Doing Max Vinyl

Annie Ogden #1

by Frederick Lee Brooke

Product Description
From Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads "I have read a great many Indie books recently and every once in a while you find a true gem. DOING MAX VINYL is one of those gems."
"Read this book--you won't be disappointed. BTW, I may just add Annie Ogden to my five-top-people-to-have-lunch-with list!"
"I particularly enjoyed two of the male characters, Ike and Tranny, a couple of ex-cons that work for Max Vinyl. The way that they fought like an old married couple as they dealt with the plot's unexpected twists had me in stitches throughout the book."
"Like Hiassen, who writes from an abiding affection for South Florida, Brooke's satire of reckless polluting is rooted in a love and knowledge of Chicago and Lake Michigan."
"Annie Ogden, a war veteran home after 3 tours of duty in Iraq, is trying to find her place in life. A self-sufficient, strong willed woman, she takes matters into her own hands to see justice achieved. The topic of returning veterans and their struggle to fit back into society is handled in a genuine, unique and passionate way."
Discover why Doing Max Vinyl (An Annie Ogden Mystery) currently ranks #1 on Goodreads Best Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense Novels of 2011!


 Doing Max Vinyl (An Annie Ogden Mystery)Earth first. Okay, maybe second. Third? She'll KILL you!Max Vinyl's type of success story can only happen in America. Rising from humble beginnings, he has reached the height of the computer recycling racket. Problem is, he's using Lake Michigan as his own personal profit center. Even that wouldn't have been a problem if his environmentalist girlfriend Tris hadn't found out his dirty secret. And while Max is devastated by his love crashing down around him, he's about to learn that the rage of a woman scorned packs far more firepower and potential for destruction than he had ever imagined.Iraq War veteran Annie Ogden has spent three tormented months living in a cabin alone trying to re-discover her purpose in life. When two of Max's thugs threaten Annie's sister, she is dragged into his corrupt world in an unwitting alliance with the environmentalist, Tris. Which is really lousy news for Max. Will he hold up under the coordinated attacks of two furious women? As things spin completely out of control and complications mount, it's all Max can do to stay one step ahead until it's all he can do to stay alive!
A farce full of hysterics and chicanery, Frederick Lee Brooke's first installment of the Annie Ogden mysteries is an incisive examination of corporate lunacy, greed and modern disconnection. Having received multiple four and five-star reviews on Amazon, Doing Max An Annie Ogden Mystery is loaded with razor-sharp dialogue, ingenious plotting and so much fun it should be illegal!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

464 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2011

About the author

Frederick Lee Brooke launched the Annie Ogden Mystery Series in 2011 with Doing Max Vinyl and following with Zombie Candy in 2012, a book that is neither about zombies nor sweets. The third mystery in the series, Collateral Damage, appeared in 2013. The first book in Fred’s entirely new series, the Drone Wars, is called Saving Raine and appeared in December 2013.

A resident of Switzerland for the last 20 years, Fred has worked as a teacher, language school manager and school owner. He has three boys and two cats and recently had to learn how to operate both washing machine and dryer.

When not writing or doing the washing, Fred can be found walking along the banks of the Rhine River, sitting in a local cafe, or visiting all the local pubs in search of his lost umbrella.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Info: Genre: Mystery/Thriller Reading Level: Adult Recommended for: Those who like to watch and see rather than to feel and be.

Disclosure: I picked up a free copy from Smashwords last year. While I’m under no obligation, I am happy to provide an honest review.

Synopsis: Max Vinyl rose from meager circumstances to run a highly profitable computer recycling company along the shores of Lake Michigan. But when his girlfriend discovers his dirty little secret, she sets off a series of increasingly insane events that escalate to include an Iraqi War vet in search of a new calling, thugs in search of a payday, and one explosive aquatic escape.

Some people believe the water beneath the waves of Lake Michigan is crystal clear down to the bottom. This couldn’t be further from the truth—at least not since Max Vinyl entered the computer recycling racket. Since then, the lake has become his own personal profit center. But when Tris, his environmentalist girlfriend and receptionist, finds out his dirty secret, all hell breaks loose at work and at home as he discovers Tris’ extremely combustible—and creative—violent side. Iraq War veteran Annie Ogden has struggled for three depression-filled months in a forest preserve cabin since returning from the Middle East. When two of Max Vinyl's thugs threaten her sister, Annie gets dragged into his corrupt world, giving her life purpose. And for Max, that’s a big problem. Will Max Vinyl hold up under the coordinated attacks of two angry women? And will Annie find the inner peace that has escaped her so far? As things spin out of control it’s all Max can do to stay one step ahead—until his life hangs precariously in the balance!

An absurd journey into the heart of modern corporate lunacy, Brooke’s first installment of the Annie Ogden mysteries, loaded with strong women and fallible heroes, full of hysterics and wholehearted chicanery, is as funny and addictive as it is uproarious and entertaining. Doing Max Vinyl is an incisive examination of greed and disconnection.

My Thoughts: I told the author, when he contacted me to ask if I’d review this book once I read it, that I would try to get that done in August. Well … that didn’t happen, due to a large backlog of Netgalley and Vine books that I had to get done, and a heavy editing schedule on top of my health problems. So, my apologies, but I’m finally getting to it!

So, to get the technicalities out of the way. The story is well written and well edited. The plot flows smoothly, the characters all have individual voices, the description is just enough to help you visual the people and places, but not so much as to suppress your imagination. Technically it’s wonderfully well done – so I was very puzzled that I had such a hard time getting into it.

After considerable thought on the matter, I’ve decided it’s the point-of-view. It’s a limited-omniscient, third-person point-of-view in which we hardly ever get into the thoughts of the person we’re watching. It’s all very much just on the surface, like watching a television show, without letting the reader get into the mind of the person about whom they are reading. For me that would not necessarily always be a problem, but in this case I think the additional information gained by getting more into the characters’ heads would allow the reader to feel more of a sense of connection to them, and lead the reader to have more interest in what happens to them. As it was, I felt completely disconnected from the characters and, as a result, disconnected from the plot too. Unfortunately, I just could not finish. However, I think a lot of readers would enjoy this story just fine, so don’t let this discourage you from checking it out.

[Vone Savan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl is a novel with quirky characters, absurd situations, and a lesson on the hazards of waste disposal on the environment. Though the novel is fiction, it isn’t typically a genre (parodic/satirical mystery) I would read—but I’m glad I did. This well-written novel lends itself to having a very detective, film noir feel. I could practically hear the saxophones playing in the background of certain scenes.

My favorite elements of the book were the characterizations of the diverse cast of characters, especially Tranny (who I found hilarious) and Annie Ogden (who I adore). I really enjoyed the way Brooke’s fleshed out not only these two particular characters—but the majority of his characters—with solid backgrounds and entertaining dialogue.

I also enjoyed the ethical lessons of improper waste disposal. Though Brooke’s message in properly recycling and conserving clean water was quite palpable, it didn’t come off as pious or preachy. And I think a big part of this had to do with how he integrated this belief into the story in amusing and clever ways.

However, there were a few drawbacks in the novel. Since there was so much going on in the book, there were several moments when I felt lost. The plot, at times, seemed to be bouncing around way too much, slicing and dicing different scenes back-to-back in such a rapid fashion. This was probably done to mirror certain movie scenes, but it gave the book an incohesive, disjointed feel. To remedy this issue, I had to go back and reread several sections in order to keep the story straight.

Also, the sheer amount of characters was entertaining to read about, but also hard to keep up with. It felt like certain characters were introduced, then taken away, only to return later on in the book with a certain purpose that I couldn’t necessarily figure out or remember. Hence, having to go back and reread certain parts yet again. But, with all that said, I have to add that it might have just been my own comprehension level due to the fact that this specific genre isn’t one that I’m particularly accustomed to.

Overall though, I enjoyed Doing Max Vinyl. It’s mysterious, humorous, sexy, explosive, and gave a positive message. It’s everything most readers crave in a novel. And, if you’re really into parodic or satirical mysteries, then you’ll practically be in heaven while reading this book.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl is an environmental thriller. truly enjoyed the story. When Manny fires Tris, she goes to Max because she found out he was illegally dumping all the used computers in the Lake. Tris is an Enviromentlist, but she knows if caught Max would just get fined so she decides to take things into her own hands.Meanwhile two of Max's workers lose the Gps device at a restaurant when they go back they find its not there and they trash the kitchen, they find out there waitress may have taken it with her, so they track her down break into her apt and steal the boyfriends cell phone collection. They hold it hostage to get the Gps back. They arrange a meet, enter Anne the waitresses sister. She decides to teach them a lesson.In parts it is laugh out loud funny. Just goes to show don,t mess with a women scorned and don,t mess with family.Poor Max just doesn,t get it, he doesn,t realize whats happening to him and his business. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read and a good laugh.Look forward to reading more books By Frederick Lee Brooke.

[Cale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the brilliance of this novel was not the cunning characters, or the riveting plotlines, but in the overall message it sent, that was both enlightening but without being too “in your face”. Corporate greed and the destruction it is doing to the planet is something that no one can (or should) ignore, but it is all too often swept under the rug or justified. I appreciated that this book brought some of those issues to light in a very real way, while still maintaining the enjoyableness of being a novel one would read for pleasure. This is an excellent way to spread a message in my opinion, and it was cleverly crafted into a wonderful novel that I will be recommending to my friends!

[David Ottenstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot to reccommend it. The plot is woven pretty tightly, the characters are memorable, it's paced very well, and exposition is kept to a minimum.

A psycho ex-girlfriend, a cute red-headed war vet, and a bolt-in-the-eyebrow wearing ex-con are just a few of the characters you'll become aquainted with. And like! The best thing I can probably say about a book is that I cared what happened to the characters; good and bad!

I highly reccommend Doing Max Vinyl. It was a fun time.

[Frederick Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my book so I'm not going to review it. But I will say it's the first book in the series of Annie Ogden books. The second book is Zombie Candy, and the third is Collateral Damage

[Scott Bury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun thriller

Some books are just plain fun to read — like Frederick Lee Brooke’s Doing Max Vinyl.
This is a book that succeeds on several levels. First, it’s a perfectly crafted crime-thriller with a believable, sympathetic protagonist in Annie Ogden and a watertight plot. Second, all the characters are drawn from real life. Third, the writing is flawless, the style smooth and professional. And it’s full of observational humour. The laughs come from recognition — you know people like this, you’ve heard people say these things and you can easily picture them in the situations that Fred Brooke creates.

The plot
Max Vinyl is the owner of Tri-State Recylcing (TSR) in Chicago; on the day that he sells 20 percent of his company to Korean investors, his general manager fires the receptionist for spying on the company. The trouble is, the receptionist, Tris, is also Max’s girlfriend.
Tris, it turns out, is a “tree-hugger” according to the general manager, Manny Rodriguez. Manny had caught Tris snooping through some sensitive files and suspected she was going to blow the whistle on TSR’s less-than-environmentally friendly activities.
Those questionable practices? TSR recycles computers and other electronics. The law requires that companies dispose of their obsolete electronic equipment in such a way that harmful chemicals do not leak into soil, water or air. As a result, businesses pay recycling companies to dispose of their old computers, monitors, printers and other equipment properly. TSR charges to haul away the old equipment, then makes more money by reselling the best items. Any that it cannot sell, it disassembles, recycles, reuses or disposes of in an environmentally responsible manner.
That’s what it tells the world on its website. What it really does, though, is pick the best, most sellable items from its incoming stream of used equipment — truckloads every day — and sell them through its website. TSR then dups eight to ten dumpsters into Lake Michigan every night.
Max has hired a number of ex-cons for the heavy work. Two in particular pilot the barge and dump the trash: Ike and Tranny. These two have the funniest antics in the book, especially the way that Tranny will say the opposite of what he means, then insist that’s not what he said.
“I get tired of always having to come up with the ideas, and you just say no to everything. How about you try saying no for a change and I get to have some ideas?”
“You mean I should come up with the ideas, and you can get to say no?”
“That’s what I said, stupid. Don’t try and turn things around that I say. I don’t go correcting you all the time.”
Every plot has to have a coincidence, or there’s no story. The skilled writer makes the coincidence seem unavoidable.
In Doing Max Vinyl, four very believable events occur on the same day:
• Max and the Korean investors agree to the $3 million sale
• Manny fires Max’s snoopy, tree-hugging ex-girlfriend
• a new laptop with very sensitive personal information accidentally enters TSR’s stream of trash
• and Ike and Tranny lose a global positioning system (GPS) device that shows them where to steer the barge and dump the garbage.
A waitress, Alison Ogden, find the GPS and takes it home because she thinks it’s a phone and her boyfriend collects old cell phones. When the boyfriend, Todd, tells her it’s not a phone, Alison gives it to her sister, Annie, who has just finished three combat tours in Iraq. Ike and Tranny track down Alison, break into her apartment and when they cannot find the GPS, take all of Todd’s 100-plus cell phones instead.
At this point, combat-trained Annie takes the fight to the bad guys to protect her sister. She infiltrates TSR and discovers its rotten foundation.

The characters
I could immediately picture Max Vinyl, the kind of sleazeball who convinces himself he’s a good guy while he’s cheating you, his wife, his employees, his business partners, the government and society at large. He overcharges his customers with rigged weigh-scales on his trucks, then dumps tonnes of garbage into the lake. He proudly proclaims he pays 25 percent above minimum wage. He’s chronically late on alimony payments and then pays his arrears with a cheque that bounces. Customers who have problems with items purchased off the website have to pay 90 cents a minute for telephone support. No wonder I laughed aloud when he falls face-first into a 10-dozen bouquet of roses after his ex-girlfriend pepper-sprays him.
Ike and Tranny kept me laughing, too, especially when Ike has to walk around with a table leg dangling from his forehead. The funniest part: he likes it!
Probably the most sensitively drawn character is Bob Olson, a square but straightforward good guy forced to bend his own moral code.
And Annie Ogden is precisely what I had hoped for in a female action hero. A former schoolteacher, she enlists in the Army and serves three tours in Iraq. She comes home with a new, confident attitude, a disdain for conventionality and a lot of fighting and survival skills. She’s small and fit, but not as young as she used to be. Brooke portrays her as very attractive, even beautiful in a diminutive way, but doesn’t take the beauty over the top like too many authors of female action heros. Conscious that she’s older than she used to be, she’s worried about the size of her butt — like every woman in the western world. When she takes on the bad guys, it’s absolutely believable.

The writing
Brooke is a pro. His skill with writing bears out his experience as an English teacher. The plot is airtight, the characters are likeable or hateable and recognizable. The style is spare and easy to read. I caught a few typos, but no more than I typically find in a commercially published book).
I found only two structural flaws:
• Two of the main characters, the catalysts of the action, Annie and Tris, never meet. While this makes sense in the context of this novel, I am sure that some putative expert will shake a figurative finger over this, calling it a major plot hole. It’s not.
• Somehow, the banner hanging over the work area at TSR that reads “MINIMUM WAGE PLUS 25% — TSR POLICY” gets replaced with the wording “Tris. TRS. Without.I.” Brooke never explains who did this (Tris, presumably), nor how. (Unless I missed it. If so, my apologies, Fred!)

The verdict
Doing Max Vinyl is a hoot, as well as a finely crafted thriller and a portrait of some real characters. I fully recommend this book!

[Lubna · Rating 5 out of 5]

A SERIOUS ISSUE DEALT WITH IN AN ENTERTAINING BOOK!

The opening chapter began on a slightly slower pace than I would have expected. Max Vinyl has just sold 20 per cent of his computer recycling company - TSR Inc to the Koreans and is looking forward to enjoying his moolah running into three millions. But, then his troubles begin, and it has nothing to do with the Koreans or his ex wife.

After the slow paced first chapter, the book is one wild enjoyable ride, where a variety of diverse characters spring to life from the pages of the book. You learn more about each character as the book moves on.

Frederick Lee Brooke has dived deep into the mind of each character and brought to light what makes each person tick, be it Max whose obsessions seem to be money, women and his car collection - but he also has a caring streak and helps his elderly Aunt and Uncle, or the 'sexy tree hugger' Tris who once had a relationship with Max and is now out to seek revenge or Max's go-to-boys and ex convicts Tranny and Ike (the duo who actually dump E-waste into Lake Michigan). Once loyal to the 'Boss', now they have their daggers drawn and are out to get Max -- not because they think he is harming the environment, but because they think he dented their side business and made a killing by selling their sacks of 'stolen' mobile phones!

A few characters such Annie Ogden and Alden Sterling (the CPA whose laptop is sabotaged and of course Max will use the secrets hidden in it for personal gains) seem to be randomly placed in the book, at first instance, and for a brief moment you wonder what is happening. But then it all ties up and how!

In the opening chapter itself, Tris gets fired by General Manager Rodriguez (his hunch that she is trouble with a capital T proves to be true) and she walks out on Max forever (in fact for her the relationship between her and Max was long over). What had drawn her to Max was that he was environmentally conscious and ran a E-re-cyling enterprise but once she saw through this facade it was all over for her.

Annie, is introduced in a later chapter. A war-vet she has returned from Iraq and is trying to find herself and fit into a society which she had a role to play in protecting. While she does find a home in an abandoned forest rangers shack in Chicago itself, she is at a loss on what next. Alison, her waitress sister, flicks a GPS which the duo had left behind on the table. This GPS helps indicate where exactly the trash should be dumped into the Lake in the dead of the night and is invaluable. Understandably Max is hopping mad.

The duo break into Alison's flat, do not find the GPS but walk away woth a huge mobile phone collection - Alison's husband collects mobile phones as a hobby and is sentimentally attached to his collection. Alison is forced to return the GPS to the duo, but they do not keep their end of the bargain and do not return the hoard of mobile phones - they think this collection will garner them loads of cool bucks.

Now Max's trouble truly begin. Out walks Tris and in walks Annie. Her aim is just to get these mobile phones back and to protect her sister, Alison, but she ends up doing much much more. Of course she also meets Bob, the to-be-business partner of Alden Sterling and perhaps is able to ease her pain a bit (her guy was killed in the war and she is trying to get over this loss).

While Tris and Annie do not actually meet in person, both of them help bring an end to Max's dubious activities. Max being attacked by his very own people, Tranny and Ike right there on the growing dumpster in the deep end of Lake Michigan (which has now almost reached the surface of the lake) was a fitting end, duly captured by the media cameras.

I loved the environmentally conscious angle the book has to offer. Illegal disposal of E-waste is truly a crime that needs to be tackled. But instead of being preachy, the book sends a message through a story which is action packed and a fun read.

More on my blog: http://booksonmyshelves.blogspot.in/2...

[Leise Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl, An Annie Ogden Mystery by Frederick Lee Brooke reminded me of War of the Roses, but in the business world.

Max Vinyl's company TSR, Inc. recovers old data processing equipment, recycles useable parts and disposes of hazardous parts using environmentally sound methods. Unfortunately, Max's method of disposing of the hazardous waste is to load it on a barge and dump in the river, in the middle of the night.

The novel is revenge personified! Max's "tree hugging" receptionist/lover, Tris, realizes he is a fraud when she discovers the barge loaded with computer parts. Before she can quit, his manager fires her without his knowledge, leaving him without a receptionist and a lover. He purchases ten dozen roses as a peace offering but she begins enacting her revenge as he attempts to deliver them. The thorns of ten dozen roses can really leave their mark!

Enter Annie Ogden, former teacher and Iraq war veteran, who becomes involved with TSR, Inc. when her sister, Alison, takes a GPS that Max's two ex-con employees, Ike and Tran, inadvertently leave at a restaurant. As revenge, Ike and Tran take Alison's husband's vast collection of cell phones. Ike is one unforgetable character with a bolt through his eyebrow, complete with washers and nut. The image of Ike after Annie gets through with him is priceless!

I enjoyed the details about the ancient 8' long creature that lives in the lake and swims among the sunken ships and computer equipment. He isn't happy with Max either!

Tris and Annie do not know each other but work in concert Doing Max Vinyl... and he deserves every bit.

[Gae-Lynn Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick Lee Brooke hits one out of the park with DOING MAX VINYL: a terrific cast, a female military veteran looking for her place in the world, and a timely topic. Brooke does a wonderful job with his characters - such a good job that I struggled with who I liked most!

With Max Vinyl, I fluctuated between feeling sorry for the guy and cheering for whoever would find the means to measure Vinyl for a pair of concrete loafers. Ike and Tranny are a couple of small-time hoods with serious personality disorders, but you've got to love their stick-to-itiveness and willpower. Annie Ogden has come home from her third tour of duty in Iraq and is trying to find direction and make sense of it all. I loved her discipline, the creative way she made space for herself, her commitment to her family, and the fact that she chose such an unlikely guy for her love interest.

DOING MAX VINYL is full of hysterical twists and turns, and manages to address a serious issue without self-righteousness or preaching. Well done, Mr. Brooke. I'm looking forward to finding out what Annie gets up to in ZOMBIE CANDY!

[Rosanne Limoncelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Doing Max Vinyl” had me conflicted. It’s so well written that I wanted to savor it, reading each page slowly and enjoying the prose. But the stories and the action of the plot made me want to read it fast in order to find out what would happen next. This book is full of so many real and interesting characters and they all came alive in my head instantly. From the beginning I was committed to following them closely and since I finished reading the book, they've been following me. There are too many great characters to mention in this short recommendation, but a few of my favorites are Annie the Iraq War vet whose heart and soul won't leave my mind, and Ike and Tranny who are still making me laugh and shake my head days after finishing “Doing Max Vinyl”. Then there's Max Vinyl himself who managed to hang on to a shred of my sympathy even as he got everything he deserved. Frederick Lee Brooke smoothly weaves the characters and stories together into one fun read with plenty of action, corruption and mayhem.

[John Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific book.
I get the feeling that readers are getting in on the ground floor and the only way is up for this author.
He conjures up good, strong characters - some of them right on the very edge of believability, which is where, personally, I like them. They're not cardboard characters but people you start to care about.
The story, too, is good - definitely Carl Hiaasenesque: a bit absurd, again how I like it. This is fast-moving all the way but especially at the end when everything intersects in a crashing finale, making it very hard to put the book down.
Finally, this is a novel with the environmental message. It doesn't shove that message down your neck. It's subtle. In fact, you can chose to ignore it and just enjoy the story. (You can lead a horse to polluted water, but you can't make them think, eh?).
Looks like this is the first in the series. I'll certainly be reading the next.

[Randy Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “Doing Max Vinyl,” the first Annie Ogden Mystery, Frederick Lee Brooke splashes into the murky waters of Lake Michigan to build a multi-layered eco-mystery about the evils of corporate greed. Blending mystery, satire and environmental consciousness in a literary stew, Frederick Brooke stirs up a delightful feast for readers. Equal parts comic romp, morality tale and thrill ride, “Doing Max Vinyl” is an eco-mystery that both charms and informs with a touch that rivals Carl Hiassen.

[Jennifer Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as an ebook - greatly entertaining as well as subtly educational. The things I didn't know about the recycling industry were fascinating. The characters in this book were fun and original - great fiction!

[Joshua Merrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl
by Frederick Lee Brooke

From the tree-shaded squatter’s cabin she calls home, to the darkened allies and brick walls of the city, Annie Ogden is one woman you should pay close attention to. Recently returned from her third tour in The Sand Box (where she lost the man she loved), her life seems devoid of purpose; she struggles with depression and feels like a stranger even among her own family.

Unrelated and unknown, but soon to become pivotal in Annie’s world, Tris, the Brazilian stripper / environmentally conscious (former) secretary and lover of Max Vinyl, discovers her employer is hiding a dirty secret. In her own eccentric way she brings his house of cards crashing down around him – and the repercussions make some big waves!

Skulking about town and causing purely low-brow trouble are two of Max’s finest employees; Ike and Tranny, both former inmates, are solid go-to guys – when they aren’t drunk, or screwing up the boss’s operations, or plotting a fool-proof side job for some extra cash.

Author Frederick Lee Brooke brings together a colorful cast of characters (and I do mean characters) whose unlikely entanglements prove the stuff of, well the stuff of a literary masterpiece. In this novel, the reader is confronted by the selfish shenanigans of an aspiring businessman whose disregard for all but his own cares leads him to take any shortcut that will get him where he wants to go. Unfortunately for Max Vinyl, his meandering path is cut short by the combined efforts of two women who have had enough of the BS.

From Tris holding her former employer’s classic cars hostage (an explosive event), to Annie tying one of Max’s thugs to a table leg by his eyebrow piercing, this book will leave you in stiches. But there’s more to this book than a few pretty faces, Brooke’s awareness of cutthroat business tactics and the tempting shortcuts to success give an inside view of the murky underworld of the computer/electronics recycling business.

By the time I put this book down (four hours after I picked it up), I felt like I had been on one wild ride. With strangers appearing at every corner and intertwining plotlines, this fast-paced book will keep you guessing right to the end. Doing Max Vinyl is a well written novel and you will not regret taking the time to read it. I look forward to more adventures from Annie Ogden and Frederick Lee Brooke!

Joshua Merrick

https://sites.google.com/site/jmerric...

[Leisl Kaberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I would actually give this book 41/2 stars if I had the option. It had me thoroughly engaged and I loved the way the story played out. It was cleverly crafted in such a way that I never knew what to expect. So many times I thought I knew what I was being led into and then Whamo I get hit with something I didn't see coming... And that happened all the way to the explosive end. I have to admit I do like to try and predict what is going to happen and I feel pretty darn good when I'm right but I'm even happier when I discover that I was wrong because I love a good surprise... And this book was full of them.
The characters were colourful and interesting and I must say I loved the bad guys just as much as the good. Poor Max! Boy does he get done! I actually found myself feeling sorry for old Max... He didn't seem like such a bad bloke really... Maybe a little misguided? Having said that he does get what he deserves and it plays out beautifully. Ike and Tranny were another example of characters that I loved reading about and enjoyed the misadventures they found themselves in, they were very entertaining at times and added a bit of humour to the story.
All in all, the story progresses through a series of events and story lines that at first seem like they are unrelated but sure enough meld together nicely, before long I was lost in one of the side stories hoping to be kept there a little longer.
While it is a thrill ride, not for the faint hearted, there is some really great thought provoking interactions between characters that bring out a more serious side of the author. Like Annie telling her stories from her military experience, captured my attention and made me wonder whether perhaps the author himself had served as the recollections seemed very real and honest. Also there is a bit of a moral to the story about recycling.
If I had to complain about anything it would only be about the excessive use of swearing (I have sensitive eyes) and even though I thought it excessive, I'm sure it would be far from excessive for someone not so concerned about it. It certainly was not enough to stop me reading though and I am excited about reading the second book Zombie Candy and look forward to what adventures and trouble Annie can get herself into.
An enjoyable read.

[Deborah Court · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Doing Max Vinyl" by Frederick Lee Brooke is a wonderfully written, very unusual story in the style of detective novels (although there isn't a real detective but a female war veteran, Annie Ogden). It doesn't deal with the usual whodunit but with problems we all have to face nowadays: Environmental pollution and illegal waste disposal. But instead of simply stating his message, Brooke delivers it in a highly addictive, very funny story which isn't just educational, but an intelligent, entertaining read.

Obviously, the author's strength is creating great, realistic but slightly absurd characters with very different backgrounds.. They are excellently described and multi-layered; even the villains (there was a hilarious couple of criminals "with attitude" whom I particularly liked) think that they do the right thing - from their own point of view. Even Max Vinyl, guilty of the worst environmental and other crimes, doesn't believe himself to be a bad guy, but a victim of bad circumstances. You could easily say that he isn't lucky with women at all. He seems to be constantly wondering how on earth he stumbled into all this chaos. Especially the scenes with him trying to get back his "sexy tree-hugger" ex-girlfriend cracked me up a couple of times.

The heroine, ex-soldier Annie Ogden, is an interesting, strong female character. The fact that Brooke takes his time to introduce a whole bunch of characters at the beginning requires the reader's full concentration and doesn't make it an easy read from the start, but Brooke delivers his story masterfully, with a fine, ironic and witty humor that reminded me of Douglas Adams or Sci-Fi author Neal Stephenson. He places his characters into situations that range from mysterious to completely absurd. It's a great, highly recommendable read. Can't wait for the next installment in the Annie Ogden series!

[Mataos Ponticello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some really great belly laughs!

I absolutely love the way Brooke wrote this story. I must admit at first I really had to focus, and it didn’t seem to be an easy read, but then Brooke really kicked in this bizarre story with a cast of remarkable (though some abnormal!) characters which includes my favorite, the female war veteran Annie Ogden. Annie, as well as the other characters (whether they are the good guys or the bad guys….it doesn’t matter!), and the storyline, are addictive.

“Doing Max Vinyl” is a superb piece of writing, both educational and certainly entertaining, and deals with the very real dilemma of environmental pollution and waste disposal, and the effects it has from the top on down! The character Max Vinyl just has to sit back and wonder to himself: “How the hell is all this happening to me?”

Reading chapter after chapter, I must say that Frederick Lee Brook is exquisitely diversified and talented in that he creates an array of characters with very different motives and backgrounds, and he does so with excellence in describing each character from within their own personas. Everybody seems so sure they are doing the right thing; especially the henchmen! These traits alone brought me to some belly laughs in what normally would be some serious situations.

As far as our heroine, Annie Ogden….magnificent! If “Doing Max Vinyl” were more of a detective story, I’d have two heroes to look up to: Ogden and Bogart! It’s also scary to know that there are Max Vinyl’s out there! I am amazed at how Brooke puts his characters in an expansive range of situations, some of them totally out of the ordinary, and then ties it all together. I highly recommend this novel, and when Brooke continues with another Annie Ogden installment, I’ll be waiting in the parking lot like I’m waiting for the latest video game! Great book, great read.

[Martha Bourke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl is an environmental thriller disguised as a hilarious ride of mix-ups and who-done-its. Usually, I find that an author is skilled at writing either description or dialogue, but rarely both. Brooke handles both deftly. He crafts each character’s backstory, painting a portrait of the characters’ lives while bringing each to life through engaging and entertaining dialogue. The combination creates uniquely compelling characters that become so real, you wonder if you won’t bump into one somewhere.

Brooke’s cast of characters is wonderfully diverse. The central character, Annie Ogden, is a veteran of the war in Iraq. She’s just come home after her third tour and is more than a bit lost when she finds herself back in a world of work, family and friends. She is juxtaposed against the character of Max Vinyl, whose very name bespeaks a certain kind of false front or cheap façade. Whereas Annie is trying to readjust to life in the “real world,” Max is determined create a world around himself that gives him a kind of false identity, one of legitimacy.

The supporting characters are numerous, but equally irresistible and multi-dimensional. I particularly enjoyed two of the male characters, Ike and Tranny, a couple of ex-cons that work for Max Vinyl. The way that they fought like an old married couple as they dealt with the plot’s unexpected twists had me in stitches throughout the book.

The action of the story is well-written and paced perfectly, as the reader wonders when the paths of the different characters will inevitably collide. Brooke’s prose could be compared to that of author T.C. Boyle. But, personally, I think Doing Max Vinyl is way more fun! I eagerly look forward to hearing more from this author!

[Kai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl is humorous. Max's General Manager Rodriguez fired his girlfriend Tris for nosy-around the company. It just turned out that Tris discovered that Max and TSR, Inc is not environmental friendly as Max led her to believe. Throw in Tranny and Ike, two ex-convicts into the story. Ike kept correcting Tranny for using the wrong words.

With Tranny and Ike, they accidentally left their GPS at Domino Diner and went back to get it. The waitress Alison, Annie Ogden's sister, took the GPS, thinking things get stolen in Lost and Found... no one would know. Expect with Tranny and Ike, who trying to be on their best behavior for Max, wanted their GPS back.

Things just escalated from bad to worse for Alison, in come Annie. Annie doesn't like Alison to be victimized and scared. She also doesn't like dishonest thief. So Annie goes undercover to find Tod's (Alison's husband) cell phone collections.

She ended up with more recons that she didn't plan on taking. Annie does come through and save the day. I'm not giving any details.

Readers are going to find Doing Max Vinyl very entertaining. Each of the characters in the book has depth and quite unique to each other. Tris, a hard-core environmental activist, is having revenge for being lied to and fired on Max. This was the beginning of Max Vinyl's troubles.

I was giving Max a benefit of a doubt that his General Manager Rodriquez was the culprit. Max turned out to be the very persona that anyone would hate, as in dumping electronic wastes into Lake Michigan.

The lesson that comes from all this, Don't lie, Don't steal, and Don't cheat...Payback (Karma) is a Bitch.

[Stuart Haddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick Brooke's opening chapter fools you into believing that this is a lighthearted piece of fiction (and none the worse for that). I found the Max Vinyl character entertaining but instantly unlikeable and his female companion of the moment (but not for long) veered on my empathy scale from one extreme to the other. The various 'heavies' associated with Mr Vinyl's operation are suitably unprincipled and gratuitously violent. Then along comes Annie Ogden. She has all the characteristics of a suitable heroine - brave, resourceful, intelligent, principled and yet also vulnerable. All of the characters are ably developed by Brooke in three dimensions and he has a fine touch when creating a sense of place or some highly believable dialogue.
I was well into the novel before I realized its hidden depths. The horrors of recycling in the hands of the unscrupulous is a serious thread, of course, and well-handled here. But Brooke also touches with considerable skill on the issue of returning veterans and their place in society and makes various brief but effective forays into other issues faced by western societies (like the cloning of the shopping experience and the death of small retailers for example).
In the end, this is a very readable and enjoyable novel. And did I mention the quality of the writing? Brooke has a mature and yet easy style which leaves the reader enjoying the story rather than being constantly distracted by bad grammar and convoluted syntax.
Highly recommended.

[LaLine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

The author is definitely a good storyteller and writer. I enjoyed his use of words and, in general, the overall structure of the book. However, I almost didn't bother reading the whole thing because of all the gratuitous cursing in the first few chapters. There was no need for it and it didn't give a good first impression - of either the story or the author's intelligence. Also, there were a few short scenes/vignettes that, for me, stopped the flow of the story and confused me. I think it would have worked better - and shortened a lengthy book - if it had been done differently and more smoothly. Mainly, by using fewer points of view and and putting more of a focus on the true main characters, the story would have been helped immensely.

The subtitle is "An Annie Ogden Mystery" and yet there wasn't much about Annie. Actually, there wasn't much of a mystery either. Many of the other characters had more page-time than Annie did. I found myself waiting to see when Annie was really going to be a large part of the story (or where the mystery was going to come in), but she seemed on par with all the rest of the characters as far as moving the story along. Though I really wanted to, I didn't care any more or less for her than I did all the other characters that were introduced throughout the book. Probably not a good thing since this is supposed to be a series. A series that I will probably not continue reading simply because I don't know enough or care enough about Annie to see what she does next in her life.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The review was originally posted at Library Cat book blog.

God damn! I never thought that recycling could be so fun!

Max Vinyl owns a recycling company. He collects old and used computers, resells what can be used again and destroys the rest. Well, sort of. His girlfriend (a tree-hugger) finds out and leaves him. The two men who work for him lost his GPS. The waitress took it. In order to bring the GPS back, they are stealing the old cell phones from the waitress’s boyfriend. But the waitress has a sister who is former soldier and she goes after the phones. And the lead goes to Max Vinyl.

You might think that I’ve said too much. Oh, no, this is just the beginning. This story is a real page-turner. I enjoyed every page of it. Every single character was so unique. Max Vinyl was one of a kind. I really liked him at the beginning, even felt sorry for him, just to figure out later that he was the bad guy here. I really liked Annie Ogden (the waitress’s sister). So brave and decisive woman. She can easily be my best friend.

I couldn’t see the connection between some of the characters at the beginning. But reading on and on, it all comes to its place. After reading Zombie Candy, I was definitely hooked up on Frederick Lee Brooke’s unique style of telling stories. His stories always start as one thing, just to end up on a very different higher level. Doing Max Vinyl is Annie Ogden #1 in series, but reading the book I didn’t get the feeling that Annie was the main character here.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. Definitely worth for recommendation.

[Marilou George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frederick Lee Brook has succeeded in bringing to life a cast of characters very distinct and diverse while weaving together an unforgettable storyline that will satisfy you in its conclusion.

Max Vinyl owns and manages a recycling business where he illegally dumps old computer parts into Lake Michigan. His main ambitions in life are money, women and his beloved car collection. Max has no conscience as he benefits from his criminal activity, he actually sees himself as a victim.

Annie Ogden, a war veteran home after 3 tours of duty in Iraq, is trying to find her place in life. A self-sufficient, strong willed woman, she takes matters into her own hands to see justice achieved. The topic of returning veterans and their struggle to fit back into society is handled in a genuine, unique and passionate way.

The supporting cast of characters and their stories are cleverly defined and written with such clear dialogue they are totally believable. Their stories are skillfully conveyed in a way that keeps you reading and hungry for more. The character descriptions will burn an image in your mind and you will see them in your mind's eye.

The story is written intelligently, with humor and compassion. The environmental issues at the heart of the story will raise your level of consciousness about the environment and the difficulties we face.

I absolutely recommend this book to all readers, just sit back and enjoy the ride. I look forward to the return of Annie Ogden very soon.

[Julie Ramsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

DOING MAX VINYL (An Annie Ogden Mystery)
Author: Frederick Lee Brooke


Max Vinyl thinks he has it all, he owns his own business (TSR Inc, a computer recycling company), has many loyal employees because he is smart (or so he thinks) and hires them straight out of prison, he has a girlfriend who seems to enjoy their relationship as much as he does and he is just finishing up a huge business deal that will net him alot of money. Suddenly his girlfriend (who is also his secretary) quits her job and breaks up with him, and Max feels like he is having bad day. But soon his bad day turn into bad luck all around. Is it his ex causing trouble or his new secretary? Can his employees really be trusted or are they stealing from him? Why does everyone seem to be mad at him? By the time he figures it all out, it just might be too late.



This book was a little slow in getting started because it has alot of characters to introduce and explain how they fit into the plot. But once it gets moving it will keep you reading to see what will happen next to the main character, Max. Annie Ogden is an exciting and interesting character and I wish there was a little more about her. Overall this was a good book that has alot of interesting characters to get into trouble and to go after Max.

this review is also on my book review site juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

complimentary book given for a free review

[Elyse Salpeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are novels where you completely fall in love with the characters and you think you know everything about them, but then as you read further, you slowly come to realize they are not what, or who, they appear to be. That’s exactly how it was for me when reading Doing Max Vinyl.

This is a well written tale about Max Vinyl, a man who runs a computer recycling company. When his girlfriend finds out he may not be as altruistic as he claims, the story really takes off.

The author introduces us to a lot of characters and it usually confuses me, but I found his writing style and characterization of each singularly unique individual was “spot on” and made it easy for me to remember who all the players in the book were. But even better was the fact that I found myself flip-flopping back and forth between who I thought the heroes were because when everyone is flawed in some capacity, who do you pick?

This is a really fun read and I was disappointed when it ended – there were some things I would have liked to have even learned further about and that’s how you know a novel is good. I found myself thinking about the characters long after I put the book down.

[Jennifer Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are three things that rank high on my list when I read a new book – well-written, interesting characters, suspense to keep you on your toes, and some fun thrown in for good measure. This book had it all. So what do you get when you mix an Iraq War veteran Annie Ogden who has spent three tormented months living in a cabin alone trying to re-discover her purpose in life with Max Vinyl's entrepreneurial and somewhat sketchy computer recycling racket? You get one heck of a story that’s for sure!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. The storyline was original and plotted well to keep the suspense building to the final scene. I loved all of the diverse characters; some were so inventive and quirky that I laughed quite a few times during the story. I enjoyed the interesting premise about computer recycling and learned some things I did not know. I love that aspect! Brook’s writing style is smooth and easy to read, which makes it irresistible to read the entire book in a couple of sittings. I highly recommend and I look forward to more books from this author.

[Richard Bunning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great entertainment, written with flare. Brooke certainly has an ability to write, and to weave an interesting plot. The comic moments are well crafted from the story; comedy built out of a nice muddle of possible mishap, and peoples very mixed abilities. Some of the characters are so sharp, so accurately portraying individuals we might well know. Then Brooke variously stretches personality to logical yet ridiculous extremes.
By half way one can guess some of the end, but that doesn't make it any the less amusing when it happens. This is a good week-end read, even when half-distracted by family chaos, as I was. The characters are so memorable that one can't lose the thread for very long. The mix of the ridiculous, melodramatic, violent, comic and pointedly accurate is done very well. This is a tragic comedy played out in the shady worlds of "rubbish" re-cycling, and gang-land competition. I have only just finished, and if only it wasn't all so fresh in my mind I would love to immediately start all over again.

[John Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing Max Vinyl is a fun and wacky read! as I was reading this book kind-of-wondering where this story was going, I was thinking that it was a Seinfeld meets Oscar Wilde in 'madly off in all directions'.

The characters in Doing Max Vinyl are numerous, and the plot thickens as their stories intertwine. Characters find themselves in wackier and wackier situations, yet the author extricates them (or doesn't!) plausibly. My favorite characters is the Ike and his partner, a couple of ex-cons working in the recycling business for the Boss - Max Vinyl. They keep the story going in different directions and provide most of the humor in this tale.

Throughout the book, our heroine, Annie begins to find her way and it is not a traditional path. This novel is quite easy to imagine as a movie with the author's fine visual sense. Doing Max Vinyl is fun to read with plenty of character development and action! I laughed out loud while reading it, especially when visualizing the extreme circumstances. An added bonus - I'll vet the recycler before recycling my electronics. Well done Mr. Brooke

[J.t. Conroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Chicago and Max Vinyl is a man who never pays full value for anything. His head may have been messed up and his heart broken by his gorgeous, athletic girlfriend/receptionist, but he has just sold 20 percent of his thriving though fraudulent computer parts recycling company (with convenient access to Lake Michigan) to a ruthless Korean tycoon for a cool three million. With that kind of dough in his pocket, getting his girlfriend back should be no problem. It’s just a matter of some sweet talk and a few flowers. What could go wrong? Max soon finds out as a diverse cast of entertaining characters with schemes of their own maneuver around and against each other in a convoluted but tightly woven plot triggered by the firing of his nosey girlfriend and the swiping of his military grade GPS unit by a light-fingered waitress. Brooke's novel compares favorably with similar works by Thomas Berger and Donald Westlake. In my opinion, that’s very good company.