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Tyler Cunningham Shorts #3
Mickey Slips
Fans of Carl Hiaasen, Lawrence Block, and John Sandford will enjoy Tyler Cunningham's latest adventure for the tight writing, clever (MacGyver-esque) approach to problem-solving, and for another chance to explore the mind of this unique protagonist, first introduced in Jamie Sheffield's novel, "Here Be Monsters".
Tyler Cunningham is a detective like no other. He can mimic humanity, but in most cases fails utterly to understand people, why they do the things they do, or act in the ways that they do. His saving grace is an insatiable hunger for knowledge that combines with an ability to make connections from a series of seemingly unrelated data-points that other people miss; this continually pulls him into other peoples' problems, where his focus and unique perceptual abilities allow him to solve puzzles that others cannot see in ways that nobody else could conceive.
"Mickey Slips" opens with Tyler neck deep in someone else's problem when a father-figure from his past texts him in serious trouble. Tyler drops everything to get Mickey out of his jam. What follows is a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between these two, sandwiched in with a sleek and nasty mix of sex, blackmail, hi-tech shenanigans, a bag of sawn-off shotguns, and fantastic barbeque.
Tyler Cunningham is a detective like no other. He can mimic humanity, but in most cases fails utterly to understand people, why they do the things they do, or act in the ways that they do. His saving grace is an insatiable hunger for knowledge that combines with an ability to make connections from a series of seemingly unrelated data-points that other people miss; this continually pulls him into other peoples' problems, where his focus and unique perceptual abilities allow him to solve puzzles that others cannot see in ways that nobody else could conceive.
"Mickey Slips" opens with Tyler neck deep in someone else's problem when a father-figure from his past texts him in serious trouble. Tyler drops everything to get Mickey out of his jam. What follows is a fascinating glimpse into the relationship between these two, sandwiched in with a sleek and nasty mix of sex, blackmail, hi-tech shenanigans, a bag of sawn-off shotguns, and fantastic barbeque.
55 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 7, 2013
6 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Sheffield
21 books43 followersNEWS: Jamie won the 2014 Adirondack Literary Award for Best Novel of 2013 with "Here Be Monsters"!
Jamie Sheffield lives with his wife, son, two dogs, and seven tortoises in a pretty spot in the woods of New Hampshire, writing about the people and places and things that poke him in the brain. When he's not writing, he's probably camping or exploring wild places all over the Northeast.
Besides writing, Jamie loves cooking and reading and dogs and numerous outdoor pursuits that his friends and family classify variously as dangerous, foolish, nerdy, stupid, and likely to get the attention of Homeland Security.
He worked as a Special Education teacher in the Lake Placid Central School District for nearly 20 years before deciding to try his hand at writing just about full-time (he still works with students some of the time).
Here Be Monsters was his debut novel, in 2013. In the years since this best-selling and award-winning novel was published, he's published four more books in that series as well as numerous other books in print and ebook formats.
Most recently, Jamie published a pair of collections of short fiction and, in July of 2021, his first children's book, Chili, the Grumpy Tortoise.
Jamie Sheffield lives with his wife, son, two dogs, and seven tortoises in a pretty spot in the woods of New Hampshire, writing about the people and places and things that poke him in the brain. When he's not writing, he's probably camping or exploring wild places all over the Northeast.
Besides writing, Jamie loves cooking and reading and dogs and numerous outdoor pursuits that his friends and family classify variously as dangerous, foolish, nerdy, stupid, and likely to get the attention of Homeland Security.
He worked as a Special Education teacher in the Lake Placid Central School District for nearly 20 years before deciding to try his hand at writing just about full-time (he still works with students some of the time).
Here Be Monsters was his debut novel, in 2013. In the years since this best-selling and award-winning novel was published, he's published four more books in that series as well as numerous other books in print and ebook formats.
Most recently, Jamie published a pair of collections of short fiction and, in July of 2021, his first children's book, Chili, the Grumpy Tortoise.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 27, 2013
A great read fora Saturday afternoon. Having been in Syracuse for a time, I got a kick out of recognizing some of the landmarks Jamie used in the story. Tyler did not disappoint, remaining true to his socially challenged personality, and once again it was hard to put the story down because I wanted to see how Tyler was going to handle this one. The ending was simply brilliant.
March 13, 2020
I hit and miss with shorts. Some start out good then fizzle out. Some are choppy. Some leave out a whole progression and jump straight to the end while you try to figure out what happened. This book was none of that. When the story ended, I knew that it was concluded. I am surprised I enjoyed it. I need a Tyler in my life, lol! Tyler takes care of business!
December 8, 2013
Mickey Slips is an engaging short story with a very intriguing main character. Tyler Cunningham is a rogue detective who falls clearly on the autism spectrum, which gives him the unique ability to carry out his missions with a dispassionate and calculating effectiveness. In this story, one of Tyler's closest friends gets himself into a spot of trouble and Tyler finds himself in the role of something like a "closer." I particularly enjoyed the audio version of this book. The reader sounded exactly how I expected Tyler to sound, and I was disappointed when it ended (a sure sign of a good book!). The short format was very tight and succinct, which mirrored the main character's style and worked very well. One does not often read books written from the perspective of people with autism disorders, which made the story that much more interesting.
February 13, 2014
“Mickey Slips” by Jamie Sheffield is one not to ignore due to it being a shorter story, as I normally don’t read them but this was engaging and enjoyable. I will backtrack and read "Here Be Monsters," to learn more about Tyler Cunningham and his quirky nerdy ways. I had to laugh at his list of smiles. The book has you guessing what Tyler is doing with all his purchases and you left wanting to know more about the characters. They are developing nicely. Living in both Lake Placid and Syracuse make it even more fun to read. Eating at the Dinosaur BBQ is a true favorite and fun to hear about! Oh! I listened to the book - I very much enjoyed the reader as I will only listen for two minutes; if the reader and I don’t connect I will not continue. The ending was genius- I couldn't guess it. Grab it and curl up for a fun read on a Sunday afternoon- you won’t be disappointed.
April 28, 2013
In Mickey Slips Jamie Sheffield offers us another taste of the world of Tyler Cunningham and it is delicious. I particularly like getting to know more about Tyler's lone connection to his life before the Adirondacks. As always, this quirky protagonist's take on (and solution to) a tried and true theme in crime is unexpected and surprising. A nice reminder of why I fell in love with the character who made his debut in "Here Be Monsters". I can't wait for the next installment!
April 13, 2013
The adventures of Tyler Cunningham, the world's most socially-retarded (in the descriptive, not the offensive, sense of the word) detective/problem-solver, continue in this briskly-paced short story. While it is not necessary to have read "Here Be Monsters," the debut novel of author Jamie Sheffield in which Tyler first appears, it certainly helps give this story greater depth and increased understanding of the personality dynamics at play.
It is these personality quirks of Tyler that continue to make his adventures so interesting to read. Since the character is so unlike "normal" people, we really have no idea exactly what he will do when faced with a problem, especially since he is perfectly willing to take a stroll on the wrong side of the law in order to accomplish his objectives. You might think you know what Tyler is going to do when he buys a bag of shotguns and rolls into town to help out a friend who has run afoul of some unsavory people...but you probably wouldn't be right. Even more so than in "Here Be Monsters," Sheffield displays a deft hand at misdirection, of making you think you have seen all his cards while holding that last ace in reserve.
Tyler Cunningham is a character that continues to fascinate. Unique, weird, strange...pick your adjective. Tyler takes some getting used to, but once you've made his acquaintence, you'll be glad you took the time.
It is these personality quirks of Tyler that continue to make his adventures so interesting to read. Since the character is so unlike "normal" people, we really have no idea exactly what he will do when faced with a problem, especially since he is perfectly willing to take a stroll on the wrong side of the law in order to accomplish his objectives. You might think you know what Tyler is going to do when he buys a bag of shotguns and rolls into town to help out a friend who has run afoul of some unsavory people...but you probably wouldn't be right. Even more so than in "Here Be Monsters," Sheffield displays a deft hand at misdirection, of making you think you have seen all his cards while holding that last ace in reserve.
Tyler Cunningham is a character that continues to fascinate. Unique, weird, strange...pick your adjective. Tyler takes some getting used to, but once you've made his acquaintence, you'll be glad you took the time.
March 25, 2014
Terrific - another adventure of Tyler Cunningham, the unique Adirondack detective. A clever, imaginative plot. This is more of a novella or short story than a full-length novel, however.
The locale is mostly set in Syracuse but Tyler's longing to be back in his Adirondack environment is apparent and heart-felt.
Tyler is a great character - his actions, thoughts lead the reader to suspect he has some degree of Asperger's. In Tyler's case this is an asset. The story is told first hand from Tyler's perspective and is consistent throughout the novels. Tyler is true to himself.
I bought the first novel, Here Be Monsters, as a gift for my husband since we live in the Adirondacks are always looking for novels with this setting. My husband enjoyed it and passed it on to me. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Our copy is now a bit dog-eared. Several friends have borrowed and enjoyed it as well. The second novel, Caretakers was also great.
The author knows his character and the locale about which he writes with such fondness.
The locale is mostly set in Syracuse but Tyler's longing to be back in his Adirondack environment is apparent and heart-felt.
Tyler is a great character - his actions, thoughts lead the reader to suspect he has some degree of Asperger's. In Tyler's case this is an asset. The story is told first hand from Tyler's perspective and is consistent throughout the novels. Tyler is true to himself.
I bought the first novel, Here Be Monsters, as a gift for my husband since we live in the Adirondacks are always looking for novels with this setting. My husband enjoyed it and passed it on to me. I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Our copy is now a bit dog-eared. Several friends have borrowed and enjoyed it as well. The second novel, Caretakers was also great.
The author knows his character and the locale about which he writes with such fondness.
May 9, 2013
This was a quick read but a fun one. It would have you guessing what he is trying to do buying, all those gadgets, stuffs from Walmart, Radioshack and so on. It is a different approach in problem solving and at the end it was quite interesting how he executed his plan.
He enjoys life and himself, small pleasures like doughnuts, coke, barbecue wings and the wildlife makes him a very interesting character. I would like to read more of this character tackling more smarter, high level kinds of crime and would be very interesting to see how he goes out of that mess.
Anyway, it was a fun and short read but enough to keep your turning the pages.
He enjoys life and himself, small pleasures like doughnuts, coke, barbecue wings and the wildlife makes him a very interesting character. I would like to read more of this character tackling more smarter, high level kinds of crime and would be very interesting to see how he goes out of that mess.
Anyway, it was a fun and short read but enough to keep your turning the pages.
January 31, 2015
Tyler Cunningham comes to the rescue of one of the only people he calls a friend in this Jamie Sheffield short story. You may not have heard of Jamie Sheffield before, or his character Tyler Cunningham, but you will want to read more after you get finished with this great mystery/crime story. Here Be Monsters, the first full novel, was a great read and left me wanting to read more. I was very happy to find Mickey Slips, a gripping short that will grab your attention and keep you guessing right up until the end. Tyler Cunningham is a hero like no other, and Jamie Sheffield delivers yet again!
April 24, 2013
Crime and mystery books aren't typically on my reading list but a friend suggested to give this a try and I'm glad I did. For being a relatively short story, the characters are well-developed and I would definitely call Mickey Slips a page-turner without it needing to rely on being gimmicky. Definitely worth a read!
July 8, 2013
Tyler Cunningham lives in his own world and works to keep his universe in balance. It fascinates me to spend some time in his head. He certainly sees the world from a unique perspective, and his unorthodox logic all hangs together. I also love Tyler's nerdiness and his creative way of solving problems. I look forward to the next adventure.
August 3, 2013
While I don't usually like shorter stories, this really worked for me.
The protagonist is so darn charming and the plot is tight. I really feel like I'm getting to know Tyler, and I'm excited to get to know him more. More please.
The protagonist is so darn charming and the plot is tight. I really feel like I'm getting to know Tyler, and I'm excited to get to know him more. More please.
June 29, 2014
This was a quick read. It wasn't because of length, but because the situation and accidental incident sound realistic and involving. It seemed very realistic and that's what made it so interesting to read. I couldn't put this down until I was done. This was a good read.
Want to read
March 6, 2014Free today on Amazon, 03-06-14.
(Mystery Short)
http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Slips-Ty...
(Mystery Short)
http://www.amazon.com/Mickey-Slips-Ty...
April 17, 2013
I enjoyed this book and will be looking for more from this author. It is a short quick read.
April 19, 2013
Tyler Cunningham is a fun, quirky character to spend time with. I enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews