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Dev Haskell Mystery #11
Yellow Ribbon
Yellow Ribbon is the ELEVENTH mystery in the highly entertaining Dev Haskell Private Investigator series. “Faricy is the next Carl Hiaasen.” Crime Scene WORLD’S LAZIEST P.I. MEETS WORLD’S DUMBEST CRIMINAL … LAUGHS AND THRILLS AHEAD! The city’s laziest Private Investigator, Dev Haskell, agrees to help out his friend Isabella and babysit her two young daughters. But he’s on the job for little more than an hour before he’s assaulted and the girls are kidnapped by Carlos O’Kelly, along with Dev’s Sig Sauer pistol and his car. Apparently the world’s dumbest criminal, Carlos next knocks over a mob card game, using, of course, Dev’s gun and car. Which puts Dev in something of an awkward position with the local crime lord, Tubby Gustafson. Tubby gives him forty-eight hours to get the money back. And Isabella’s kind of missing her kids, no pressure or anything. So here we have another of Mike Faricy’s wickedly entertaining mysteries, full of twists and turns with yet another set of wonderfully bizarre, madcap characters. For fans of humorous mysteries, PI stories of all stripes, and out-and-out zany writers, like Carl Hiassen, and Tim Dorsey, witty ones like Lawrence Block and Tony Dunbar, outrageous ones like Donald Westlake. “Faricy is America’s hottest new mystery writer … and Dev Haskell is one of the looniest and most enjoyable characters inhabiting the world of fictional PIs out there today.” Robert Carraher, The Dirty Lowdown “I don’t know what Faricy’s been drinking, but pass me a glass, this was extremely entertaining.” The Irish Gazette
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 2015
605 people are currently reading
574 people want to read
About the author
Mike Faricy
131 books240 followersI was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, I still live there as well as in Dublin, Ireland. I've been a soldier, freelance journalist, tended bar, sold designer cakes, owned a painting and decorating company along with a number of other schemes and scams. If that doesn't offend you I also play bagpipes with the Brian Boru Irish Pipe Band. All my books stand alone, read them in whatever order you wish. They are filled with the sort of oddballs we are all curious about, but wisely, prefer to keep at a distance. None of my characters will be saving the world from terrorism, international banking conspiracies or coups to take over the government. Rather, they inhabit a world just below the surface of polite society, characters with one foot on either side of the law. The circumstances they find themselves in are usually due to bad decisions, but bad decisions lead to interesting stories. They serve not so much as an example but as a warning to us all. Thanks for taking the time, happy reading.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 6, 2017
Dev Haskell is a pathetic chump, who gets beat up and pushed around by just about everyone in the novel. He does manage to stand up to one drunken hooker, so there's that.
The characters are unbelievable, and the plot has holes big enough for Tubby Gustafson and Fat Freddy Zimmerman to walk through side-by-side. The publicity says that it's funny, but it's not. And it goes on WAY too long.
The characters are unbelievable, and the plot has holes big enough for Tubby Gustafson and Fat Freddy Zimmerman to walk through side-by-side. The publicity says that it's funny, but it's not. And it goes on WAY too long.
February 5, 2017
After reading the blurb about the city's laziest PI and the world's dumbest criminal I expected this to be a humorous story but it wasn't. To start, the PI isn't lazy but the criminal is definitely dumb. Yes, the PI, Dev, is babysitting two little girls when the criminal, Carlos, comes to the door. Carlos cold-cocks Dev and kidnaps the girls, then steals his car. Carlos continues to prove how dumb he is by holding up a card game played by a local crime boss, stealing lots of money. Since Carlos used Dev's car and gun (it was in the car) for the robbery, the mob boss thinks Dev was the thief and wants the money back from him. After explaining what happened with Carlos, the crime lord gives Dev 48 hours to get the girls and money back. Since he's not lazy and loves the girls, Dev sets out to find them.
This is a fast-paced mystery that will keep your attention all the way through. I was impressed with the way the author was able to introduce so many characters in different settings while keeping the story easy to follow.
This is a fast-paced mystery that will keep your attention all the way through. I was impressed with the way the author was able to introduce so many characters in different settings while keeping the story easy to follow.
August 6, 2016
This story was a bit darker than the usual Dev Haskell tale. Dev is asked to babysit the four and five year old daughters of an old friend when her regular sitter is sick. Everything is great until her old boyfriend shows up having just walked out of rehab. He blindsides Dev and kidnaps the two little girls. To make matters worse he steals Dev's car and uses it to rob Tubby Gustafson the local mob boss. Tubby gives Dev 48 hours to get his money back and to bring him the kidnapper. This was a real page-turner that was hard to put down.
September 8, 2017
Not so much a whodunit as a "when-will-it-end" kind of story, I didn't enjoy this installment as much as I did Last Shot. Dev is a likeable character, but the running gag about his appearance wore thin after a while, kind of like the plot. It's not bad, but with sixteen other books in the series, I would read this one last.
January 30, 2017
Third-rate
Description under -"about this book" does not fit. I read 5 chapters, large selections of others, and all of the final one without finding humor, entertainment, or anything to make me laugh.
Description under -"about this book" does not fit. I read 5 chapters, large selections of others, and all of the final one without finding humor, entertainment, or anything to make me laugh.
March 12, 2017
Did not finish, I got to about 8%. It had a terrible beginning but because of the reviews continued on for a while. From the reviews I got the idea the story is supposed to be funny, but a lot of the lines were just cringe worthy cliches. Not good.
May 25, 2017
If I heard "You look like shit" one more time, I might have screamed!
June 21, 2023
Every single person telling him he looks like shit after being beaten up... dear lord we get it.
Sooooo much detail about every single place he visits (which are a lot). I really don't need to be able to picture the curtains when it's some place that you're in for a few pages and then never come back to. I just don't care.
There was no real mystery in the story. Very early on it's clear everything's going to turn out fine, it's just a question of how. And with all the detail and everyone telling him he looks shit I just... didn't care all that much. They also keep carrying on about how the bad guy is such an idiot... he makes a few dumb choices under pressure but who among us...
The most interesting character was the 'mob boss' type guy, unfortunately named Tubby. He was certainly the most engaging of the characters. He's only in it for a few pages. Him yelling at everyone to shut up while he's thinking when they're giving him more information was the most entertaining scene of the book.
Sooooo much detail about every single place he visits (which are a lot). I really don't need to be able to picture the curtains when it's some place that you're in for a few pages and then never come back to. I just don't care.
There was no real mystery in the story. Very early on it's clear everything's going to turn out fine, it's just a question of how. And with all the detail and everyone telling him he looks shit I just... didn't care all that much. They also keep carrying on about how the bad guy is such an idiot... he makes a few dumb choices under pressure but who among us...
The most interesting character was the 'mob boss' type guy, unfortunately named Tubby. He was certainly the most engaging of the characters. He's only in it for a few pages. Him yelling at everyone to shut up while he's thinking when they're giving him more information was the most entertaining scene of the book.
August 4, 2021
The Dev Haskell series is touted as humorous detective fiction. Until this book, I have agreed. However, this one is as serious as a heart attack and shows a side of our almost lovable detective not seen before. Dev is literally out for blood and will let nothing get in his way.
If you've been reading this series in order, I am sure that you, like I, have concluded that Dev Haskell is something of a horn dog. The beginning of YELLOW RIBBON seems to confirm this twice over. Keep reading my friend. Things are not always as they seem.
Faricy has succeeded in showing the soft underbelly of our beloved, beer swilling, girl watching, always in the wrong place, private investigator. One thing about Dev is he is never aggressive when it comes to his conquests. Even when a woman is passed out drunk, he doesn't take advantage. He puts them to bed, covers them up, and sleeps on the couch. As I make my way through the series, I find myself liking him more and more.
Emma and Ava, sisters aged five and four respectively, are kidnapped. Haskell will move heaven and hell to secure their safe return. As always, Dev gets himself into more trouble than is absolutely necessary, but little girls need his help so his impulsive nature is more than understandable. These kidnap victims are the children of Isabella and Danny who was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, in 2011. Everything screams tear jerker!
I'd like to add a point of personal privilege here… I've never understood just how the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" became the theme song for veterans returning home from war. The song is about a guy coming home from prison. He's a criminal. I'm a vet who never served in a war zone, but I think I would be offended by the whole yellow ribbon thing. Equating those who have served their country with criminals is just wrong.
In any event, the yellow ribbon in the story is about bringing home loved ones… not once, but twice. If YELLOW RIBBON doesn't make you weep and rage, I don't know what will.
If you've been reading this series in order, I am sure that you, like I, have concluded that Dev Haskell is something of a horn dog. The beginning of YELLOW RIBBON seems to confirm this twice over. Keep reading my friend. Things are not always as they seem.
Faricy has succeeded in showing the soft underbelly of our beloved, beer swilling, girl watching, always in the wrong place, private investigator. One thing about Dev is he is never aggressive when it comes to his conquests. Even when a woman is passed out drunk, he doesn't take advantage. He puts them to bed, covers them up, and sleeps on the couch. As I make my way through the series, I find myself liking him more and more.
Emma and Ava, sisters aged five and four respectively, are kidnapped. Haskell will move heaven and hell to secure their safe return. As always, Dev gets himself into more trouble than is absolutely necessary, but little girls need his help so his impulsive nature is more than understandable. These kidnap victims are the children of Isabella and Danny who was killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom, in 2011. Everything screams tear jerker!
I'd like to add a point of personal privilege here… I've never understood just how the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" became the theme song for veterans returning home from war. The song is about a guy coming home from prison. He's a criminal. I'm a vet who never served in a war zone, but I think I would be offended by the whole yellow ribbon thing. Equating those who have served their country with criminals is just wrong.
In any event, the yellow ribbon in the story is about bringing home loved ones… not once, but twice. If YELLOW RIBBON doesn't make you weep and rage, I don't know what will.
June 24, 2017
Yellow Ribbon, Dev Haskell mystery #11
by Mike Faricy
I always enjoy running into Dev Haskell and his strange little world. This particular novel was a treat, as it showed a really different side of Dev. Yes, Haskell is always a little too soft-hearted for his own good, but usually that comes with a side of horn dog. But this time, we get to see a Dev that is truly devoted to his late friend's family, and someone who finds it very easy to put his own safety aside in favor of saving his friend's two small children. Nice, Mike Faricy, really nice.
Dev's been asked to babysit for his late friend, Danny's two small chidren, Emma and Ava. Their regular sitter had to cancel and their mother, Isabelle, needs a replacement ASAP. So, even though he's had little sleep, he is glad to sit for these two children, just 5 and 4 years of age. While the girls are getting ready for bed, someone knocks on the door. When Dev answers it's a man who wants to see Isabelle. Emma pops up behind Dev to tell the visitor that he isn't welcome there and her mother said he was never to come back. Dev pauses to look at Emma and the visitor, Carlos, rings his bell. When he awakens, his coat, his car, and the girls are gone.
From there we go on a roller coaster ride as Dev chases Carlos around Minnesota, trying to catch Carlos, who has foolishly stolen from Tubby Gustafson, who has given Dev a mere 48 hours to return Carlos and the stolen money, while returning the girls to their mother safe and sound. Robbery, murder, gambling, strippers and car chases abound as Dev rushes to the rescue.
An easy summer read, this novel provided the reader an emotional involvement plus plenty of chills and thrills. Great flow and pacing. Nicely drawn and fleshed out characters. Good proofing and editing (I think, but I digress). And a really nice story that leaves the reader feeling that maybe all can be well in the world after all.
Okay -- the "I think" comment is because the only two things I noted in the proofing may not be errors. They may have been on purpose. One occurs at about 201 on my Kindle, and is part of dialogue, so Faricy may have been writing as we speak, which is often different (and less grammatically correct) than how we write: "That's okay. Will have it in just a second,..." I think it should be We'll rather than Will, but, again, spoken vs. written word could explain it.
Similarly, the second was also in dialogue and could also have been intentional. At about 2900, Isabelle is speaking: "...He and Danny were friends, good friends. In 2011. I asked Dev to to take down the yellow ribbon on the tree out front..." I think that should be a comma after 2011.
In any event, it was a great read and I'm looking forward to #12.
by Mike Faricy
I always enjoy running into Dev Haskell and his strange little world. This particular novel was a treat, as it showed a really different side of Dev. Yes, Haskell is always a little too soft-hearted for his own good, but usually that comes with a side of horn dog. But this time, we get to see a Dev that is truly devoted to his late friend's family, and someone who finds it very easy to put his own safety aside in favor of saving his friend's two small children. Nice, Mike Faricy, really nice.
Dev's been asked to babysit for his late friend, Danny's two small chidren, Emma and Ava. Their regular sitter had to cancel and their mother, Isabelle, needs a replacement ASAP. So, even though he's had little sleep, he is glad to sit for these two children, just 5 and 4 years of age. While the girls are getting ready for bed, someone knocks on the door. When Dev answers it's a man who wants to see Isabelle. Emma pops up behind Dev to tell the visitor that he isn't welcome there and her mother said he was never to come back. Dev pauses to look at Emma and the visitor, Carlos, rings his bell. When he awakens, his coat, his car, and the girls are gone.
From there we go on a roller coaster ride as Dev chases Carlos around Minnesota, trying to catch Carlos, who has foolishly stolen from Tubby Gustafson, who has given Dev a mere 48 hours to return Carlos and the stolen money, while returning the girls to their mother safe and sound. Robbery, murder, gambling, strippers and car chases abound as Dev rushes to the rescue.
An easy summer read, this novel provided the reader an emotional involvement plus plenty of chills and thrills. Great flow and pacing. Nicely drawn and fleshed out characters. Good proofing and editing (I think, but I digress). And a really nice story that leaves the reader feeling that maybe all can be well in the world after all.
Okay -- the "I think" comment is because the only two things I noted in the proofing may not be errors. They may have been on purpose. One occurs at about 201 on my Kindle, and is part of dialogue, so Faricy may have been writing as we speak, which is often different (and less grammatically correct) than how we write: "That's okay. Will have it in just a second,..." I think it should be We'll rather than Will, but, again, spoken vs. written word could explain it.
Similarly, the second was also in dialogue and could also have been intentional. At about 2900, Isabelle is speaking: "...He and Danny were friends, good friends. In 2011. I asked Dev to to take down the yellow ribbon on the tree out front..." I think that should be a comma after 2011.
In any event, it was a great read and I'm looking forward to #12.
December 17, 2017
Writing was pretty meh. There was the catatonic mother, the crying kidnapped daughters, the cool hero of the story (who was trying to seem like he wasn't always such a good guy), the cops (who do ... nothing! in this story), and then everyone else. That's it. Those are the characters. There must be about six or seven other characters who are all bad guys, all sleazy, all disgusting... And they're all the exact same. There's no intelligence to this story. It's beyond ridiculous. And then everyone accepts the ridiculous story at the end. There is no character development other than the yellow ribbon bit (TINY piece of the story, maybe a half-piece). More details went into describing the damage on the cars than the story in general.
And whatever version I read has two stories in one book, but only had Yellow Ribbon on the cover so I thought I was halfway done when I was really done.
And whatever version I read has two stories in one book, but only had Yellow Ribbon on the cover so I thought I was halfway done when I was really done.
February 11, 2017
E-Reader. Mystery
If you're a Dev Haskell fan & haven't read this book yet, you need to.
Dev is babysitting his friends two daughters, Emma 5, Ava 3. Someone comes to the front door banging. Dev answers the door & is hit with a gun on his head, knocks him out. He steals Devs car keys & car after two fought.
Dev eventually ends up in the trunk the girls in the back seat, after the guy who took them finds Devs gun in his glove box. He took Devs car & Dev is driving an old huge Cadillac following and after a while the kidnapper takes over the Cadillac, forces Devs in the trunk & Emma & Ava in the back seat.
There is so much more action & danger that happens. You'll wonder if they'll make it back alive.
If you're a Dev Haskell fan & haven't read this book yet, you need to.
Dev is babysitting his friends two daughters, Emma 5, Ava 3. Someone comes to the front door banging. Dev answers the door & is hit with a gun on his head, knocks him out. He steals Devs car keys & car after two fought.
Dev eventually ends up in the trunk the girls in the back seat, after the guy who took them finds Devs gun in his glove box. He took Devs car & Dev is driving an old huge Cadillac following and after a while the kidnapper takes over the Cadillac, forces Devs in the trunk & Emma & Ava in the back seat.
There is so much more action & danger that happens. You'll wonder if they'll make it back alive.
January 2, 2021
It's the only book of this series that I RUSHED through because for ME, too much violence, Carlos was so mentally ill that it was unnerving to me, and I was so concerned for the little girls, I actually knew it could turn out badly because Mike Faricy appears to know what people are really like deep down. I still LOVE all these books, and started Dog Gone immediately after finishing Yellow Ribbon.
I DO recommend the book, as with all of this series...just know Carlos is too real for a squeamish Grandmother:-) *wink
Thanks for all these books Mike, love 'em.
I DO recommend the book, as with all of this series...just know Carlos is too real for a squeamish Grandmother:-) *wink
Thanks for all these books Mike, love 'em.
July 29, 2018
Dev is babysitting Emma 5 and Ava 4 when Carlos comes to the door. Ava says he not suppose to be there anymore and then decks Dev. When Dev come to he finds out EMMA & Ava are missing. Dev gets interviewee by the police. Freddy comes for Dev Carlos stolen money from Tubby and he gives him 48 hours to find the money and bring Carlos back in. Dev is on the chase to find Carlos not because of Tubby but because of the 2 girls he kidnapped.
November 5, 2019
My first book with Dev & probably my last. The characters were caricatures. No one felt fleshed out, not even Dev. Well, I mean, he was a human punching bag who didn't seem to have enough street smarts to be a PI. I kept reading just because I couldn't believe that Dev being inept was really going to continue through the whole book. Spoiler alert - it does. The 5 year old facilitated the great escape at the end!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2017
The story was good as far as it went, but it was really a short read and I think there could have been much more going on in it. Descriptions were vivid, but again, as far as they went. There were several loose ends untidied. Punctuation was a nightmare and very distracting; the author's misuse of commas begs the question of who, if anyone, edited the manuscript.
December 25, 2017
I've read a few Dev Haskell books now, but this one didn't impress me. Dev basically gets his "a$$" kicked throughout the entire book. He just does one intelligent thing, but mostly, he gets lucky. I don't mind if the hero gets knocked down a few times, but he should be the one who triumphs, not some ancillary character. But that's what happens here. Will I read another? Absolutely.
November 16, 2022
An easy read. A private investigator is out on a personal mission to find his friend’s daughters who have been kidnapped while he was babysitting them. Will I pick up another Dev Haskell novel? Probably. The best part is that the books are in no particular order. One can pick up whichever and start reading.
February 6, 2017
Yellow Ribbon
Boy, if Development Haskell didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. A fun read staring at hapless PI, Mike Faricy writes a great descriptive book with lots of twists and turns, diverse characters and odd ball situations.
Boy, if Development Haskell didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. A fun read staring at hapless PI, Mike Faricy writes a great descriptive book with lots of twists and turns, diverse characters and odd ball situations.
January 11, 2018
Yellow Ribbon
Brain damage???? How many times can Dev get hit on his head and survive??? Really!!! Entertaining but unbelievable. I thought he was done getting beat up. See what happens next. At least he took some money.
Brain damage???? How many times can Dev get hit on his head and survive??? Really!!! Entertaining but unbelievable. I thought he was done getting beat up. See what happens next. At least he took some money.
May 16, 2018
Actually a novella and two partial books
Disappointing for me. I read the Dog Gone book by this author with the Dev Haskell main character and really enjoyed it. The Yellow Ribbon held my attention but wasn't as humorous.
Disappointing for me. I read the Dog Gone book by this author with the Dev Haskell main character and really enjoyed it. The Yellow Ribbon held my attention but wasn't as humorous.
April 5, 2019
Another thriller in the Haskell series
More action. Less humor. More thrills. Still an excellent read by Mike Faricy. There is no down time this time around. It's non-stop action from start to finish!
More action. Less humor. More thrills. Still an excellent read by Mike Faricy. There is no down time this time around. It's non-stop action from start to finish!
July 27, 2021
I've enjoyed many of your books and this is my favorite (so far because you are officially on my "Favorite Authors List")
Dev is always doing his thing which is close to following the rules... not quite. but he gets the job done. Thanks for entertaining me again!
Dev is always doing his thing which is close to following the rules... not quite. but he gets the job done. Thanks for entertaining me again!
June 2, 2023
This is book 11 of the series and I enjoy everything about them. The lead character is an enjoyable PI who probably is better than everybody thinks he is. His personal life & work constantly collide and it is a jolly good ride.
February 17, 2024
Poor Dev - now he is on a quest to recover two kidnapped children that he had been babysitting. Dev has never been more serious or more dedicated to solving a crime than he is right here, right now. A gripping tale. Highly Recommended.
March 13, 2017
Actually, this is 3 1/2 stars. This was an enjoyable, quick read. His stories are always a bit over the top, but that just adds to the joy of reading about this bumbling PI.
May 13, 2018
Great read
Second one of these I have read. I suggest reading Book 1, to get familiar with the characters. Very good.
Second one of these I have read. I suggest reading Book 1, to get familiar with the characters. Very good.
November 25, 2018
Okay short story with several introductory chapters for 2 additional stories.
3 stars
3 stars
March 27, 2019
An enjoyable read.
April 15, 2020
Tons of action to follow
The author does a good job while taking you on a wild goose ride. While you know the ending is coming, he just keeps throwing in some well written detours.
The author does a good job while taking you on a wild goose ride. While you know the ending is coming, he just keeps throwing in some well written detours.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews