Ruby Tuesday

Mike Travis #2

by Baron R. Birtcher

When Mike Travis sails his yacht into the tropical harbor of Kona, Hawaii, he expects to put LA Homicid behind him: to let the warm emerald sea wash the blood of years from his hands. Instead, he finds his family home ravaged by shotgun blasts, littered with drugs, and the bodies of a dead rock star and his groupies. And then it gets worse.

245 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2001

About the author

Baron R. Birtcher spent a number of years as a professional musician, guitarist, singer and songwriter and founded an independent record label.

His first two hardboiled mystery novels, Roadhouse Blues and Ruby Tuesday were Los Angeles Times and IMBA Best-Sellers.

Angels Fall, the third installment in the critically-acclaimed Mike Travis series, was nominated for the 2009 Left Coast Crime Award (the “Lefty”) for Best Law Enforcement/ Police Procedural novel of the year.

Rain Dogs is Mr. Birtcher’s first stand-alone novel, and a Claymore Award finalist.
He has also had the honor of serving as a judge for both the Edgar and the Shamus Awards.

Baron currently divides his time between Kona, Hawaii and Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Mac Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mike Travis is looking forward to some downtime at his home in Kona, Hawai'i. What he doesn't expect to find is a trashed house and a musician squatting there. Well, not actually squatting. He does have permission from Mike's brother who failed to clear it with Mike.

Mike orders the guy to clear out, and he does, sort of. Before he can say aloha, Mike is embroiled in multiple murders, complicated relationships and the care of a teenaged girl. It's a taut, compelling and complex mystery that kept me turning the page until the end.

I'm glad this is a series and there are more Mike Travis adventures.

[Pati Roberson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 2nd book is even better than the first. Rock n roll and Hawaii.

[bobg · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3 1/2 stars. Another man of incredible talents and all the women jump in bed with him, even some that shouldn’t.

[Randall Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fine read!

Good characters, lots of twists and turns,and an all round amazing plot!! Anyone who enjoys a great mystery will definitely enjoy this book!!

[Laurie]

Read this because it was set on the Big Island, and I tend to read any fiction set here. But I might have set it aside if it was set anywhere else. Like the title, the story is vaguely involved with old rock songs and romantic regret. Mike Travis is a haole ex-cop who comes back to his childhood home with vague plans to set up a charter boat business. He's a tough, hard-drinking guy who is accompanied by a couple of
other tough guys, one an ex army seal. Because in stories like this trouble follows the narrator, a murder occurs the day after his arrival. It seems to the local police that a hard drinking (as in alcoholic) local friend of Mike's is the guilty party, but Mike isn't so sure it doesn't relate to a long-defunct rock band. Rich hotels, seedy bars, a femme fatale. Not great, but might get you through the night.

[Julie Mink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was anxious to read the 2nd Mike Travis mystery since I live in Kailua Kona, HI.

In this book Mike Travis an a retired Los Angeles detective sails his boat with several friends into the Kailua Kona harbor and drops anchor. He is planning on staying in Kona and going to Honaunau to check out the house he and his brother were left by their father when he died.

The home becomes the site of 5 killings, one an old friend he dated when he was a teenager visiting there.
The book becomes an intriguing police investigation into the reasons for the killings and the back story leading back to the rock n roll roots of some of the victims. He is trying to clear the husband of his old girl friend while finding the real killers.

Great book and interesting twists and turns. Love my hometown locale.

[Pam]

11/23/07 rec via amazon used books