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Bought the Farm
When Buddy Olson, Duff's old mentor, shows up unannounced at the boys' office in Chicago, they know it means business, not just a friendly visit. Art and Michelle Laskey, long time friends of Buddy's, have tragically turned up dead. The local police declared the case a simple murder-suicide, but something about that doesn't sit right with the retired county sheriff. At Buddy's request, Abe and Duff head up to the Laskeys' picturesque little farmhouse on the southwestern Wisconsin prairie for a thorough investigation to help put the old man's mind at ease. But no job is ever routine for Abe and Duff. In no time, the Hardly Boys find themselves neck-deep in a serious, disturbing mystery dealing with secrets probably best left in the dark.
- GenresMystery
205 pages, Paperback
Published July 30, 2023
4 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Sean Patrick Little
37 books107 followersSean Patrick Little is a writer, speaker, editor, educator, and general literary dude from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
He is the author of the best-selling Survivor Journals series and the critically praised Abe & Duff mystery series. He has also authored one book in the Shelby Ree mystery series, a space opera called Strange Angels, and is always at work on the next project.
He holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from UW-Whitewater, a BFA in Fiction Writing from Winona State University, and a master's in Education from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. He has been a teacher, a painter, a paint salesman, and a Dean of Education. He regularly teaches writing and publishing seminars whenever asked.
Little is a member of the Wisconsin Writer's Association, the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.
And if any of those groups ever find out, they'll be very upset.
He is the author of the best-selling Survivor Journals series and the critically praised Abe & Duff mystery series. He has also authored one book in the Shelby Ree mystery series, a space opera called Strange Angels, and is always at work on the next project.
He holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism from UW-Whitewater, a BFA in Fiction Writing from Winona State University, and a master's in Education from St. Mary's University of Minnesota. He has been a teacher, a painter, a paint salesman, and a Dean of Education. He regularly teaches writing and publishing seminars whenever asked.
Little is a member of the Wisconsin Writer's Association, the Authors Guild, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime.
And if any of those groups ever find out, they'll be very upset.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 27, 2023
Sean Little does it again! The fourth in the Abe & Duff series is strong with even deeper character development and some crazy plot twists. I was kept guessing throughout the book, can’t wait for the next one!
September 24, 2023
Probably my favourite detective series, and I have read a lot of them! Books by this author always jump to the top of my TBR list. The comedic dialogue between Abe and Duff is lots of fun, but the book is also an excellent detective novel. It's the fourth Abe and Duff book but could be read as a stand alone, although I highly recommend reading the entire series. If you enjoy detective novels and you have not read these you are missing out.
August 26, 2023
I wrote this. I'd like to write more.
If you read this and enjoy it, please tell friends and write and post nice reviews. It helps.
If you read this and enjoy it, please tell friends and write and post nice reviews. It helps.
November 4, 2023
I found this book because a friend of mine told me that the writer was funny and that the prose reminded him of Gregory McDonald's "Fletch" books. As a big fan of the Fletch books, I immediately sought this out only to find out it was written by the author of one of my favorite post-apocalypse series of all time, The Survivor Journals.
In the Survivor Journals, Sean Little writes from a 17-year-old boy's perspective, with appropriate voice and pacing. It's a delight. I figured I wouldn't be able to reconcile that same prose I'd heard with the main character I'd grown to love in those books with two new characters, but I shouldn't have worried. Little's prose for the Abe & Duff series is entirely different. He writes extremely well, and the voice for this mystery series fits those characters.
Abe and Duff are likable, unique main characters. They're not the usual detectives. They're clearly not cozy detectives who happen to solve crimes. They are established private eyes, but they're also not the hard-drinking, fighting, womanizing detectives we've seen in so many books. They are the guys who shouldn't be detectives. Abe should probably have been an accountant, and Duff should be a mechanic in some backwater car dealership. They're not slick. It was like Little set out to write a story of what would happen if James Bond was the exact opposite of Daniel Craig, and he succeeded. In doing so, he gave the world a pair of detectives you can actually root for instead of just assuming they will always catch the bad guy.
This is one of the funnier mystery novels I've ever read. Duff drops one-liners frequently in dialogue that are laugh-out-loud funny. Even the bump on the inside cover is funny. "If I die in hand-to-hand combat with a Bigfoot, tell everyone I died doing what I loved.” The dialogue is clever and crisp. It's realistic. There's no pointless monologuing. The characters are interesting. The pacing is tight. I'm going to read the other three books in the series as soon as I can.
This should be your next read.
In the Survivor Journals, Sean Little writes from a 17-year-old boy's perspective, with appropriate voice and pacing. It's a delight. I figured I wouldn't be able to reconcile that same prose I'd heard with the main character I'd grown to love in those books with two new characters, but I shouldn't have worried. Little's prose for the Abe & Duff series is entirely different. He writes extremely well, and the voice for this mystery series fits those characters.
Abe and Duff are likable, unique main characters. They're not the usual detectives. They're clearly not cozy detectives who happen to solve crimes. They are established private eyes, but they're also not the hard-drinking, fighting, womanizing detectives we've seen in so many books. They are the guys who shouldn't be detectives. Abe should probably have been an accountant, and Duff should be a mechanic in some backwater car dealership. They're not slick. It was like Little set out to write a story of what would happen if James Bond was the exact opposite of Daniel Craig, and he succeeded. In doing so, he gave the world a pair of detectives you can actually root for instead of just assuming they will always catch the bad guy.
This is one of the funnier mystery novels I've ever read. Duff drops one-liners frequently in dialogue that are laugh-out-loud funny. Even the bump on the inside cover is funny. "If I die in hand-to-hand combat with a Bigfoot, tell everyone I died doing what I loved.” The dialogue is clever and crisp. It's realistic. There's no pointless monologuing. The characters are interesting. The pacing is tight. I'm going to read the other three books in the series as soon as I can.
This should be your next read.
September 17, 2023
Very enjoyable mystery! Mystery isn't my usual genre, but i have a feeling this isn't your usual mystery!
A pair of misfit and snarky detectives are called up from Chicago to rural wisconsin to investigate a supposed open and shut murder-suicide.
It's my understanding that this is the fourth in the Abe and Duff series but i didn't feel like i was behind in anyway and infact now want to go back and learn more about these characters' earlier exploits!
A pair of misfit and snarky detectives are called up from Chicago to rural wisconsin to investigate a supposed open and shut murder-suicide.
It's my understanding that this is the fourth in the Abe and Duff series but i didn't feel like i was behind in anyway and infact now want to go back and learn more about these characters' earlier exploits!
December 25, 2023
A fun 'Wisconsin' read.
July 22, 2024
Chicago private investigators Aberforth Allard and CS Duffy (Abe and Duff) are hired to look into the deaths of Art and Michelle Laskey, a retired couple who had been found shot to death in their old farmhouse in Dane County, Wisconsin. The case had been ruled a murder-suicide and quickly closed, but Buddy Olson, retired Waukesha County Sheriff and an old friend of the Laskeys, believes that both were murdered and wants Abe and Duff to take a closer look.
Their initial inquiries lead Abe and Duff to agree with Buddy. Also in agreement is Dane County sheriff's deputy Shelby Ree, who knew the Laskeys and saw no sign that they harbored thoughts of killing themselves or each other. There were signs that the couple had come into some money, and by all accounts they had been enjoying themselves.
Abe and Duff, Buddy and Shelby dig into the case, beginning with trying to find the source of the Laskeys' wealth. Duff's impressive powers of observation help lead them quickly to some answers.
The quirky detectives, their strong friendship, and the Wisconsin setting are all highlights of this entertaining mystery.
Their initial inquiries lead Abe and Duff to agree with Buddy. Also in agreement is Dane County sheriff's deputy Shelby Ree, who knew the Laskeys and saw no sign that they harbored thoughts of killing themselves or each other. There were signs that the couple had come into some money, and by all accounts they had been enjoying themselves.
Abe and Duff, Buddy and Shelby dig into the case, beginning with trying to find the source of the Laskeys' wealth. Duff's impressive powers of observation help lead them quickly to some answers.
The quirky detectives, their strong friendship, and the Wisconsin setting are all highlights of this entertaining mystery.
January 7, 2024
This is the best Abe and Duff mystery yet, not to be missed. Little takes his two detectives to rural Wisconsin, where they have to poke around the local countryside to figure out whether a recent murder/suicide actually was one. I live near the area he's writing about, and he has beautifully described the old, decrepit barns next to refurbished farmhouses and vast fields of not-much-anymore that typify the decline of the family farm in Wisconsin. There's even an out-of-business supper club in the landscape, not to mention a few stops at Culver's.
But it's not only the setting that he has written so well; he describes an investigation that unfolds naturally and logically, one step following another, with a refreshing lack of elaborate theories built on supposition, dramatic jumping to conclusions, or overly wacky hijinks. There's still humor here, but it stems from the complicated characters of Abe and Duff and their slightly odd-couple friendship. I also appreciated the addition of Deputy Shelby Ree, worldly-wise at a young age and sensible. And I want to thank the author for his "mode of transportation on the mantlepiece" which suddenly paid off at the climax of the book. I got a real kick out of seeing that pay off.
In short, I hope there's more Abe & Duff yet to come.
But it's not only the setting that he has written so well; he describes an investigation that unfolds naturally and logically, one step following another, with a refreshing lack of elaborate theories built on supposition, dramatic jumping to conclusions, or overly wacky hijinks. There's still humor here, but it stems from the complicated characters of Abe and Duff and their slightly odd-couple friendship. I also appreciated the addition of Deputy Shelby Ree, worldly-wise at a young age and sensible. And I want to thank the author for his "mode of transportation on the mantlepiece" which suddenly paid off at the climax of the book. I got a real kick out of seeing that pay off.
In short, I hope there's more Abe & Duff yet to come.
April 18, 2025
My fave Abe and Duff mystery
I've read EVERY SINGLE Abe and Duff mystery Sean has written. Each one has kept my interest and has made me laugh out loud. This book though, was a little better than the others IMO--if that's possible because they're all fantastic. The plot was a little more intense and the end had me on the edge of my seat--I even cursed out the author for a second there. I was definitely on a wild ride at the end of this one.
Definitely recommend.
And I need more Abe and Duff!
I've read EVERY SINGLE Abe and Duff mystery Sean has written. Each one has kept my interest and has made me laugh out loud. This book though, was a little better than the others IMO--if that's possible because they're all fantastic. The plot was a little more intense and the end had me on the edge of my seat--I even cursed out the author for a second there. I was definitely on a wild ride at the end of this one.
Definitely recommend.
And I need more Abe and Duff!
March 3, 2024
Why did it take me so long to catch up with the investigative team of Abe & Duff? That happens, but I’m happy to have joined them, finally, on their latest case in my old stomping grounds of Dane Co, WI. Sean Patrick Little has created a pair of Chicago PIs who, in equal measure, irritate & care about each other, just like folks IRL. That is the great delight in BOUGHT THE FARM, Abe & Duff’s relationship. No worries: the case set in SC WI is well wrought; the locale as drawn is spot on.
January 19, 2024
What starts out quietly on a Wisconsin farm turns sinister and deadly before Abe and Duff know it. They're in way over their heads! Smartass humor, engaging characters, and mysterious doings pepper this engaging story. Sean Patrick Little comes across as remarkably knowledgeable on a number of esoteric subjects; he either is or does a masterful job of faking it. A fun read!
July 23, 2024
So fun to read a mystery that unfolds in my own back yard! I could follow the characters down the roads and through the towns like I was driving there! I'm always impressed with all the details that slowly come together to make sense, twists and turns not withstanding. Really enjoyed this journey.
Now I need to catch up on the other tales of Abe and Duff.
Now I need to catch up on the other tales of Abe and Duff.
June 19, 2024
My favorite Abe and Duff book so far. I binged the last 25% in one sitting. I especially liked the ode to the big Lebowski with the one “shut up Donny” line it had in it. It made me chuckle. It’s my favorite movie. The Abe and duff series continues to be one of my favorites!
June 13, 2024
Abe and Duff are my heroes...wait! Actually Sean Little is my hero, because Abe and Duff are the product of his fertile and ever amazing imagination!! Book 4 is my favorite in the series, however they are all just such fun to read. This one becomes much more serious for a bit, as the duo actually get themselves into a major crimefighting situation, adding a bit of tension to an otherwise basically lighthearted plot. Oh, except for the dead guys, that's not lighthearted! Expect an entertaining fast paced read with great imagery to help you visualize characters and surroundings with 20/20 vision. Bonus are the little "Easter eggs" of Wisconsin-ism that resonate with a reader who hails from that great state!! @Sean Patrick Little...please write more like this, looking forward to more Shelby Ree as you've promised!!!!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews