Bob Moore: No Hero

Bob Moore #1

by Tom Andry

Super powered humans started appearing 30 years ago. Now, they are everywhere. Bob Moore, Private Eye, dares to investigate those who could incinerate him with a thought. When he is called to help a super from his past, however, he'll be pushed to his limit. When supers and the police think there is no crime, can he get to the truth? Will he want to for the man that destroyed his marriage?

What People are saying about Bob Moore

"The most delicious "superhero" themed book I've read. The world is incredibly deep, believable, and realistic with its own rules and terminology. The characters come alive and make you feel."

-Vitaly Alexius, Creator Romantically Apocalyptic

"This was quite an enjoyable read. When you cross a gritty gumshoe with spandex superheros, their two worlds collide in spectacular fashion."

-Jeffrey Hendricks, Author Seeking the Heavens

"The book is fast and keeps your interest. This was the first book that as I approached the end, I started getting a feeling of dread that the end was coming up and at the same time I had to find out the finale. What an enjoyable sensation."

-Greg Rose

Genres: Mystery, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Amazon, Detective, Superheroes, Fiction

186 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Tom Andry is the Associate Editor of Audioholics.com and host of the AV Rant podcast. He’s been writing mostly reviews but has lately returned to his prose roots. He has written many unpublished short stories, poems, and a few screenplays that may still be produced. He’s the father of three boys affectionately nicknamed Punkalicious, Captain Evil, and Neo. He’s happily married and currently resides in Perth, Australia. His background is in drama, creative writing, and research psychology which basically means his kids are in for a pretty rough time. His wife, Tanel, doesn’t have it so easy either. His first work for public consumption is an eBook titled Bob Moore: No Hero.

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Si Christian Walker fuese detective privado y tuviese más socarronería...-

Género. Novela corta.

Lo que nos cuenta. Bob Moore es un detective privado especializado en trabajos que impliquen superhéroes. Tras tomar unas fotografías sobre una infidelidad y sobrevivir a duras penas, recibe cierta presión para tomar un caso de superhéroes supuestamente desaparecidos pero sobre el que no hay ninguna evidencia. El problema es que el cliente sería alguien a quien Bob odia por razones muy personales. Primer libro de la serie de Bob Moore.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[Ralph Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining lite read. If the author follows up with another book with Bob Moore I would read it.

[N.K. Aning · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not everyday you read the superhero genre and like the story. I enjoyed every bit of the story though I wonder why the MC choose to go that path at the ending of the story.

[Krystl Louwagie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is an afterward by the author in this book that I was glad was there-I appreciate his honesty and what he's trying to do-he talks about writing (and never finishing) a novel/novella before and how the motivation of ease to self-publish online got him to finish this one. So, it's kind of nice to support the small time guy (Lacey, how easy is to to e-publish books? You should do it, maybe, try it on one or two of your novels or novella's-and I could make a cover for it! So could Angela (she's going to school to be a graphic designer, after all). Where was I? I think I found this at

http://www.getfreeebooks.com/?s=bob+m...

I loaded it because I liked the cover, and of course, I like comic books, so, I'm interested in super heroes and sci-fi stories. Andry talks about how his novella had gone through edits, and he also mentions some of the suggestions that were made to him that he didn't follow (I'm so glad he didn't in this case). The suggestion was to make the book longer by added in more unessential details/events at a certain part of the story-wrong! In fact, that's my biggest complaint about the book already! There's not enough cut out, and the first 40% of the novel is almost useless to any plot-it's hard to even know what the plot is, and that's not a plus for the mystery factor. This should've been a short story instead of novella, and it would've been a much tighter, more enjoyable read-because when the plot actually started taking shape, it was good, I wanted to keep reading-because by that time the details did matter-but I already wasted a lot of time (and created a lot of negative feelings for the book) before I got there. In my opinion all his "normal life routine" should've been way condensed and the story should have basically started with the Doc Arts case early on in the story, not almost halfway through. If the last 40% hadn't happened, this book would've gotten a 2 star or lower rating. If the first 40% of the book hadn't happened, it might have been bumped up in stars, who knows.

The writing wasn't bad, but did seem to have a flair of male chauvinism woven into to (I do understand that super hero stories typically lend themselves to that from the sexy art, etc. of comics). I just felt there was too much gratuitous focus on sexy female characters (and, of course, a non-serious lesbian affair because a sexy woman couldn't actually be gay-just having some fun-ack-like I said earlier, these whole scenes were not needed for the plot and should not have been included in the final edit).

But, as a short story, this could be a great Twilight Zone type, and I did like the character of Doc Arts (even though his name sounds so much like Doc Oc-was that a shout out to Spiderman? Not sure) and his daughter as well-it reminded me of the "Devils and Gods" story in Tori Amos Comic Book Tattoo-even if it didn't have a whole ton in common-the feel was the same.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob Moore is a private investigator with a select clientele - 'Super's',those with special powers who are a part of everyday society. He reluctantly takes on a case to investigate the alleged disappearance of Doc Arts patients despite the general skepticism and his dislike of the man. Just as Moore decides to quit he witnesses a gruesome death and Moore is determined to find the callous murderer.
Bob is a traditional PI in a nontraditional world and the juxtaposition is entertaining. As a 'tippy', an ordinary human, his job pits him against surveillance targets who have the ability to kill him without breaking a sweat. Bob uses a combination of his wits and some handy gadgets created by Ted (The Tinkerer) to do his job. However I was a little disappointed that Bob doesn't actually do a lot of investigating in this story, he hands out trackers and consults the Mind (a super computer) but solves the case by accident. In the Afterword, Andry explains that he could have stretched the book out by having Moore follow Doc Arts but regarded it as 'filler' where as I would regard it as crucial investigation. There are never any suspects or red herrings in play which are vital elements of a mystery. For me, the mystery fell flat because no-one else was invested in the outcome - no wrongly accused suspect, no one in imminent danger, no surviving victim needing closure - the victims were incidental. The story would have had more impact if the outcome threatened Bob personally, for example his ex-wife Gale or assistant Khan could have been at immediate risk if the mystery was not solved.
Despite the flawed mystery, Bob Moore: No Hero is an entertaining novella - the characters are appealing and the general premise is engaging. It lends itself to a series and should Andry choose to follow up this idea, I'd be interested in reading about Moore again.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the other reviewers started off with "entertaining light read" and those are three words that I think describe it well.

A Private detective who works with the "supers" the super hero beings that walk the world. It's an entertaining premise, I kept thinking if it like "Rock Slyde" starring Patrick Warburton. I could totally imagine it as a mini-series that I would watch, because I'm the sort of person who watches sci-fi mini-series.

It's funny world building, about trying to investigate people who can hurl fire balls at you, or disappear at will. Petty fights, alter-egos, sidekick jealousy, super hero naming companies. There's a lot of fodder to make fun of the super-hero business with.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

General theme of people with super-powers started to emerge thirty years ago and Bob Moore: detective with no super powers hired by the supes to investigate crimes. Great read and author did nice job adding info as the story developed of how people having super powers changed life/society. Very quick read because of the style of writing and great storyline. Sooooo many possiblities to write next such as more on Bob Moore's assistant, or his scientist friend, or how about some of the super powers starting to lose their powers and having to adjust to being a "tippy?" I want more Moore.

[Isabella · Rating 2 out of 5]

So Bob Moore is a human PI who lives in a world full of supers. And that's pretty much all I feel comfortable sharing, the book is ten chapters long so there's not a lot to say. Anyway it was alright I probably won't read the next one, heck if someone hadn't recommended it I probably wouldn't have read this one either. Not that is was bad or anything it was just kinda meh.

[Ben Mariner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the concept of this book. A book about superheroes but not about a superhero. The heroes were fun and the story was pretty well told, but it was a little slow for me, and the ending wasn't anything overly surprising. It was a good twist, but not quite what I was hoping for. Pretty good overall. Enough to make me want to read the next book in the series.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt a bit sexist and repetitive in places, left some character plotlines feeling unfinished (Khan & Doc's daughter) but picked up for a really great ending. Solid read, and the preview of book 2 was enough to convince me to get that one as well.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story. ready for more in this world.

[Anthony DiCostanzo · Rating 4 out of 5]

No hero is written quite well. Had a lot of fun reading it. I thought the world was cleverly designed. I would definitely read another in this world, maybe a Bob Moore mystery series?

[Eugene Cundiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommended

A gritty, realistic Capepunk story with a sense of bitter humor and excellent worldbuilding. Well worth your time. Highly recommended.

[Carrie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read, kind of a comical hardboiled super hero fiction. The world building is interesting and consistent and the characters are engaging. The plot was interesting and unpredictable. I hope people don't avoid it due to the superhero angle, the plot character and themes would be well done if found in a more mainstream book. I highly recommend this book!

[Skip Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept my interest from the start

Every page was interesting. You wanted to finish the one you are reading to get to the next. Didn’t want it it end.

[L. Shosty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bob Moore: No Hero seems like a critique of the superhero genre, yet it really never goes the distance in that regard. I also had a little difficulty in establishing when this book takes place. It reads like it is set anywhere between the 1950s and early 1980s (rotary phones are still in use, for example). The internet, laptops, and other modern technologies exist, but they're hoarded and used exclusively by supers, or people with fantastic powers. If this is actually the result of the Super State, which is a borderless governmental body for supers, is in fact a fascist regime controlling technology and information to keep normal people (called tippys) down, that is certainly a powerful and interesting idea. However, this is never fully explained, and so it lacks the impact it would have were it explored in even the slightest fashion. The rest of the book seems like it wants to critique the notion of people running around with wild powers. The protagonist certainly has a dim view of them, and Andry constantly supports a notion that supers aren't terribly bright, compassionate, or particularly moral. The effect is to leave the reader with a, "Just what are you trying to say?" feeling.

Bob Moore is an atypical private eye, which is what Andry goes for from the outset. From his name down to his bank account, Bob is not your typical down-on-his-luck gumshoe. He doesn't have a cool name, and he makes pretty good bank from investigating supers. He also used to be married to one, a marriage that ended in tragedy. There's more emotion to a guy like Bob, which is a nice change of pace from the emotionless, cynical Phil Marlowe analogues. It's a wee bit silly that supers, who are often depicted as possessing criminological and detection skills, need a private eye to do their dirty work for them. That's an easy point to overlook, however, as the narrative flow is smooth.

The plot is pretty basic. Bob is brought in by a super with whom he has a history to investigate disappearances of other supers. The book is not heavy on this plot, and it resolves pretty easily without much work on Bob's part. A few points are never explained, and the clues are not laid out in a way for the reader to solve the mystery ahead of time. I figured it out anyway, based on the relatively small cast of characters introduced to us. The majority of the book deals with how much Bob dislikes a certain character. In fact, very little happens in this book. The mystery itself resolves in a weak fashion. Granted, not every book has to end in a fistfight, with explosions all around, but this just had a tacked on feeling.

[Hayley Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially downloaded this little gem at a time when I was going on 'free ebook spree'. It was free, the cover looked brilliant and it's about a PI working in a time when super powered beings have become an everyday sight.


Bob Moore is our cynical PI with a specific clientele, 'supers', people born with super powers who are now a rather normal occurence. As a 'tippy' (normal, non powered) it's just that little bit more dangerous for Bob to go on surveillance against supers as is evidenced right at the beginning when one decides to set fire to the tree he's in and then proceed to chase him whilst throwing fireballs in his general vicinity - and at times a lot closer!

The main premise of the story, however, isn't to point out why superheroes really shouldn't wear (pink) spandex but instead follows Bob as he takes on a case for a super from his past. With believable characters, even in this setting, we follow him as he battles against his own feelings towards the super and tries to figure out what is happening on a case that not even the police or other supers believe in.

Andry has ensured that the world he's created is deep and, more importantly, believable - even if we are talking about superheroes here! The characters are well thought out and put across and even, or especially, the supers are given their flaws. The back story behind Bob and his hatred towards Doc Art wasn't rubbed in your face or just thrown at you to then move on, it was built up and occasionally hinted at until that one crucial moment when it all becomes clear and you suddenly dislike the Doc too. Bob is not made out to be some PI with his moral high ground and even had me wondering how I felt about him at the end as he made his decision. It may not be one the reader will agree with but he is unapologetic about his actions and so he should be.

This first book by Tom Andry was short but so sweet with a narrative that is both cynical and darkly humourous in its telling. I found this to be one of the books I wished to be longer so that I didn't have to put it down and face the end. It's a PI mystery, comedy and sci-fi with a well padded central character that I would love to see end up with his own series on Sy-Fy. With the second book coming out soon (I have it on good authority, honest) I can only suggest you download this book first before going on to get the next one.

[Chad Cloman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this — a unique twist on the private detective trope

The background for this novel is that several decades ago people started developing superpowers. The “supers“ now have their own pseudo-country and police themselves and are incredibly wealthy. The “tippys“ are non-supers, normal people living pretty much like we do now.

Bob Moore is a private detective who specializes in cases involving supers. It’s very dangerous, but he’s fairly successful and makes good money because supers have so much wealth they don’t think about it. Bob is very sharp and is good at getting supers to do what he wants even though they have all the power. The story follows him around for a bit, introducing us to the literary world and Bob’s character.

Bob takes on a case where a super-genius doctor (Doc Art) realizes that some of his patients have gone missing without a trace. The supers and the police investigated and found nothing, but Doc Art is unconvinced and attempts to hire Bob. The situation is complicated because Bob has a past with the doctor and absolutely hates him. But he’s convinced to take the case anyway.

To say more would give away the ending, which I enjoyed. There’s a bit of a twist that made the book for me. Did I mention that Bob is very sharp and very smart, and is able to Get Stuff Done in a World where he’s weak and insignificant compared to the people he interacts with?

Bob’s no hero. He’s full of anger and hatred from an event five years in the past that involved the Doc Art and his ex-wife, a top-level superheroine. It affects his life, even years later. He’s not a good guy. But he’s also not evil. I think it works.

Recommended I give it 5/5 stars.

[Debra Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes a free book can surprise you and this was definitely the case of BOB MOORE: NO HERO. I read this novella in one sitting and found it quite engaging.

Bob Moore is an average guy (a tippy) in a world full of “supers” – beings that have super powers. Bob is a PI and his clients run the full spectrum from jealous tippy husbands to angry super beings. Being a PI for supers has its perks, but more than likely, the only good thing about one of these jobs is the money he gets paid to complete the job. Having an angry super being that throws fireballs at you is not a normal day at the office. Bob takes it all in stride until he gets a call from the local police who want his help with a puzzling case. Bob doesn’t want to become involved, and reluctantly agrees, but with the most outlandish fee he’s ever charged hoping the client would balk at the price. No such luck and Bob is on the case trying to solve the disappearance of several people.

The author’s voice reminded me of film noir. At any minute, I expected the film to roll and hear the voice-over from our PI’s internal voice. You know the type of film I mean – “The dame walked in and boy, was she a looker.” You can’t help but smile and I found myself laughing out loud in some places. The pacing is good and the dialogue snappy, but I would have liked to see Bob more involved in this crucial case. The author skips over the two-week investigation with a sentence or two. I would have also liked to see a bit more with some of the secondary characters. If you like PIs with a sense of humor, then you should definitely read this story.

[Roybot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm wavering between four and five stars for this one. I've settled on five, but don't think it's perfect. As others (including the author) have noted, the book is a little short and skips over a two week period that I think it could have benefited from. There are some areas that could be tightened up or polished, but, the fact is, it's a damn fun read.

Bob Moore is no hero, he's just a private dick making a few bucks in a world filled with super heroes and villains. It's clear that Andry is fond of the hard boiled detective, and Moore hits a lot of the right notes. Andry's prose doesn't have the same lyrical cleverness or wit that some of his precursors had, but he gets the attitude right. Moore is jaded and cynical and just the right amount of sketch. He's no hero, but he's not a villain, either. He walks that gray line that any good private dick does. He helps out the people who need helping, but he's not above a little shutter work to catch a cheating partner. Like most of the classic shamuses that came before, he's follows his own code of justice.

The story itself is decent--the diminutive length and small cast of characters makes it easy to see the end coming. If we'd seen more of Moore's investigation and been introduced to more of the supes that inhabit the world, Andry could have seeded a few red herrings and mapped out some extra twists, which would have been nice.

As it is, I'd love to see Andry turn this into something bigger, someday.
For someone like me, who loves comic books and pulp detectives, this was a real treat.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Incredibles" for grownups, crossed with classic PI pulp fiction. Takes place in a world in which the "Supers" suddenly appeared on the scene a couple decades previous, declared borderless statehood, and have been busy putting the police out of business ever since. The almost entirely stereotypical PI is a "typical" who works primarily for these Supers, and finds himself forced by circumstances into working for the one he deeps responsible for the death of his child. (Cue dark music!)

I downloaded this book free for my Nook. As a self-published book for which I handed over no lucre, it wasn't bad. Not great, but not bad. I've read plenty of "professional" stuff that is far, far worse. If I am damning with faint praise, I apologize, but seriously, I cannot give it more than 3 stars because it really was rough around the edges. The world was not fleshed out to my satisfaction, the dialog was a little forced, all characters 100% stereotypical (I know, it's a novel about PIs and Superheros, what was I expecting?) and there were editing errors. But if you are a fan of comic books, "The Incredibles," or classic PI novels, you might give this a read. It's fast and fun.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast, breezy detective story, with the added twist that Bob Moore, our "hero," is a PI with a focus on the "super" business. As a "typical" or "tippy," Bob is at a monetary and genetic disadvantage in his society, and the chip on his shoulder is a big one. He takes it out on supers in a hundred different little ways, many of which are rendered subtly and poignantly through the novella. His insistence on using real names, for one, is both pointed and a little heartbreaking.

There are several plot threads that could've been explored more thoroughly instead of left dangling, and the author has a bit of a comma problem (they're missing in places they should be, and string together too many dialogue sections otherwise), but overall, the plot is well-crafted and the characters nicely realized. As a full novel, rather than a novella, this could've been a stunner. As it stands, it's a darn good quick read for anyone who likes a rollicking, nontypical superhero story.

[Lawrence Kapture · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good take on a "realistic" superhero world, as seen through the eyes of a depressive detective, a non-superhero, who specializes in cases dealing with superheros. He takes the case when a superhero thinks their sidekick is jailing bad guys with somebody else.


Dark, sarcastic, and funny, though not lighthearted, Bob Moore: No Hero describes a world in which the antics of superheros regularly endanger and impoverish regular citizens. Bob is hired to find out why a superhero doctor's patients are disappearing. This would be almost impossible to review without spoilers, but I will say that I found the resolution satisfying. You will probably get a kick out of this if you like grim and gritty comics, or any dystopian stuff. I picked this novella up for free on Kindle, but there is a paperback edition.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bob Moore is a P.I. Most of clients and objects of surveillance are superheros. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it. Andry excels at creating a believable detective story set in a world where superheros (and villains) are a regular thing.

When Doc Arts, the supergenius, and doctor to the supers fears that his clients are going missing, nobody believes him. Not the supers not the cops, nobody. Bob Moore takes the case only to get a cop to owe him a favor. He has a personal history with Doc Arts and decides to take him for as much as he's worth convinced that nothing criminal is going on ... or is there?

Without giving up too much of the story, Bob Moore lives up to the title of No Hero.

[David(LA,CA) · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting taste test, but I wanted more. I probably could have finished up a lot sooner if I had known how close to the end I was the last time I put the book down. It's a short book and it feels shorter still. It doesn't do much background world building. It covers a little bit of the changes to law enforcement and politics that the existence of numerous superheroes could possibly cause, but it doesn't do much to explain how super powered individuals came into existence. It also feels a little bit like a cheat that the ordinary main character has access to super tech, given how much he seems to dislike the super powered community in general.

I'm curious to see if the series ever takes the time to flesh things out a little more, so I'm going to give it some more time.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really, quite fun. Definitely way better than I expected for a free book. Two semi-complaints:

1. It's too short.
-This is really a compliment, because it means I want more! I enjoyed the characters, and I think there's a lot more he can do. Can't wait to see what happens next in this series.
-if you go in thinking of this as sort of a prequel novella, I think you'll have the right idea about it.

2. I did predict the ending.
-no, I won't tell you what it was.
-This is a semi-complaint because it's rare for me to be surprised by an ending in a novel. I'll definitely be reading more of his books in the future

[Philip McClimon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. It was slick and cool. I am not a fan of superheroes. I don't think they are real heroes. Hell I would be brave too if I was bullet proof. I like that the main character is a regular "joe " and is not enamored of those spandex wearing do-gooders. Bob Moore is part FLETCH, part MAGNUM PI. It has a twist ending that I did not see coming. Bob is a flawed hero who can be motivated by his darker nature and that made things interesting. There were zingers and wit that made it fun too. Count me in for the sequel.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and simple. No Hero is like a trip to the candy store - pleasurable and fun, but not really filling. But it was clearly never meant to be anything more than it is.

Bob Moore is a tippy, an average person, in a world dominated by people with superpowers. Bob works as a private eye, the only person reckless enough to investigate "supers" in spite of their huge egos and dangerous tempers.

In all, worth the two hours it took to read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bob Moore is a PI in world chock full of superheroes. Unfortunately he's not one of them though he does specialize in cases that involve people with super powers. He's asked to investigate a crime by a man he hates that has no clues and thinks it's probably a waste of his time, but he's wrong... This is a reasonably short novel and an introduction to this super powered world. I'll be reading book two but while enjoyable this first book didn't have enough depth to make it really outstanding.

[B. Branin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is only one negative thing to say about this book: It was too short! Tom Andry has created a winning combination of character and setting with Bob Moore: No Hero. Armed with only his camera, an old vendetta and a set of balls made of granite, we follow a well crafted anti-hero against government-controlling superheroes who seem to have all but forgotten about who they are suppose to protect.