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Richard "Dick" Moonlight #3
Blue Moonlight
Private Investigator Dick Moonlight returns to chase down a cop gone bad in the next installment of author Vincent Zandri’s clever and cunning Moonlight series.
Moonlight has hit some turbulence. Sure, his bar burned to the ground; his significant other, Lola, left him for another man; the private eye business is slow; and his evenings are now spent with his new pal, Jack Daniels. But this is real turbulence—in a plane, going down fast, and he’s waking up handcuffed to an FBI agent. How he got there is a little fuzzy, thanks to the sliver of a .22 caliber hollow-point bullet lodged in his brain.
Once on the ground, and after a few bumps and bruises, things become clearer and more dangerous. Thinking he’s been brought to FBI headquarters for drunk-dialing the IRS, Moonlight learns that he’s got some unfinished business: his last case, which had him up against Russian mobsters in search of a zip drive loaded with government secrets, isn’t
exactly closed. The cop who was supposed to deliver the goods to the FBI went rogue, bringing along a crooked agent and Moonlight’s ex, and now he’s out to sell the hardware to the highest bidder. The FBI wants Moonlight’s help in tracking down the trio—all the way to Florence, Italy—and wooing Lola into handing over the zip drive. He’s just going to have to outwit, outrun, and outshoot the Russian thugs who have their own big plans for the zip drive, and for Moonlight.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2012
About the author
Vincent Zandri
254 books578 followers"Vincent Zandri is one of the most acclaimed thriller writers working today!" --Publishers Weekly
“Zandri (is) a veteran wordsmith who executes quality and quantity at superlative levels.” --Book Reporter
"The story of Vincent Zandri is the story of our times."
--Business Insider
"Vincent Zandri hails from the future."
--The New York Times
“Sensational . . . masterful . . . brilliant.”
--New York Post
"...big time author..."
--Digital Journal
Considered one of the most prolific writers of his generation, Vincent Zandri is the winner of the 2015 PWA Shamus Award and the 2015 ITW Thriller Award, both for MOONLIGHT WEEPS in the Best Original Paperback category. He is also the NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and AMAZON KINDLE OVERALL NO.1 bestselling author of hundreds of novels, novellas, and stories, including THE REMAINS, MOONLIGHT WEEPS, THE EMBALMER, THE SHROUD KEY and QUIETLY INTO THE NIGHT. His list of domestic publishers includes Delacorte, Dell, Down & Out Books, Thomas & Mercer, Blackstone Audio, Tantor Media, and more. He is also the CEO of Bear Media. An MFA in Writing graduate of Vermont College, his work is translated in the Dutch, Russian, French, Italian, and Japanese. Having sold over 1 million editions of his books, Zandri has been the subject of major features by the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and Business Insider. He has also made appearances on Bloomberg TV and the FOX News network. In December 2014, Suspense Magazine named Zandri's, THE SHROUD KEY, as one of the "Best Books of 2014." Suspense Magazine selected WHEN SHADOWS COME as one of the "Best Books of 2016". He was also a finalist for the 2019 Derringer Award for Best Novelette. A freelance photojournalist, freelance writer, and the host of the popular YouTube Podcast, "The Writer's Life," Zandri has written for Strategy Magazine, RT, Living Ready Magazine, New York Newsday, Hudson Valley Magazine, The Times Union (Albany), Game & Fish Magazine, CrimeReads, Altcoin Magazine, The Jerusalem Post (ghost), Market Business News (ghost), Duke University (ghost), Colgate University (ghost), New York University (ghost), The Rice University Gazette (ghost), Yale University (ghost), Digital Journal (ghost), and many more. An Active Member of ITW, he lives in New York and Florence, Italy. For more go to WWW.VINZANDRI.COM
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 17, 2021
In this 3rd book in the 'Dick Moonlight' series, the private detective goes to Italy to retrieve a flash drive with secret information. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Private Investigator Dick Moonlight - who has a bullet fragment in his head - is snatched up by the FBI, roughed up a bit, and accused of being a domestic terrorist.
Turns out this is a ploy to force Dick to go to Florence, Italy to retrieve a flash drive containing nuclear secrets. The flash drive is in the hands of a trio composed of a rogue cop, a dirty FBI agent, and Dick's former girlfriend Lola - whom he still loves. The sinister threesome plan to sell the flash drive to the highest bidder, most likely dastardly Russians or Iranians.
Courtesy of the FBI, Dick gets some powerful guns and a fashionable wardrobe (to fit in with the snappy dressers in Florence) - and off he goes.
From here, the story is a fast-paced thriller with Dick being threatened and chased by people who want to kill him. Dick performs some brave feats of derring-do while he attempts to retrieve the flash drive and make his way back to the U.S.
There is an array of engaging characters in the book starting with Dick (and his somewhat bullet-addled brain); a huge, intimidating FBI agent who calls Dick 'sweetie'; a couple of big, leather-clad Russian bad guys; a female FBI agent who takes a shine to Dick; and more.
There's no complicated plot in this book. It's basically just an action-packed story with lots of hitting, fighting, shooting, hiding, running, climbing, and so on. A quick, entertaining read.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
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November 21, 2014
Not as good as the first installment but it had its moments:) Couple things I predicted early on, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story.
Our buddy Moonlight has set right what happened at the end of the first novel, which means him getting off to Italy courtesy of the FBI.
I got caught up in the story early on but when a certain element entered from the last book, I was mentally head-desking. My first thought was 'aaw crap, come on' It wasn't all bad though, the presence of these guys made sense for this particular plot so my annoyance was tampered down.
The 'twist' at the end wasn't entirely surprising, and a little underwhelming but there was one funny (for me) moment when some civilians got to help kick some ass :).
Lola I felt a little bad for but at the same time, she made these decisions and set the course for what happened. She was a bit screwed up but not a bad person.
So-so installment but still worth the read, looking forward to the next book :)
Happy reading!
Our buddy Moonlight has set right what happened at the end of the first novel, which means him getting off to Italy courtesy of the FBI.
I got caught up in the story early on but when a certain element entered from the last book, I was mentally head-desking. My first thought was 'aaw crap, come on' It wasn't all bad though, the presence of these guys made sense for this particular plot so my annoyance was tampered down.
The 'twist' at the end wasn't entirely surprising, and a little underwhelming but there was one funny (for me) moment when some civilians got to help kick some ass :).
Lola I felt a little bad for but at the same time, she made these decisions and set the course for what happened. She was a bit screwed up but not a bad person.
So-so installment but still worth the read, looking forward to the next book :)
Happy reading!
February 27, 2014
Book Info: Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of suspense/thrillers
My Thoughts: This continues from where Moonlight Rises began. And like the first book in the series, this one is good enough, a quick and fast-paced read, but ultimately an unsatisfying one. Again, we don’t get much character development – the characters are mostly caricatures, two-dimensional, and we don’t learn much about them, not even the narrator, Moonlight. There are two more stories in this series, currently – I believe the next one is a digital short and I’m not sure about the fourth – but I don’t have enough interest in the series to seek them out. I wouldn’t call reading them a waste of time – like an action movie, it’s something to occupy and entertain – but if I were recommending suspense/thriller books, I would recommend John Sanford’s Lucas Davenport series above this one.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Private Investigator Dick Moonlight returns to chase down a cop gone bad in the next installment of author Vincent Zandri's clever and cunning Moonlight series. Moonlight has hit some turbulence. Sure, his bar burned to the ground; his significant other, Lola, left him for another man; the private eye business is slow; and his evenings are now spent with his new pal, Jack Daniels. But this is real turbulence – in a plane, going down fast, and he's waking up handcuffed to an FBI agent. How he got there is a little fuzzy, thanks to the sliver of a .22 caliber hollow-point bullet lodged in his brain. Once on the ground, and after a few bumps and bruises, things become clearer and more dangerous. Thinking he's been brought to FBI headquarters for drunk-dialing the IRS, Moonlight learns that he's got some unfinished business: his last case, which had him up against Russian mobsters in search of a zip drive loaded with government secrets, isn't exactly closed. The cop who was supposed to deliver the goods to the FBI went rogue, bringing along a crooked agent and Moonlight's ex, and now he's out to sell the hardware to the highest bidder. The FBI wants Moonlight's help in tracking down the trio – all the way to Florence, Italy – and wooing Lola into handing over the zip drive. He's just going to have to outwit, outrun, and outshoot the Russian thugs who have their own big plans for the zip drive, and for Moonlight.
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of suspense/thrillers
My Thoughts: This continues from where Moonlight Rises began. And like the first book in the series, this one is good enough, a quick and fast-paced read, but ultimately an unsatisfying one. Again, we don’t get much character development – the characters are mostly caricatures, two-dimensional, and we don’t learn much about them, not even the narrator, Moonlight. There are two more stories in this series, currently – I believe the next one is a digital short and I’m not sure about the fourth – but I don’t have enough interest in the series to seek them out. I wouldn’t call reading them a waste of time – like an action movie, it’s something to occupy and entertain – but if I were recommending suspense/thriller books, I would recommend John Sanford’s Lucas Davenport series above this one.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: Private Investigator Dick Moonlight returns to chase down a cop gone bad in the next installment of author Vincent Zandri's clever and cunning Moonlight series. Moonlight has hit some turbulence. Sure, his bar burned to the ground; his significant other, Lola, left him for another man; the private eye business is slow; and his evenings are now spent with his new pal, Jack Daniels. But this is real turbulence – in a plane, going down fast, and he's waking up handcuffed to an FBI agent. How he got there is a little fuzzy, thanks to the sliver of a .22 caliber hollow-point bullet lodged in his brain. Once on the ground, and after a few bumps and bruises, things become clearer and more dangerous. Thinking he's been brought to FBI headquarters for drunk-dialing the IRS, Moonlight learns that he's got some unfinished business: his last case, which had him up against Russian mobsters in search of a zip drive loaded with government secrets, isn't exactly closed. The cop who was supposed to deliver the goods to the FBI went rogue, bringing along a crooked agent and Moonlight's ex, and now he's out to sell the hardware to the highest bidder. The FBI wants Moonlight's help in tracking down the trio – all the way to Florence, Italy – and wooing Lola into handing over the zip drive. He's just going to have to outwit, outrun, and outshoot the Russian thugs who have their own big plans for the zip drive, and for Moonlight.
December 31, 2012
The second book in the Dick Moonlight series begins in an overly-cliched way with our beleaguered hero in deep trouble from both alcoholism and, you guessed it, the bullet fragment in his brain, courtesy of a botched suicide attempt. (Have no fear of forgetting about this bullet fragment, as there are reminders of its presence on nearly every page.)
Moonlight is in federal custody because of a threatening e-mail he accidentally sent to the IRS, and in order to get out of trouble, he needs to do a little favor for the FBI. The flash drive containing valuable Russian government secrets that was the subject of his first adventure, Moonlight Rises, has been stolen by the cop Moonlight gave it to. The feds want Moonlight to travel to Florence, Italy and retrieve it. As added incentive, Moonlight's ex-girlfriend Lola is with the men who have the flash drive. This is his chance to not only save the world, but to get the girl back.
I tried to warm to Moonlight's character, but just couldn't pull it off, even though he failed to pass out every five minutes this time. Here, he chases all over Florence, Italy looking for Lola and avoiding the Russian thugs who somehow know he's there, even though Lola and her companions do not. The author shows off a rather intimate knowledge of the Italian city, but it wasn't enough to pique my interest, and could not compensate for a weak plot, which felt like leftovers from the first book in the series. Though the action scenes were well-done, without a beautiful and historic place to describe, there wouldn't be much of a book here at all. The author has simply gone overboard on the down-and-out pulp hero cliché. It's not enough that Moonlight is divorced and broke, he also loses custody of his son, loses his business, and keeps coming close to losing his life, which could simply stop at any time due to that annoying (and I do mean annoying) bullet fragment in his brain. His femme fatale girlfriend leaves him, the authorities despise him, and he's such a loser he even botched his attempted suicide. The only thing the author forgot to do was give him a dog so someone could run it over. Maybe that's the plot of book three. Whatever the case, I won't be going back for more. There is just too much fun pulp fiction waiting to be read instead.
Moonlight is in federal custody because of a threatening e-mail he accidentally sent to the IRS, and in order to get out of trouble, he needs to do a little favor for the FBI. The flash drive containing valuable Russian government secrets that was the subject of his first adventure, Moonlight Rises, has been stolen by the cop Moonlight gave it to. The feds want Moonlight to travel to Florence, Italy and retrieve it. As added incentive, Moonlight's ex-girlfriend Lola is with the men who have the flash drive. This is his chance to not only save the world, but to get the girl back.
I tried to warm to Moonlight's character, but just couldn't pull it off, even though he failed to pass out every five minutes this time. Here, he chases all over Florence, Italy looking for Lola and avoiding the Russian thugs who somehow know he's there, even though Lola and her companions do not. The author shows off a rather intimate knowledge of the Italian city, but it wasn't enough to pique my interest, and could not compensate for a weak plot, which felt like leftovers from the first book in the series. Though the action scenes were well-done, without a beautiful and historic place to describe, there wouldn't be much of a book here at all. The author has simply gone overboard on the down-and-out pulp hero cliché. It's not enough that Moonlight is divorced and broke, he also loses custody of his son, loses his business, and keeps coming close to losing his life, which could simply stop at any time due to that annoying (and I do mean annoying) bullet fragment in his brain. His femme fatale girlfriend leaves him, the authorities despise him, and he's such a loser he even botched his attempted suicide. The only thing the author forgot to do was give him a dog so someone could run it over. Maybe that's the plot of book three. Whatever the case, I won't be going back for more. There is just too much fun pulp fiction waiting to be read instead.
May 19, 2018
Blue Moonlight - a review by Rosemary Kenny
There's nothing as certain in life as death and taxes, so they say and this could well have been Dick Moonlight's motto as he's targeted by the IRS after his bar burns down mysteriously. Vincent Zandri, the Master of Mystery delivers another 5-star winner in his usual inimitable style, in Book 3 of this excellent series.
As if his financial woes weren't bad enough, Dick has salt rubbed in the wound left in his wallet by the abdication of his latest flame, the lovely Dr Lola Ross, with the bent cop he gave a flash drive of great national importance, for intended safe delivery to a supposedly honest FBI agent who wasn't!
Chased by homicidal Russians and hampered by Lola's on-off affections when he tries to rescue her - and the drive - Dick will have to do more than a Moonlight 'flit' to escape his enemies in a cross-continental roller-coaster, with his life restored to something like normality and comparative tranquility. Don't miss your chance to join in the thrills and chills and to see if you can work out just how Dick will do the trick...then tell all your friends what they've been missing!
There's nothing as certain in life as death and taxes, so they say and this could well have been Dick Moonlight's motto as he's targeted by the IRS after his bar burns down mysteriously. Vincent Zandri, the Master of Mystery delivers another 5-star winner in his usual inimitable style, in Book 3 of this excellent series.
As if his financial woes weren't bad enough, Dick has salt rubbed in the wound left in his wallet by the abdication of his latest flame, the lovely Dr Lola Ross, with the bent cop he gave a flash drive of great national importance, for intended safe delivery to a supposedly honest FBI agent who wasn't!
Chased by homicidal Russians and hampered by Lola's on-off affections when he tries to rescue her - and the drive - Dick will have to do more than a Moonlight 'flit' to escape his enemies in a cross-continental roller-coaster, with his life restored to something like normality and comparative tranquility. Don't miss your chance to join in the thrills and chills and to see if you can work out just how Dick will do the trick...then tell all your friends what they've been missing!
November 19, 2018
I find Vincent Zandri’s Dick Moonlight series thoroughly entertaining and great goodreads. His writing style with clever word choices creates witty, humorous dialogue for Dick to tell his life story, past and present. (He reminds readers about his attempted suicide and bullet fragment in his head a little too much.) ‘Blue Moonlight’ grabs attention with Mr Zandri’s account of Dick on a plane in cuffs and under arrest with no memory of why. This book brings characters from ‘Moonlight Rises’ back to play out and bring an end to the Russians and the computer Zip drive. Dick plays a major role working with the FBI to wrap up the case in which Lola is involved. The end has a shocking twist that affects Dick’s life. This makes great reading, don’t miss out.
April 20, 2024
Another highly entertaining Dick Moonlight tale!
Once again Vincent Zandri’s Dick Moonlight brought me the immersive entertainment I needed to get through some very tedious tasks. Blue Moonlight might just be my favorite of the series so far. Dick seems to have a penchant for falling in the proverbial bucket of s… and making the best of it – no roses for Moonlight. If you are looking for a thriller that is down to earth, aren’t put off by a bit of “adult’ language and situations and has a lead character that you aren’t sure if you should love him or pity him, Blue Moonlight might just fit the bill. And, to sweeten the pot, throw I the excellent narration of RC Bray and you have a winning hand.
Once again Vincent Zandri’s Dick Moonlight brought me the immersive entertainment I needed to get through some very tedious tasks. Blue Moonlight might just be my favorite of the series so far. Dick seems to have a penchant for falling in the proverbial bucket of s… and making the best of it – no roses for Moonlight. If you are looking for a thriller that is down to earth, aren’t put off by a bit of “adult’ language and situations and has a lead character that you aren’t sure if you should love him or pity him, Blue Moonlight might just fit the bill. And, to sweeten the pot, throw I the excellent narration of RC Bray and you have a winning hand.
July 2, 2021
A PI with major problems, and when the FBI enters the picture things get much worse.
July 4, 2023
Brilliantly written with thrills and humour as always by Vincent Zandri my go to Author if I want something special.
March 27, 2016
Not so bright
I enjoyed the last Moonlight book so much that I was probably expecting too much from this novel. I will still read another from the series, but maybe with more realistic expectations. Moonlight was a little less of a personality here.
I enjoyed the last Moonlight book so much that I was probably expecting too much from this novel. I will still read another from the series, but maybe with more realistic expectations. Moonlight was a little less of a personality here.
September 3, 2014
It's a quick read not as suspenseful as the other books-
March 14, 2013
My first Zandri book and I found it very good. Having the hero tell us every 5 or ten pages that he has a bullet lodged in his brain from a failed suicide becomes a bit annoying
January 10, 2015
Reading had to be put on hold.
continued through Audible. Enjoyed.
continued through Audible. Enjoyed.
May 20, 2021
OMG Moonlight is a stitch. GREAT character, and another fun foray into his upside down world. Follow the author's blog and newsletter for all sorts of fun updates and offers, I do!
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October 6, 2018Truth
I was so impressed by the book before this one that this one seemed much less exciting. But I still believe Zandri is a very author and worth your time.
I was so impressed by the book before this one that this one seemed much less exciting. But I still believe Zandri is a very author and worth your time.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews