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Bubba Mabry #5
Dirty Pool
When a Texas millionaire offers $200,000 to find his missing son, Albuquerque P.I. Bubba Mabry finds himself teamed up with his loud-mouthed nemesis on the case, which gets even more complicated when the millionaire's long-lost father suddenly turns up.
Hardcover
First published March 1, 1999
23 people want to read
About the author
Steve Brewer
63 books36 followersSTEVE BREWER is the author of more than 30 books, including the recent crime novels UPSHOT and COLD CUTS.
His first novel, LONELY STREET, was made into a 2009 independent Hollywood comedy starring Robert Patrick, Jay Mohr and Joe Mantegna.
Under his pen name Max Austin, Brewer wrote three hard-boiled crime stories set in Albuquerque, NM. The first, DUKE CITY SPLIT, was published by Alibi/Random House in April 2014. DUKE CITY HIT followed in December 2014. DUKE CITY DESPERADO came out in June 2015.
Brewer's short fiction has appeared in the several anthologies, and he's published articles in magazines such as Mystery Scene, Crimespree and Mystery Readers' Journal.
Brewer has taught at the University of New Mexico, the Midwest Writers Workshop and the Tony Hillerman Writers Seminar. He regularly speaks at mystery conventions, and was toastmaster at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, NM, in 2011.
He served two years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America, and twice served as an Edgar Awards judge. He's also a member of International Thriller Writers and SouthWest Writers.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Brewer worked as a daily journalist for 22 years, then wrote a syndicated weekly column for another decade. The column, called The Home Front, produced the raw material for his humor book TROPHY HUSBAND.
Married and the father of two adult sons, Brewer lives in Albuquerque, NM.
More at www.stevebrewer.blogspot.com.
BOOKS BY STEVE BREWER
"Lonely Street," 1994, Pocket Books
"Baby Face," 1995, Pocket Books
"Witchy Woman," 1996, St. Martin's Press
"Shaky Ground," 1997, St. Martin's Press
"Dirty Pool," 1999, St. Martin's Press
"End Run," 2000, Intrigue Press
"Crazy Love," 2001, Intrigue Press
"Cheap Shot," 2002, Intrigue Press
"Trophy Husband," 2003, University of New Mexico Press
"Bullets," 2003, Intrigue Press
"Fool's Paradise," 2003, UNM Press
"Boost," 2004, Speck Press
"Sanity Clause," a novella, in "The Last Noel," 2004, Worldwide
"Bank Job," 2005, Intrigue Press
"Whipsaw," 2006, Intrigue Press
"Monkey Man," 2006, Intrigue Press
"Payoff," a short story in the anthology "Damn Near Dead," 2006, Busted Flush
"Cutthroat," 2007, Bleak House
"Limbo," a short story in the Mystery Writers of America anthology "Crimes by Moonlight," 2010, Berkley
"Firepower," 2010, Amazon/Smashwords
"1500 Rules for Successful Living," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Calabama," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"The Big Wink," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Lost Vegas," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Party Doll," 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"A Box of Pandoras," 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Showdown," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Found Money," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Yvonne's Gone," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Cemetery Plot," a short story, 2013, Amazon
"Duke City Split," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2014
"Duke City Hit," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2014
"Duke City Desperado," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2015
"Shotgun Boogie," 2016, Amazon
"Homesick Blues," 2016, Amazon
"Side Eye," 2017, Amazon
"Cold Cuts," 2018, Amazon
"Upshot," 2020, Amazon
His first novel, LONELY STREET, was made into a 2009 independent Hollywood comedy starring Robert Patrick, Jay Mohr and Joe Mantegna.
Under his pen name Max Austin, Brewer wrote three hard-boiled crime stories set in Albuquerque, NM. The first, DUKE CITY SPLIT, was published by Alibi/Random House in April 2014. DUKE CITY HIT followed in December 2014. DUKE CITY DESPERADO came out in June 2015.
Brewer's short fiction has appeared in the several anthologies, and he's published articles in magazines such as Mystery Scene, Crimespree and Mystery Readers' Journal.
Brewer has taught at the University of New Mexico, the Midwest Writers Workshop and the Tony Hillerman Writers Seminar. He regularly speaks at mystery conventions, and was toastmaster at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, NM, in 2011.
He served two years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America, and twice served as an Edgar Awards judge. He's also a member of International Thriller Writers and SouthWest Writers.
A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Brewer worked as a daily journalist for 22 years, then wrote a syndicated weekly column for another decade. The column, called The Home Front, produced the raw material for his humor book TROPHY HUSBAND.
Married and the father of two adult sons, Brewer lives in Albuquerque, NM.
More at www.stevebrewer.blogspot.com.
BOOKS BY STEVE BREWER
"Lonely Street," 1994, Pocket Books
"Baby Face," 1995, Pocket Books
"Witchy Woman," 1996, St. Martin's Press
"Shaky Ground," 1997, St. Martin's Press
"Dirty Pool," 1999, St. Martin's Press
"End Run," 2000, Intrigue Press
"Crazy Love," 2001, Intrigue Press
"Cheap Shot," 2002, Intrigue Press
"Trophy Husband," 2003, University of New Mexico Press
"Bullets," 2003, Intrigue Press
"Fool's Paradise," 2003, UNM Press
"Boost," 2004, Speck Press
"Sanity Clause," a novella, in "The Last Noel," 2004, Worldwide
"Bank Job," 2005, Intrigue Press
"Whipsaw," 2006, Intrigue Press
"Monkey Man," 2006, Intrigue Press
"Payoff," a short story in the anthology "Damn Near Dead," 2006, Busted Flush
"Cutthroat," 2007, Bleak House
"Limbo," a short story in the Mystery Writers of America anthology "Crimes by Moonlight," 2010, Berkley
"Firepower," 2010, Amazon/Smashwords
"1500 Rules for Successful Living," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Calabama," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"The Big Wink," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Lost Vegas," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Party Doll," 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"A Box of Pandoras," 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Showdown," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Found Money," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Yvonne's Gone," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Cemetery Plot," a short story, 2013, Amazon
"Duke City Split," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2014
"Duke City Hit," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2014
"Duke City Desperado," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2015
"Shotgun Boogie," 2016, Amazon
"Homesick Blues," 2016, Amazon
"Side Eye," 2017, Amazon
"Cold Cuts," 2018, Amazon
"Upshot," 2020, Amazon
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 31, 2019
Bubba is hired by a flashy Texas PI he’s worked with and hated before, to drop off a ransom payment. Strip mall millionaire Dick Johnson has misplaced his son and heir who has wandered off into a batch of skinheads. Johnson is not sure the kidnapping is genuine and does not want to involve the police.
Bubba makes the drop. Son and heir Richie picks up the money. The arrangements are neither clear cut not easy, especially since, after 28 years of abandonment, Bubba’s father has reentered the picture and possibly with serious dementia. It’s hard to follow clues when you are shepherding a vague/crazy relative.
The plot is fairly straightforward. The relationships and beck stories add dimension. This is a quirky addition to the many PI mystery series.
Readalikes:
Janet Evanovich – Look Alive Twenty-Five; Michael Connelly – Dark Sacred Night; Robert Galbraith – Lethal White; Robert Crais – The Wanted; Louise Penny – The Nature of the Beast; Jacqueline Winspear – To Die But Once; William Kent Kreuger – Desolation Mountain; Tim Cockey’s Hitchcock Sewell mysteries.
Pace: Fast
Characters: Quirky; strong women; likeable
Story: Plot Driven
Writing style: Engaging
Tone: Mildly suspenseful
Frame: Albuquerque NM; contemporary
Bubba makes the drop. Son and heir Richie picks up the money. The arrangements are neither clear cut not easy, especially since, after 28 years of abandonment, Bubba’s father has reentered the picture and possibly with serious dementia. It’s hard to follow clues when you are shepherding a vague/crazy relative.
The plot is fairly straightforward. The relationships and beck stories add dimension. This is a quirky addition to the many PI mystery series.
Readalikes:
Janet Evanovich – Look Alive Twenty-Five; Michael Connelly – Dark Sacred Night; Robert Galbraith – Lethal White; Robert Crais – The Wanted; Louise Penny – The Nature of the Beast; Jacqueline Winspear – To Die But Once; William Kent Kreuger – Desolation Mountain; Tim Cockey’s Hitchcock Sewell mysteries.
Pace: Fast
Characters: Quirky; strong women; likeable
Story: Plot Driven
Writing style: Engaging
Tone: Mildly suspenseful
Frame: Albuquerque NM; contemporary
October 26, 2018
Pretty much hits every note needed for a P. I. novel, but i'm not sold on the main character. Still, great writer and compelling story always puts it over the top.
Read
June 21, 2009Mystery
August 10, 2011
liked the book especially the humor and the lead character but it was not a very good mystery.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews