The Last Will and Testament of Ernie Politics

by Brad Grusnick

Ernie Politics, a schizophrenic albino with a penchant for political rants and crackpot conspiracy theories, has been murdered. The LAPD has no interest in wasting time and manpower on the random death of one homeless man, so Ray Cobb, Ernie's best friend, decides to investigate the murder for himself.

Finding a cryptic note Ernie scrawled days before his death, Ray realizes that Ernie's crazy ravings and irrational writings may contain hidden clues about the identity of his killer. Ray's investigation pulls him deep into the dangerous underworld of the Los Angeles streets, leading him to discover a vagrant underground railroad, a poker game where the stakes are one’s life, and a political conspiracy that entangles him with a LAPD cold case detective.

Ray uncovers more about Ernie than he expects to and learns that when you live on the streets, the only person you can trust is yourself.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

302 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2012

About the author

Brad Grusnick, a native of Wausau, Wisconsin, graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor's Degree in Theatre. He studied Improv and Comedy Writing with The Second City Conservatory in Chicago and went on to write for several sketch comedy shows in both Chicago and Los Angeles. He helped create the stage show and podcast, Mohansen High School, with his improv group, The Fling, and currently writes for the Los Angeles sketch comedy group, Dry Hump Comedy.

Reviews

[Brandon Nagel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally whacked out homeless noir. I don't want to say much more. Check it out. Highly recommended. One of the best cast of Characters I have come across in a long time. Definitely an author to watch....

[Robbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim and I both thought this was 5 stars. I'm looking for others by him.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Ernie Politics is brutally murdered his best friend Ray Cobb sets out to discover why, no matter the cost.

There's something about Noir that both draws me in and repells me, largely because the genre is so heavily punctuated with code and convention that it's incredibly difficult to pull together a Noir story that's fitting or the genre yet original enough to merit spending the time reading it. THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ERNIE POLITICS is an excellent example of why it's always important to take the risk and read it anyway.

Not only does it have an fascinating contemporary lead detective in Ray Cobb but writer Grusnick has populated the novel with well-drawn and interesting characters that not only drive the narrative but keep the reader turning the page. It's a fast read, a funny read and a genuinely enjoyable read with some great turns along the way. The homeless PI is a great twist on the genre and surely the kind of logic take on the almost nomadic gumshoe that crime writers everywhere will slap hand to head and ask themselves "how did I not see that?!"

[Ellen Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I owed this author a review after he kindly mailed me an autographed copy of his book that I won in the Giveaway program. After determining that it was indeed not about politics, I decided to give it a go. When I looked the book up on Amazon, I saw that the ebook version cost about the same as a double cheeseburger at McDonalds, and since my eyes do not seem to be improving with age, I downloaded the book onto my Ipad. And I am so glad that I did. I had a great time living in the underbelly of LA with the homeless, the mentally ill, basically the seedier side of society and it was a fun journey. I am easily confused with multiple characters coming in and out, but that did not detract in the least from this very entertaining and enjoyable read. I highly recommend this one!

[Barbara Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique, bizarre, hilarious, sad story that really stuck with me. First book I read on an e-reader (which, up to this point, I'd adamantly opposed), but it was so worth compromising my grip on the dead-tree book.

[Robert Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read. I really enjoyed everything about this book. The characters are well developed and the writing is wonderfull. I found the way Nick and Ray came together was great.

Can't wait for more from this author

[Tressa Herriott]

Absolutely loved and highly recommend this gem of a book won't post spoilers because you really have to read A book I guarantee you will want to read over and over

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

extraordinary!!! Recommended!!

[Chuck Kreuser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget the sunshine, palm trees and Hollywood glamour. In the middle of all that, you find one scary dude with questionable hygiene standing in front of a 7-11. Instead of glossing over that blemish, Grusnick's "Last Will" hones in on it, going down the rabbit hole to the world of the homeless and others removed from everyday society. Once there, we find a whole new code of ethics, superstitions, and full belief systems. Grusnick makes that world understandable and even relatable. Add on top of that a gripping old school detective story, wonderfully odd characters, and laugh out loud scenes and dialog. All together, "Last Will" is a great fun novel for the Philip Marlowe in all of us.

[S. Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw Brad on Jeopardy and he said he was a writer and had books on Amazon. I really didn't expect much but I was wrong. The story was tight, the characters while somewhat different, were interesting and I thought the end was a good surprise and well thought out. No brand new characters that showed up in the last 100 pages of the book that did the crimes or caused the issues. I think this guy is up there with other great writers and I am hoping his later books are as good. I am going to take a break and then read his next one in the series.

[DAVE ALLEN · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read, well plotted, interesting storyline and great cast of characters: 9/10.
A bit gory & unsavoury in places, but nevertheless I enjoyed it enough to order the second book in the series.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky detective tale set in the dark underside of sunny LA, well paced, good ideas (one involving M&M's in particular), and good characters that I want to hear more about. All in all a good, fun read that kept me guessing. Give it a go.

[Wayne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, light read. Very interesting, dynamic characters and a few twists that will keep you guessing until the very end. A quirky portrayal of life on the streets. Some elements seem a little too contrived, but not enough to significantly lessen my enjoyment of the book.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband received a copy of this book in a Goodreads First-reads giveaway and thought I would enjoy it. The book was full of interesting characters and was a murder-mystery with a treasure hunt woven in. At times I found it a bit hard to follow, but overall it was an entertaining fast read.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great premise for book

Interesting storyline bringing focus to the homeless while not reducing it to a tired cliche. Looking forward to another mystery with Nick and Ray - an unlikely team!

[Joshua Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the unique turns of this story, a sort of homeless neo-noir. Lots of inventive situations Ray gets into, interwoven with some police procedural on the Nick Archer side. Two great, heartfelt characters who go an a very strange journey. Looking forward to reading more.

[Steven Kenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

really enjoyed this book its a bit of a different take on the detective mystery and theres quite a lot of characters but it works think i'll be reading next in the series The last dance of low seward