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The M.O.D. Files #1
The Case of the Guest Who Stayed Over
Robert Haze has been around the block when it comes to working in hotels, and not too long ago, he landed himself one heck of a job. He became the manager on duty – or MOD – of one of downtown Chicago’s landmark properties, the world renowned Lanigan Hotel.
In such a role, Robert is charged with juggling any number of tasks, handling every variety of guest issue, and dealing with problems that pop up with regularity around the massive 1800 room property. While Robert is no slouch, he’s about to be thrown a curve ball…a curve ball in the form of murder.
When a Lanigan Hotel guest VIP is found dead soon after he was set to depart – strangled with his own tie and stuffed inside an armoire – Robert’s managerial skills are put to the test. With the arrival of veteran Chicago Police Detective, John Marino, Robert begins to realize that it might take more than just a seasoned detective to solve the case of “The Guest Who Stayed Over.”
Combining the feel of Arthur Hailey’s, Hotel, with a good old-fashioned murder mystery, The MOD Files: The Guest Who Stayed Over provides a sense for what life in a landmark hotel property is really like.
Ever wonder what it’s like to live and work in a huge hotel? Well here’s your chance to find out and solve a murder in the process!
About the Author
Five years ago, K.W. Callahan left his role as a director of finance in the hotel industry to pursue a writing career. Since then, he has written articles for Chicago Parent Magazine, Stressfree Living Magazine, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Parenting, and many more. He has more a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, spending time within a variety of roles that supplied much of the necessary background knowledge to bring realism to the cast of charismatic, not to mention, kooky characters and events set within the fictional Lanigan Hotel.
K.W. has also penned two other novels to this point, Past Dark, a paranormal mystery set within the confines of an abandoned mental institution, and Palos Heights, a horror thriller set in the vast terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in which four young men are put to the test as they struggle to escape the clutches of a maniacal psychopath.
In such a role, Robert is charged with juggling any number of tasks, handling every variety of guest issue, and dealing with problems that pop up with regularity around the massive 1800 room property. While Robert is no slouch, he’s about to be thrown a curve ball…a curve ball in the form of murder.
When a Lanigan Hotel guest VIP is found dead soon after he was set to depart – strangled with his own tie and stuffed inside an armoire – Robert’s managerial skills are put to the test. With the arrival of veteran Chicago Police Detective, John Marino, Robert begins to realize that it might take more than just a seasoned detective to solve the case of “The Guest Who Stayed Over.”
Combining the feel of Arthur Hailey’s, Hotel, with a good old-fashioned murder mystery, The MOD Files: The Guest Who Stayed Over provides a sense for what life in a landmark hotel property is really like.
Ever wonder what it’s like to live and work in a huge hotel? Well here’s your chance to find out and solve a murder in the process!
About the Author
Five years ago, K.W. Callahan left his role as a director of finance in the hotel industry to pursue a writing career. Since then, he has written articles for Chicago Parent Magazine, Stressfree Living Magazine, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Parenting, and many more. He has more a decade of experience in the hospitality industry, spending time within a variety of roles that supplied much of the necessary background knowledge to bring realism to the cast of charismatic, not to mention, kooky characters and events set within the fictional Lanigan Hotel.
K.W. has also penned two other novels to this point, Past Dark, a paranormal mystery set within the confines of an abandoned mental institution, and Palos Heights, a horror thriller set in the vast terrain of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and in which four young men are put to the test as they struggle to escape the clutches of a maniacal psychopath.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2013
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29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 1, 2020
I don't do book reviews like you keep seeing, as I find that some give too much of the plot away and I personally hate that, as it makes the book not worth reading. I much prefer to take the authors back cover write up as a review as it can either intrigue you enough to read the book of provide you enough information to make you decide that the book is not for you.
My review rules are: The more stars, the more I liked it.
If there are too many typos or errors the less stars I give
If the storyline or plot is poor or contains too many errors, the characters are too weak, the ending lacking something, then the less stars I give.
Simple, uncomplicated and to the point without giving anything away.
Some of the books I read have been given to me by the author as a pre-release copy and this does not bias my reviews in any way
My review rules are: The more stars, the more I liked it.
If there are too many typos or errors the less stars I give
If the storyline or plot is poor or contains too many errors, the characters are too weak, the ending lacking something, then the less stars I give.
Simple, uncomplicated and to the point without giving anything away.
Some of the books I read have been given to me by the author as a pre-release copy and this does not bias my reviews in any way
November 26, 2014
This well-written and engrossing mystery starts out with a rather gruesome murder in a posh Chicago hotel, after which narration is taken up by Robert Haze, the Manager on Duty (the M.O.D. of the title), who not only manages the night shift but actually lives in the hotel…since he is the “resident manager on duty,” the other managers never hesitate to call him when they are out of their depths, which happens often.
After the murder occurs, it vanishes from the story as Mr Haze, who knows nothing of the murder, takes up the telling of the tale. The story continues at a breakneck pace as the reader is immersed in the day-to-day operation of a massive hotel that has a history going back to the last century. Pushing the murder to the back burner, so to speak, creates a rising sense of suspense and dread since the reader knows about the murder, as well as the room number, which comes into play at various times as the operation of the hotel ebb and flow around it.
Once the murder is discovered and the police step in, the book takes on the form of a classic fair play mystery with the M.O.D. fulfilling the role of sleuth. The victim and his demise, the suspects and their alibis, and the many clues are all evaluated through the spectrum of Haze’s knowledge of hotel operations and this hotel in particular.
The protagonist is quite likeable and is up to the job of narrating this tale of murder and mystery for the benefit of the reader. The characterizations are spot on, from the employees, to the guests, to all the hangers on of society that congregate in and around great hotels. And the hotel becomes a character in itself as we learn about its many levels and secrets. In addition to the action and suspense, there is also plenty of humor, both personal and situational. Great use is made of a massive gaming convention being held at the hotel.
I admit I don’t know anything about the author, but from the authoritative way in which he writes about the hotel and the changes it went though with the passing of decades, I have to think that he must have worked in the industry himself. If you enjoy classic mysteries (this could actually qualify as a cozy because of the limits in space and characters) with a likeable sleuth/narrator who gives you a chance of solving the crime along with him, then you may want to look into this book.
After the murder occurs, it vanishes from the story as Mr Haze, who knows nothing of the murder, takes up the telling of the tale. The story continues at a breakneck pace as the reader is immersed in the day-to-day operation of a massive hotel that has a history going back to the last century. Pushing the murder to the back burner, so to speak, creates a rising sense of suspense and dread since the reader knows about the murder, as well as the room number, which comes into play at various times as the operation of the hotel ebb and flow around it.
Once the murder is discovered and the police step in, the book takes on the form of a classic fair play mystery with the M.O.D. fulfilling the role of sleuth. The victim and his demise, the suspects and their alibis, and the many clues are all evaluated through the spectrum of Haze’s knowledge of hotel operations and this hotel in particular.
The protagonist is quite likeable and is up to the job of narrating this tale of murder and mystery for the benefit of the reader. The characterizations are spot on, from the employees, to the guests, to all the hangers on of society that congregate in and around great hotels. And the hotel becomes a character in itself as we learn about its many levels and secrets. In addition to the action and suspense, there is also plenty of humor, both personal and situational. Great use is made of a massive gaming convention being held at the hotel.
I admit I don’t know anything about the author, but from the authoritative way in which he writes about the hotel and the changes it went though with the passing of decades, I have to think that he must have worked in the industry himself. If you enjoy classic mysteries (this could actually qualify as a cozy because of the limits in space and characters) with a likeable sleuth/narrator who gives you a chance of solving the crime along with him, then you may want to look into this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews