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Stuff #5
Too Much Stuff: A Novel (5)
USA Today best-selling author A 1935 hurricane in the Florida Keys destroyed the East Coast Railway, killed five-hundred people and blew away the town of Islamorada. Lost in that storm was Mathew Kriegel, a finance director for the railroad, and one and a quarter million dollars in gold. Now newly minted private investigators Skip More and James Lessor, of More Or Less Investigations have been hired to find that lost treasure. Fighting off competitors, scuba diving, digging in a spooky cemetery and almost getting killed is only part of their job. Skip and James have stumbled onto the biggest most dangerous adventure of their lives.
- GenresMystery
304 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
11 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Don Bruns
33 books541 followersDon Bruns is a writer, novelist, musician, songwriter, painter, cook, advertising executive and stand up comic who has no idea what he wants to be when he grows up. He's the author of nine books and was editor of the mystery/music anthology A Merry Band Of Murderers.
Don's published novels cover two series. One, a Caribbean thriller collection and two, the Stuff series, a humorous look at two twenty-four year old guys in South Florida who start their own detective agency and end up neck - deep in trouble.
Jamaica Blue, Barbados Heat, South Beach Shakedown, St. Barts Breakdown and Bahama Burnout make up the Caribbean books. The Stuff series consists of Stuff To Die For, Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, Stuff To Spy For, and Don't Sweat The Small Stuff. Bruns is currently working on the fifth Stuff book, Too Much Stuff.
He currently resides on Florida's West coast.
Bahama Burnout/ Finalist, National Best Books Award - Mystery/Suspense 2009
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner National Best Books Award -Fiction/Suspense 2006
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner, Indie Excellence, 2006 Award - Mystery/Suspense
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner USA Book Award, 2006 - Mystery
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/ Winner Indie Excellence Award 2009 - Mystery/Suspense
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/IndieBound Notable, October 2008
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/Winner Florida Writer's Association -
Stuff To Die For/ Starred review Booklist
Don's published novels cover two series. One, a Caribbean thriller collection and two, the Stuff series, a humorous look at two twenty-four year old guys in South Florida who start their own detective agency and end up neck - deep in trouble.
Jamaica Blue, Barbados Heat, South Beach Shakedown, St. Barts Breakdown and Bahama Burnout make up the Caribbean books. The Stuff series consists of Stuff To Die For, Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, Stuff To Spy For, and Don't Sweat The Small Stuff. Bruns is currently working on the fifth Stuff book, Too Much Stuff.
He currently resides on Florida's West coast.
Bahama Burnout/ Finalist, National Best Books Award - Mystery/Suspense 2009
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner National Best Books Award -Fiction/Suspense 2006
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner, Indie Excellence, 2006 Award - Mystery/Suspense
South Beach Shakedown/ Winner USA Book Award, 2006 - Mystery
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/ Winner Indie Excellence Award 2009 - Mystery/Suspense
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/IndieBound Notable, October 2008
Stuff Dreams Are Made Of/Winner Florida Writer's Association -
Stuff To Die For/ Starred review Booklist
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 16, 2024
You know when they say you can never have to much of a good thing, well "To Much Stuff" is packed full of great things. My favorite of the series so far
January 3, 2025
Good book for an easy read.
February 8, 2017
Another fun read featuring Skip, James and Emily.
November 3, 2012
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure meets Carl Hiaasen on spring break, only the characters are even less mature responsible adults. Instead of a time travelling phone birth, out ‘heroes’ have an oil leaking box truck. The policophobic (fear of the police) James Lessor and his best friend ‘Skip’ Moore have formed the More Or Less Detective Agency. Notice I didn’t say run as these two bumbling slackers couldn’t run a pair of cheap panty hose getting them off of a beach bunny. Think of a Jimmy Buffet song about misadventure, and you will have no trouble imagining Skip and James.
Mary Trueblood, the great-granddaughter of Matthew Kriegel who is the fictional finance director for the Florida East Coast railway, which along with Kriegel, pretty much disappeared in the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Along with roughly a ton of gold bars.
Mary has offered the boys a half a percent of the value of the gold, plus expenses, if they find it. She is in possession of a cryptic letter, supposedly written by great=granddad, that hints at the location of a map to where he stashed the gold as the hurricane approached. What Mary doesn’t disclose is that she had previously hired to other shady detectives to find the gold, and they haven’t been heard from since.
On the approach to Islamorada, Fla., the pair are menaced by a Harley-Davidson rider, sporting a gold fender (the bike) and a black-out facemask (the rider) who splashes the side of their box truck with black paint. Armed with a thousand dollars in expense money on a prepaid ATM card, and an endless supply of oil for the truck, our erstwhile detectives check in to the Pelican Cove resort and go about the business of all Florida detectives. Drink beer and hitting on every female in sight. But when a dead body is found in their room shortly after they check in, the vacation is interrupted. James is arrested for questioning, but is uncooperative due to his policophobia. So the boys call in their secret weapon. Skips girl friend, Em who has everything they’ll need to crack the case in her purse, including a nail file, scuba equipment and a Porsche Carrera…and extra oil for the truck.
Along the way, the boys with Em in tow, and with the help of local real estate broker, Maria Sanko, confront a couple of shady doctors, suspected ghosts of the first detectives, guard dogs, the aforementioned phantom Harley rider, local cops, a nearly hundred year old survivor of the hurricane, and a spooky graveyard, setout to find the gold.
The novel is pure entertainment as the pair of unlikely protagonists, quoting movie lines along the way and never passing up a chance to down a Yeungling Beer or two bumble their way through a plot that is half loosely told history and half comedy. There are many plot holes that never get plugged, but who cares? Have another drink, and did you see the bikini on that waitress?
The novel is full of satire, but not the social/ecological commentary of Hiaasen. It is more along the lines of, “did they really get away with that?” kind of satire. The events that link the scenes together are pretty weak as far as logical progression and the structure suffers for this reason, the character building suffers the same weaknesses, and the plot is as full of as many holes as a beach after a sand castle contest, but it’s still a load of fun and giggles.
Don Bruns is an author of four previous “Stuff” novels and also writes a slightly more serious and hardboiled,”Caribbean” series featuring music writer Mick Sever. Don also spent years as a professional musician making a scant living and he’s worked as an advertising exec. Him and some friends also run a cozy, nostalgic used book store, Bookends Used and Rare Books. he splits his time between Ohio and Florida.
The Dirty Lowdown
Copyright © 2012 Robert Carraher All Rights Reserved
Mary Trueblood, the great-granddaughter of Matthew Kriegel who is the fictional finance director for the Florida East Coast railway, which along with Kriegel, pretty much disappeared in the Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. Along with roughly a ton of gold bars.
Mary has offered the boys a half a percent of the value of the gold, plus expenses, if they find it. She is in possession of a cryptic letter, supposedly written by great=granddad, that hints at the location of a map to where he stashed the gold as the hurricane approached. What Mary doesn’t disclose is that she had previously hired to other shady detectives to find the gold, and they haven’t been heard from since.
On the approach to Islamorada, Fla., the pair are menaced by a Harley-Davidson rider, sporting a gold fender (the bike) and a black-out facemask (the rider) who splashes the side of their box truck with black paint. Armed with a thousand dollars in expense money on a prepaid ATM card, and an endless supply of oil for the truck, our erstwhile detectives check in to the Pelican Cove resort and go about the business of all Florida detectives. Drink beer and hitting on every female in sight. But when a dead body is found in their room shortly after they check in, the vacation is interrupted. James is arrested for questioning, but is uncooperative due to his policophobia. So the boys call in their secret weapon. Skips girl friend, Em who has everything they’ll need to crack the case in her purse, including a nail file, scuba equipment and a Porsche Carrera…and extra oil for the truck.
Along the way, the boys with Em in tow, and with the help of local real estate broker, Maria Sanko, confront a couple of shady doctors, suspected ghosts of the first detectives, guard dogs, the aforementioned phantom Harley rider, local cops, a nearly hundred year old survivor of the hurricane, and a spooky graveyard, setout to find the gold.
The novel is pure entertainment as the pair of unlikely protagonists, quoting movie lines along the way and never passing up a chance to down a Yeungling Beer or two bumble their way through a plot that is half loosely told history and half comedy. There are many plot holes that never get plugged, but who cares? Have another drink, and did you see the bikini on that waitress?
The novel is full of satire, but not the social/ecological commentary of Hiaasen. It is more along the lines of, “did they really get away with that?” kind of satire. The events that link the scenes together are pretty weak as far as logical progression and the structure suffers for this reason, the character building suffers the same weaknesses, and the plot is as full of as many holes as a beach after a sand castle contest, but it’s still a load of fun and giggles.
Don Bruns is an author of four previous “Stuff” novels and also writes a slightly more serious and hardboiled,”Caribbean” series featuring music writer Mick Sever. Don also spent years as a professional musician making a scant living and he’s worked as an advertising exec. Him and some friends also run a cozy, nostalgic used book store, Bookends Used and Rare Books. he splits his time between Ohio and Florida.
The Dirty Lowdown
Copyright © 2012 Robert Carraher All Rights Reserved
December 17, 2011
4 STARS
This mystery case is solved by two P.I.s who are not the most on the balls. James Lessor and Skip started More or Less Investigations after collage. They graduated at the bottom half of their class. They watched a lot
of old movies instead of studing. They are always quoting old movies and the other one is g uessing.
They have been hired to go to KeyWest and try to find 10 boxes of gold that was on a train in 1937 that was destroyed by a hurricane that killed over 500. The Flager railroad took 6 years to build but destroyed by hurricane.
Mary Trueblood had hired 6 months ago other P.I.s that had vanished their number disconnected and internet site down. She found a letter that her grandfather had sent in code that he survived the hurricane. Where he might stash the gold for his company he would leave a clue their. He was afraid he might not be able to get back each box weighed around 200lbs worth around 44 millions dollars in todays market.
James & Skip before they get too far in the investigations find a dead body in thier hotel room. Emily Skip's girl friend back home recieved a death threat to James, Skip and Mrs. Trueblood.
So Emily comes down to join the boys. James has found a couple of girls in the mean time.
They keep running into danger and making not the smartest moves especially James.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
This mystery case is solved by two P.I.s who are not the most on the balls. James Lessor and Skip started More or Less Investigations after collage. They graduated at the bottom half of their class. They watched a lot
of old movies instead of studing. They are always quoting old movies and the other one is g uessing.
They have been hired to go to KeyWest and try to find 10 boxes of gold that was on a train in 1937 that was destroyed by a hurricane that killed over 500. The Flager railroad took 6 years to build but destroyed by hurricane.
Mary Trueblood had hired 6 months ago other P.I.s that had vanished their number disconnected and internet site down. She found a letter that her grandfather had sent in code that he survived the hurricane. Where he might stash the gold for his company he would leave a clue their. He was afraid he might not be able to get back each box weighed around 200lbs worth around 44 millions dollars in todays market.
James & Skip before they get too far in the investigations find a dead body in thier hotel room. Emily Skip's girl friend back home recieved a death threat to James, Skip and Mrs. Trueblood.
So Emily comes down to join the boys. James has found a couple of girls in the mean time.
They keep running into danger and making not the smartest moves especially James.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley.
August 19, 2015
Too Much Stuff is part of the Stuff Series by Don Bruns published by Oceanview Publishing, an independent publishing company who is putting out some interesting mysteries and thrillers. I have read one other book in this particular series.
Skip Moore and his best friend, James Lessor, once more are trying to get rich quick. They have had many dead-end jobs in the past but now they are trying their hands at private investigation. They are hired by Mrs. T to find gold. Her great grandfather had loaded one and a quarter million dollars of gold bars on a train that disappeared when a storm in 1935 killed 500 people and destroyed much property. No has found the gold and Skip and James want to try their hand at it.
As usual, these two are broke so they jump in with both feet without thinking everything through. And once again they find themselves in over their heads. Thankfully, Skip’s girlfriend, Em is around to help them but James' girl is married and that causes issues for Skip and Em. With other folks also searching, a dead body showing up and a mysterious boat carrying folks ashore there is a lot going on for these two private investigators. Bruns has written a humorous series with likeable characters. I found myself rooting for these two quirky guys who manage to bumble along solving mysteries and along the way they find out a little more about who they really are. I recommend this book especially for those who enjoy a lighthearted adventure story.
Skip Moore and his best friend, James Lessor, once more are trying to get rich quick. They have had many dead-end jobs in the past but now they are trying their hands at private investigation. They are hired by Mrs. T to find gold. Her great grandfather had loaded one and a quarter million dollars of gold bars on a train that disappeared when a storm in 1935 killed 500 people and destroyed much property. No has found the gold and Skip and James want to try their hand at it.
As usual, these two are broke so they jump in with both feet without thinking everything through. And once again they find themselves in over their heads. Thankfully, Skip’s girlfriend, Em is around to help them but James' girl is married and that causes issues for Skip and Em. With other folks also searching, a dead body showing up and a mysterious boat carrying folks ashore there is a lot going on for these two private investigators. Bruns has written a humorous series with likeable characters. I found myself rooting for these two quirky guys who manage to bumble along solving mysteries and along the way they find out a little more about who they really are. I recommend this book especially for those who enjoy a lighthearted adventure story.
April 27, 2012
Skip Moore and Jim Lessor formed a private investigation firm while working dead end jobs and generally being slackers. They've had one real client, but now have a second, though the job is for expenses only unless they succeed in finding $200 million dollars worth of gold bullion lost with a train during the hurricane that ravaged the Florida keys in the 30s. The storm also killed over 500 people, one of them the custodian for the bullion. Now members of another marginal p.i. firm has disappeared while in search of the bullion. Enter Skip and Jim. Whether the novel(s) work depends on your ability to tolerate slackers. Mine is somewhat low, so I kept waiting for them to grow up, especially Lessor, who seems like a pre-teen emotionally and cognitively. Note: Have you ever noticed how many people who live in Florida are either people on the edge who encounter psychopaths (Thorn and Doc Ford), psychopathic (Tim Dorsey's bunch), or clueless types who trip over crime (Hiaasen's bunch and now five novels' worth of Moore and Lessor)?
August 4, 2012
What I like most about Florida mysteries is how much I learn about the state and its history. There is always so much more going on than the Disney World and Miami Vice memories I have of the sunshine state. Don Bruns' Too Much Stuff is a perfect mix of fact and fiction. The story is fun and funny but the research and setting is bang on. Bruns has obviously spent a lot of time combing over stories from the past to meld with his often zany modern-day characters. He is a master at setting and has captured the feel of the Keys on his pages.
This time out, Skip and James are searching for gold that was lost in the hurricane of '35 that wiped out Flagler's railroad. The two bumbling, fledgling detectives uncover much more than just treasure. They stumble upon murder, too.
This was a fun, fast-paced read in which I learned a great deal about my favorite state. I'm looking forward to Bruns' next foray with Skip and James.
Victoria Allman
author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain
This time out, Skip and James are searching for gold that was lost in the hurricane of '35 that wiped out Flagler's railroad. The two bumbling, fledgling detectives uncover much more than just treasure. They stumble upon murder, too.
This was a fun, fast-paced read in which I learned a great deal about my favorite state. I'm looking forward to Bruns' next foray with Skip and James.
Victoria Allman
author of: SEAsoned: A Chef's Journey with Her Captain
March 30, 2013
James Lessor and Skip Moore are at it again. They have been given the job of hunting down treasure by the granddaughter of the man who buried the treasure. Skips girlfriend Emily is along for the ride to help out. Emily and the boys meet up with a savvy and curious realtor while the thwart the attempts of two other P.I.s looking for the same treasure. Set against the backstory of a killer hurricane in Islamorada Florida when the treasure was lost in 1937. As with other Lessor and Moore stories TOO MUCH STUFF is full of comic misadventures and suspense.
I thoroughly enjoy Don Bruns stories of his fledgling detectives who will dabble in anything to make a quick buck. They usually escape by the skin of their teeth with comedic results but justice is usually served.
I give this 5 starts for great story telling and loveable characters.
I thoroughly enjoy Don Bruns stories of his fledgling detectives who will dabble in anything to make a quick buck. They usually escape by the skin of their teeth with comedic results but justice is usually served.
I give this 5 starts for great story telling and loveable characters.
January 4, 2012
I am just beginning to read this book now, and I am a slow reader, so I wanted to say a little bit about it right now.... then when I am done I will tell you more!
When I first got this book in the mail, won in a Goodreads giveaway, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a book I'd actually like or not. But I figured I'd give it a chance anyway. And I am so glad I did. I am only a few chapters in, but within the first 2 pages I was already hooked.
Don Bruns has a great writing style that pulls you into the story and makes you want to keep reading. I can't wait to see where this story goes!
(received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads)
When I first got this book in the mail, won in a Goodreads giveaway, I wasn't sure if it was going to be a book I'd actually like or not. But I figured I'd give it a chance anyway. And I am so glad I did. I am only a few chapters in, but within the first 2 pages I was already hooked.
Don Bruns has a great writing style that pulls you into the story and makes you want to keep reading. I can't wait to see where this story goes!
(received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads)
January 7, 2012
I like to think I'm as tolerant as the next crochety old lady, but this book--well-written though it was--just isn't for me. Gen X'ers Skip and James have formed a small detective agency, and are hired to find a missing treasure in gold, a casualty of the great hurricane of 1935, which wrecked the Florida East Coast Railway. The two men, and Skip's competent girlfriend Em, go to Islamorada to investigate their client's clues and find a murdered man instead. The police may be working on the case, but our heroes are busy treasure hunting and trying to avoid getting killed. The level of humor tends to be making fun of people's names. Not really my cup of tea.
January 30, 2013
First I have to say I love the name of the detective agency! "More or Less Detective Agency" So funny!
This is not a dry detective mystery! So funny and quirky!! I giggled several times!! It is very much in the ranks of fun detectives like Psych and Monk!
Skip and Jimmy are a hoot and it was a pleasure to follow them on their misadventure!! Fast paced and completely engaging read! I am definitely going to check out the rest of the series!
Cover Art - Nice image but it does not convey the fun of the book!
*Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.*
This is not a dry detective mystery! So funny and quirky!! I giggled several times!! It is very much in the ranks of fun detectives like Psych and Monk!
Skip and Jimmy are a hoot and it was a pleasure to follow them on their misadventure!! Fast paced and completely engaging read! I am definitely going to check out the rest of the series!
Cover Art - Nice image but it does not convey the fun of the book!
*Disclosure: This ebook was provided to me free of charge through for the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments, and ratings are my own.*
December 15, 2011
Book Review & Giveaway:
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received Too Much Stuff by Don Bruns from the publisher. It turned out to be a fun surprise. If Laurel and Hardy became good ol’ boy mystery detectives in the 21st century, they might look like the two bumbling 20-something detectives in Too Much Stuff. Although Too Much Stuff is part of a series, I found that I didn’t need to have read the other novels for this one to make sense. Read the rest of my review and win an ARC of this novel at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2460.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I received Too Much Stuff by Don Bruns from the publisher. It turned out to be a fun surprise. If Laurel and Hardy became good ol’ boy mystery detectives in the 21st century, they might look like the two bumbling 20-something detectives in Too Much Stuff. Although Too Much Stuff is part of a series, I found that I didn’t need to have read the other novels for this one to make sense. Read the rest of my review and win an ARC of this novel at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2460.
July 20, 2012
James Lessor and Skip Moore are 20 somethings who through thick and thin have a friendship that can outlast bad jobs, no money, and near death experiences. In this 5th mystery of the "stuff series" the guys find themselves in the Florida Keys looking for lost gold from the 1935 hurricane. Laugh out loud situations make this the perfect read for a hot summer day or rainy afternoon. Kudos to Don for this quote, "And if you couldn't trust a librarian, who could you trust?" As a librarian, I have to love this!!!
January 13, 2012
this book was interesting i liked it, and i defenatly im going to give this to my brother who i think is going to love this book I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
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October 24, 2012This was a good reads give away book.
It was an easy read book. Not that much of a mystery book as classified. More of some history with a little detective work to solve a puzzle.
It was an easy read book. Not that much of a mystery book as classified. More of some history with a little detective work to solve a puzzle.
April 19, 2012
Detectives are too dumb to believe
Skip this one
Skip this one
May 16, 2012
Not great, I few holes in the story.
September 19, 2012
Caper novel, fun, but some TSTL parts.
September 10, 2012
I liked the characters, but the writing just needed a little "more" ooomph.
September 5, 2013
Good mystery, quick read. I would read another in this series.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews