Killer Vibes: The First Peter Key Mystery

Peter Key Mystery Series #1

by Jack Friday

A wild and wickedly funny series debut, introducing readers to the irresistible and irrepressible private investigator, Peter Key.

"Everything you want in a great mystery."—Steven Rowley

"Peter Key is my new favorite amateur sleuth."—Elle Cosimano

Meet Peter self-proclaimed “laziest private investigator in Texas” (it’s harder than it looks), full-time bisexual, dedicated stoner, and the surprised recipient of a windfall inheritance from an uncle he barely knew. Peter’s life was a mess before he became the owner of a dilapidated house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin, but now he has a mountain of debt to deal with—and pushy realtors popping up on every corner to convince him to sell the land while the market is hot.

But Peter doesn’t like to be pushed around. And when he discovers a bag full of cash and a suggestion that his uncle's death might not have been an accident, he starts asking questions. When they said “Keep Austin Weird,” they weren’t joking. Just about everyone Peter meets seems to have a hidden agenda, and he soon finds himself pulled into a lethal game where not everybody plays by the rules. Fortunately for Peter, he’s never been a rule follower anyway.

Sexy, suspenseful, and packed with Austin’s quirks, Killer Vibes is the start of an iconic new series with a singular, unforgettable cast of characters.

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Thriller, LGBT, Contemporary, Adult

Audible Audio

Expected publication July 14, 2026

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read and listen to an advance copy of Killer Vibes by Jack Friday. This is the first in a new mystery series featuring a young man named Peter Key.

Peter has no direction in his life. He’s a stoner, basically. This first line pulled me in right away. “Considering how badly I needed a place to stay, my uncle couldn’t have died at a better time.” Peter discovers he’s inherited everything from his uncle, including a run-down house in a “hot” neighborhood in Austin, Texas, but also a huge debt. Peter has suspicions about how his uncle died and he starts investigating, mainly assisting and learning from a real private investigator who had been hired by Peter’s aunt (sister of the dead uncle) to keep Peter safe. With the neighborhood being in such high demand, Peter has to stave off hungry real estate agents, including a next-door neighbor and another one who is also a tarot card reader.

I really enjoyed the multitude of characters and also enjoyed the twists in the mystery itself. There are a bunch of dangerous situations along the way. Peter turns out to be very observant and by the end of the book, it’s clear that he will make a very good detective.

I bounced between the advance copy of the paperback, ebook, and audiobook, depending on what was going on in my life. The narrator, Max Meyers, did a fine job with the various characters and accents.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a bingeable read and, after giving up on several other books, I finally found what I wanted with Killer Vibes! Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's for the eARC.

The main character, Peter, is not at all like me, and yet he was somehow really relatable. And ballsy, so ballsy! He takes his weed and his manbun into a dilapidated house that is the eyesore of the neighborhood (and inconveniently the target of angry high rollers and hitmen) and makes a silk purse out of that sow's ear of a situation.

To be honest, it takes a really special mystery/thriller to lure me into the genre. It has often felt like a straight white man's genre glutted with cookie cutter books by a few big names. Despite having a male lead for the private investigator, this book felt like a breath of fresh air. It was funny without being silly, it had plot twists that snuck up on the reader without being convoluted or contrived, and it was genuinely well written. I was hooked by the premise (mysterious inheritances are always a delight) but then could not put the book down once the plot got rolling.

But, Jack Friday, please give us more of Aunt Sylvie next time. That woman has secrets upon secrets and the most delightful snobbery to boot. Anyone who can be described as "a bayonet of a woman" is someone I want to hear more about.

I will definitely be continuing with this series.

[Dogsandbooksanddogsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first outing of the Peter Key Mystery Series. The late-to-launch stoner dude is what pulled me into the crowded detective genre. Peter is proudly Bi-sexual and there is a lot of that woven into the pages. What stood out more to me, though, is Peter is a decent human with pretty strong deductive skills under all of that un/misdirected life.

With a bit of mentoring from his new boss, Peter finds himself somewhat of a private detective sidekick. Peter's Uncle has died and left him his entire estate. That kicks off a few murders, attempted murders, meeting up with his long-lost cousin, various sharks (aka real estate agents), a pile of cash people are willing to kill for, and a dilapidated home in a wealthy neighborhood. There is a bit of the madcap to it all.

Killer Vibes takes place in Austin, TX known for its weirdness among other things. The author pokes fun at the self-importance of the city and its inhabitants while also honoring its beauty and what originally made it special. For now, it seems gentrification has taken over yet another locale.

Though set in Austin, Killer Vibes would be perfect for a beach or poolside read come publication day, July 14, 2026.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It had a classic noir detective novel feel but with 21st century characters. Peter is living in a friend’s garage, selling drugs to make ends meet, and pretty much failing at life after his mother’s death. Until he inherits his uncle’s house worth a small fortune, his uncle’s debt, and the trouble that got his uncle killed in the first place. Peter sets out trying to figure out how to stay alive while searching for answers about his uncle’s death. In walks Grady, a private detective who offers to help Peter in exchange for Peter’s help at his office. In a story that kept me engaged from the moment I started until I finished, Peter finds out who he is and what he wants for his life. This was a quick read, but that could be because I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend this novel!
I received an ARC from NetGalley.

[Tiffany Schulz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arc review
I am not going to give an in depth review. I just feel like this is not my cup of tea and don’t want to give a poor review and pick it all apart, as I think there is definitely a niche audience that would find this amazing.
Firstly, we are dealing with the self proclaimed laziest detective there is, and in many ways his lackadaisical views of the world and those he is interacting with have many funny moments. But it is very dry. The humor a bit sophomoric, reminded me too much a Dragnet—and I hate Dragnet. It was just very monotone. I could almost hear the words spoken, and done in a way that further emphasized how little our protagonist cared.
The action was ok, slow but in depth. I know there is a niche somewhere that loves pulp fiction and this type of writing but unfortunately it wasn’t me.

[Demetri Papadimitropoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bad Habits Make Good Detectives
The Queer, Messy Intelligence of “Killer Vibes”
By Demetris Papadimitropoulos | June 25th, 2026


Peter Key sits at the threshold of an inherited house that is shelter, debt, clue, apology, and future office, with Brutus keeping watch and the wallpaper glowing like the first bad secret the Brambles is willing to give up.

Danger arrives in “Killer Vibes” wearing a linen shirt, carrying a business card, admiring the lot value of a house, or smiling from the mezzanine of a gay club. Jack Friday’s first Peter Key mystery has the indecent bounce of a caper with blood under the porch swing and hurt tucked beneath the jokes. Its opening wager is almost proudly unserious: Peter Theodore Key, a broke bisexual stoner with no money, no car, no insurance, and a gift for erotic miscalculation, inherits a Hyde Park bungalow from an uncle he barely knew. The house is a wreck. The debt looks ruinous. The neighbors are much too interested. The wallpaper should be subpoenaed. Then Peter finds a million dollars hidden behind it, and what looked like rescue begins breathing through its teeth.

Every gift Peter receives is loaded. He gets the Brambles, a dilapidated house valuable enough to summon vultures before the moving boxes arrive. He gets Forrest Key’s missing money, legal mess, old car, enemies, and, by a roundabout grace, a German shepherd with steadier instincts than the men around him. He also gets the truth, the most expensive bequest of all: Forrest is not the distant uncle Peter assumes, but his biological father. “Killer Vibes” is funniest when it lets Peter be outrageous, but it is strongest when it treats inheritance as something already passed through unsafe hands. The cash, the will, the letter, the dog, the house – all of it has fingerprints on it.

Most comic mysteries of this shape would let the windfall do the driving. The Brambles does not cooperate. It hides money, records depression, attracts brokers, threatens foreclosure, shelters a dog, and slowly becomes Peter’s address. The pressure to sell begins as Austin pressure measured in title records, lot lines, bank clocks, opaque companies, and charm with a commission. Soon it becomes a squeeze. A mailbox feels watched. A fence gap becomes evidence. A deadline turns predatory. Home is where Peter sleeps. Real estate is what everyone else thinks they can carve out of him.

Early on, Peter’s life has the floor plan of collapse. He has been sleeping in Trayvon Richards’s garage, an arrangement that ends when Peter is caught in bed with both Trayvon’s girlfriend and his brother. He is still grieving Tabitha, the woman he calls his mother, in the slack, medicated aftermath he names the Great Collapse. He is broke, ashamed, funny, oversexed, underemployed, and nearly homeless. When Arthur Brennance, an Austin attorney with the warmth of a locked filing cabinet, arrives to tell him Forrest has died in a fiery crash and left him a million-dollar property, Peter is not saved so much as relocated. His disaster has simply acquired better square footage.

The plot keeps adding chairs, and nearly everyone at the table wants Peter’s house, money, silence, body, or fear. Forrest recently borrowed $500,000 against the Brambles, then died before the first payment came due. The cash is missing. Eric Lance, a handsome neighbor and real-estate broker, wants the listing. Josie Cho, the bank officer handling the loan, has a deadline to enforce and a husband too close to the property. Alice L arrives with property-management patter, tarot cards, and a little too much knowledge of Peter’s inheritance. Brennance, whose helpfulness keeps curdling into concealment, knows more than he says. Peter finds Forrest’s street-racing trophies, his antidepressants, a Mazda with the vanity plate TRISTAN, a warning from an alarmingly beautiful young man, and eventually a black duffel behind newly hung maroon wallpaper. The duffel contains not half a million but a full million dollars, a gun, and a note warning “Dad” that the money could get him killed.

Real detection begins when Grady Bernaise gives Peter’s chaos a case file and a chair at the desk. Grady is a private investigator with boots, doughnuts, records access, and a talent for making help sound like an insult. He introduces Peter to databases, stakeouts, interviews disguised as social calls, dirty-cop negotiations, document scanning, and card mechanics. Peter’s dating-app fluency helps catch a violent husband. His sexual candor gets him into rooms. His weed-dealer past helps him read bad men faster than polite people do. His eye for bodies makes him notice rings; his appetite makes him notice hands. Grady does not make Peter respectable. He makes Peter’s habits usable.

In Peter’s hands, bad habits start doing honest work. Peter does not solve the case by becoming less Peter. He solves it because he keeps being Peter in rooms where other people underestimate him. He knows how desire changes a face. He understands that shame leaves tracks. He can tell when a charming man has stopped performing charm and started making a threat. His shamelessness is not courage, exactly, but it is near enough to count. Where a more dutiful hero might ask the careful question, Peter asks the indecent one first, and the indecent one often opens the right door.

Peter’s sentences are always looking around the room. The prose is profane, quick, horny, associative, and frequently very funny. A sentence may begin with a man’s jawline and end at a loan document, a dog’s cone, a death threat, or a wallpaper pattern that deserves criminal inquiry. Minimal it is not. The style can overrun the furniture. Some readers will wish Peter would stop cataloguing everyone’s legs and get on with the murder. But the erotic inventory is part of his attention. He notices too much; the plot depends on it.

A few comparisons help, provided they are kept on a short leash. “Killer Vibes” has some of the comic-crime velocity of Elle Cosimano’s “Finlay Donovan Is Killing It,” though it is filthier and less cozy; some of the queer mystery architecture of Lev AC Rosen’s “Lavender House,” though it is contemporary, ruder, and more caper-driven; and some of the shaggy private-eye inheritance of James Crumley’s “The Last Good Kiss,” though Friday’s sensibility is warmer, queerer, and less pickled in masculine despair. Peter Key escapes all three comparisons, which is part of the fun.

Pay attention to the junk. Wallpaper, business cards, playing cards, rings, a safe-deposit key, a Mazda, a garage window, a medicine ball, a fishing photo: each appears first as joke, texture, or clutter, then later testifies. Friday’s shaggy surface hides clue work more orderly than the house that contains it. The house is not merely messy; it is legible once Peter learns how to read it. Forrest’s depression has left piles. His fear has left receipts. His love, arriving too late to be clean, has left cash in the wall.


On the Brambles porch, cards, hands, dog, cat, and shadow gather into a quiet diagram of the case, where jokes become clues and the house’s clutter starts telling the truth.

As the jokes keep firing, the rooms begin to show bruises. The hidden network is Delta Tau Omega, a fraternity whose adult afterlife includes poker games, lawyers, bankers, real-estate schemes, favors, threats, and men who treat mystery as a substitute for ethics. Logan Lowe, known as the King of Diamonds, seems at first to be the natural villain: rich, druggy, desperate, predatory, surrounded by beautiful young men and family money he can no longer reach. His world runs on glass, elevation, closed doors, private tables, and men beautiful enough to be mistaken for décor. Friday is alert to the way glamour can make captivity look chosen.


Logan looks down from the club’s mezzanine while Peter stands below, turning queer nightlife into a vertical theater of glamour, surveillance, desire, and danger.

Directly against Logan’s world, the book places queer safety without stage lights. The Beyoncé listening party hosted by Ted and Frank could have been a charming detour. Instead, it clarifies who gets to breathe in the room. Overlook, the club where Logan watches from above, is hierarchy: money looking down at bodies. The listening party is shared air: pizza, vinyl, Jell-O shots, dancing, gossip, someone finding room to be newly alive. The contrast matters because “Killer Vibes” does not confuse queer life with queer predation. Logan and Blake poison rooms. Carlos, Laura Borealis, Ted, Frank, and the party guests make them habitable.

Inside the book’s opening image is a nasty little itinerary: boat, blood, dead model, bomb. The novel spends 68 chapters explaining how Peter got there. Tristan, the beautiful warning boy, becomes the dead model. The medicine ball becomes the bomb. Logan’s boat, “The King of Diamonds,” becomes the stage. The cash, the fraternity, the hidden passage, the broken garage glass, the old Mazda, and the Oak Springs Recovery Center brochure all return. By the end, that outrageous boat scene is not only a thriller setup. It is a family tree on fire.

Most of the late turns work because they change what the clues were carrying behind Peter’s back. Blake is not Peter’s endangered cousin but his half brother. Forrest is not his distant uncle but his absent father. Tabitha, the woman Peter calls Mom, was his aunt and adoptive mother, yet the book wisely refuses to unmother her. Biology matters here, but Tabitha keeps the word “mother.” The moment when Peter crumples Forrest’s letter in rage and then retrieves it, smooths it, and keeps it is one of the novel’s most emotionally exact gestures. He cannot forgive on command. He cannot unknow the letter either.


Peter crosses from the shabby warmth of the Brambles into a cold modern room and finds Blake waiting there like a dangerous reflection of the inheritance he has not yet understood.

If the ending pays for the book’s cleverness, it pays in crowding. Logan is displaced as central monster; Blake becomes abuser and murderer; Eric Lance is alive and then dead; Tristan is victim, manipulator, and bomber; Forrest becomes father; Blake becomes brother. Much of this has been planted, and Friday is better at payoff than the freewheeling voice might lead one to expect. Still, the cabin gets crowded before it blows. The climax entertains, but you can hear the furniture scraping.

The hardest turn to absorb is Blake. His childhood was horrific; his body is a map of harm. Yet the novel ultimately makes him the deepest source of violence, a man who turns injury into domination and pain into doctrine. There is force in that reversal, and danger in it. At its weakest, the novel moves too quickly from trauma to villainy, finding a short route from suffering to monstrosity. Friday gives Blake fear, rage, cunning, and damage. Whether he gives him enough tragic complexity is the part of the ending that keeps scraping after the explosion.


Logan’s boat breaks open on the lake in ochre, coral, teal, and smoke, turning the novel’s money, bloodline, cards, and violence into a family tree on fire.

Rather than tidying that unease away, the novel leaves Peter inside it. He does not get cleaned up by surviving. He is shot, grieving, rich, fatherless, brother-haunted, dog-attached, and not nearly as retired from detective work as he claims. His final inheritance is not the money, though there is plenty of that. It is the letter on the table, the bank boxes, the rooms that still feel wrong, the dog who needs water. He can no longer pretend that trouble is something other people bring to his door. The trouble has already been living at his address.

One of the book’s least corrupt bargains is Brutus. He might have been a mere animal sidekick, an orange cone and a few jokes with paws. Instead, he becomes evidence that care can return in kind. Peter takes him in after the bombing that appears to kill Eric. Later, Brutus saves Peter and Grady by attacking Saul Smalls, a scene so grotesque it should tip into absurdity and somehow does not, because Friday has prepared the exchange. Peter protects the dog. The dog protects him. In a novel full of bargains made in bad faith, this one holds.

Perhaps that is why the Brambles becomes more than scenery. Peter repairs it after blood, bullets, hidden money, broken glass, and police tape. He hires cleaners, restores floors, installs security, patches holes, and lets the place become a dwelling, not just evidence. The house does not lose its history; it becomes livable despite it. That is the cleanest answer to the book’s oldest question. You do not purify what you receive. You decide whether to sell it, flee it, destroy it, or make room inside it for a dog, a friend, a photograph, and the next person who needs help.

On the scale I use for review temperature, “Killer Vibes” lands at 84/100, which corresponds to 4/5 Goodreads stars. That score fits a novel this alive, this overpacked, and this unwilling to choose between dirty jokes and genuine hurt. Its strengths are motion, appetite, timing, feeling, and a house full of objects that keep changing their stories. The book is a little too much, and sometimes knows it, and sometimes knows it too fondly. Still, too much is not the worst sin for a first case. Thinness would be worse.

Under the murder plot is the question of what can still knock after collapse. Peter begins with a dead mother, no home, no future, and no impressive plan beyond surviving the next embarrassment. He ends with the Brambles, Brutus, Carlos, Grady, Sylvie, Jenn, a blurred photograph of Tabitha, a letter from Forrest, banked money he does not entirely know how to deserve, and two nervous strangers at the door with a story about packages, a fake name, a possible cult, and a lizard. That is not healing, exactly. It is an address.

Like the best first cases, “Killer Vibes” ends by making its beginning feel inevitable. Of course Peter Key was going to become a detective. Of course he was going to complain about it. Of course he was going to be high, horny, frightened, observant, and unable to leave the weird story alone. The final knock does not erase the father’s letter, the brother in the lake, or the blood in the kitchen. It proves only that the house has stopped being something Peter inherited and started being somewhere trouble knows to find him.

Only by the end does the title’s joke fully turn. The vibes are not evidence, but they are not nothing. Peter is not a mystic, however many tarot-adjacent weirdos climb through his garage. But feeling, in this book, is a kind of data. A man smiles too hard. A house feels wrong. A dog will not settle. A beautiful boy keeps checking his watch. Peter’s gift is not that he knows what these things mean right away. It is that he notices them before he knows why.

So the final image is not the explosion, or even the letter smoothed back out beside the hospital bed. It is Peter at the Brambles, trying to live lazily and failing because the doorbell has rung. A house once used to hide money now receives clients. A man who thought he had inherited shelter has inherited attention. Blake may still be out there. Brutus still needs water. Peter opens the door anyway.


After the case, the Brambles is no longer only evidence but an address, with Peter, Brutus, the letter, and the next knock held in the quiet before vocation begins again.


Early thumbnail studies map the Brambles as a pressure system: porch, dog, window, cat, border, and figure arranged before the painting decides how much of the house to reveal.


A controlled palette study translates the cover’s cream, aqua, teal, ochre, near-black, and coral into a watercolor language of warmth, menace, bad taste, and evidence.


The underdrawing preserves the painting’s scaffolding, with porch perspective, swing chains, Peter’s posture, Brutus’s outline, and border marks still visible beneath the coming washes.


Loose figure studies search for Peter’s slouched, watchful body and Brutus’s grounded weight, making attitude and protection legible before either becomes fully painted.


The border study tests how property lines, wallpaper vines, playing-card corners, key shapes, and black speckles can frame the image like both a survey map and a crime margin.


The first wash begins the painting’s weather: warm porch light enters the graphite structure, aqua dusk spreads around it, and the Brambles starts to become both house and evidence.


This lettering study works out how “Killer Vibes,” “Jack Friday,” “Little Tiger at the Brambles,” and “demetri” can belong to the watercolor plate rather than sit on top of it.


Layered aqua dusk, ochre light, transparent shadow, and unfinished wash reveal how the Brambles’ mood is built before the final image becomes fully legible.


A literary portrait filtered through the world of “Killer Vibes,” with Jack Friday, the dog, the porch, keys, cards, and the book’s cover palette gathered into a handmade review image.

All watercolor illustrations by Demetris Papadimitropoulos.
Watercolors are done on 140lb vellum and then scanned into the computer using an Epson scanner. From there, they are finalized in Procreate. All art and opinions are my own.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really solid start to the Peter Key series. It pulled me in fast with a darker, slightly gritty vibe that kept me reading. Peter is messy and not perfect, which made him more interesting to follow.

The pacing was steady with a few twists that actually surprised me. The atmosphere stood out the most—there’s this constant uneasy feeling throughout.

The ending worked, though I wouldn’t have minded a little more closure. Overall, a strong first book and I’d keep going with the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced, accidental PI novel. It’s set up to be a series and I’ll definitely be reading the next one! The protagonist is a mess and stumbles upon some money and a mystery and somehow makes an impact. It was fun to read!

I received an early copy through Netgalley but all opinions are my own.

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your thriller-loving heart needs a break from the pitch-black grit and wants a mystery that is pure, chaotic, laugh-out-loud fun, you need to add Killer Vibes by Jack Friday (John Fram) to your list immediately!

A Sparkling Series Opener:
The First Peter Key Mystery introduces a brilliant, modern, queer stoner-noir twist on classic PI tropes—think a bisexual version of The Dude navigating the cutthroat Austin real estate market in this wildly entertaining new mystery series!  

The Hook:
Evicted from his Dallas home and drowning in a mess of a life, Peter's luck seemingly changes when he unexpectedly inherits a crumbling house in a highly desirable Austin neighborhood from an uncle he barely knew. The self-proclaimed "laziest private eye in Texas" discovers a hidden fortune and a target on his back.

Elevator Pitch:
A modern, queer, stoner noir twist on classic PI tropes—think a bisexual version of The Dude navigating the cutthroat Austin real estate market while dodging car bombs and hitmen.

Setting:
Austin, Texas. A city in transition, beautifully balancing its classic "keep Austin weird" liberal identity with the brutal, high-stakes capitalism of modern real estate.

Vibe:
Sarcastic, chaotic, sun-drenched, and wickedly funny. Hard-boiled light with an unapologetic "type B personality" swagger.

Genre: Modern PI Noir / Humorous Mystery.

Themes:
Urban gentrification, the absurdity of corporate greed, family secrets, and identity in the changing American South.

Standout Characters:
Twenty-nine-year-old Peter Key, the chaotic, joint-smoking, man-bun-sporting amateur sleuth who refuses to be pushed around, and his inherited dog.

Author Writing Standout:
Brilliant Genre Pivot: Writing under the open pseudonym Jack Friday, acclaimed horror author John Fram (favorite)strips away his usual supernatural chills to deliver an incredibly refreshing masterclass in comedic mystery timing. He keeps his trademark tight, twisty plotting but infuses it with razor-sharp snark. 

Takeaway:
Doing the right thing doesn't mean you have to do it quickly—or soberly.

Title Significance:
A double entendre playing on both the groovy, ultra-laidback musical energy of Austin and the literal deadly threats lurking behind Peter's new property lines.

Metaphor:
The Crumbling Austin House. Much like Peter's inherited estate, the initial structure looks like an absolute trainwreck, but digging beneath the floorboards reveals a wild, valuable puzzle box.

Why You Should Read:
Wildly refreshing, laugh-out-loud escape that breathes intoxicating new life into the traditional, overly serious detective genre.

My Thoughts
Fast-paced, eccentric, and incredibly fun, Killer Vibes is a triumphant series opener. Peter Key is an instantly memorable antihero whose absolute refusal to match the frantic panic of his circumstances provides constant comic relief without deflating the genuine suspense of the central mystery. The skewering of the Austin real estate landscape is a brilliant touch.

Verdict
"A sun-scorched, laugh-out-loud triumph of modern noir. Under his new pseudonym, John Fram strips the pretension away from the classic PI novel and replaces it with pure, chaotic fun, sharp social commentary, and an unforgettable protagonist!"

An irresistible, entertaining mystery that proves sometimes the laziest detective is exactly the one you need on the case!

Audio Spotlight: 🎧 Max Meyers
"Max Meyers completely disappears into Peter Key’s deadpan, stoner-noir drawl. His exquisite comedic timing handles the sharp one-liners and ridiculous internal monologues flawlessly, turning this witty Austin mystery into an addictive, rip-roaring listening experience!"

Read This If You Liked:
Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen, the hit PI crime series, R.J. Decker, the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano, or the witty, chaotic queer mystery vibes of Nick DiDomizio’s A Murder Most Camp.

Special thanks to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio, #MacAudio2026, and NetGalley for sharing an advanced reading and listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: July 14, 2026
July 2026 Must-Read Books

[Cennet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had exactly two thoughts within the first hour of this audiobook:

★I love this narrator.
★Peter Key might be one of my new favorite fictional disasters.

Peter is a self-proclaimed lazy private investigator, bisexual menace, professional pothead, owner of an imaginary manservant named Giles, and somehow...an incredibly good detective. The mystery grabbed me way faster than I expected. I started out making notes, then completely forgot because I got sucked into trying to figure out who was lying, who was scheming, and what actually happened to Peter's uncle. Every time I thought I had it figured out, somebody did something that made me go, "...well that's suspicious."

The humor absolutely worked for me too. Peter has some of the funniest lines in the entire book. At one point he says, "How can I suck d*ck and still talk straighter than you?" and I had to pause because I was laughing so hard.

Peter is also just kind of everything I love in a main character. He's stubborn enough to ignore every warning people give him (ODD much?), smart enough to ask the questions everyone else overlooks (twas the 'tism m'lord), and confident enough to appreciate literally every attractive person he meets (tbh he's kind of sl*tty and i love it lol). I swear this man has a crush on humanity as a whole. I also loved watching him slowly realize he's actually good at this whole detective thing. He spends so much time doubting himself even while solving problems everyone else missed, and that weird combination of confidence and insecurity somehow made him even more lovable.

The mystery itself kept me guessing, but truthfully I would've listened to Peter wander around Austin getting into trouble for another ten hours. The relationships he builds throughout the story ended up being one of my favorite parts, and I already can't wait to see where those go next. I just kind of wish we'd gotten to know Peter's uncle a little more. He seemed like such an interesting guy that I would've loved having a stronger emotional attachment to him. It didn't hurt the story at all—it was just something I found myself wishing for.

Max Meyers absolutely nailed this narration. Every character felt distinct (I love when a male narrator doesn't totally ruin and make a female voice weird), the comedic timing was perfect, and the emotional moments landed just as well as the funny ones. Genuinely one of those performances that made an already great book even better.

And about that ending...don't panic. This isn't one of those cliffhangers where nothing gets resolved. The main mystery wraps up in a satisfying way, but it leaves just enough dangling that I immediately wanted book two.

So...Jack Friday...when's the next one? Because Peter Key has officially become one of my favorite fictional hot messes, and I need him back immediately.

Narration: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Story: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The tea: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read this if you like:
★Queer mysteries with a ton of humor
★Chaotic but surprisingly competent detectives
★Twisty whodunnits
★Found friendships and lovable weirdos
★Main characters with absolutely zero self-preservation instincts

Maybe skip this if you aren't into:
★Sarcastic, irreverent humor
★Cannabis use by the main character
★Mysteries that balance comedy with murder
★Open-door discussions of sex and attraction
★Series that clearly set up another installment

Tropes:
★Amateur/private investigator
★Bisexual main character
★Inheritance mystery
★Small clues, big conspiracy
★Found family
★Reluctant hero
★Murder investigation
★Cliffhanger that sets up the next book

Content Warnings:
★Murder
★Death of a family member
★Drug use (marijuana)
★Alcohol use
★Profanity
★Sexual humor and innuendo
★Homophobia (brief)
★Violence
★Guns

Thank you to Jack Friday, NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy. All thoughts are my 100% my own.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: July 14, 2026

Debut author Jack Friday (a pseudonym, obviously) delivers a tense, suspenseful novel about a queer, reluctant private investigator who gets drawn into a mystery he didn’t ask for, after the death of his estranged and eccentric uncle in “Killer Vibes”, book one of the Peter Key mystery series.

Peter Key is unemployed and very soon about to be evicted from his friends’ garage. So, when he finds out he is the benefactor of his recently deceased uncle’s estate, including a home valued at a million dollars, he initially thinks it's some kind of sick joke- until he sees the house and realizes, very seriously, that the joke is on him. The house is in shambles, dilapidated and overstuffed with his uncle’s hoarded junk and what’s worse- his uncle owes more to the bank than Peter can even begin to think of paying off. To make matters worse, there are a lot of shady characters that seem to be very interested in convincing Peter to sell the house- no matter what it takes. As Peter tries to keep his head above water and find a creative way to keep the house, and keep it from falling apart, he realizes that his uncle’s death might not have been an accident and quickly becomes embroiled in a murder mystery.

“Vibes” is sharp and modern and Peter is hilarious and relatable. He is definitely the “antihero” in this story, the antagonist of protagonists, yet he is charming and funny, making it easy to connect with him. Readers want Peter to succeed, and the journey he takes to make that happen is hilarious and scary, all at once.

Peter narrates the story in its entirety. When readers discover his uncle has been murdered, the investigation begins and Peter fumbles his way through (at least at first) with the help of some new friends. The ending was not entirely surprising, but it was fun to discover and there were definitely a few unexpected twists along the way. Although the plot in “Vibes” does resolve itself, the novel ends with a lead into the next Peter Key mystery series.

Friday’s writing is engaging and creative and “Vibes” is a delightful debut. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Peter gets into in the next installment and, no matter what happens, I know it will be a thrilling and unexpected adventure.

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of Killer Vibes: The First Peter Key Mystery, by Jack Friday, from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

⭐ 4 ⭐

Y’all?

I had no business in the world liking this book as much as I did.

I’m old, I’m not bisexual (plus I’m a prude when it comes to sex in books, usually), and I don’t smoke dope (any more, those days are decades behind me). Nor do I live in Texas (as much as I’ve wanted to over the years).

But for some reason this very easy read just sucked me in. And it was easy to put down and pick back up again (I had some stupid adulting to do over the past few days that necessitated such). Plus, as I told My Beloved Husband, I realized at some point that I was dragging out the reading of it because it was so much fun that I didn’t want it to end, knowing that there wasn’t a second in the series yet.

So hurry up and write that and more, Jack Friday! And definitely give us more of the aunt and the sister as you go forward.

DESCRIPTION
A wild and wickedly funny series debut, introducing readers to the irresistible and irrepressible private investigator, Peter Key.

"Everything you want in a great mystery."—Steven Rowley

"Peter Key is my new favorite amateur sleuth."—Elle Cosimano

Meet Peter Key: self-proclaimed “laziest private investigator in Texas” (it’s harder than it looks), unapologetic bisexual, dedicated stoner, and the surprised recipient of a windfall inheritance from an uncle he barely knew. Peter’s life was a mess before, but now— as the owner of a dilapidated house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin—he has a mountain of debt to deal with and pressure to sell from every side.

But Peter doesn’t like to be pushed around. And when he discovers a bag full of cash, he starts to suspect his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident. He soon finds himself pulled into a lethal game where not everybody plays by the rules.

Fortunately, Peter’s never been good at following rules.

Sexy, suspenseful, and packed with Austin’s quirks, Killer Vibes is a wild and wickedly funny romp that introduces us to the irresistible and irrepressible PI, Peter Key.

[Nannette Demmler · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by St Martin Press via Netgalley for an honest review.

When I first started this novel, I was a bit dubious about whether or not I would like the main character. Peter is a bit too laid back and such a slacker that I was immediately turned off by him. But as I pushed on into the next chapters, it didn’t take long for me to end up really liking him. The strong mystery thriller storyline helped a lot with that, as did the secondary characters who helped the story shine.

Peter isn’t your typical mystery thriller amateur detective. He is someone who would rather sit around smoking weed than running around catching killers. But he is surprisingly good a the detective part. His stubbornness and the fact that he is unwilling to let his uncle’s suspicious death go, make him the perfect person to solve the case. I loved his sarcasm and wit, and the way the author used the first person narrative gave the whole book a sort of noir feel.

The secondary characters were great, even the ones that were out to get Peter. Hopefully the helpful ones will be sticking around for the next books. Grady, the private detective that eventually helps Peter, is your typical gruff detective, but has some backstory of his own that hopefully we will learn more about in future books. Aunt Sylvia was also a fun character that we didn’t see a lot of, but she added a lot to the story when she did show up. I also really liked Carlos, the first friend Peter makes in Austin. He is turning out to be the best thing that happened to Peter and I hope he sticks around for more books.

The story was such a fun and entertaining cozyish mystery. There is perhaps to much violence and gore to fully make it cozy, but for most of the book it does have that vibe. The book is the first in a series and it does spend a lot of time setting up Peter’s backstory as to why he becomes a detective, but that doesn’t take away from the storyline. It is woven throughout the story even up to the end. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, having the first person narrative helps give the story a laid back yet a noir feel to it. The contemporary setting of Austin, Texas was also a nice touch and complemented the story and the characters nicely.

This is a great debut that I ended up enjoying much more than I thought I would. If you are looking for an unconventional amateur detective novel, this is one you don’t want to miss.

https://elnadesbookchat.com

[coty ☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of LGBT people solving crime forever.

Very strong series opener. I'm obsessed with the conversational, laid-back writing style; it fits Peter's voice perfectly. Friday has a great grasp on establishing characters—it's a little impressive just how varied the voices in the cast are. The mystery here is very intriguing and I like how Friday approaches slotting together the pieces (maybe I have a bit of an issue with the fact it's Peter-talking-from-the-future and occasionally there's interjections where he alludes to things that occur later; this can kind of break some of the tension); there's a lot of people and moving parts and it'd be easy to get lost in all of it, but there's a deftness to the way the story is handled that really makes it a good mystery. Personally I never try to solve thrillers because it's not how I usually read them, but I found myself constantly referring back to people and events because I *really* wanted to piece this together on my own; it's very engaging, and very refreshing for me, since that's not a feeling I typically have when reading the genre.

But I do think the characters are really where the story shines. The plot is engrossing but it relies on the personalities of the cast, Peter most of all. I love how unabashedly bisexual he is. Sometimes it feels like the author feels the need to defend that to a point that it can become exhausting, constantly reassuring the reader that Peter really is attracted to men and women, which can be frustrating, but at the end of the day, it's so nice to have a bisexual character who refuses to "choose a side." I hate this common joke among people attracted to men who hate that they're attracted to men so I'm really glad that Peter seems to relish in his attraction to men; he does not shy away from it. His sexuality is prominent on every page, but it never veers into the stereotypical biphobic promiscuity, nor is he hypersexualized; Friday manages to display his sexuality without doing so. Many authors could take notes. Also such a relief that even the "villains" don't have their villainy tied to their sexuality.

Really looking forward to how this series continues. Friday can craft a good mystery and Peter Key has potential to be a really fun detective to follow.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC!

[Monnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it. A “debut” novel – even if that means the first in what’s hoped to be a series – makes me nervous. I guess that, at my advanced age, I’ve read too many that just, well, to put it as nicely as possible, fell flatter than a fritter. And I admit, I was a bit edgy going into this one.

Happily, I needn’t have been worried here. I not only enjoyed reading it, but I’ve found another series to look forward to. The main character, Peter Theodore Key, is interesting, intriguing and a guy whose invitation to join him for a beer and conversation at a local pub I’d accept in a heartbeat. He’s a half-hearted Texas-based private eye who enjoys smoking a joint or two now and again, and when it comes to sex, he’s a switch-hitter (though he seems to have more of an affinity for the guys).

Quite unexpectedly, an estate attorney shows up one day to inform him that his recently-deceased Uncle Forrest – whom he barely knew – has left him a house in Austin that’s worth millions. But the millions are elusive because his uncle’s debts are equally substantial; on the positive side, although the house itself can at best be described as a total mess, everybody and his or her brother and sister seem to want to buy it (and incessantly insist that he sell). Problem is, the more information Peter gathers, the more he’s unwilling to part with the property. That’s especially true when he learns that his late uncle – clearly a hoarder – may have a stash of cash that he really, really could use. Problem is, some unsavory characters – including his late uncle’s own son – would love to get their hands on it as well.

Along the way he meets quite a few interesting characters – including his uncle’s estate lawyer and a seasoned private detective who will play a significant role in Peter’s future. Coming from a much older generation, I can’t quite get into his man-bun thing, especially when it seems to need readjusting every half hour or so (but hey, maybe they all do – what does an old lady like me know)? Other than that, though, he’s an intriguing character I look forward to reading about again in the next installment. Meantime, I heartily thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for letting me in on the action by way of a pre-release copy. Well done!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one. Jack Friday’s Killer Vibes is a fast, entertaining mystery that feels both fresh and familiar: a gritty, character‑driven detective story with a conspiratorial core and a protagonist you can’t help rooting for.

Peter Key stumbles into detective work awkwardly and with more heart than plan. An out‑of‑work, bisexual slacker who loses his garage home after sleeping with the wrong people, Peter’s life takes a sharp turn when a lawyer arrives with news of his uncle’s death and an unexpected inheritance: a house and the promise of a hidden fortune. What begins as a seeming coincidence quickly unravels into a spiraling conspiracy that pulls Peter deeper into danger.

Peter Key is the book’s beating heart. He isn’t the strongest, smartest, or bravest person in the room, and the novel never pretends otherwise. That honesty makes him likable and real. He’s tenacious and guided by a practical streak of common sense that allows him to untangle clues others overlook. Supporting characters are sketched with enough color to feel distinct without slowing the story: allies, suspects, and shady figures populate the pages in ways that keep the mystery lively.

The story moves briskly. Action scenes land with satisfying punch, and the plot’s twists arrive at the right moments to keep momentum high. The conspiracy that emerges is layered and credible, and Friday balances revelation with suspense so that each chapter compels you to read one more. This is a quick read that nonetheless feels complete.

Friday’s voice is direct and engaging. The prose favors clarity and momentum over ornamentation, which suits the book’s noir‑adjacent energy. Humor and grit coexist comfortably, and the narrative never loses sight of Peter’s humanity even as the stakes rise. The result is a story that’s both entertaining and emotionally grounded.

Killer Vibes is a well‑told, action‑packed mystery with a protagonist worth following. I couldn’t help rooting for Peter, and the book rewarded that investment with smart plotting, brisk pacing, and a satisfying payoff. If you like character‑driven thrillers that move fast and keep you guessing, this one’s worth your time.

[ReadThisAndSteep · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited for this one, but underestimated just how much I would enjoy it. It's refreshingly offbeat, a bit edgy, and laugh-out-loud funny. Plus, the mystery kept me guessing. I loved it!

Peter is a hot mess, but very endearing. He's a stoner who has dubbed himself the "laziest private investigator in Texas." When Peter unexpectedly inherits a dilapidated, million-dollar house in a desirable part of Austin from an uncle he barely knows, he heads down there. It's not long before he finds out his uncle had debt issues, aggressive realtors want the house, and secrets are literally inside the walls. Since his uncle's death looks suspicious, he starts investigating, and danger isn't far behind.

Twisty, irreverent, and gritty, this is a refreshing take on the mystery genre, and Peter, although unprepared and chaotic, turns out to be a good sleuth. He is more perceptive than he appears, and his relaxed, unassuming personality works to his advantage as others routinely underestimate him. I loved that he was flawed, enjoyed seeing him learn and grow as he went along, and found him really memorable.

Peter is surrounded by a colorful cast of scene-stealing characters, including a lovable pup. There's a lot of humor in the mix and I particularly enjoyed Peter's imaginary butler who acts as a dryly funny outlet for Peter's inner thoughts.

The mystery is layered and interesting. Well-plotted, it features lots of action, twists, high stakes, and hijinks. The dialogue is sharp and funny. Plus, the book has strong LGBTQ representation as Peter is bisexual. This is a strong start to the series, and I hope more of Peter's (mis)adventures are coming soon!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for the gifted review copy!

[Ryan Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the main character Peter, his personality was relatable and easy to like. But I had a lot of problems with the book. Some of which are formatting issues, which may be resolved in the final copy. Why were there so many dang scene breaks? Incredibly distracting reading experience. I have to hope that there was some kind of plan for the final copy that hadn't yet come together, because wow. There was a scene break every few pages, sometimes every few paragraphs. And they skipped absolutely no amount of time making them completely useless.

However, my biggest gripe with the story was when Peter would speak in future tense, telling the audience something that would happen later in the story. "I didn't know then that he would be in my life for a long time," etc. This is my least favourite trope some voice-y books try to do. Telling me what happens in the future RUINS the tension of the story. It takes away all the stakes. Why should I keep reading if you just told me what to expect? Strange choice.

The mystery itself did keep me interested for the most part and was well paced. I saw the ending coming which isn't necessarily a bad thing, however it was a bit overly complicated. Too many little twists and gotcha moments.


Also, how it reads to me is that the bad guy had his member out and proud during the final fight scene/bad guy monologue? Such a weird choice?


I probably wouldn't read the sequel in the series since the writing style wasn't my fav. I know some people really like that style however.

[SD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5
This is my first read of this author. I didn’t know what to expect from a bisexual-man-bun-wearing-weed-smoking amateur sleuth. We really get a look at how Peter ends up in Austin, right from the start. It sets the stage, and looks like we will have an unlikely, unreliable hero/sleuth/narrator that we may or may not like. I had an inkling at the beginning that some people were not who they portrayed themselves to be, but I was way off on so many things. There are quite a few characters, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed or the need to have a notepad while reading. 

Peter is having a time of it. Getting kicked out of his home (deservedly), getting threatened, getting saddled with a large loan, getting followed, and did I mention getting threatened? While Peter may have initially come across as a slacker, you know there is more to him, as his aunt points out; he has been selling marijuana most of his life and has not been caught. 

I liked Peter's growth throughout the story and how he used his wits/instincts. He went through a lot searching for answers to his uncle’s death as well as finding his own direction instead of floating from garage to garage. 

To say Peter’s family is complicated is an understatement. I hope there is more of Aunt Sylvie in the books to come. With Grady, LaShirl, and Carlos, Peter will do okay in Austin, but Austin may not be ready for him. 

Thank you, #NetGalley and #MinotaurBooks, for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts.

Happy Reading!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Key is a hilarious character, he's lazy, get's stoned, sells weed, and lives in other's people houses and yet he is somehow endearing. Peter is about to be kicked out of his current garage residence when he finds outs his Uncle Forrest has left him a house in Austin. By the time Peter arrives to the house, he has learned, the house is worth millions, there is an overdue loan on the house, somewhere in the house may be $500K hidden, and oh and his uncle may have been murdered. Add in a cast of characters with their own agenda, Eric, the realtor who needs to sell Peter's inherited house so he can fix his own life, Alice, a property manager who wants to also sell the house, a couple of small town thugs, a private detective and Brutus the dog. Trying to figure out the mystery of what happened to Uncle Forrest, staying one step ahead of everyone who wants Peter dead or wants his money, not to mention how deep the family secrets go all add to the whirlwind odyssey.

Well written, funny characters and a good mystery with enough red herrings and distractions for the reader to really become engaged in. I laughed out loud, the character of Peter was part immature but thickheaded enough to get himself into situations foolishly. Other characters added to the plot and to the mystery, LaShirl and her no nonsense presence, Tristian was a character I never quite knew where he stood and Sylvia with her secrets. Overall, a good read, an captivating mystery, fun characters, don't miss this one. Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Key has no future. He’s in his late twenties, bisexual, a pot dealer who has just been kicked out of the furniture filled garage he rents since the owner found Peter having sex with the owner’s girlfriend. That is until a lawyer, Brennance rhymes with penance, finds Peter and tells him that he inherited the estate from an uncle he only met once who lived in Austin. Peter goes with the lawyer to Austin only to discover his uncle was a hoarder and is deeply in debt and the house is dilapidated. Peter is sure his uncle’s death was suspicious and vows to find out what happened. That’s when the crazy antics and characters begin.

The story is a bit convoluted and there are a lot of characters, both literally and figuratively. But this well-written mystery was worth the ride. The author has a great way with words and turns of phrases, describing someone knitting a blanket “out of wool and pure anxiety.” There were a lot of twists and turns along the road with a major surprise at the end.

I highly recommend this thriller to anyone who likes mysteries and flawed characters. It’s amazing how the author can make what would normally be an unlikeable character into someone you are rooting for. The ending clearly indicates there will be more Peter Key mysteries coming. I hope so. I will gladly take another trip with Peter to see what he uncovers next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this entertaining mystery in exchange for my honest opinions.

[Samma · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the moment I read the synopsis for Killer Vibes, I knew I wanted to read it, and thankfully NetGalley provided me with an advanced copy. I’m always a little wary about starting yet another series, but this one sounded like so much fun — and thankfully, it absolutely was.

Peter Key is a complete hot mess. He’s living in friends’ garages, selling weed, and has absolutely no clue how to get his life together. Enter Brennance (rhymes with “penance”), the attorney tasked with informing Peter about his uncle’s death and the inheritance he’s unexpectedly receiving.

Of course, not all inheritances come easy. Peter’s newfound windfall comes with hitmen, a dilapidated house in a wealthy neighborhood, missing cash, shark-like realtors, and an unexpected stash of weed. Add in a private investigator, a hilariously memorable secretary, an unknown cousin, an aunt who deserves far more page time, and a sister we definitely need to meet in future books, and Peter’s already chaotic life spirals even further out of control.

Set in Texas, the story was especially fun because I recognized so many of the places mentioned, and I loved how well the book embraced the whole “Keep Austin Weird” vibe. Toss in an overly large dog and you’ve got yourself the most delightfully un-cozy cozy mystery imaginable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and cannot wait to follow Peter Key’s ongoing misadventures in future installments.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Jack Friday for allowing me a sneak peek into Peter’s world.

[Just Blue Through Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press for the ARC of Killer Vibes by Jack Friday.

What a fun read this was! And a great start to a new PI detective series!

I was really pleasantly surprised and invested in this book. It has Carl Hiaasen-esque humor, the grittiness and violence of S.A. Cosby, and a layered mystery style similar to Michael Connelly. It also has its own style and vibes that really draw a reader in -- Peter Key is so easy to identify with because he has no idea what he's doing, and so stumbling along with him feels really genuine in both his story and in the development of a PI series/origin point.

The mystery itself develops slowly, and then goes all in, but our introduction to Peter is a hilarious scene with his landlord's brother and girlfriend and its aftermath that really sets the scene for a mystery story that is serious but doesn't take itself too seriously. Once the mystery really starts to pick up, there is a lot of action, character development and character introduction - some of which is a bit dark and definitely means this is not a cozy mystery (TW There is a sexual assault scene late in the book, not to mention some pretty detailed death descriptions). The mystery keeps going in layers, a few that you can start to predict, and some that slam into you as "Oh, of course!" as soon as you get to them. It keeps you guessing, and it keeps you invested.

I would definitely continue to read more books in this series.

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Key, the protagonist, is a small time weed dealer whose supplier goes by the name “Chlorine.” When not dealing to local minor league baseball players, he is getting high and having sex with random men and women. Peter is bisexual, which is a somewhat important aspect of the story. His choice of recreational activities will get him in trouble when his “landlord” (Peter is living in the guy’s garage) comes home early and finds Peter engaged in intimate activities with the landlord’s girlfriend and landlord’s brother. He loses his housing, his supplier, and what little cash he has.

With this opening sequence, it seems like this story could be farcical in nature. And it certainly has its humorous moments. However, the story ends up being more serious when Peter learns that his Uncle Forrest, who he hardly knew, has named him as sole beneficiary to his estate, which includes a rundown house on an expensive piece of property in Austin, as well as a mysterious $500,000 loan, the proceeds of which are unaccounted for. Multiple people are very interested in the house; the bank wants the loan repaid (and the house was the collateral); someone seems to be following Peter; and a young man visits with a cryptic warning. Before long there are attempts on his life, the discovery of $1 million; the appearance of a private detective (who becomes his employer); a mysterious fraternity; suspicion about his uncle’s death; a friendly barista; a professional gambler.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

“Lazy” Texas private investigator Peter Key has been living in a friend’s garage; the unexpected death of his Uncle Forrest leaves him the lone beneficiary of his estate. There’s a house in Austin along with and a mountain of debt . . . and a missing half a million dollars in cash.

Although ramshackle is a polite description of the house, Pete decides to stay and see if he can figure out why his Uncle left him a house worth more than a million dollars. It isn’t long before a stranger arrives at his door, warning him to sell the house and leave while he still can.

Could something malevolent have led to Uncle Forrest’s death?

=========

The shenanigans in this delightfully unique mystery pull the reader into the telling of the tale from the outset. Peter is an engaging character in a twisty story that keeps the pages turning as fast as possible. Short chapters keep the suspense building while humorous moments offer some respite from the tension. Readers are likely to find it impossible to set this book aside before turning the final page.

Readers who enjoy character-driven tales, surprising mysteries, and a good bit of humor will find much to appreciate here.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#KillerVibes #NetGalley

[Olivia Mol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oooo this was a fun one!

I enjoyed this mystery/thriller and read it very quickly, however, there were a few things that didn't work for me.

First, the positives: I liked our main character. He felt real, flawed, and he wasn't the archetypal stoner I was afraid he'd be. I also liked the mystery itself. The stakes were high while remaining realistic, and I was able to follow our main characters line of thinking. I like how action packed this book was - once the plot really started going, there was no slowing down.

Now for the things that didn't click quite as well. And, to be fair, I think that most of these things could be fixed before the book is published. The biggest issue I had were with some inconsistencies in reader knowledge vs character knowledge. In the opening of this book, Peter is explaining to the reader that all of these events happened in the recent past. Therefore, it makes sense why he knows certain things about certain characters in his grand-retelling of events. However, as a reader, there were quite a few places in this book where my knowledge wasn't aligned with Peter's knowledge - like about certain character relationships or whereabouts that turned out to be 'reveals' of sorts, but lost tension because... well Peter's inner monologue just told me that they're married, so why am I supposed to be shocked?

Overall, I enjoyed this, and think that it could benefit from a very nit-picky read through before final publication.

[Meg Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC of Killer Vibes.

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect going into this book, but it ended up being a really fun and entertaining mystery with a fresh, chaotic energy. Peter Key is such an unconventional main character — a weed-smoking, man bun-wearing slacker living in a friend’s garage — but somehow he becomes incredibly easy to root for.

Just as Peter is about to become homeless, an attorney shows up to tell him he’s inherited his estranged uncle’s house in Austin. Of course, the inheritance comes with far more than just a house: debt, danger, shady people desperate to buy the property, and the growing suspicion that his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident.

The house itself felt like a character — messy, mysterious, and full of secrets — and I loved how the story slowly unraveled all the complications tied to it. Once Peter teams up with Grady, a legitimate detective who helps him investigate while giving him odd jobs around the office, the story really takes off.

There were enough twists and suspicious characters to keep me hooked, and I especially enjoyed the laid-back, conversational writing style. Peter’s chaotic personality gives the book a fun, offbeat vibe while still delivering a genuinely engaging mystery. The Austin setting also added a lot of personality to the story.

This definitely feels like the start of a series, and I’d absolutely read more adventures with Peter Key.

[Maine Colonial · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Key, a pot-smoking bisexual slacker with a man-bun, is living in a buddy’s garage in Dallas and, while the buddy is out of town, bonking his girlfriend and his brother. You will not be surprised to read that the buddy comes home early, and that’s the end of Peter’s slacker days in Dallas.

In what seems like really fortuitous timing, a lawyer shows up and tells Peter his uncle Forrest has died and left Peter his entire estate in Austin. The house is in a fantastic neighborhood, but it’s not in good shape, and his uncle was a hoarder. Peter is also barraged with people wanting him to sell the house and lot, which would be worth a ton of money even as a teardown, considering skyrocketing property values in Austin.

Peter may be a slacker, but he’s also stubborn. When he finds out that Forrest took out a half million dollar line of credit right before he died, then was killed in a car crash leaving the money nowhere to be found, Peter suspects there are nefarious doings behind all this, and he’s not going to just sell up and leave, even when he starts to get threats—and worse.

There follows a wildly entertaining caper, filled with almost comedic violence, and a satisfyingly twisty plot. Peter, Grady (the PI he reluctantly begins working with), and Brutus (his adopted German shepherd) become a crime-busting team like no other, and it makes me happy and impatiently expectant to know that Jack Friday plans to make this a series.

[Alyssa Reads and Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killer Vibes is a modern PI mystery, with a self described stoner bisexual trying to find out what really happened to his late uncle. Author Jack Friday has a distinctive voice, and once I was engaged with the story, it was impossible to put down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Peter Key, bisexual stoner, inherits a house in Austin from his long lost uncle Forrest. But when people keep turning up to buy his late uncle’s dilapidated house and warn him away from looking at anything too closely, ornery Peter does the opposite. Along the way, he picks up some weed, a mentor, a few lovers, and an amazing dog. But can he stay alive long enough to find out the truth?

Peter and the plot grew on me as I was reading, until I couldn’t put this book down. The mystery of his uncle’s death is intriguing, and the author plays fair with the clues while keeping the reader guessing. Peter’s supporting cast is great, and watching him figure out who to trust gives a lot of insight into his character. And, anyone that instantly adopts a dog mid-crisis is a winner in my book; I adore Brutus the German Shepherd!

Once I embraced this book’s distinct tone/voice, I was all in. Killer Vibes is a fresh, entertaining read. And I’m thrilled that it looks like the start of a new series, since I can’t wait to see what trouble Peter finds next.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this ebook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Key is homeless and out of work, passing the time by smoking weed. When he finds out he’s the only heir to an uncle he barely knew, Peter heads to Austin. He soon learns he now owns a rundown house in a popular neighborhood. But there’s a problem: his uncle took out a huge loan before he died, using the house as collateral, and the money has disappeared. As realtors pressure Peter to sell, the bank is determined to take the home, and mysterious people are searching for the money. Peter has to track down the missing money and figure out whether the loan is connected to his uncle’s death.

I was pleasantly surprised by Killer Vibes. I loved Peter Key, who calls himself the “laziest private investigator in Texas.” He gets caught up in a wild situation where realtors and mysterious people keep showing up at his house, all looking for the $500,000 his uncle borrowed before he died. As Peter tries to figure out what happened to the money and why his uncle took out such a large loan, he meets several memorable and unique characters. Although the mystery starts off slowly, once it gets started, prepare for a crazy ride until the conclusion. It looks like the ending sets up another interesting mystery, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Killer Vibes is out July 14th.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review Killer Vibes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.