The Man Who Did Too Much

by Camille LaGuire

In a small Michigan beach town, an eccentric movie buff and a compulsive secret agent join forces to solve a case of kidnapping and murder. *** George Starling quit his job as a secret agent to take care of a traumatized woman he rescued. He has brought her home to her small Michigan town, where she can't seem to get better, and he can't seem to shake loose of his need to take care of her. When an old friend asks him to investigate a local lead in an international kidnapping, George reluctantly agrees to interview a witness. That witness is Karla Marquette, a flaky local movie buff who seems to have lost touch with reality. But George knows the instant he meets her that Karla has a genius for happiness. If he can only help Karla clear her friends of suspicion in this kidnapping and murder, perhaps she can help he and his girlfriend find the happiness that eludes them. But the case is deeper than it seems, and soon George finds himself, and even his girlfriend, entangled in a deceptive plot. Can he break loose, or will it be up to Karla to rescue them all? The Man Who Did Too Much is a 95,000 word novel which combines classic mystery elements with comic suspense.

262 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2011

Reviews

[Betsy the Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky and thoroughly entertaining mystery

I have had this book on my reading list for some time and finally read it--and I'm sorry I waited so long. Love the protagonists, especially Karla.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Man Who Did Too Much" was my second Camille LaGuire novel. I thought I had a pretty good handle on her style from her murder mystery/western, "Have Gun, Will Play"--witty, sharp banter, not your typical protagonists against a pop background. "The Man Who Did Too Much" took a few more chapters to grab my imagination, but it was the same LaGuire style that I'd come to love in her westerns.

In the opening scene, we are plopped down into a psychiatrist's office to set up George Starling and his sort-of/sort-of-not relationship with Gwen Littleton. The novel sets the emotional stakes for a co-dependent relationship (maybe or maybe not healthy for a recovering PTSD survivor), and then gallivants off into a convoluted plot of kidnapping, murder, grouchy recovery agents, and free-wheeling spinsters.

Without spoiling too much of its fun, "The Man Who Did Too Much" is an engrossing murder mystery in a small Michigan town. Odd characters, lots of laughs, and a must-read for film fans. I look forward to more Starling & Marquette mysteries!

[J. King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the characters, and the interaction between them. This book made me laugh out loud, and then kept me on the edge of my seat. (To me, it felt more like a suspense or adventure novel than a mystery.) I couldn't put it down. I definitely will be following Camille LaGuire closely for future releases starring Karla Marquette and George Starling.