I read that “first chapter” because it made me a fan of this genre; I honestly don’t know if I could say that if I had read any other hard-boiled fiction book before I read “A Dirty Business”.
For a first time author, I was blown away at Mr. Humphrey’s ability to capture detail in every scene and the way he works his words to pull you deeper into the story. By the time I came to the end of the book, I was shocked when I had found out the identity if the true killer in this mind boggler.
All I can say is this book is a must read for any fan of crime novels, detective mysteries or hard-boiled dramas. I cannot wait to see where Joe Humphrey takes this series next!
Rating: 5 / 5
A Dirty Business kept me turning the pages on my Kindle. It started out a little slowly at the outset but picked up speed quickly as the dead bodies start piling up and the new detective, a clever and hardworking guy with a quick skill for tailing people, puts the clues together for the reader. Engaging characters, danger, romance, and a whodunit solution that I suspected, but wasn’t sure until the big reveal in the exciting climax. The author wrapped up the loose ends of the mystery nicely, but left the reader wanting more from this new P.I. Good storytelling and well-paced mystery kept my eyes glued to the pages until the very end. I’ll look for more good detective mysteries from this author.
Rating: 5 / 5
This is a well-written book. It kept me up until 4 a.m. so I could find out how it was all going to end. A real page-turner and well worth the read. Hopefully this author is onto his next book. Better still, hopefully his next book is about to be released!
Rating: 5 / 5