The Fall Guy

Cedric O'Toole #1

by Barbara Fradkin

Handyman Cedric O'Toole likes his simple life. He lives by himself on a hardscrabble farm, collecting sheds full of junk and dreaming of his next invention. Then one day a slick city lawyer drives down his lane and his nightmare begins. Lori-Anne Wilkins, the wife of a wealthy local businessman, has fallen to her death from a deck Cedric built, and the furious widower has slapped him with a lawsuit. When Cedric goes to check out the accident site, he discovers that someone has tampered with the railing around the deck. It appears he's been set up to take the blame. But who might want Mrs. Wilkins dead? Then, when someone runs him off the road, he realizes that his life is in danger too. To clear his name and save his life, Cedric has to use his inventive mind to trap the real killer.

Genres: Mystery

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Barbara Fradkin (nee Currie), an award-winning Canadian mystery writer and retired psychologist whose work with children and families provides ample inspiration for murder. She is fascinated by the dark side and by the desperate choices people make.

Her novels are gritty, realistic, and psychological, with a blend of mystery and suspense. She is the author of three series, including ten novels featuring the exasperating, quixotic Ottawa Police Inspector Michael Green, and three short novels about country handyman Cedric O'Toole which provide an entertaining but quick and easy read. FIRE IN THE STARS is the first book in her new mystery thriller series which stars passionate, adventurous, but traumatized aid worker Amanda Doucette.

Fradkin's work has been nominated for numerous awards, and two of the Inspector Green books have won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel from Crime Writers of Canada. Fradkin was born in Montreal but lives in Ottawa.

Series:
* Inspector Green Mystery

Awards:
Arthur Ellis Award
◊ Best Novel (2005): Fifth Son
◊ Best Novel (2007): Honour Among Men

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book, with a “quick reads” label on the cover. A handyman protagonist, not exactly an appealing character (presented as a bit simple, a hapless inventor with a lot of junky vehicles and other things in his yard in case he wants to use any of their parts.) But he has to solve a murder because otherwise he will be blamed. And he does.
It’s billed as #1 in a series, so I have to see if there were any more. (Apparently, yes.)

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional Canadian author. Got to devour whatever else has written!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Rapid Read. A good short simple story, but now I have to find something else to read.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- This is not a bad story. It's not. I liked the main character Cedric "Rick" Elvis O'Toole. I liked that he does not sit around and wait for someone to help him; he helps himself, despite any dumb decisions that he makes while doing so. I liked that the solution to his problem, the mystery of the story, is not straightforward and that the author uses several suspenseful scenes to move the plot forward as Rick tries to solve who set him up. I did not like the plot twist. I also wished that Rick had more community respect. He might be on the spectrum, and he does not keep his inherited farm property in pristine condition by any means, but he is a hard worker and can repair or build most anything. For the most part, he acts responsibly and reasons situations out; if he sometimes makes questionable choices, they are made from his fear that the community does not support him. Sometimes his "help" comes a bit too conveniently, but I did like the use of 'old' technology. My rating also bears in mind the published purpose of this novella. It is a high interest, low level adult literacy rapid read novella. If this had been a different kind of read, my rating might have been lower.

[Tasula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Cedric is a just getting by fix-it man, trying to live a simple life in a complex world. His life is disrupted when he is notified that a deck he just built collapsed, resulting in the death of a woman. He can't just sit back and get blamed, so sets out to find out what happened. Nice guy.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a short story than a full novel, but I enjoyed it anyway. A handyman who no one respects is accused of shoddy work and possibly manslaughter. The real criminals are an unexpected surprise. This is an interesting book.

[Vontel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book--only recently became aware of it--part of the "Rapid Reads" and more of a novella length. I see it's part of a series of 3, so will look for the others. Interesting character in Cedric O'Toole.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick short book that kept my interest peaked! Loved that she is Canadian 🇨🇦

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know this was a short book, so was surprised at that. As with her other books, this is really well-written and engaging. Just wish it was longer!

[Sharalyn Patching · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't realize it was a high interest low vocabulary book

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite part was when he got served. It's nice to see some process server representation in literature.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not a bad read, just a little slow for my taste.

[Elizabeth Gosse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story about a man named Cedric who built a beautiful deck for one of the richest men in town. However, tragically, Mr. Wilkins' wife fell off the deck while hanging up a bird feeder. The railing gave way when she leaned on it. Mr. Wilkins has filed a lawsuit against Cedric who is over come with emotion. Cedric knows he did a great job on the deck and used all the right screws and reinforcements. When he checks out the scene of Mrs. Wilkins' death, he knows it was not his fault, but he has to prove it.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book so I could share it with the two Japanese women I tutor once a week. They like mysteries and are trying to become more fluent in English. The reading level is about right for them, and I think the vocabulary in this book will be very accessible.

I found the characters interesting and the story engaging. Cedric O'Toole is a handyman who leads a simple life. A loner, he doesn't fit in well in his rural community but he successfully solves a murder, proves that his workmanship is sound, and shows that sometimes it pays to save everything.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read. It is more like a short story, not a novel in length. There is a death, our hero is the suspect, and he has to solve the puzzle of whodunit to clear himself. It was a good story and it really moved along. Before I knew it, it was over...I'm very glad I got it at the library, and did not pay $10 for it! This was just enough material to make a one-hour police procedural on TV (but only if there were lots of commercials!)

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had another book by this author on my To Read list, and searched the NYPL library for this author. This book was the only one available by her. I found this to be another rather dated mystery but once I started I continued reading. The book was short, and the mystery moderately interesting. I will still attempt to read the one on my list.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Canadian mystery offers an unlikely hero, handyman Cedric O'Toole. Set in a rural community, the main character must prove his innocence after a false accusation of negligence which led to a woman's death.

[Donna Maroulis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good " quick read " !

[CanadianBookOwl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good read. It's funny to think that the person you would least have thought to have done something bad is the exact person who did.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for whe you need a quick read.