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Murphy and Galveston realize there must be more to life than their mind-numbing cubical jobs. Over a barbeque lunch, Galveston attempts to convince his friend to join him in a daring new career as a private investigator. With nothing to lose, Murphy reluctantly agrees. Relying heavily on their humorous wit and questionable tactics, the men employ a creative approach to their investigations. For a time these methods prove successful, until they push too far and find themselves mired in the case of a lifetime. An explosion rocks a New England university lab setting off a carefully orchestrated chain of events. A small device has been stolen, a key to the entire world's energy problems, and the power that comes with controlling it. The fate of the device and its inventor lies with the newly self-proclaimed private detectives. The two men, under the threat of arrest by the FBI, begin to criss-cross the country and the world, picking up clues to the puzzle of the missing device in England, Mexico, and even Brazil. Dead ends seem at every turn, but with the help of an outcast computer expert, a British spy and former flame of Galveston's, and a new employee whom Murphy can't seem to keep his eyes off of, the investigators unwind the case using their unorthodox approach, berating each other at every turn. Who is looking to control this device and its destiny? Is it the huge multinational security firm, a devious billionaire, or a questionable member of Congress. Murphy and Galveston must find out why something so small is causing problems so large, because the hunters are quickly becoming the hunted.
302 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2013
About the author
Daniel Ganninger
15 books7 followersDaniel Ganninger is the author of The Case Files of Icarus Investigations, a fan of useless trivia and knowledge, a professional in the medical field, and a private pilot with a commercial license and an instrument rating. After growing up in Texas, Daniel enjoyed a ten year stint in California before returning to Texas to settle down. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and now lives with his wife and two kids in the beautiful Central Texas area and Hill Country.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 28, 2014
A fun read. Take a bit of mystery, mix in a bit of romance and laughter, and you have nice easy read that is intriguing and entertaining at the same time. A page-turner, for sure. The main characters are very likable, a bit devilish, and they get the job done. For the life of me, I could not understand why it was called "Flapjack" until the end, but that too finally clicked. LOL
February 23, 2014
This book got off to a slow start. It has some quirky characters and quite a bit of humor. The mystery got very complex and bogged down a bit at times. It would have benefited from a good proofreader.
September 19, 2015
Despite growing to like the narrator and many of the characters, I got exasperated and bogged down by the repetition and excessive detail and finally skimmed the book through to the end. With a major edit this could have been a decent read, but as presently written it really isn't worth the effort.
May 3, 2017
This was an enjoyable if somewhat predictable read. Not a lot of "mystery" but a fun detective story nonetheless. I will likely follow with the next book in the series.
June 5, 2017
The story line was novel, but the writing was typical of a first effort. Promising, and I'll read the other books in the series.
December 17, 2017
Roger Murphy and Dan Galveston decide to chuck their mind-numbing cubicle jobs and start their own investigation agency. Using often questionable tactics, they succeed in getting ever higher-paying jobs, until a computer hack on behalf of a toy company plunges them into a job that threatens not only their livelihoods, but their lives. A seemingly simple computer break-and-enter job turns up a connection to a shady security company that Galveston once worked for, and a plot to manipulate the world’s energy supplies, taking our erstwhile heroes on a chaotic journey to the far corners of the globe as they struggle to stay one step ahead of forces that threaten to eliminate them.
Flapjack by Daniel Ganninger is the first book in the Icarus Case Files series. The madcap adventures of two sometimes bumbling detectives who go up against a determined band of bad guys, relying on their wits—and a lot of luck—to prevail. There are a few rough spots, like the main character’s name being changed momentarily early in the book—a problem often encountered in a story with a large list of characters—but, despite a few proofreading glitches, it’ll keep you entertained until the end.
I give this premiere story three and a half stars, with the feeling that it’ll only get better with time.
Flapjack by Daniel Ganninger is the first book in the Icarus Case Files series. The madcap adventures of two sometimes bumbling detectives who go up against a determined band of bad guys, relying on their wits—and a lot of luck—to prevail. There are a few rough spots, like the main character’s name being changed momentarily early in the book—a problem often encountered in a story with a large list of characters—but, despite a few proofreading glitches, it’ll keep you entertained until the end.
I give this premiere story three and a half stars, with the feeling that it’ll only get better with time.
June 21, 2023
This was a breathless romp around the world with a wide assortment of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it! Murphy, Galveston and crew are smart and funny - I will definitely read the second volume in this series.
"Murphy and Galveston realize there must be more to life than their mind-numbing cubical jobs. Over a barbeque lunch, Galveston attempts to convince his friend to join him in a daring new career as a private investigator. With nothing to lose, Murphy reluctantly agrees. Relying heavily on their humorous wit and questionable tactics, the men employ a creative approach to their investigations. For a time these methods prove successful, until they push too far and find themselves mired in the case of a lifetime.
An explosion rocks a New England university lab, setting off a carefully orchestrated chain of events. A small device has been stolen, a key to the entire world's energy problems and the power that comes with controlling it. The fate of the invention and its inventor sits in the hands of two newly self-proclaimed private detectives.
Flapjack has it all - action, adventure, fun, and humor - without profanity or graphic adult situations (but still plenty of mayhem). So join the adventure and escape with the private eyes of Icarus Investigation.
"Murphy and Galveston realize there must be more to life than their mind-numbing cubical jobs. Over a barbeque lunch, Galveston attempts to convince his friend to join him in a daring new career as a private investigator. With nothing to lose, Murphy reluctantly agrees. Relying heavily on their humorous wit and questionable tactics, the men employ a creative approach to their investigations. For a time these methods prove successful, until they push too far and find themselves mired in the case of a lifetime.
An explosion rocks a New England university lab, setting off a carefully orchestrated chain of events. A small device has been stolen, a key to the entire world's energy problems and the power that comes with controlling it. The fate of the invention and its inventor sits in the hands of two newly self-proclaimed private detectives.
Flapjack has it all - action, adventure, fun, and humor - without profanity or graphic adult situations (but still plenty of mayhem). So join the adventure and escape with the private eyes of Icarus Investigation.
May 5, 2021
I started out with this book thinking it was a totally different genre. So that really got me started. I really enjoyed this book. It definitely had an interesting beginning. But boy does it build from there. Like a molten rock to a Volcano per say. Twists and turns, ups and downs, wowsers, and so much more. If you like intense then most likely you will enjoy this book! I know that I did!
December 21, 2017
📚📚📚📚
This has the feel of old-fashioned gumshoes in a modern world. Lots of action without bad language or overt violence. It's a nice change of pace with an interesting group of characters.
This has the feel of old-fashioned gumshoes in a modern world. Lots of action without bad language or overt violence. It's a nice change of pace with an interesting group of characters.
October 26, 2018
Clean, fun escape!
I had so much fun reading this book! Not only was the plot interesting but I fell completely in love with the characters. I will be reading the entire series now ! Great in every way!
I had so much fun reading this book! Not only was the plot interesting but I fell completely in love with the characters. I will be reading the entire series now ! Great in every way!
April 17, 2026
New Power Source
Not quite sure how I feel about this book. The characters are all over the place. The storyline is good, but didn’t flow smoothly. There is potential so I am not going to give it a poor rating.
Not quite sure how I feel about this book. The characters are all over the place. The storyline is good, but didn’t flow smoothly. There is potential so I am not going to give it a poor rating.
July 13, 2017
Enjoyable fun read
June 13, 2018
This guy is just such a shitty writer. He is in desperate need of an editor who is not afraid to gut this book. Better yet, a ghost writer. For the love of god, someone teach me how to stop reading terrible books once I've started!!
May 29, 2018
Good mind candy - just what I needed to relax over the Memorial Day weekend
October 10, 2018
Great book
I really enjoyed this book. Good plot and a lot of surprises Great character development. Am looking forward to reading the next one
I really enjoyed this book. Good plot and a lot of surprises Great character development. Am looking forward to reading the next one
January 24, 2019
Bomb had been planted taking out the laboratory on the fifth floor of the university.
March 19, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. The author’s wit, humor, and one liners had me chuckling from chapter to chapter and enjoying every page. The characters were well developed and I could actually see myself getting into the shenanigans that they did. The author clearly knows about Social Engineering and understands the manipulation that is occasionally required in detective work.
This was the author’s first fiction book, and I think it was very well done for a first try. After reading some of the other comments regarding grammar, I realized I had read the updated version. There are still some grammatical errors in the reading, but they are minor and are easily ignored.
I’m thankful for Amazon Publishing where authors like Ganninger can get their works out for people to experience.
This was the author’s first fiction book, and I think it was very well done for a first try. After reading some of the other comments regarding grammar, I realized I had read the updated version. There are still some grammatical errors in the reading, but they are minor and are easily ignored.
I’m thankful for Amazon Publishing where authors like Ganninger can get their works out for people to experience.
January 25, 2018
A good read
A story that wanders around the world, I even had to call “time out” and use Google a couple of times to get geographically oriented cuz I’m a bit of a nerd. That being said don’t hesitate to dive in, the water is GREAT!
Gotta run, this series is now on my Gotta Read List, which is where I’m going.
A story that wanders around the world, I even had to call “time out” and use Google a couple of times to get geographically oriented cuz I’m a bit of a nerd. That being said don’t hesitate to dive in, the water is GREAT!
Gotta run, this series is now on my Gotta Read List, which is where I’m going.
March 2, 2017
incredibly dull
April 18, 2016
Case File #1 of Icarus Investigation
A very entertaining book! Funny, clever, suspenseful, a page turner. Loved the two main characters, plus the secondary ones. I had no trouble visualizing each of the two guys who made me laugh every few minutes, and sometimes my laugh was more than a chuckle. This is the first in a series, and it can be found now on Amazon Kindle for FREE if you hurry. I don't know how I missed it before now.
Dan and Roger are buried in their boring cubicle jobs They currently work at Tesla Technologies, named for the electromagnetism pioneer inventor, but that's where the glamour ends. To give you an idea of the subtle humor in this book, Roger, who narrates the story, tells us about how the company came by its "abbreviated" name of la Technologies. The 's' had slid off months ago and the 'T' and 'e' were obscured by a wild seed of a tree that grew through a crack in the pavement. So 'Tesla' became 'la'. "Either we were from Mexico, given our location in southern California, or, if we were lucky, from France. Neither of those spots helped business." Often the humor is more than subtle and I laughed my head off.
Dan talks Roger into quitting their boring jobs and opening a private investigation service! The story gets a lot less boring for them after that. Their investigative exploits take them all over the world and get them involved with the FBI as well as some very unsavory characters trying to kill them.
A very entertaining book! Funny, clever, suspenseful, a page turner. Loved the two main characters, plus the secondary ones. I had no trouble visualizing each of the two guys who made me laugh every few minutes, and sometimes my laugh was more than a chuckle. This is the first in a series, and it can be found now on Amazon Kindle for FREE if you hurry. I don't know how I missed it before now.
Dan and Roger are buried in their boring cubicle jobs They currently work at Tesla Technologies, named for the electromagnetism pioneer inventor, but that's where the glamour ends. To give you an idea of the subtle humor in this book, Roger, who narrates the story, tells us about how the company came by its "abbreviated" name of la Technologies. The 's' had slid off months ago and the 'T' and 'e' were obscured by a wild seed of a tree that grew through a crack in the pavement. So 'Tesla' became 'la'. "Either we were from Mexico, given our location in southern California, or, if we were lucky, from France. Neither of those spots helped business." Often the humor is more than subtle and I laughed my head off.
Dan talks Roger into quitting their boring jobs and opening a private investigation service! The story gets a lot less boring for them after that. Their investigative exploits take them all over the world and get them involved with the FBI as well as some very unsavory characters trying to kill them.
December 31, 2013
Combine an ex-CIA spook and an ex-NSA guy with an academic economist, an MI6 operative, a secretary, an academic inventor and a bunch of bad guys with a new super device that has almost unlimited power capability, and you will find an entertaining and gripping tale that I couldn't put down until finished. Intrigue, power struggles, a little romance, some assassinations, and some good humorous dialog make this a fun read. I'm looking forward to reading Mr. Ganninger's follow-on book, "Peeking Duck."
July 11, 2016
Flapjack is the equivalent of a 2 hour story told in 4 hours, or so it seemed. The book started out with a promise of being a good story, but soon became a bit overdone. There were parts that could have been cut down in size and still left the integrity of the story intact. I found myself a little bored about half-way through this book, but not being one to quit, I trudged on through what seemed like 4,257 chapters. Full of twists and turns, I eagerly looked forward to the ending of this book. Hopefully the next book from this author will not feel like this.
April 26, 2014
Waivering between 3 and 4 starts. It was funny, light but with murder and mayhem thrown in. I think I wanted a little more mystery and/or not everything being so easy for the heroes. However, it reminds me of a fun 80s or 90s style mystery movie. Reminds me of a tv series. Might read the next in the series, if there is one.
February 17, 2016
Good time killer
I enjoyed this book. No to say it is great, it is a very entertaining story, the characters are pretty good for the most part, as is the story. In some sections is a little slow but over all it is worth a read.
Although part of a series it is a stand alone bok, which makes it very good and appealing.
Should definitely it for light reading and relaxation.
I enjoyed this book. No to say it is great, it is a very entertaining story, the characters are pretty good for the most part, as is the story. In some sections is a little slow but over all it is worth a read.
Although part of a series it is a stand alone bok, which makes it very good and appealing.
Should definitely it for light reading and relaxation.
June 24, 2016
Never fails when you are not expecting much from a book it surprises you. You got to know the characters Dan Galveston and Roger Murphy right from the beginning. It was humorous ad made you want to keep reading.
Good summer read or when you don't have a lot of time, will definetly read some books in the series.
Good summer read or when you don't have a lot of time, will definetly read some books in the series.
December 19, 2013
Oy. I couldn't even get ten pages in, the writing was so juvenile. Misused words, bad punctuation, choppy writing style. Lots of action verbs that felt overly dramatic. Ditching this book and moving on!
March 7, 2014
An entertaining detective story. Two dissatisfied men decide to start a detective agency. They collect an interesting group of individuals to help them on various cases. Lots of twists and turns. An interesting read.
September 11, 2016
Three stars is actually a wee bit generous, the writing is nothing special, the plot is weak... I guess I found the characters to be the most redeeming element. Our narrator, as well as the ex-spook he goes into the PI business with, are actually fairly believable and enjoyable.
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May 21, 2015I didn't like this book when I started but by the end I was fully on board and got the 2nd in the series. Very fast moving, like an action movie but in written form. Some unlikely occurences, but fun. The typos and misused words is a somewhat annoying.
December 20, 2013
I was expecting a cozy mystery.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews