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Clearwater Journals
Joe Holiday, an ex Metro cop, finds himself dragged into an investigation by Mia, an IHOP waitress. The probing they do into the murder of Mia\’s sister years earlier turns into a deadly manhunt with Joe and Mia suddenly becoming the targets of a vicious plot.
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
June 25, 2019
"A promising start"
Despite the occasional typo this had a good story with strong characters to rescue it. Perhaps it took a little too long getting to the twist in the tale but at least it had an acceptable ending. Happy days. No cliff-hanger.
Despite the occasional typo this had a good story with strong characters to rescue it. Perhaps it took a little too long getting to the twist in the tale but at least it had an acceptable ending. Happy days. No cliff-hanger.
January 26, 2015
I’m not a critic, this is just my views of this book. And I am in the minority. I almost deleted this (ebook) at the halfway point.
Joe (Doc) Holliday was a great cop in Canada before moving to Florida. Mia is a waitress at IHOP. After a lot of childish humor and juvenile dialog, Mia asked Joe to help her find the murderer of her younger sister. The case is still unsolved, and happened about 3 years ago.
Soon after they begin to look into the case, Joe gets mugged by two thugs. Before the bad guys can do any serious harm, they are chased away by two homeless guys with a whistle and a ball bat. Joe decides to disguise his car, he steals a set of Florida license plates, and switches them with the Canadian plates on his Jaguar. Yeah, that should do it.
At the halfway point, it was pretty easy to figure out who killed Mia’s sister, and why.
It gets more interesting at this point. There’s more action, but some of the scenes seemed a little implausible to me. one example: (He knew the bad guys were hunting for him, He had two guns, he locked one in his car, and hid the other in the tank of the toilet, then went to bed in his own apartment.) I’d have kept a gun very close. The bad guys knew where he lived and were watching his apartment, and Joe knew that, expecting them to crash threw his door at any time.
There was a very minor twist at the end, but my assumption at the halfway point of the book was correct for the most part.
In the second half of this book, several interesting characters were introduced.
As I said in the beginning of this, I am in the minority. I looked at a large number of reviews, and almost everyone raved about this book.
Joe (Doc) Holliday was a great cop in Canada before moving to Florida. Mia is a waitress at IHOP. After a lot of childish humor and juvenile dialog, Mia asked Joe to help her find the murderer of her younger sister. The case is still unsolved, and happened about 3 years ago.
Soon after they begin to look into the case, Joe gets mugged by two thugs. Before the bad guys can do any serious harm, they are chased away by two homeless guys with a whistle and a ball bat. Joe decides to disguise his car, he steals a set of Florida license plates, and switches them with the Canadian plates on his Jaguar. Yeah, that should do it.
At the halfway point, it was pretty easy to figure out who killed Mia’s sister, and why.
It gets more interesting at this point. There’s more action, but some of the scenes seemed a little implausible to me. one example: (He knew the bad guys were hunting for him, He had two guns, he locked one in his car, and hid the other in the tank of the toilet, then went to bed in his own apartment.) I’d have kept a gun very close. The bad guys knew where he lived and were watching his apartment, and Joe knew that, expecting them to crash threw his door at any time.
There was a very minor twist at the end, but my assumption at the halfway point of the book was correct for the most part.
In the second half of this book, several interesting characters were introduced.
As I said in the beginning of this, I am in the minority. I looked at a large number of reviews, and almost everyone raved about this book.
October 15, 2012
This is an enjoyable read, not as intense as some mysteries, with some humour thrown in. The characters were people with flaws, but easy to like. The "bad guys" were a bit (or maybe a lot) stereotypical, but all in all a great book to take for a holiday read.
October 2, 2012
was a little slow... characters were okay, didn't hate them... the writing was so-so, went into great detail about things that didn't matter but not enough detail to understand character better... got it for free so can't complain, but wouldn't pay more than about $2.99 for it
July 15, 2019
Excellent read can't wait to read the next one was recommended this author and will certainly read more of his and will recommend to friends
Even though my sleep time has been reduced an excellent read can't wait to start the next one in the series
Even though my sleep time has been reduced an excellent read can't wait to start the next one in the series
December 8, 2017
A jewel. A find that is exciting. A great read. A starting of a series. Already bought next books. Am going to settle in and enjoy a very literate and though author.
December 19, 2025
It was an ok book. It started out great but seemed to drag on.
August 13, 2022
Clearwater Journals by Al Rennie
Joe Holiday, a Jaguar driving ex Canadian policeman, meets an attractive IHOP waitress, Mia, in Clearwater Florida. After eating his main meal each day, for about a week, she enlists his help to solve the murder of her sister years earlier. Mia and Joe find themselves in great danger in a fast-paced whodunit!
It was a very enjoyable read, worthy of a four-star rating.
Joe Holiday, a Jaguar driving ex Canadian policeman, meets an attractive IHOP waitress, Mia, in Clearwater Florida. After eating his main meal each day, for about a week, she enlists his help to solve the murder of her sister years earlier. Mia and Joe find themselves in great danger in a fast-paced whodunit!
It was a very enjoyable read, worthy of a four-star rating.
September 11, 2018
I love this & I can't wait for more.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
I will be also leaving a review on Goodreads @ Amazon.
And letting everyone know about it.
So i gave it a 5 Stars.
August 21, 2012
The official blurb: "Joe Holiday, an ex Metro cop, finds himself dragged into an investigation by Mia, an IHOP waitress. The probing they do into the murder of Mia\’s sister years earlier turns into a deadly manhunt with Joe and Mia suddenly becoming the targets of a vicious plot."
Okay, yeah, that just about covers it but this story is SO much more! Joe Holiday (think Canadian transplanted to Florida) is a really smart guy. But the thing that made me love this book was author Al Rennie's addition of a great sense of wry humor to main man "Joe Holiday". Joe he is nearing middle age, probably not the most handsome guy in the world (in fact I really can't remember the description of the character), but funny is sexy and this guy exudes sexy :) What more can you ask for in a hero? He's a smart ex-cop, kind to little old ladies, generous to those in need, dresses like a tourist, and he's falling in love with his favorite server at the local IHOP.
Mia, is 27, beautiful, and more than a little manipulative. She works hard at the local IHOP (International House of Pancakes) serving up pancakes and waffles, lives in a dump in a really bad part of town, and has her eye set on catching her best customer/tipper, Joe Holiday. He's just the kind of guy she needs to help investigate her little sister's murder and despite the age difference, she is charmed by his personality and persistence. She's not exactly the girl next door but she's cleaned up her act and she is willing to do what it takes to solve this three year old mystery.
I gave this book a four star rating because of several editorial mistakes...they just shouldn't happen but even with those errors this book is a really fun edge of your seat ride!
I would definitely recommend!
Okay, yeah, that just about covers it but this story is SO much more! Joe Holiday (think Canadian transplanted to Florida) is a really smart guy. But the thing that made me love this book was author Al Rennie's addition of a great sense of wry humor to main man "Joe Holiday". Joe he is nearing middle age, probably not the most handsome guy in the world (in fact I really can't remember the description of the character), but funny is sexy and this guy exudes sexy :) What more can you ask for in a hero? He's a smart ex-cop, kind to little old ladies, generous to those in need, dresses like a tourist, and he's falling in love with his favorite server at the local IHOP.
Mia, is 27, beautiful, and more than a little manipulative. She works hard at the local IHOP (International House of Pancakes) serving up pancakes and waffles, lives in a dump in a really bad part of town, and has her eye set on catching her best customer/tipper, Joe Holiday. He's just the kind of guy she needs to help investigate her little sister's murder and despite the age difference, she is charmed by his personality and persistence. She's not exactly the girl next door but she's cleaned up her act and she is willing to do what it takes to solve this three year old mystery.
I gave this book a four star rating because of several editorial mistakes...they just shouldn't happen but even with those errors this book is a really fun edge of your seat ride!
I would definitely recommend!
January 26, 2013
Engrossing mystery. One murder, one physical attack, three years apart and a May-December romance to boot. Kept me waffling between three possible culprits (including a police officer) thru the book. Good characters for the most part, tho a few could have been better fleshed out. I found myself unable to put "Clearwater Journals" down. Al Rennie does a great job of keeping your attention ... and keeping the story moving along, with a twist or two. It started out hard to read because (1) the book is written in "1st person" instead of "3rd person" and (2) there were way too many misspellings and grammatical errors that should have been caught during a good edit review. The misspellings included 2 different spellings of 1 of the characters' names. All distracting. On a side note, apparently Al Rennie is British - certain words were the "British" spelling (favourite vs favorite) and I'm not including those in the misspellings. I recommend this book highly.
July 27, 2013
Enjoyed this book. I thought I knew where it was going from the start, but didn't catch the twist at the end. Ex-cop from Canada is living in Florida. He doesn't have a green card, so he works under the table for people who need him for odd jobs, like helping on a fishing charter boat, or filling in for security at locked gate living facility. He becomes enamored with a waitress at IHOP, and she seems to return his attention. It doesn't take long before she asks him to help her find her sister's killer. It has been a decade and the killer was still free. Being a good guy in a white hat, he agrees. It doesn't take long before things turns vicious and people are being hurt. This is more of an adult book with some sexuality, language, blood,and enuendo. Good summer read.
October 18, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. Characters were interesting and I liked the funny stuff mixed into the storyline. Some typing errors, wrong words, spell check corrections probably, that made you reread parts but otherwise a good story. Will read others in this line. Clearwater Journals
May 13, 2013
Free download from Barnes and Noble. WOW...read this book. Great book, but some typos, so I don't know if that is common with B&N and Amazon or not. Aside from the typos, the story was awesome. I look forward to reading the next book to see what happens with Joe and Mia. Even Frank, Max and Papa Smurf. I love the twist and turns that this book took and even those took even more turns that were not expected.
December 28, 2014
I not sure what caught me about the book but it did. I think it's the way he looks at the world and can't help trying to make it a little better. I really wanted to know what happened next and that is my test for four stars. There was definitely sex and terrible violence but neither was graphically described which I appreciate.
December 31, 2012
I must admit the story line was quite good, but the punctuation and spelling was very distracting. Additionally the language was over the top. It is possible to tell this kind of story and cut back on the language. Someone on Amazon compared Al Rennie to Lee Child-----NOT! Again, it was a good story and I am tempted to get the next book in the series, but..............
July 6, 2013
This was a good read and I have put others in the series on a "to read list".
A former Canadian cop works at solving murder and mayhem. As always there is a girl involved and we don't know what the future brings for that relationship as she is in the hospital at the book ending. Also future stories about a potential partnership with a U. S. cop. Characters and plot was believable.
A former Canadian cop works at solving murder and mayhem. As always there is a girl involved and we don't know what the future brings for that relationship as she is in the hospital at the book ending. Also future stories about a potential partnership with a U. S. cop. Characters and plot was believable.
October 15, 2013
Well, praise the lord and pass the biscuits, this is a story of a retired canadian detective whose girlfriend is savagely beaten and abused and along the way we deal with the death of the girlfriends younger sister years earlier and we also meet the detective who worked on her sisters case. It is a good one but the local setting of Clearwater and Tampa makes it even more interesting.
Frank
Frank
November 25, 2013
Surprisingly enjoyable for a free book. There was a decent plot, reasonably drawn characters, and a good sense of pacing. There were a few glaring spelling and editing errors that detracted from the overall experience. Just because it was an e-book doesn't mean the reader doesn't care about these things!
Read
July 23, 2015I read a fair bit, and it is decent for a free book. But I just kept putting it down and not wanting to pick it up again, so I decided not to finish. Especially when I found out it is part of a series.
It seems many have enjoyed it, so it obviously picks up at some point, but I have a lot to read so I am only sticking with books that really draw me in at the moment.
It seems many have enjoyed it, so it obviously picks up at some point, but I have a lot to read so I am only sticking with books that really draw me in at the moment.
August 17, 2015
Eh. It wasn't bad but the not-so-great punctuation pulled me out of the story a lot (it also didn't help that pretty much every character in the story had the same voice). I think Rennie has a lot of potential - he's shown that he can come up with a good story and he definitely has some writing talent. If he hooked up with a really good editor, I think he'd be great.
April 2, 2012
There was no mystery to this book. If you read mystery books a lot, you can pretty much figure out who the bad guy is and what happened in the first few chapters.
It is an easy read, really slow. Honestly was not worth how lomg it took meto read it. It is a sweet cover and title though.
It is an easy read, really slow. Honestly was not worth how lomg it took meto read it. It is a sweet cover and title though.
July 9, 2012
Really enjoyed this book. Thought the story flowed and not to mention the Clearwater Beach setting. Use to live in the area and the streets and landmarks were a nice touch. Hope there are more Joe Holiday stories upcoming. Recommend highly.
December 24, 2012
Joe is an ex cop thats find his self in the middle of an old cold case, that turns deadly real fast.
Before you ask yes there is a woman in this story, that why he took the case.....
This was a good mystery , lots of suspects with a surprising ending.
Nice read for a cold day.
Before you ask yes there is a woman in this story, that why he took the case.....
This was a good mystery , lots of suspects with a surprising ending.
Nice read for a cold day.
January 6, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this crime novel. This is the kind of book you want to keep reading, page after page. There were a few surprises which kept my interest going and I could not wait to get to the conclusion. I would recommend this if you like murder mysteries.
May 12, 2013
This book was slow moving, but in an enjoyable way for me. I like the characters and the story, but I was able to put it down and return to it leisurely. If you want action packed, fast paced - this is not for you. :)
March 29, 2015
Reminded me of the classic detective fiction by Raymond Chandler or John McDonald. Detective - a lone wolf, a little cynical, with slightly twisted sense of humour, helping out a damsel in distress. All just set in more recent time period than the classics.
I really liked it a lot!
I really liked it a lot!
February 18, 2012
great book! It kept me interested from start to stop.
March 31, 2012
Not the worst freebie I've read!
May 29, 2012
I picked this book because it takes place in my home town. Very happy with it. It reminded me of some good times. Loved the mention of Frenchys.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews