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High-tech burglary and murder are bad for business in the upscale, tourist-destination beach city of Santa Monica, bad for Detective Dave Mason of the Santa Monica Police DepartmentHard-boiled police procedural mystery seriesA deadbeat burglar has been found in the upscale Santa Monica beach condo of a playboy studio exec. The dead body must link up with a string of high-tech burglaries, and the Chechens Mason keeps meeting must link up with each other somehow, but how?
The stakes rise as Mason stirs up the Hollywood Russian community And the dark world of embezzlementRising to an explosion that almost kills him.He is warned off by the FBI and Homeland Security˃˃˃ A bungled take down results in two murders of key informants.Fingers are pointed. Mason is outranked and the Department blamed. While Mason brings an international whodunit to an end, restoring his own and the Department’s reputation, he finds his relationship with his community activist girlfriend teetering on the edge.
˃˃˃ Crisp prose, gritty dialogueFBI, Homeland Security, whodunit, Santa Monica, burglary, murder, beach condo, Chechens, Chechnya, Hollywood Russian, embezzlement, community activist, organized crime, homeless, police
Scroll up and grab a copy today.
The stakes rise as Mason stirs up the Hollywood Russian community And the dark world of embezzlementRising to an explosion that almost kills him.He is warned off by the FBI and Homeland Security˃˃˃ A bungled take down results in two murders of key informants.Fingers are pointed. Mason is outranked and the Department blamed. While Mason brings an international whodunit to an end, restoring his own and the Department’s reputation, he finds his relationship with his community activist girlfriend teetering on the edge.
˃˃˃ Crisp prose, gritty dialogueFBI, Homeland Security, whodunit, Santa Monica, burglary, murder, beach condo, Chechens, Chechnya, Hollywood Russian, embezzlement, community activist, organized crime, homeless, police
Scroll up and grab a copy today.
- GenresFiction
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 22, 2012
4 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Mar Preston
20 books45 followersI came to writing fiction late in life and am surprised to find myself the author of eight gritty police procedurals, five of them set in southern California and featuring Detective Dave Mason of the Santa Monica Police Department. He’s a good guy cop with a social justice warrior girlfriend.
I was a long-time Santa Monica activist and once divided my time between glitzy Santa Monica and a village similar to the one in Payback, the debut of my second series. But I assure you only nice people live there.
These books follow the Chief of the village patrol department and animal activist, and her sometimes boyfriend, a Sheriff’s Department homicide detective based in Bakersfield. Nothing Ever Happens Here is the third in this series.
I've distilled what I've learned writing whodunits into a series of 7 eBooks on “Writing Your First Mystery.” They are a pleasure to write, and I hope useful to new writers.
I'm a habitual do-gooder with a long track record of sticking my nose into good causes. I was a co-founder of the local SPCA in the mountains, a dog park, and picked up roadkill for my wildlife rehab buddies to feed the big raptors. I'd like to tell you that I have a writing and blogging schedule that I adhere to rigidly, but this is not true.
I like to write crime fiction because I get to think up fabulous lies and live with the kind of people between my ears that I will never meet in real life. I can also pretend I'm 5'10 and 28 years old. This also is not true.
In 2019 I upended a 40-year hiatus in California, 20 of it in Pine Mountain Club, where “Nothing Ever Happens Here” is set. and returned to my roots in Ottawa, Canada. I have almost convinced myself I can stand the Canadian winter.
I was a long-time Santa Monica activist and once divided my time between glitzy Santa Monica and a village similar to the one in Payback, the debut of my second series. But I assure you only nice people live there.
These books follow the Chief of the village patrol department and animal activist, and her sometimes boyfriend, a Sheriff’s Department homicide detective based in Bakersfield. Nothing Ever Happens Here is the third in this series.
I've distilled what I've learned writing whodunits into a series of 7 eBooks on “Writing Your First Mystery.” They are a pleasure to write, and I hope useful to new writers.
I'm a habitual do-gooder with a long track record of sticking my nose into good causes. I was a co-founder of the local SPCA in the mountains, a dog park, and picked up roadkill for my wildlife rehab buddies to feed the big raptors. I'd like to tell you that I have a writing and blogging schedule that I adhere to rigidly, but this is not true.
I like to write crime fiction because I get to think up fabulous lies and live with the kind of people between my ears that I will never meet in real life. I can also pretend I'm 5'10 and 28 years old. This also is not true.
In 2019 I upended a 40-year hiatus in California, 20 of it in Pine Mountain Club, where “Nothing Ever Happens Here” is set. and returned to my roots in Ottawa, Canada. I have almost convinced myself I can stand the Canadian winter.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 27, 2013
When I think about Santa Monica, I think of a beachfront resort city, home to celebrities, surfers, and picturesque piers. In my mind I would have assumed that the city was free from the crime, smog, and traffic of much-larger Los Angeles, which borders it on three sides. Not so, as depicted in the murder mysteries of author Mar Preston. The seedy side of Santa Monica is highlighted in Rip-Off, Preston's second book in a series, one which can be read on its own.
"Pokey Santa Monica with its white-bread crime" is in the news again. A man's body has been found in a ritzy condo and Detective Dave Mason and his team follow leads that take them into the world of the Chechen underground. Drug deals and matters of national security lead to run-ins with the FBI and Homeland Security, yet Mason perseveres in efforts to solve a case he believes to be rightfully his.
Mason is a very believable character and I can easily picture the interactions among his team. Surely, these murder mysteries must be in the consideration for a television series! After all, Hollywood is not far from seedy Santa Monica.
"Pokey Santa Monica with its white-bread crime" is in the news again. A man's body has been found in a ritzy condo and Detective Dave Mason and his team follow leads that take them into the world of the Chechen underground. Drug deals and matters of national security lead to run-ins with the FBI and Homeland Security, yet Mason perseveres in efforts to solve a case he believes to be rightfully his.
Mason is a very believable character and I can easily picture the interactions among his team. Surely, these murder mysteries must be in the consideration for a television series! After all, Hollywood is not far from seedy Santa Monica.
August 24, 2012
I really enjoyed this whodunit murder/mystery. Towards the beginning I believed that I knew what was going on, but little did I know! I love the author's style of writing and found this book very easy to read. The characters were well developed and the story line had me hooked from page one. This was the first book that I have read by the author and I can't wait to delve deeper into the ever so fascinating life of Dave Mason. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great Mystery/Thriller book :)
June 24, 2015
This is one of those books that's hard to put down. It transports you to Santa Monica in your mind, characters are believable and plot is interesting. The Ruski s are coming in thus one. But Detective Mason and is team are relentless. Can't wait to read the next book in the series,keep them coming Ms. Preston!
May 1, 2019
Non-stop action marks Mar Preston's second Dave Mason adventure, an earthy tale set in rich and liberal Santa Monica. You want conflict? You got it. A complex plot and flawed characters? Check. A well-drawn setting? Check. I lived in L.A. for many years and enjoy visiting vicariously. I’m a slow reader, but I sped through this one. Looking forward to more adventures from this talented writer.
September 4, 2012
The case looks simple to Detective Dave Mason. A body is found at the scene of a robbery, and it looks like a case of burglars falling out and one shooting the other. Newly promoted in the Santa Monica Police Department to being a supervisor, Mason can use an easy one to make him look good.
But the case gets more and more complicated the more it unravels. This appears to be a highly structured burglary team who perhaps have inside knowledge. There have been a string of break-ins at expensive residences, and someone has to be giving them ideas of where to rob next. The latest victims seem to have more to hide than the burglars. The lady of the house, a beautiful Eastern European named Irina, seems very unconcerned about her losses. Her husband, the condo manager, seems edgy and preoccupied. Then there are the Chechens. Mason doesn't know much about this group, but they have been moving in lately and setting up a sophisticated criminal gang that is threatening to overtake the city.
Mason has enough problems without a complicated case. He is still feeling his way as a supervisor, his former friends and colleagues now reporting to him in a new relationship. His superiors are not exactly warm and supportive; they expect results and they expect them now. His personal life is also unsettled; he is interested in Ginger but it's unclear where this romance is going and if she can adjust to life with a cop.
Mar Preston has written an interesting police procedural. This is the second in the Dave Mason series, and readers will identify with his struggles. The plotting has an excellent feel for police work, the tedium and paperwork, the putting together of minute clues to discern the true picture, and the sudden bursts of action that can take a life. This book is recommended for mystery readers.
But the case gets more and more complicated the more it unravels. This appears to be a highly structured burglary team who perhaps have inside knowledge. There have been a string of break-ins at expensive residences, and someone has to be giving them ideas of where to rob next. The latest victims seem to have more to hide than the burglars. The lady of the house, a beautiful Eastern European named Irina, seems very unconcerned about her losses. Her husband, the condo manager, seems edgy and preoccupied. Then there are the Chechens. Mason doesn't know much about this group, but they have been moving in lately and setting up a sophisticated criminal gang that is threatening to overtake the city.
Mason has enough problems without a complicated case. He is still feeling his way as a supervisor, his former friends and colleagues now reporting to him in a new relationship. His superiors are not exactly warm and supportive; they expect results and they expect them now. His personal life is also unsettled; he is interested in Ginger but it's unclear where this romance is going and if she can adjust to life with a cop.
Mar Preston has written an interesting police procedural. This is the second in the Dave Mason series, and readers will identify with his struggles. The plotting has an excellent feel for police work, the tedium and paperwork, the putting together of minute clues to discern the true picture, and the sudden bursts of action that can take a life. This book is recommended for mystery readers.
July 15, 2014
Review can be found at www.the-reading-pile.blogspot.co.uk/
Now, I have to be in the right mood to read a murder mystery/crime/detective book, but I usually enjoy the ones I do read.... But there was just something about Rip Off... Maybe it was the characters? The story? The writing? All I know, something was off.
In saying that, I did enjoy almost all of the interactions between characters, I was laughing a lot of the dialogue in Rip Off, and honestly if this was all dialogue I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more! So that probably means there was a lot of unnecessary narrative, in my opinion. But I don't want to say that.
Parts of the novel didn't interest me, didn't hook me like other books do. It was slow in a lot of parts. And as everyone knows, I really struggle with books that are slow. If they start off slow, I'll push on... If they're still slow half way through the novel - I tend to give up. And Rip Off was just really slow... I wonder if it was just me, and the timing - I've got a lot going on, and when I started to pick up the book to begin to read it, It seemed like someone else needed me to do something or something got in the way. So I don't know.
I feel as though, if I had waited until there was a time when I wasn't doing so much, or feeling a lot of pressure, I may have potentially enjoyed the book more! Definitely. I'm sure of it.
If you do like murder mysteries, please do give Rip Off a try! It is certainly a murder mystery, I thought I had it solved - I thought I knew who did it... But there we are!
Now, I have to be in the right mood to read a murder mystery/crime/detective book, but I usually enjoy the ones I do read.... But there was just something about Rip Off... Maybe it was the characters? The story? The writing? All I know, something was off.
In saying that, I did enjoy almost all of the interactions between characters, I was laughing a lot of the dialogue in Rip Off, and honestly if this was all dialogue I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more! So that probably means there was a lot of unnecessary narrative, in my opinion. But I don't want to say that.
Parts of the novel didn't interest me, didn't hook me like other books do. It was slow in a lot of parts. And as everyone knows, I really struggle with books that are slow. If they start off slow, I'll push on... If they're still slow half way through the novel - I tend to give up. And Rip Off was just really slow... I wonder if it was just me, and the timing - I've got a lot going on, and when I started to pick up the book to begin to read it, It seemed like someone else needed me to do something or something got in the way. So I don't know.
I feel as though, if I had waited until there was a time when I wasn't doing so much, or feeling a lot of pressure, I may have potentially enjoyed the book more! Definitely. I'm sure of it.
If you do like murder mysteries, please do give Rip Off a try! It is certainly a murder mystery, I thought I had it solved - I thought I knew who did it... But there we are!
June 18, 2012
A burglar is found dead in an upscale condo in the beautiful beach city of Santa Monica. The murder seems to be linked to a series of high-tech murders that have been taking place in the area. Dave Mason of the Santa Monica Police department is called to the case. Soon, he suspects that the Chechens are connected to the murders, but how? While investigating in the Hollywood Russian community, he’s thrown into a vortex of dark suspects, embezzlement, explosions and FBI agents. When Dave and his department are blamed for a take-down gone wrong, it’s up to him to solve the case and restore their reputation, while at the same time trying to salvage his relationship with his girlfriend.
Mar Preston delivers yet another exciting whodunit mystery in this, her second book in her Dave Mason series. The prose is crisp, the dialogue gritty. The author doesn’t waste time with unnecessary description or backstory in this little page-turner that will keep readers guessing for the culprits. She also does an excellent job in bringing upscale Santa Monica and its people to life, with its luxurious condos and leftist politics. The characters are interesting, each distinct with their own quirks. Dave Mason is a likable protagonist with both flaws and good qualities. Rip-Off is a well-written mystery with a well thought-out plot that will be enjoyed by fans of the genre. Recommended!
Mar Preston delivers yet another exciting whodunit mystery in this, her second book in her Dave Mason series. The prose is crisp, the dialogue gritty. The author doesn’t waste time with unnecessary description or backstory in this little page-turner that will keep readers guessing for the culprits. She also does an excellent job in bringing upscale Santa Monica and its people to life, with its luxurious condos and leftist politics. The characters are interesting, each distinct with their own quirks. Dave Mason is a likable protagonist with both flaws and good qualities. Rip-Off is a well-written mystery with a well thought-out plot that will be enjoyed by fans of the genre. Recommended!
September 14, 2012
Santa Monica has changed a lot since Raymond Chandler used Bay City as a euphemism for the sleepy but corrupt little town by the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. But Mar Preston knows the updated version inside and out. She knows the progressive politics and she knows how the town has gone upscale. She knows the streets backwards and forwards. The action starts when the town’s small homicide unit gets called to a murder in a high-end, high-rise overlooking the bay only discovering that the burglary detail is working a big heist in the adjacent twin tower on the same day. Coincidence? Nah…not in the homicide business. And that’s just the first 30 pages of a who-done-it eventually ensnaring Chechen immigrants, an international organized crime syndicate running drugs and smuggling children, the FBI and Homeland Security. Preston’ Rip-Off squeezes all this action inside less than 400 pages plus offering some wonderful character studies and a glimpse into the underbelly of one of America’s best known liberal cities and one of this country’s most popular international tourist destinations. The cops are under a lot of pressure, and nobody is dealing straight up.
October 9, 2012
Rip Off is a ripping good yarn if I ever read one! The small novel is packed to the brim full of action, death and deceit - plus high-tech burglaries to boot! It was an excellent read The finished resulted works wonderfully with snappy dialogue and a incredibly fast pace! The dialogue is, in fact, the book's greatest strength - the discussions between Mason and his fellow cops are very funny and convinces the reader from the outset of the camaraderie of the group, but also of the cracks that are forming.
Rip Off is also interesting because the politics have shifted drastically from the days of Raymond Chandler was writing. But Preston knows the rise of radical politics in Santa Monica upside down and plays with it wonderfully through out. This is a great book to read - I highly recommend it although don't eat lunch before you start reading!
Reviewed by Eleanor Whalley on behalf of BestChickLit.com
Rip Off is also interesting because the politics have shifted drastically from the days of Raymond Chandler was writing. But Preston knows the rise of radical politics in Santa Monica upside down and plays with it wonderfully through out. This is a great book to read - I highly recommend it although don't eat lunch before you start reading!
Reviewed by Eleanor Whalley on behalf of BestChickLit.com
June 4, 2012
Available for a few weeks in eBook formats, I have bee privileged to receive an advance copy of Mar Preston's newest "Crime Noir" novel "Rip-Off" to read.
A fun read in bringing the worries of the headlines of today into the who-done-it genre of Crime-Noir.
Set in an urban world that may be all but alien to many of us, Mar does an earthy tactile job of carving out characters and letting them play one of another in her second installment in the Detective Dave Mason series.
I had enough fun reading her tale of crime in Santa Monica that the books pages roared past me as I kept up the action.
You'll enjoy looking in on this world of international crime.
A fun read in bringing the worries of the headlines of today into the who-done-it genre of Crime-Noir.
Set in an urban world that may be all but alien to many of us, Mar does an earthy tactile job of carving out characters and letting them play one of another in her second installment in the Detective Dave Mason series.
I had enough fun reading her tale of crime in Santa Monica that the books pages roared past me as I kept up the action.
You'll enjoy looking in on this world of international crime.
July 8, 2012
It's beginning to look like Mar is the real deal, and I don't say that just because we had lunch at Base Camp the other day. She didn't even buy.
July 2, 2012
An interesting read
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews