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Ruby Murphy #3
Flamethrower
In the newest Ruby Murphy mystery, New York’s inadvertent sleuth discovers more about her shrink than she could have ever imagined as the doctor turns the tables, enlisting her help in the hunt for a one-legged man who’s been kidnapped and hidden in the Rockaways. Life gets even stranger when Ruby is inexplicably fired from her job at the Coney Island Museum, her friend Violet’s best racehorse is suddenly put up for sale, and a blue Honda begins shadowing Ruby’s every move as she journeys into the wilds of Pennsylvania in search of the woman she always thought had all the answers.Between her apartment that is spitting distance from the Cyclone rollercoaster, the barn deep in a no-man’s-land where she stables her horse, and the racetrack that is consuming her boyfriend, Ruby already knows her share of eccentric New York misfits. But in Flamethrower, she may have finally met her dangerous match.From the Trade Paperback edition.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
1 person is currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Maggie Estep
25 books57 followersMaggie Estep grew up moving throughout the US and France with her nomadic horse trainer parents. She attended the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics in Boulder, Co. and received a B.A. in Literature from The State University of New York.
Before publishing her first novel, Maggie worked as a horse groom, a go-go dancer, a dishwasher, a nurse's aide, and a box factory worker. Maggie has published seven books, DIARY OF AN EMOTIONAL IDIOT (Harmony Books 1997, Soft Skull 2003) SOFT MANIACS (Simon and Schuster 1999) LOVE DANCE OF THE MECHANICAL ANIMALS (Three Rivers Press 2003) HEX (Three Rivers Press 2003) GARGANTUAN (Three Rivers Press 2004) FLAMETHROWER (Three Rivers Press 2006) and ALICE FANTASTIC (Akashic Books 2009). HEX, the first book in Maggie's trilogy of crime novels, was chosen by the New York Times as a notable book of 2003.
Maggie has recorded two spoken word CD's, NO MORE MR. NICE GIRL (Nuyo Records 1994) and LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (Mercury Records 1997).
She has given readings of her work at cafes, clubs, and colleges throughout the US and Europe and has also performed her work on The Charlie Rose Show, MTV, PBS, and HBO's "Def Poetry Jam". Her writing has appeared in The New York Post, Self Magazine, Village Voice, New York Press, Harpers Bazaar, Spin, and Nerve.com, as well as in dozens of anthologies including but not limited to BROOKLYN NOIR, THE BEST AMERICAN EROTICA, and HARD BOILED BROOKLYN.
She is currently at work on The Angelmakers, a novel about female gangsters in late 19th century New York.
(from MaggieEstep.com 2-4-09)
Estep suffered a heart attack on February 10, 2014 and died from complications of it on February 12, 2014. She was 50. [Wikipedia]
Before publishing her first novel, Maggie worked as a horse groom, a go-go dancer, a dishwasher, a nurse's aide, and a box factory worker. Maggie has published seven books, DIARY OF AN EMOTIONAL IDIOT (Harmony Books 1997, Soft Skull 2003) SOFT MANIACS (Simon and Schuster 1999) LOVE DANCE OF THE MECHANICAL ANIMALS (Three Rivers Press 2003) HEX (Three Rivers Press 2003) GARGANTUAN (Three Rivers Press 2004) FLAMETHROWER (Three Rivers Press 2006) and ALICE FANTASTIC (Akashic Books 2009). HEX, the first book in Maggie's trilogy of crime novels, was chosen by the New York Times as a notable book of 2003.
Maggie has recorded two spoken word CD's, NO MORE MR. NICE GIRL (Nuyo Records 1994) and LOVE IS A DOG FROM HELL (Mercury Records 1997).
She has given readings of her work at cafes, clubs, and colleges throughout the US and Europe and has also performed her work on The Charlie Rose Show, MTV, PBS, and HBO's "Def Poetry Jam". Her writing has appeared in The New York Post, Self Magazine, Village Voice, New York Press, Harpers Bazaar, Spin, and Nerve.com, as well as in dozens of anthologies including but not limited to BROOKLYN NOIR, THE BEST AMERICAN EROTICA, and HARD BOILED BROOKLYN.
She is currently at work on The Angelmakers, a novel about female gangsters in late 19th century New York.
(from MaggieEstep.com 2-4-09)
Estep suffered a heart attack on February 10, 2014 and died from complications of it on February 12, 2014. She was 50. [Wikipedia]
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 16, 2011
Honestly, I was extremely disappointed with this book. I would have been content if the series ended with Gargantuan. The plot just wasn't engaging and the humor was nowhere near what I've come to expect from Maggie Estep. It was simply so...average.
July 28, 2023
Can't believe it's been four years between me reading books 2 and 3 of this series. I greatly enjoyed the first two but I kept forgetting about finishing the series. When I did remember, I'd have to get it on an interlibrary loan and it would take the loan too long to get in and eventually I'd lose interest.
But then I saw it at a used bookstore and huzzah! Let's finish this one.
And it's sad because this is the book I always wanted from the series. Oh yeah, the first two are good but the constant shifting perspectives didn't always work for me. I wanted a straightforward Ruby Murphy story and this is said story and it's great.
The mystery (mysteries?) are somewhat interesting but really, I'm reading this for the deep dive into Ruby's life, the look at outer-outer borough New York City, the examination of the horse racing scene at Aqueduct. We got this from Maggie Estep...and then she had the misfortune of death. What a shame; this really could have been something long-running and fun. Alas. May she rest in peace. She sure went out on a fun literary note.
But then I saw it at a used bookstore and huzzah! Let's finish this one.
And it's sad because this is the book I always wanted from the series. Oh yeah, the first two are good but the constant shifting perspectives didn't always work for me. I wanted a straightforward Ruby Murphy story and this is said story and it's great.
The mystery (mysteries?) are somewhat interesting but really, I'm reading this for the deep dive into Ruby's life, the look at outer-outer borough New York City, the examination of the horse racing scene at Aqueduct. We got this from Maggie Estep...and then she had the misfortune of death. What a shame; this really could have been something long-running and fun. Alas. May she rest in peace. She sure went out on a fun literary note.
November 24, 2020
This was the best volume of the trilogy and I'm not only glad I stuck with it, but now miss Ruby and her friends and lovers.
Recall Hex, which I read a while back and felt needed guidance end editing. Which Gargantuan improved on and Flamethrower excelled in. Do read this series if you want to see the growth of a writer, finding her voice, or, helping her characters find theirs.
The entire book was told from Ruby's perspective (instead of chapters from other characters in the previous books) and second and tertiary characters weren't given a disproportionate number of pages.
Ruby continues to be a real person with real considerations (she's always making sure her cats are cared for!) and, for what it's worth, real PTSD from the traumas she's witnessed.
Recall Hex, which I read a while back and felt needed guidance end editing. Which Gargantuan improved on and Flamethrower excelled in. Do read this series if you want to see the growth of a writer, finding her voice, or, helping her characters find theirs.
The entire book was told from Ruby's perspective (instead of chapters from other characters in the previous books) and second and tertiary characters weren't given a disproportionate number of pages.
Ruby continues to be a real person with real considerations (she's always making sure her cats are cared for!) and, for what it's worth, real PTSD from the traumas she's witnessed.
Read
January 25, 2022DNF. There’s a lot going on here, but it seems to be, in order of importance: horses, Coney Island, unresolved mysteries from previous books in the series, and, finally, an all-too straightforward mystery about a severed foot that doesn’t seem all that important to anyone. The heroine complains several times about her own directionless life, which seems to mirror my feelings about the plot—too bad, because the writing is smart and funny, and the heroine is a great character.
April 24, 2018
This is my second Maggie Estep novel and I regret she isn't here to write more. I was blown away by her eloquence and empathy in Hex. This is a character driven book, not action driven and the mystery is just a GPS leading the reader on a somewhat sad yet beautifully painted view of Ruby's world. I loved the poignant ending.
May 26, 2009
Decently-written mystery novel that takes place around Coney Island and south Brooklyn. When I first moved to New York a coworker of mine gave me this book; took me two years to get to it and one day of traveling to read it front to back. Pretty anti-climactic ending, but maybe that's a positive for its atypicality.
August 14, 2010
I have loved Maggie since her (and my) MTV days. What I really appreciate is that her characters are so often confused and indecisive and their situations so muddled. It makes them human, and the novel's resolution so satisfying.
July 12, 2013
Very engaging, entertaining and fun. Great one-liners and unexpected cultural references that made me chuckle throughout the book. The leading character's inner conversations and honest observations helped me see her as a real person and someone I can relate to.
Want to read
December 21, 2018Synopsis: New York’s inadvertent sleuth Ruby Murphy is asked by her shrink to find a one-legged man who’s hiding in the Rockaways.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews