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Detective Qigiq #1
Mash Up
2015 WINNER NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARD - Fiction: Thriller
Fairbanks Detective Qigiq--one name, rhymes with cheek, means white hawk--failed. He saw a suspect die, and never identified the techno-wizard who burned Alaska. Grandfather of the knife taught there is but one option after falling in the snow: stand...take another step.
So Qigiq heads south to San Francisco. His new hard-fisted partner, Kandy Dreeson, calls at dawn: a hysterical violinist named Robina is at the station shrieking about an Amazon box and her missing roommate. He rubs his eyes, grabs a jacket, and slices through Golden Gate Bridge traffic on his motorcycle--knowing this is his next step.
A barrage of body parts, heavily manipulated crime videos posted anonymously, mysterious mini-explosions, and millions of disappearing music files plunge Qigiq headfirst into a digital world of cybercrime he doesn't understand--but is determined to master. He and Kandy dodge cars and bullets with each bit they decipher, growing ever closer to dangerous forces that trade money for murder. Closer with each delivery. Closer with each new victim.
Suspenseful and grisly with humor and seduction, Mash Up is a riveting read of intertwined action from the first sentence.
Praise for Mash Up
"Klingler's new thriller is a ride into the dark side of computers and comedy. Klingler's plot definitely has a Quentin Tarantino-feel to it."--San Francisco Book Review (5 of 5 stars)
"Read this book and review it, because dang it was good. And the author is amazing."--Literature Typeface
"Cleverly designed, Mash Up is the perfect detective read, as well as a classic addition to the noir genre."--San Francisco Book Review
"Klingler makes supreme use of his tech knowledge in a grisly mystery that strives to address the ethics of content owndership. His effortlessly clever prose makes the subject thoroughly entertaining...a thoughtful, well-constructed tale."--Kirkus Reviews
"Klingler is skilled at writing action scenes. He puts the reader directly in the line of fire, and he doesn't let up...Anyone interested in thrillers or police procedurals will find much to appreciate in this newest Qigiq installment."--Foreword Clarion Reviews (4 Star ****)
Fairbanks Detective Qigiq--one name, rhymes with cheek, means white hawk--failed. He saw a suspect die, and never identified the techno-wizard who burned Alaska. Grandfather of the knife taught there is but one option after falling in the snow: stand...take another step.
So Qigiq heads south to San Francisco. His new hard-fisted partner, Kandy Dreeson, calls at dawn: a hysterical violinist named Robina is at the station shrieking about an Amazon box and her missing roommate. He rubs his eyes, grabs a jacket, and slices through Golden Gate Bridge traffic on his motorcycle--knowing this is his next step.
A barrage of body parts, heavily manipulated crime videos posted anonymously, mysterious mini-explosions, and millions of disappearing music files plunge Qigiq headfirst into a digital world of cybercrime he doesn't understand--but is determined to master. He and Kandy dodge cars and bullets with each bit they decipher, growing ever closer to dangerous forces that trade money for murder. Closer with each delivery. Closer with each new victim.
Suspenseful and grisly with humor and seduction, Mash Up is a riveting read of intertwined action from the first sentence.
Praise for Mash Up
"Klingler's new thriller is a ride into the dark side of computers and comedy. Klingler's plot definitely has a Quentin Tarantino-feel to it."--San Francisco Book Review (5 of 5 stars)
"Read this book and review it, because dang it was good. And the author is amazing."--Literature Typeface
"Cleverly designed, Mash Up is the perfect detective read, as well as a classic addition to the noir genre."--San Francisco Book Review
"Klingler makes supreme use of his tech knowledge in a grisly mystery that strives to address the ethics of content owndership. His effortlessly clever prose makes the subject thoroughly entertaining...a thoughtful, well-constructed tale."--Kirkus Reviews
"Klingler is skilled at writing action scenes. He puts the reader directly in the line of fire, and he doesn't let up...Anyone interested in thrillers or police procedurals will find much to appreciate in this newest Qigiq installment."--Foreword Clarion Reviews (4 Star ****)
466 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2014
395 people are currently reading
1029 people want to read
About the author
Joe Klingler
9 books26 followersJoe Klingler was born in the Great Black Swamp on a hot July day during a cold war. In primary school he read Four Wheel Drift. That led to a soap box derby car named Restless, two crashes, and a lifelong love of motion.
Images of Jimi Hendrix playing the U.S. National Anthem at Woodstock inspired pounding on a Gibson in a garage band influenced by local groups like the MC5 and Iggy and Stooges whose pioneering punk music he figured existed everywhere—though it was actually coming out of Detroit, Michigan forty miles to the north.
Joe read The God Machine by Martin Caidin, and started thinking about the nature of computation. He studied electrical engineering, spent time doing research in medical image processing, published academic papers, wrote a few patents. All of which led to an interest in special effects and the software that made them. He co-founded a company that was soon acquired, leading to a string of jobs for bigger and bigger corporations until assimilation by a billion dollar enterprise gave him the idea for a book—which he wrote while moving 525 mph bouncing between the coasts of North America.
That book led to RATS, his debut novel, which draws on the beauty of technology, its uses, misuses and abuses. And how the collision of human ideologies shapes its future—and ours. A minor character in RATS led to Mash Up: a rollicking ride with student musicians through San Francisco, Silicon Valley, social media and the minds of persons who use sharp knives to solve problems.
He currently resides in California with an iMac and a couple of motorcycles, and has recently released his third novel: Missing Mona. He's fond of turbochargers, and loves his S1000RR.
P.S. The best way to know when a new book is released is to subscribe to The Klingler Kronicle at joeklingler.com. Joe sends an update about six times per year, your email address will never be shared, and you can opt out at any time.
Images of Jimi Hendrix playing the U.S. National Anthem at Woodstock inspired pounding on a Gibson in a garage band influenced by local groups like the MC5 and Iggy and Stooges whose pioneering punk music he figured existed everywhere—though it was actually coming out of Detroit, Michigan forty miles to the north.
Joe read The God Machine by Martin Caidin, and started thinking about the nature of computation. He studied electrical engineering, spent time doing research in medical image processing, published academic papers, wrote a few patents. All of which led to an interest in special effects and the software that made them. He co-founded a company that was soon acquired, leading to a string of jobs for bigger and bigger corporations until assimilation by a billion dollar enterprise gave him the idea for a book—which he wrote while moving 525 mph bouncing between the coasts of North America.
That book led to RATS, his debut novel, which draws on the beauty of technology, its uses, misuses and abuses. And how the collision of human ideologies shapes its future—and ours. A minor character in RATS led to Mash Up: a rollicking ride with student musicians through San Francisco, Silicon Valley, social media and the minds of persons who use sharp knives to solve problems.
He currently resides in California with an iMac and a couple of motorcycles, and has recently released his third novel: Missing Mona. He's fond of turbochargers, and loves his S1000RR.
P.S. The best way to know when a new book is released is to subscribe to The Klingler Kronicle at joeklingler.com. Joe sends an update about six times per year, your email address will never be shared, and you can opt out at any time.
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
May 29, 2015
**This is was a Goodreads giveaway.**
Somewhere in the 600 pages of Mash Up, there's a good story, but I gave up looking for it around page 300 or so, when I skipped ahead to the end.
Mash Up pretty much sums up this book. It is a mash up of techno-thriller, gory slasher, Girls Gone Wild with a liberal sprinkling of classical music references.
Let's see if I can sum up the plot. Body parts of a missing San Francisco cellist are mailed to her friends along with a warning not to illegally download music. It's up to Alaska native detective Quigiq and his partner Kandy to find out what happened to poor Sally. At the same time, a rich arrogant computer mogul is developing clandestine software to combat illegal music downloads. Of course, it's all related.
The sections of the book dealing with the evil software were for me the most interesting. The character of the lead programmer was the most well developed and I enjoyed reading the parts he was in. The whole concept of a company creating a virus that creeps into your laptop, deletes all the songs you forgot you downloaded from Limewire and then automatically posts your name, photo and a shaming confession ("My name is Judy and I steal music.") on dozens of websites all over the web is pretty damn scary. And fascinating.
But there is just too much going on here--too much description of extraneous details (do we really need to know that Quigek's underwear has excellent wicking properties?), too many characters to keep track of, too many pages devoted to conveying action where a couple of sentences would do. (i.e. "The phone rang. Kandy answered it.") Suspense thrillers should be tight and focused and keep the reader's interest.
While there were parts of this book that shone, there weren't enough of them, and too many of what Elmore Leonard calls "the parts readers skip over."
Somewhere in the 600 pages of Mash Up, there's a good story, but I gave up looking for it around page 300 or so, when I skipped ahead to the end.
Mash Up pretty much sums up this book. It is a mash up of techno-thriller, gory slasher, Girls Gone Wild with a liberal sprinkling of classical music references.
Let's see if I can sum up the plot. Body parts of a missing San Francisco cellist are mailed to her friends along with a warning not to illegally download music. It's up to Alaska native detective Quigiq and his partner Kandy to find out what happened to poor Sally. At the same time, a rich arrogant computer mogul is developing clandestine software to combat illegal music downloads. Of course, it's all related.
The sections of the book dealing with the evil software were for me the most interesting. The character of the lead programmer was the most well developed and I enjoyed reading the parts he was in. The whole concept of a company creating a virus that creeps into your laptop, deletes all the songs you forgot you downloaded from Limewire and then automatically posts your name, photo and a shaming confession ("My name is Judy and I steal music.") on dozens of websites all over the web is pretty damn scary. And fascinating.
But there is just too much going on here--too much description of extraneous details (do we really need to know that Quigek's underwear has excellent wicking properties?), too many characters to keep track of, too many pages devoted to conveying action where a couple of sentences would do. (i.e. "The phone rang. Kandy answered it.") Suspense thrillers should be tight and focused and keep the reader's interest.
While there were parts of this book that shone, there weren't enough of them, and too many of what Elmore Leonard calls "the parts readers skip over."
February 20, 2014
To be honest, the cover left me wanting, but as soon as I started reading the story I was immediately drawn in. The plot kept me turning pages; the writer really knows his stuff and I'm so happy to have read this novel. It's one that -- if it were a physical book -- I would add to my collection. Generally murder-mysteries are one-dimensional, but this one was fleshed out and intriguing. The characters themselves were really fantastic. A majority of them have great wit, and there's a subtle humor in the book that made me laugh aloud more than once. This is a book I'd recommend to anyone who likes the crime/drama genre. Bonus points for the lead in the novel being a person of color. It's often hard to find good books where people of color take leading roles and are portrayed beyond stereotypes and tropes. Klingler is an author I'm going to be happy to read more of. Great first read.
November 12, 2018
Detectives Qigiq (pronounced "key-jeek"), on sabbatical from Alaska, and Kandy Dreeson, his San Francisco partner, are the key characters in an exciting, intense, gripping and often humorous story involving murder, jealousy, computing technology and downright gripping police procedural work. From mailed body parts to exploding IED's, high speed chases to the world of musical training, this book had me enthralled all the way, giving nothing away until the final few pages revealed the full extent of the plot. I can heartily recommend this book and will shortly be starting on the next one. A great read Joe Klinger - keep up the great writing style :)
June 8, 2019
How DO you pronounce...
Qigik?
Mandy and Qigik, our intrepid detectives, hurtle from one puzzling twist to the next turn in this Klingler procedural.
It's another fun read and statement about our digital lives tethered to devices that we really do not control.
Plus, the regular human drama and baseness required to make the crime scenes which the detectives need to enter Stage Right.
Qigik?
Mandy and Qigik, our intrepid detectives, hurtle from one puzzling twist to the next turn in this Klingler procedural.
It's another fun read and statement about our digital lives tethered to devices that we really do not control.
Plus, the regular human drama and baseness required to make the crime scenes which the detectives need to enter Stage Right.
January 11, 2021
Stumbled across this title, so very glad that I did as a great read. Interesting characters as well as storyline, that built into a who dun it crime novel. Story follows a police investigation in a crime that includes both the music industry and technology.
Takes place on the west coast, a variety of character's, fast cars and motorcycles. Along with many twists and turns. Highly recommend, especially if you're in need of escape from the days issues.
Takes place on the west coast, a variety of character's, fast cars and motorcycles. Along with many twists and turns. Highly recommend, especially if you're in need of escape from the days issues.
March 16, 2020
"Mash Up" is...
...the perfect title for a book that is 40% good, compelling mystery, 15% interesting "B-story," 35% that just plain needs to be edited out (most of which is from said B-story), and 10% anti-file-sharing polemic. If you're reading to kill as much time as possible, you could do a lot worse than this. Otherwise... well, there are plenty of other books out there.
...the perfect title for a book that is 40% good, compelling mystery, 15% interesting "B-story," 35% that just plain needs to be edited out (most of which is from said B-story), and 10% anti-file-sharing polemic. If you're reading to kill as much time as possible, you could do a lot worse than this. Otherwise... well, there are plenty of other books out there.
May 5, 2020
Title says it all
Characters are wonderful. Kandy is my new favorite tough, beautiful, strong female cop. Some interesting and thought provoking comments on the internet. What does free really mean? And who pays the price? I would definitely read a second book with these characters.
Characters are wonderful. Kandy is my new favorite tough, beautiful, strong female cop. Some interesting and thought provoking comments on the internet. What does free really mean? And who pays the price? I would definitely read a second book with these characters.
February 5, 2024
Thorough and exciting
Kept me up late to finish, one of the highest praises I can give any book. Delightfully Confusing plot with multiple crime sequences partially related. Difficult to keep them straight, and yet wonderfully constructed so that they all work. Descriptive details occasionally missing and confusing, but eventually all put together.
Kept me up late to finish, one of the highest praises I can give any book. Delightfully Confusing plot with multiple crime sequences partially related. Difficult to keep them straight, and yet wonderfully constructed so that they all work. Descriptive details occasionally missing and confusing, but eventually all put together.
June 26, 2024
Mash Up
Really interesting detective story. So much going on. I did like the book, well written, with good characters and storyline. I got to chapter 55 and had to quit reading, no fault of the story or writer. I just can’t keep my attention to long chapters, I seem to never be able to get through most. However, what I read I enjoyed and I do recommend
Really interesting detective story. So much going on. I did like the book, well written, with good characters and storyline. I got to chapter 55 and had to quit reading, no fault of the story or writer. I just can’t keep my attention to long chapters, I seem to never be able to get through most. However, what I read I enjoyed and I do recommend
May 24, 2017
Thou shalt not steal.
Emo= (Don’t * Rape)/Music
Thou shalt not kill.
Fear or respect yield the same outcome.
If I am gone, this is what really happened.
This is a little rough, but I recommend it.
Emo= (Don’t * Rape)/Music
Thou shalt not kill.
Fear or respect yield the same outcome.
If I am gone, this is what really happened.
This is a little rough, but I recommend it.
February 4, 2018
Good book, addicting story
Really good book. So much going on, how can the detectives figure this out in time! But things come together in the end, with a lot of help and a few lucky brakes.
Really good book. So much going on, how can the detectives figure this out in time! But things come together in the end, with a lot of help and a few lucky brakes.
February 15, 2019
Entertaining and unusual plot
Main characters are interesting and the storyline was compelling. A little detailed at times but not enough to make me want to stop reading. Looking forward to next book.
Main characters are interesting and the storyline was compelling. A little detailed at times but not enough to make me want to stop reading. Looking forward to next book.
April 11, 2019
A great story.
So many characters, fast moving story and lots of action. The lead characters are great and I couldn’t put the book down. I really did not figure out who the bad guys were.
So many characters, fast moving story and lots of action. The lead characters are great and I couldn’t put the book down. I really did not figure out who the bad guys were.
June 27, 2019
Really enjoyed meeting Detectives Kandy and Qigiq. Both are bad-asses in their own ways, which I really like. Also the mystery was very convoluted and I enjoyed how it unfolded. I will be reading more of this series.
December 6, 2019
Complicated
Lots of I. T. language, kind of difficult for me to follow. However, there was a crime, and the 2 detectives worked well together to finally solve the mystery and stop the killing spree.
Lots of I. T. language, kind of difficult for me to follow. However, there was a crime, and the 2 detectives worked well together to finally solve the mystery and stop the killing spree.
May 21, 2023
Not Your Run of the Mill Crime Thriller
Odd couple cop partnership works surprisingly well in hi tech police procedural. Satisfying mix of music appreciation, ambiguous morality and grisly murders in complex digital piracy thriller.
Odd couple cop partnership works surprisingly well in hi tech police procedural. Satisfying mix of music appreciation, ambiguous morality and grisly murders in complex digital piracy thriller.
July 12, 2023
Excellent series starter
Can stand alone - no cliffhangers - but I want to read the rest of the series! Moves fast, kept my interest, introduces several interesting characters. Enjoy!
Can stand alone - no cliffhangers - but I want to read the rest of the series! Moves fast, kept my interest, introduces several interesting characters. Enjoy!
February 6, 2025
Mash Up, a book worth reading
Great book. It had me guessing until the very end...and I was wrong! I think I'll read it again to see if I can get it right the second time around. Then I'll check out more of the author's work
Great book. It had me guessing until the very end...and I was wrong! I think I'll read it again to see if I can get it right the second time around. Then I'll check out more of the author's work
January 26, 2020
Mash up
This read is a D. Wish I could of read more, but I dont enjoy wading through technical information. I do want to read another book of his to compare
This read is a D. Wish I could of read more, but I dont enjoy wading through technical information. I do want to read another book of his to compare
November 30, 2021
twisty and interesting
The story line and the characters keep you engaged. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. A good read
The story line and the characters keep you engaged. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. A good read
May 9, 2023
very involved
This story was full of twists and turns. The major characters were very interesting and complex. The ending was a surprise worth waiting ( or worth reading) for.
This story was full of twists and turns. The major characters were very interesting and complex. The ending was a surprise worth waiting ( or worth reading) for.
February 5, 2024
Great read
February 25, 2024
Not by kind of reading.
March 31, 2024
A really awesome story
The author has created an amazing and innovative plot to go with an amazing group of characters making this hard to put down
The author has created an amazing and innovative plot to go with an amazing group of characters making this hard to put down
February 3, 2024
Long, yes. But very interesting read. The action in this one does not stop.
May 19, 2023
It took me a long time to decide if I was going to hang in there and finish this book. Just about the time I decided to give up on it, it got interesting and the characters began to come alive. All in all, I enjoyed this one and I'm glad I didn't give up. Qigiq is a likeable and interesting character, and so was his partner. I rated it 4.7 stars and I'll more than likely read the next one.
March 11, 2017
Fun read but at times confusing
Mystery buffs will have a tough time figuring this one out.
A good read, a bit of a stretch sometimes...but fun.
Mystery buffs will have a tough time figuring this one out.
A good read, a bit of a stretch sometimes...but fun.
February 2, 2024
This book has a fantastic, edge of your seat, thrilling climax that makes reading all the book so worth it!
It took me a while to get into the book, especially remembering to pronounce the main character's name correctly in my head! By halfway through, I was totally hooked - reading constantly.
Great detective story with enough modern techno-lingo to keep it real.
It took me a while to get into the book, especially remembering to pronounce the main character's name correctly in my head! By halfway through, I was totally hooked - reading constantly.
Great detective story with enough modern techno-lingo to keep it real.
April 23, 2014
A mash up of your favorite action movies. A mash up of your favorite detective novels. A mash up of character types. A mash up of plot lines.
This book was ok with me. Here's what I liked: the plot lines were a bit different. Being a professional musician, I appreciated the music descriptions and portraying the life of a young musician. I liked the main detective character and his partner. I liked the San Francisco local and descriptions. I liked the banter between most of the characters. It was a page turning, action-packed book. I loved the use of all of the modern technology, including the "virus" created to shame music pirates.
I also liked the author's writing style. He is great at describing things and places and action.
What I didn't like: oh my gosh was this preachy!!!!! I get the whole "stealing music off of the internet is bad thing" (I'm a professional musician). And after the first few chapters, the reader gets it, too. But then Chapter 36 is devoted purely to "those who steal music are evil and must be punished." And then 3/4 through the book, we are still being told about the deplorable act of stealing music (and books, movies, videos, pictures…) off of the internet. Quite heavy handed!!!
I felt the action scenes were a bit too much for the streets of San Francisco, not as realistic as the plots, and definitely taken from the big screen all action movies (Bourne Trilogy, etc.). By action, I mean scene after scene of someone hunting down the main character via automobile, gun, stalking, and I won't give the rest away. This may appeal to some readers! I felt it was over the top.
The mid-section of the book seems repetitive in action and storyline. There's a lot of men in their thirties lusting over young 20 somethings who are willing to get the attention to bankroll their lives. The book gets going again in the last third. Exciting, though implausible finish.
I would have liked more back story on both Qigiq and Kandy. I'm fine with the ending, though it seemed rather open-ended (sequel maybe?). But I never got a good sense of why Qigiq was in San Fran, other than he needed to learn more about modern technology. And Kandy's character could have used more depth. Why is she such a cool bad ass? How did she get to where she is? More time on their backstory would have been preferable to the preachy music piracy diatribe.
The edition I read had some quotation errors, a few typos, and a big problem with using the word Afro American.
I would probably read a sequel to this, especially if I could learn more about Qigiq and Kandy.
This book was ok with me. Here's what I liked: the plot lines were a bit different. Being a professional musician, I appreciated the music descriptions and portraying the life of a young musician. I liked the main detective character and his partner. I liked the San Francisco local and descriptions. I liked the banter between most of the characters. It was a page turning, action-packed book. I loved the use of all of the modern technology, including the "virus" created to shame music pirates.
I also liked the author's writing style. He is great at describing things and places and action.
What I didn't like: oh my gosh was this preachy!!!!! I get the whole "stealing music off of the internet is bad thing" (I'm a professional musician). And after the first few chapters, the reader gets it, too. But then Chapter 36 is devoted purely to "those who steal music are evil and must be punished." And then 3/4 through the book, we are still being told about the deplorable act of stealing music (and books, movies, videos, pictures…) off of the internet. Quite heavy handed!!!
I felt the action scenes were a bit too much for the streets of San Francisco, not as realistic as the plots, and definitely taken from the big screen all action movies (Bourne Trilogy, etc.). By action, I mean scene after scene of someone hunting down the main character via automobile, gun, stalking, and I won't give the rest away. This may appeal to some readers! I felt it was over the top.
The mid-section of the book seems repetitive in action and storyline. There's a lot of men in their thirties lusting over young 20 somethings who are willing to get the attention to bankroll their lives. The book gets going again in the last third. Exciting, though implausible finish.
I would have liked more back story on both Qigiq and Kandy. I'm fine with the ending, though it seemed rather open-ended (sequel maybe?). But I never got a good sense of why Qigiq was in San Fran, other than he needed to learn more about modern technology. And Kandy's character could have used more depth. Why is she such a cool bad ass? How did she get to where she is? More time on their backstory would have been preferable to the preachy music piracy diatribe.
The edition I read had some quotation errors, a few typos, and a big problem with using the word Afro American.
I would probably read a sequel to this, especially if I could learn more about Qigiq and Kandy.
April 8, 2015
Three different Amazon boxes -- each containing a Ziploc bag with a "Don't Steal Music" sticker slapped on it and filled with bodily pieces-parts. That is all the evidence SFPD Detectives Qigiq (pronounced "ki-jeek") and Kandy Dreeson, his partner, have on a missing college student named Sally Bellowi. Their biggest clue comes in when a demented YouTube video goes viral. While further research connects the hideous recording with the "Don't Steal Music" sticker and peer-to-peer music files, the leads eventually zero in on a psychopathic culprit. But more technological sleuthing reveals viruses, one more deadly than the other, which makes cornering the perpetrator more difficult than expected. Klingler's new thriller is a ride into the dark side of computers and comedy.
In his second novel, rising author Joe Klingler features Qigiq, who purposefully relocates to California from Alaska in the hope of becoming acquainted with computer crime. A quasi-gumshoe Clouseau, Qigiq is not only technologically behind the times, but also technologically challenged -- to the max. Coupled with Kandy, his quick-witted, brawny-ish sidekick, Qigiq's awkwardness only stands out more. In addition to his clueless main character, Klingler includes a handful of other quirky characters in the mix. Aside of a few scatterbrains, Klingler throws in enough red herrings to leave readers also clueless when it comes to pinpointing the real offender.
Klingler's plot definitely has a Quentin Tarantino-feel to it. Opening with a graphic crime scene, Klingler quickly shifts scenes by introducing the daring duo with morbidly hilarious misdirected dialogue. But that is only the beginning of the black comedy that he deftly interweaves throughout his somewhat substantial story. Penned in third person, Klingler's constantly moving narrative principally but not exclusively alternates between the crime investigation, the inner workings of the music media company, Silver Platter (headed by the suave and narcissistic Eddy Blake), and computer programmer and guru Harry Zeto. All periodically laced with snippets of romance, Klingler's plot slowly builds up to a ticking clock scenario that leads to an ambiguous ending.
Cleverly designed, Mash Up is the perfect detective read, as well as a classic addition to the noir genre.
Originally posted on San Francisco Book Review
Anita Lock, Book Reviewer
In his second novel, rising author Joe Klingler features Qigiq, who purposefully relocates to California from Alaska in the hope of becoming acquainted with computer crime. A quasi-gumshoe Clouseau, Qigiq is not only technologically behind the times, but also technologically challenged -- to the max. Coupled with Kandy, his quick-witted, brawny-ish sidekick, Qigiq's awkwardness only stands out more. In addition to his clueless main character, Klingler includes a handful of other quirky characters in the mix. Aside of a few scatterbrains, Klingler throws in enough red herrings to leave readers also clueless when it comes to pinpointing the real offender.
Klingler's plot definitely has a Quentin Tarantino-feel to it. Opening with a graphic crime scene, Klingler quickly shifts scenes by introducing the daring duo with morbidly hilarious misdirected dialogue. But that is only the beginning of the black comedy that he deftly interweaves throughout his somewhat substantial story. Penned in third person, Klingler's constantly moving narrative principally but not exclusively alternates between the crime investigation, the inner workings of the music media company, Silver Platter (headed by the suave and narcissistic Eddy Blake), and computer programmer and guru Harry Zeto. All periodically laced with snippets of romance, Klingler's plot slowly builds up to a ticking clock scenario that leads to an ambiguous ending.
Cleverly designed, Mash Up is the perfect detective read, as well as a classic addition to the noir genre.
Originally posted on San Francisco Book Review
Anita Lock, Book Reviewer
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews