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Beowulf Chronicles #1
Murder & Mochas
Kurt West always has a hard time getting green alien blood out of his clothes. At least the diplomat’s blood was blue.
Kurt is a bounty hunter living in a small southern town, but when an alien diplomat is murdered on the street, Kurt is contracted to use his knowledge of the alien underground to track down the murderer. Even though his bail bondsman boss is breathing down his neck to bring in a bail jumper before he loses the business, Kurt must find the killer or Earth risks losing the protection that keeps a dangerous flood of aliens at bay.
A Southern noir sci-fi detective story, Murder & Mochas bounces a sarcastic and gritty detective off aliens and life in a small southern town to produce a fun, page-turning mystery
Kurt is a bounty hunter living in a small southern town, but when an alien diplomat is murdered on the street, Kurt is contracted to use his knowledge of the alien underground to track down the murderer. Even though his bail bondsman boss is breathing down his neck to bring in a bail jumper before he loses the business, Kurt must find the killer or Earth risks losing the protection that keeps a dangerous flood of aliens at bay.
A Southern noir sci-fi detective story, Murder & Mochas bounces a sarcastic and gritty detective off aliens and life in a small southern town to produce a fun, page-turning mystery
- GenresMysteryScience Fiction
270 pages, Paperback
First published December 14, 2013
3 people are currently reading
588 people want to read
About the author
Rhett Bigler
4 books24 followersRhett Bigler is the author of the Beowulf Chronicles series. An avid writer since the age of eleven, he followed his love of books through to graduate school, before taking a sharp right turn to a career in high tech. He currently lives in Chapel Hill, NC with his son. You can find out more about him, how the books came into being, and his future projects at his popular blog Miscellany (rhettbigler.com).
You can subscribe to his New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/Mev5r
If You’d Like to Say Hello, please do. You can find Rhett on
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhettbigler,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhettBigler2/,
or e-mail: rhett@rhettbigler.com
You can subscribe to his New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/Mev5r
If You’d Like to Say Hello, please do. You can find Rhett on
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rhettbigler,
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RhettBigler2/,
or e-mail: rhett@rhettbigler.com
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 9, 2014
I received a copy of 'Murder and Mochas ' by Rhett Bigler in return for a honest review from Good Reads First Reads Giveaways.
From the second that I opened this book, I was hooked. Within the first few sentences you are introduced to our main character Kurt West, bounty hunter extraordinaire, who is sitting in a Starbucks and watching an alien. This part alone brought up so many questions in my head about the world that Mr. Bigler had created, like why were the aliens here and did everyone know about them. So I had to read on in order to find out.
You find out that Kurt lives in a small town in North Carolina. It is here that the only gateway for the aliens to travel back and forth between earth and elsewhere exists. Only a select few are aware about this, much like in the 'Men in Black'. The aliens themselves are very relatable, with cultures as varied and gritty as our own. I think one of the funnier things in here are the lizard aliens who will tell you anything for a good omelette and a mocha.
This is where Kurt comes in. On top of his normal duties of picking up humans who skip out on their bail, he picks them up for the Consulate, the alien governing body here on Earth. Next thing he knows an alien diplomat has been murdered and the Consulate needs his help in tracking down the murderer. The main problem with this is that he only has three days to find them before the delegations leave for their home-worlds. Not an easy task mind you.
To end things, I loved this book. It was a classic who-dun-it but with a sarcastically fun detective, aliens and a small southern town thrown into the mix. And for all those additions it doesn't lose any of the classic fun that you can find in other mystery novels. I can't wait for next one!
From the second that I opened this book, I was hooked. Within the first few sentences you are introduced to our main character Kurt West, bounty hunter extraordinaire, who is sitting in a Starbucks and watching an alien. This part alone brought up so many questions in my head about the world that Mr. Bigler had created, like why were the aliens here and did everyone know about them. So I had to read on in order to find out.
You find out that Kurt lives in a small town in North Carolina. It is here that the only gateway for the aliens to travel back and forth between earth and elsewhere exists. Only a select few are aware about this, much like in the 'Men in Black'. The aliens themselves are very relatable, with cultures as varied and gritty as our own. I think one of the funnier things in here are the lizard aliens who will tell you anything for a good omelette and a mocha.
This is where Kurt comes in. On top of his normal duties of picking up humans who skip out on their bail, he picks them up for the Consulate, the alien governing body here on Earth. Next thing he knows an alien diplomat has been murdered and the Consulate needs his help in tracking down the murderer. The main problem with this is that he only has three days to find them before the delegations leave for their home-worlds. Not an easy task mind you.
To end things, I loved this book. It was a classic who-dun-it but with a sarcastically fun detective, aliens and a small southern town thrown into the mix. And for all those additions it doesn't lose any of the classic fun that you can find in other mystery novels. I can't wait for next one!
August 11, 2016
I love genre mash-ups, so this was a really fun read. It’s noir mystery meets Southern gothic meets sci-fi, plus a lot of humor. The main character, Kurt West, is a tough but loveable bounty hunter who also happens to be a hired gun for North Carolina’s alien affairs bureau (the only one in the country, because it’s a state issue and none of DC’s damned business!). The only inter-dimensional portal that allows aliens to come to Earth, on diplomatic missions and tourism trips, happens to open into Chapel Hill, NC. A lot of the humor comes from the setting of all this interplanetary intrigue in a small college town in the American South. The locations in the book are all real, too, and it’s clear the author knows the town and its environs really well.
The story takes place over a few days as Kurt has to solve the murder of an alien diplomat before the murderer can escape off the planet, while also trying to catch a human bounty for his full-time boss and dealing with obstructionist alien diplomats and a whole bunch of colorful “ET” characters (lizard aliens who will tell you anything you want to hear for a mocha and an omelet, for example). There’s also a cool Mos Eisley-esque alien bazaar located in a fourth dimension within Chapel Hill that he frequents when he needs to talk to shady types.
Overall, a really good read, and a cool concept for mystery and sci-fi fans.
The story takes place over a few days as Kurt has to solve the murder of an alien diplomat before the murderer can escape off the planet, while also trying to catch a human bounty for his full-time boss and dealing with obstructionist alien diplomats and a whole bunch of colorful “ET” characters (lizard aliens who will tell you anything you want to hear for a mocha and an omelet, for example). There’s also a cool Mos Eisley-esque alien bazaar located in a fourth dimension within Chapel Hill that he frequents when he needs to talk to shady types.
Overall, a really good read, and a cool concept for mystery and sci-fi fans.
February 16, 2014
I eagerly anticipated the arrival of this book having won a copy (kindly signed by the author) via goodreads giveaways. I was attracted by the premise of the book, a sci-fi detective story.
A real page turner: fast paced, full of suspense, imaginative and packed with twists and turns which had me guessing till the end. The protagonist was believable, likeable and therefore added to the story immensely - Kurt was flawed, sometimes trying (and amusingly failing) to be sarcastic and funny. All the secondary characters were detailed. I enjoyed the flow of the writing and it felt easy to read.
Two very minor criticisms (which didn't detract from the book at all): firstly it didn't feel quite fully polished... Occasionally there was a word missing from a sentence or an extra one added in (like it needed to be proof read and edited again) and secondly, whilst reading the book it was pointed out by two people (separately) that the cover of the book didn't quite fit with the genre - being "chick-lit-esque". Cue the old adage you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But y'know. Just saying.
Overall, great plot, good characters, fun read. Really enjoyed and can't wait for the sequel to come out later in the year.
A real page turner: fast paced, full of suspense, imaginative and packed with twists and turns which had me guessing till the end. The protagonist was believable, likeable and therefore added to the story immensely - Kurt was flawed, sometimes trying (and amusingly failing) to be sarcastic and funny. All the secondary characters were detailed. I enjoyed the flow of the writing and it felt easy to read.
Two very minor criticisms (which didn't detract from the book at all): firstly it didn't feel quite fully polished... Occasionally there was a word missing from a sentence or an extra one added in (like it needed to be proof read and edited again) and secondly, whilst reading the book it was pointed out by two people (separately) that the cover of the book didn't quite fit with the genre - being "chick-lit-esque". Cue the old adage you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. But y'know. Just saying.
Overall, great plot, good characters, fun read. Really enjoyed and can't wait for the sequel to come out later in the year.
February 28, 2014
I won this book in a Goodreads first reads giveaway.
To start, it isn't my usual type of book. However, within the first few chapters, I was hooked on the idea of an urban sci-fi book with a bounty hunter looking for aliens. It's a refreshing new concept to spice up the urban fantasy genre.
The main character, Kurt, is very human, making plenty of mistakes, which makes him believable. The quirks of the aliens are entertaining, such as their penchant for eggs and mocha.
My only complaint was that the plot was so intricate with many different characters it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on. On the other hand, some of the plot lines were obvious from the beginning, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Murder and Mochas is a great first effort from author, Rhett Bigler, reminiscent of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing how the author and the series continues to develop.
To start, it isn't my usual type of book. However, within the first few chapters, I was hooked on the idea of an urban sci-fi book with a bounty hunter looking for aliens. It's a refreshing new concept to spice up the urban fantasy genre.
The main character, Kurt, is very human, making plenty of mistakes, which makes him believable. The quirks of the aliens are entertaining, such as their penchant for eggs and mocha.
My only complaint was that the plot was so intricate with many different characters it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who and what was going on. On the other hand, some of the plot lines were obvious from the beginning, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Murder and Mochas is a great first effort from author, Rhett Bigler, reminiscent of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing how the author and the series continues to develop.
December 15, 2013
Kurt West is a new type of gritty hero, flawed and not perfect, a regular guy we can all relate to (he doesn't get the girl). This book is a fresh take on the whole aliens on earth scenario with multiple genres stirred together for added fun. A tight dead line, sarcastic bounty/alien hunter with a soft side , voluptuous aliens, large caliber firearms, alien technology, carcinogen belching V8 engines, omelet eating lizards, an alien bazaar area that’s like the wild west, and beer; what’s not to like?
It’s an awesome read, I couldn't put it down until I finished. The only downside was not being able to find a book two…
It’s an awesome read, I couldn't put it down until I finished. The only downside was not being able to find a book two…
February 19, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. If the usual murder mystery isn't enough for you, add some complex extraterrestrial politics, culture, technology and weaponry to the mix and enjoy the ride. This book was definitely interesting. I liked how the chapter headings represented the countdown of the 72 hours that Kurt West had to complete two completely different objectives. The plot was thick, very thick and it kept getting thicker and thicker. I will surely be looking forward to the next book in this series. I'm typically not into the alien business, but after this book, yeah, I think I'm into it now.
February 13, 2014
I had really enjoyed this book. It was such a fun read. The characters were great, even though i was probably butchering half the names haha. Overall, i'm really glad I won this book.
February 17, 2014
I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaways.
I'm rather confused by all the good reviews, since I found this book really tough to finish.
I was initially a little intrigued by the genresmash of murder mystery and aliens in a sort of buddy cop thing. However, the halting nature of the writing made it hard for me to get pulled into it, so I never really got to care much about the characters or their troubles. The little bits of humour were welcome, but interspersed at random moments or in the middle of action. There were also several grammar/spelling errors and many odd comma placements that kept taking me out of the 'action'. There were many tidbits of info that did nothing for plot or character development, such as how often the protagonist burnt his tongue on his coffee. The pacing of the plot was alright, I guess, but since the writing was just so difficult for me to follow, I kept forgetting who the various characters were. And most of the time instead of flipping back to remind myself, I just didn't care enough to find out and kept reading regardless. The atmosphere was oddly specific in some parts, and yet had gaping holes in others. I was almost constantly confused about what time of day it was.
Generally, I think it could have been a promising book, but needed a giant ton of more editing. The worldbuilding was kinda cool, but also rather vague and confusing with the Drift and dimensional travel. The writing needed trimming down on some details, and much more exposition on others. Of course, I could be mistaken, with so many good ratings(???), but I've read a whole lot of books and if I didn't want to write a review for this because of the giveaway, I would have put it down after the first 5 or 6 chapters. The impression this book left me with was dudebro bounty hunter drooling after alien bodies, and quirky 'lizard' aliens who endearingly think eggs are a rare delicacy.
I'm rather confused by all the good reviews, since I found this book really tough to finish.
I was initially a little intrigued by the genresmash of murder mystery and aliens in a sort of buddy cop thing. However, the halting nature of the writing made it hard for me to get pulled into it, so I never really got to care much about the characters or their troubles. The little bits of humour were welcome, but interspersed at random moments or in the middle of action. There were also several grammar/spelling errors and many odd comma placements that kept taking me out of the 'action'. There were many tidbits of info that did nothing for plot or character development, such as how often the protagonist burnt his tongue on his coffee. The pacing of the plot was alright, I guess, but since the writing was just so difficult for me to follow, I kept forgetting who the various characters were. And most of the time instead of flipping back to remind myself, I just didn't care enough to find out and kept reading regardless. The atmosphere was oddly specific in some parts, and yet had gaping holes in others. I was almost constantly confused about what time of day it was.
Generally, I think it could have been a promising book, but needed a giant ton of more editing. The worldbuilding was kinda cool, but also rather vague and confusing with the Drift and dimensional travel. The writing needed trimming down on some details, and much more exposition on others. Of course, I could be mistaken, with so many good ratings(???), but I've read a whole lot of books and if I didn't want to write a review for this because of the giveaway, I would have put it down after the first 5 or 6 chapters. The impression this book left me with was dudebro bounty hunter drooling after alien bodies, and quirky 'lizard' aliens who endearingly think eggs are a rare delicacy.
December 24, 2013
Murder & Mochas is a treat. Welcome to the world of Kurt West, an affable ex-Marine having one of the worst days ever: for his job as a bounty hunter, he's got a three day deadline on a skip named "Smoke". For his job as the only "tourist" (aka extra-terrestrial) hunter in the US, the Consulate in Chapel Hill, NC has a murder from an off-planet delegation they need solved...before all the ETs leave town in three days. The clock is ticking, and the pressure is on.
Author Rhett Bigler has achieved a superb mystery in a fun, imaginative, Star Wars-esque sci-fi setting--right in the middle of a small Southern town. The main character reminds me of a cross between Han Solo and Garth Brooks. Kurt has friends in low places, and he chases them all over the place trying to solve his cases, intermittently getting his butt kicked, yet never failing to toss off a wisecrack.
Despite the whirlwind pace and the flurry of details to keep straight, the plot-weaving is solid and suspenseful, and keeps you guessing up to the end. The dialogue is witty, fast, and fun. The sidekicks (there are several) are well-developed secondary characters in their own right. It reminded me of a cross between Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden novels--two favorite series. Though it went by so fast I sometimes got lost in the details, everything ultimately came together. I gave it five stars because it's been a long time since I found a book I couldn't put down until the end, and this was one.
Author Rhett Bigler has achieved a superb mystery in a fun, imaginative, Star Wars-esque sci-fi setting--right in the middle of a small Southern town. The main character reminds me of a cross between Han Solo and Garth Brooks. Kurt has friends in low places, and he chases them all over the place trying to solve his cases, intermittently getting his butt kicked, yet never failing to toss off a wisecrack.
Despite the whirlwind pace and the flurry of details to keep straight, the plot-weaving is solid and suspenseful, and keeps you guessing up to the end. The dialogue is witty, fast, and fun. The sidekicks (there are several) are well-developed secondary characters in their own right. It reminded me of a cross between Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum and Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden novels--two favorite series. Though it went by so fast I sometimes got lost in the details, everything ultimately came together. I gave it five stars because it's been a long time since I found a book I couldn't put down until the end, and this was one.
April 14, 2014
~Received for free from First Reads on Goodreads
Murder & Mochas by Rhett Bigler is as an interesting splice of mystery and sci-fi. The set out of the book is quite clever, each chapter being labeled with a time that keeps counting down to the inevitable 4 Hours. This book is slow on the uptake. It took me quite a while to try and convince myself to continue with a story that to me seemed to be getting nowhere but this ending suprised me.
I found it quite hard to concentrate whilst reading this book. I don't know if it was the strange names being so similar I got confused as to who was who, or because I just couldn't keep track of where the characters were physically found, but because of that I feel this great idea for a story really lacked. The description could have been much better, just more detail was needed when describing people and places.
Just because I didn't like the description doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the story. The plot is a great amalgamation taking the best parts from the two genres with clever ideas and an interesting story telling way.
Rhett Bigler should be applauded for his creativity and bravery with this mashup, however I do feel more description is needed throughout the entirety of the novel.
I just wish I could have appreciated the story while ignoring the lack of description but it affected me so much that I just wanted the book the finish taking me much longer to read it that necessary.
I will read the second novel in the Beowulf Chronicles (if one is being written) in the hopes that the story has much more detail to be enjoyed
Murder & Mochas by Rhett Bigler is as an interesting splice of mystery and sci-fi. The set out of the book is quite clever, each chapter being labeled with a time that keeps counting down to the inevitable 4 Hours. This book is slow on the uptake. It took me quite a while to try and convince myself to continue with a story that to me seemed to be getting nowhere but this ending suprised me.
I found it quite hard to concentrate whilst reading this book. I don't know if it was the strange names being so similar I got confused as to who was who, or because I just couldn't keep track of where the characters were physically found, but because of that I feel this great idea for a story really lacked. The description could have been much better, just more detail was needed when describing people and places.
Just because I didn't like the description doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the story. The plot is a great amalgamation taking the best parts from the two genres with clever ideas and an interesting story telling way.
Rhett Bigler should be applauded for his creativity and bravery with this mashup, however I do feel more description is needed throughout the entirety of the novel.
I just wish I could have appreciated the story while ignoring the lack of description but it affected me so much that I just wanted the book the finish taking me much longer to read it that necessary.
I will read the second novel in the Beowulf Chronicles (if one is being written) in the hopes that the story has much more detail to be enjoyed
July 25, 2016
Murder & Mochas is a fantastic sci-fi mystery set in a world almost exactly like our own, with the key difference being that in the book’s world, aliens walk among us, and not all of them are nice. The story is set in the real-world location of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a small college town which is probably one of the last places one would expect to find aliens.
The story is remarkably well-written, and the world building is done in a skillful manner, with excellent descriptions of people, places, and things. The characters all have their own personalities and motivations, and the protagonist, Kurt West, is both interesting and relatable. And while the many various threads of the plot can sometimes be confusing or difficult to follow, the pieces all weave together at the end to form an intriguing and cohesive story.
Of further note is the variety of aliens that are described in the story, ranging from humanoid to anthropomorphic to not-humanoid-in-the-least. Some of them are more memorable than others, my two favorites being Bob, the alien tech guy who enjoys eating pencils and considers them a delicacy, and Itachi, aka “Itchy”, a lizard with a taste for mochas and omelets.
All in all, the book is an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it.
The story is remarkably well-written, and the world building is done in a skillful manner, with excellent descriptions of people, places, and things. The characters all have their own personalities and motivations, and the protagonist, Kurt West, is both interesting and relatable. And while the many various threads of the plot can sometimes be confusing or difficult to follow, the pieces all weave together at the end to form an intriguing and cohesive story.
Of further note is the variety of aliens that are described in the story, ranging from humanoid to anthropomorphic to not-humanoid-in-the-least. Some of them are more memorable than others, my two favorites being Bob, the alien tech guy who enjoys eating pencils and considers them a delicacy, and Itachi, aka “Itchy”, a lizard with a taste for mochas and omelets.
All in all, the book is an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it.
March 30, 2014
I received this book as part of the Goodreads first-reads giveaway.
When I found out that I won this book I was a bit unsure as it is quite a stretch between genres, however in saying that it completely changed my mind on it. The book has a great pace and reads very well, it is smooth and easy to follow and I didn't feel lost at any time.
I really enjoyed the story of Kurt the bounty hunter and his best friend Papa Bear, I found them both entertaining and well developed characters. The guys take you on a wild ride of action and adventure in the hunt for a killer and a convict, which I found hard to put down. The book kept me guessing who the killer was until the end which is great, I had fun trying to guess who it was the whole way through. I liked the wit and humour in the book, it lightens the mood considerably as murder and criminals can get a bit dark.
I extremely enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series to see what Kurt gets himself into next. Great read all round, would recommend it to anyone who likes a great detective book thats a little left of centre.
When I found out that I won this book I was a bit unsure as it is quite a stretch between genres, however in saying that it completely changed my mind on it. The book has a great pace and reads very well, it is smooth and easy to follow and I didn't feel lost at any time.
I really enjoyed the story of Kurt the bounty hunter and his best friend Papa Bear, I found them both entertaining and well developed characters. The guys take you on a wild ride of action and adventure in the hunt for a killer and a convict, which I found hard to put down. The book kept me guessing who the killer was until the end which is great, I had fun trying to guess who it was the whole way through. I liked the wit and humour in the book, it lightens the mood considerably as murder and criminals can get a bit dark.
I extremely enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next book in the series to see what Kurt gets himself into next. Great read all round, would recommend it to anyone who likes a great detective book thats a little left of centre.
February 22, 2014
An odd blend of crime and sci-fi: Aliens in North Carolina and a bounty hunter and his ex-marine friend seeking justice for a murdered alien diplomat. As an added adventure there is another skip to be brought in, this one is for the money; and to help another friend. A very interesting book, I'll be interested to see Beowulf Chronicles 2.
January 14, 2014
Murder & Mochas was simply a fun read. Rhett has a great balance of storyline, detail and rhythm in his writing style. The plot had some twists and turns and the ending... Well, that's why you want to read Murders and Mochas. I'm awaiting the sequel!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews