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Eric Beckman #1
Yesterday's Thief
It’s the year 2020, and Eric Beckman is a mind-reading detective. Although he reads only the conscious thoughts of the people he interviews, it usually gives him enough of an edge to overcome his inexperience as a PI. But mind reading is hell on relationships. Trusting comes hard when you know what people are really thinking.The case of his life lands in his lap when a beautiful woman materializes during a televised baseball game. She floats in midair, then drops to the ground, comatose. Beckman is at her bedside when she wakes up. From the moment she opens her eyes, she has him under her spell. He vows to figure out where—or when—she came from, even if it kills him.The stakes increase when she disappears without a trace. Worse, she holds the key to a worldwide energy catastrophe. If Beckman can’t find her and unlock her secrets, economies will collapse, and the world will spiral down into chaos.
262 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2016
335 people are currently reading
974 people want to read
About the author
Al Macy
26 books152 followersAl Macy writes because he has stories to tell. In school he was the class clown and always the first volunteer for show and tell. His teachers would say “Al has a lot of imagination.” Then they'd roll their eyes.
But he put his storytelling on the back burner until he retired and wrote a blog about his efforts to improve his piano sight-reading. That's when his love of storytelling burbled up to the surface, along with quirky words like “burble.”
He had even more fun writing his second book, Drive, Ride, Repeat, but was bummed by non-fiction's need to stick to “the truth” (yucko). From then on it was fiction all the way, with a good dose of his science background burbling to the surface.
Macy's top priority is compelling storylines with satisfying plot twists, but he never neglects character development. No, wait … his top priority is quirkiness, then compelling storylines, then character development. No, wait …
But he put his storytelling on the back burner until he retired and wrote a blog about his efforts to improve his piano sight-reading. That's when his love of storytelling burbled up to the surface, along with quirky words like “burble.”
He had even more fun writing his second book, Drive, Ride, Repeat, but was bummed by non-fiction's need to stick to “the truth” (yucko). From then on it was fiction all the way, with a good dose of his science background burbling to the surface.
Macy's top priority is compelling storylines with satisfying plot twists, but he never neglects character development. No, wait … his top priority is quirkiness, then compelling storylines, then character development. No, wait …
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
September 9, 2018
For some reason I got it into my head that this was a YA based novel ..... but I was SO wrong .... and it couldn't have been more awesome!
An unusual mix of science with paranormal detective, it worked exceptionally well. There were some places in the plot that seemed to revert
to "cosiness" in the fact that the outcome was just too easy (Coming into huge amounts of money when the characters were broke), but it didn't detract from the story. The characters were quirky and Eric was gorgeous in all of his dorkiness and played off so well cast alongside with Viviana.
An exceptionally fun read that I literally couldn't put down and polished off in a few hours. I look forward to reading more of the series starring mind reading PI Eric Beckman.
I received an ebook copy of this novel from the author via Instafreebie. I have voluntarily chosen to review the book and the gifting in no way influences my review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.
An unusual mix of science with paranormal detective, it worked exceptionally well. There were some places in the plot that seemed to revert
to "cosiness" in the fact that the outcome was just too easy (Coming into huge amounts of money when the characters were broke), but it didn't detract from the story. The characters were quirky and Eric was gorgeous in all of his dorkiness and played off so well cast alongside with Viviana.
An exceptionally fun read that I literally couldn't put down and polished off in a few hours. I look forward to reading more of the series starring mind reading PI Eric Beckman.
I received an ebook copy of this novel from the author via Instafreebie. I have voluntarily chosen to review the book and the gifting in no way influences my review/rating, which reflects my honest opinion.
May 6, 2016
2 stars
Oh, dear. Though this book has an awesome title, a very profesional cover and an intriguing premise, its negatives sink its one positive.
The only positive being that the plot is well done. We've got a whole bunch of elements that the author managed to logically tie together. For the most part, the plot was always moving forward.
However, on the other end, all these elements are missing this cohesive glue to really get them to mesh. It really just feels like a bunch of mismatched ideas forced to work together. And they do, work together, that is, but working together isn't enough.
The best way I could explain is that it was missing the human element.
The kindest word I could describe these characters with is stereotypical. They were flat. Even though I could logically come up with my own explanations and psychoanalysis, make my own assumptions, why they did this or that (create my own backstory for them in my head), or why the thief wanted to quit--my point is that the author never delved into that point.
We don't have any character exploration going on here. We don't see any depth or what event or why it triggers characters to try to change. The author never tried to get us close to the characters. We never learn what makes them tick.
For example, we see that the main character has an interest in time travel physics and seemed to have done some research before the story started. Why was he interested in this enough to pursue his own private research? As far as I understood it, his field of specialty has to do with the brain (because he wanted to understand his mindreading ability). And what about his mind reading? As far as I can see it, its only purpose is used as a plot tool. How does mind reading tie in with his character? The author never tried to go deeper than admitting his fear of being a 'lab rat,' should anyone find out. He admits hiding his talent is selfish. But that's it. The author never went beyond that. This could have been a great theme to explore: the human nature to act selfish in order to protect themselves.
As for our second character, the thief, how did life lead them down this path? And why and what (aside from fear of getting caught and imprisoned) is stopping them from continuing? Do they actually want to stop or would they keep doing it if they knew they could get away with it. We're told like three historical details about this character. How does the character feel about these things?
As for the subplot, the romance, it is for the reason of no character depth that the little romance there is in this book is, at best, laughable, at worst, so cringeworthy, you couldn't believe the author thought it was a good idea to try and execute it. I can't tell beyond her looks and I don't know what attracts her to him that make them even like each other. If you're going to make romance your subplot, then at least make sure you're somewhat competent at it. Read a few romance books and study how the author convinces the reader of the love between the characters (and stay away from any book promoting soulmates or 'bonds'--usually that involves instalove and me rolling my eyes). I didn't see anything that amounted to character portrayal, character development, and character revelation, amongst other things like emotional conflict and tension between the characters. We had a bit moral conflict, but nothing that actually held me to my seat. What qualities do they see in each other that they really admire? Were there bad qualities that attracted them to the other? Physical attraction is the weakest and poorest explanation for love that a writer can throw at a reader. Please don't throw around any 'I love you's unless you can back it up.
Furthermore, there were some really awkward narrative choices that the author chose to make.
For about 7 chapters, we are reading this book, in first person, from the private investigator's POV. So I had settled into the very erroneous assumption that this book would be narrated by ONE character, in first person. Then, then (seriously, this threw me off) in chapter 8 we switch to 3rd person to a woman's POV. From then on, the book keeps switching like that, between 1st POV (detective) and 3rd POV (woman). It was jarring and IRRITATING!
Look, very rarely have I seen writers pull this kind of jarring POV switching off. The only place (read: ONLY) I have ever seen it succeed (and rarely) is in a serial murder mystery, where the murderer is portrayed in 3rd person and given their own chapters.
If the author wasn't comfortable writing in 1st person POV from the woman's perspective, then he should have stuck to 3rd POV all the way through. It would have at least flowed better.
The other issue I had with this book is actually very small. The author introduced advanced technological possibilities that exist in the year 2020. My 'beef' with these advancements lie in the fact that this book is published in 2016. The author assumes that four years is enough to allow these things to come to fruition. I'll tackle the first technology: the autocab. As you can probably guess by the name, it is a car that can drive itself. There is no driver's seat. Yes, it is quite possible. We do have the technological knowhow to build this. Motion sensors, and lots of programming. The problem lies elsewhere. The law. That's right. You'd have to pass a lot of laws to allow a piece of machinery to drive itself on a road without someone in the missing driver's seat, should anything go wrong. This requires a lot of time. The technology would have to pass so many tests, etc. My point is that four years isn't a realistic estimate of how long this would take. Do you know how long it would take to convince people it would be safe to allow a self-driving vehicle on the road without the assurance of a driver? You even mention in the paper that your city council is considering this move and you'll get protesters with a bajillion reasons that this is a bad idea. This is a completely different situation to that new car that can self park and claims it can drive too. In this case, we still have a driver who's liable to the law.
My next argument lies with the Hyperfix. This is some type of adhesive gel that somehow uses stem cells to speed up healing from weeks to a few days, even one day. Let's forget for a moment that it is very expensive for researchers to convert stemcells to something else, and even convert cells to stemcells. Let's forget that we are still far away from that point in the future when a 'gel' could determine which cells it needs to copy. So let's assume that medical breakthrough was available today. How long would it take for it to get on the market? And how long would it take to make it affordable on the market as well? As my sister who used to work in medical research used to tell me, it would take years to get a project approved for human test subjects after the animal testing stage. Then there would be years of waiting to see if there are adverse effects. Since the author provided little information on how this stem cell based gel works, I assume that parts of it somehow integrate into human flesh or something. So we've got a foreign biohardous material integrating with our own cells. Then we have to monitor how that healed site holds up over a few years. Will it become toxic (release radicals, etc)? Will the cells be prone to cancer? Then many more laws would have to be passed so that this product would be commercially available, because, after all, it would be somehow merged with the human skin. This is completely different than slapping on a bandaid. What does this all lead to? Unlike the previous invention, laws involving medicine take much longer to adapt than simple 'traffic laws.'
I could have bought that these things existed if we were like twenty or thirty years in the future, but denitely NOT FOUR YEARS LATER. That kind of optimism belies an ignorance to the way our human society works.
Overall, the cummulutive effect is that of a B-grade movie. All action, no substance. Momentary entertainment, but I walk away with nothing.
Here's the thing. The real dealbreaker. This book could have been good. It also had its moments when I thought the author might finally delve into character. It had a very inventive plot, but everything else wasn't there-- compelling characters, good character development, and some kind centralized theme that explored some kind of 'deep truth' about human nature. The message I got from this book was try to make money. That seemed to be the lesson of this book: 'Aim to hit big, because being rich will solve all your problems.'
I didn't learn anything valuable, this book didn't make me think or question any of my beliefs, etc...Not that I always expect my beliefs to be tested or affirmed when I open a book, but I didn't even fall in love with the characters, either. This was basically an empty read. The only people I can honestly recommend this book to are readers who only care about plot, but not character. This book will leave anyone else unfulfilled.
I won't read this author again.
Oh, dear. Though this book has an awesome title, a very profesional cover and an intriguing premise, its negatives sink its one positive.
The only positive being that the plot is well done. We've got a whole bunch of elements that the author managed to logically tie together. For the most part, the plot was always moving forward.
However, on the other end, all these elements are missing this cohesive glue to really get them to mesh. It really just feels like a bunch of mismatched ideas forced to work together. And they do, work together, that is, but working together isn't enough.
The best way I could explain is that it was missing the human element.
The kindest word I could describe these characters with is stereotypical. They were flat. Even though I could logically come up with my own explanations and psychoanalysis, make my own assumptions, why they did this or that (create my own backstory for them in my head), or why the thief wanted to quit--my point is that the author never delved into that point.
We don't have any character exploration going on here. We don't see any depth or what event or why it triggers characters to try to change. The author never tried to get us close to the characters. We never learn what makes them tick.
For example, we see that the main character has an interest in time travel physics and seemed to have done some research before the story started. Why was he interested in this enough to pursue his own private research? As far as I understood it, his field of specialty has to do with the brain (because he wanted to understand his mindreading ability). And what about his mind reading? As far as I can see it, its only purpose is used as a plot tool. How does mind reading tie in with his character? The author never tried to go deeper than admitting his fear of being a 'lab rat,' should anyone find out. He admits hiding his talent is selfish. But that's it. The author never went beyond that. This could have been a great theme to explore: the human nature to act selfish in order to protect themselves.
As for our second character, the thief, how did life lead them down this path? And why and what (aside from fear of getting caught and imprisoned) is stopping them from continuing? Do they actually want to stop or would they keep doing it if they knew they could get away with it. We're told like three historical details about this character. How does the character feel about these things?
As for the subplot, the romance, it is for the reason of no character depth that the little romance there is in this book is, at best, laughable, at worst, so cringeworthy, you couldn't believe the author thought it was a good idea to try and execute it. I can't tell beyond her looks and I don't know what attracts her to him that make them even like each other. If you're going to make romance your subplot, then at least make sure you're somewhat competent at it. Read a few romance books and study how the author convinces the reader of the love between the characters (and stay away from any book promoting soulmates or 'bonds'--usually that involves instalove and me rolling my eyes). I didn't see anything that amounted to character portrayal, character development, and character revelation, amongst other things like emotional conflict and tension between the characters. We had a bit moral conflict, but nothing that actually held me to my seat. What qualities do they see in each other that they really admire? Were there bad qualities that attracted them to the other? Physical attraction is the weakest and poorest explanation for love that a writer can throw at a reader. Please don't throw around any 'I love you's unless you can back it up.
Furthermore, there were some really awkward narrative choices that the author chose to make.
For about 7 chapters, we are reading this book, in first person, from the private investigator's POV. So I had settled into the very erroneous assumption that this book would be narrated by ONE character, in first person. Then, then (seriously, this threw me off) in chapter 8 we switch to 3rd person to a woman's POV. From then on, the book keeps switching like that, between 1st POV (detective) and 3rd POV (woman). It was jarring and IRRITATING!
Look, very rarely have I seen writers pull this kind of jarring POV switching off. The only place (read: ONLY) I have ever seen it succeed (and rarely) is in a serial murder mystery, where the murderer is portrayed in 3rd person and given their own chapters.
If the author wasn't comfortable writing in 1st person POV from the woman's perspective, then he should have stuck to 3rd POV all the way through. It would have at least flowed better.
The other issue I had with this book is actually very small. The author introduced advanced technological possibilities that exist in the year 2020. My 'beef' with these advancements lie in the fact that this book is published in 2016. The author assumes that four years is enough to allow these things to come to fruition. I'll tackle the first technology: the autocab. As you can probably guess by the name, it is a car that can drive itself. There is no driver's seat. Yes, it is quite possible. We do have the technological knowhow to build this. Motion sensors, and lots of programming. The problem lies elsewhere. The law. That's right. You'd have to pass a lot of laws to allow a piece of machinery to drive itself on a road without someone in the missing driver's seat, should anything go wrong. This requires a lot of time. The technology would have to pass so many tests, etc. My point is that four years isn't a realistic estimate of how long this would take. Do you know how long it would take to convince people it would be safe to allow a self-driving vehicle on the road without the assurance of a driver? You even mention in the paper that your city council is considering this move and you'll get protesters with a bajillion reasons that this is a bad idea. This is a completely different situation to that new car that can self park and claims it can drive too. In this case, we still have a driver who's liable to the law.
My next argument lies with the Hyperfix. This is some type of adhesive gel that somehow uses stem cells to speed up healing from weeks to a few days, even one day. Let's forget for a moment that it is very expensive for researchers to convert stemcells to something else, and even convert cells to stemcells. Let's forget that we are still far away from that point in the future when a 'gel' could determine which cells it needs to copy. So let's assume that medical breakthrough was available today. How long would it take for it to get on the market? And how long would it take to make it affordable on the market as well? As my sister who used to work in medical research used to tell me, it would take years to get a project approved for human test subjects after the animal testing stage. Then there would be years of waiting to see if there are adverse effects. Since the author provided little information on how this stem cell based gel works, I assume that parts of it somehow integrate into human flesh or something. So we've got a foreign biohardous material integrating with our own cells. Then we have to monitor how that healed site holds up over a few years. Will it become toxic (release radicals, etc)? Will the cells be prone to cancer? Then many more laws would have to be passed so that this product would be commercially available, because, after all, it would be somehow merged with the human skin. This is completely different than slapping on a bandaid. What does this all lead to? Unlike the previous invention, laws involving medicine take much longer to adapt than simple 'traffic laws.'
I could have bought that these things existed if we were like twenty or thirty years in the future, but denitely NOT FOUR YEARS LATER. That kind of optimism belies an ignorance to the way our human society works.
Overall, the cummulutive effect is that of a B-grade movie. All action, no substance. Momentary entertainment, but I walk away with nothing.
Here's the thing. The real dealbreaker. This book could have been good. It also had its moments when I thought the author might finally delve into character. It had a very inventive plot, but everything else wasn't there-- compelling characters, good character development, and some kind centralized theme that explored some kind of 'deep truth' about human nature. The message I got from this book was try to make money. That seemed to be the lesson of this book: 'Aim to hit big, because being rich will solve all your problems.'
I didn't learn anything valuable, this book didn't make me think or question any of my beliefs, etc...Not that I always expect my beliefs to be tested or affirmed when I open a book, but I didn't even fall in love with the characters, either. This was basically an empty read. The only people I can honestly recommend this book to are readers who only care about plot, but not character. This book will leave anyone else unfulfilled.
I won't read this author again.
April 10, 2017
This was an exciting read! I really like the premise of the book and the beginning of it was really captivating as well. I do wish I got more about the mind-reading, even though it served more as a tool to solve the crime/mystery. Interesting nonetheless.
May 25, 2016
Fabulous story amazing topic to write about wonderfully written plus the characters where a lively bunch. A well thought out story enjoyed reading this story very much this book is for my fabulous shelf. My thanks to the author AL Macy for the privilege and the wonderful pleasure of reading this wonderful book I would be delighted to recommend this wonderful book to my friends so as always happy reading to all from wee me. ♥☺☺
November 8, 2020
Mind reading PI and a little Time Travel
Sometimes interesting, sometimes a s!ow read. For me, I found myself putting if down now and then---which never happens when I'm fully involved with a story.
I think it could have used a tad more romance and a good deal more suspense. But the writing style was OK, and I did read it through to the end.
Sometimes interesting, sometimes a s!ow read. For me, I found myself putting if down now and then---which never happens when I'm fully involved with a story.
I think it could have used a tad more romance and a good deal more suspense. But the writing style was OK, and I did read it through to the end.
December 31, 2017
This will be my last review of 77 books read for 2017, twelve books over my planned goal of 65. I would have loved to exit 2017 with a blockbuster but the book as only okay. I thought this book to be a couple of characters looking for a plot. However, the book did allow me to complete an ABC reading challenge of reading 26 books beginning with a different letter of the alphabet.
The protagonist of this novel is Eric Beckman, former neuroscientist and current private investigator. The impetus for the career change is unclear but might lie with the fact that he possesses the ability to read others' thoughts. (The backstory behind this skill is not addressed.) The only other person who is aware of Eric's gift is friend and former colleague, Craig Porter, a neurosurgeon. He calls Eric to consult on a case regarding a young naked woman who appeared from the air during a baseball game, her hand merged in the cranium of the umpire. After transport to the hospital and finger amputated, she lies in comatose state. Dr. Porter hopes that Eric might learn more about her identity if she can read her thoughts.
The story eventually involves time travel which is not explained, a hurried and meandering romance with the young woman, and a thwarted theft of an energy ball (I love this technological language!) from the woman's uncle who invented the aforementioned time machine.
The novel had it humorous moments, such as when Eric loiters in the financial district hoping to obtain insider information regarding future industrial development which might impact the stock market. However, superfluous characters serving very little purpose for the plot and questionable motivation for characters actions.
The protagonist of this novel is Eric Beckman, former neuroscientist and current private investigator. The impetus for the career change is unclear but might lie with the fact that he possesses the ability to read others' thoughts. (The backstory behind this skill is not addressed.) The only other person who is aware of Eric's gift is friend and former colleague, Craig Porter, a neurosurgeon. He calls Eric to consult on a case regarding a young naked woman who appeared from the air during a baseball game, her hand merged in the cranium of the umpire. After transport to the hospital and finger amputated, she lies in comatose state. Dr. Porter hopes that Eric might learn more about her identity if she can read her thoughts.
The story eventually involves time travel which is not explained, a hurried and meandering romance with the young woman, and a thwarted theft of an energy ball (I love this technological language!) from the woman's uncle who invented the aforementioned time machine.
The novel had it humorous moments, such as when Eric loiters in the financial district hoping to obtain insider information regarding future industrial development which might impact the stock market. However, superfluous characters serving very little purpose for the plot and questionable motivation for characters actions.
December 18, 2016
Yesterday's Thief by Al Macy is a wonderful sci-fi, paranormal, fun adventure novel that keeps moving at a quick pace. It's full of humor, time travel, intrigue, danger, action, and a bit of romance. The story caught and held me right away when the characters in the book are watching a ball game on TV and a naked lady appears behind home plate in thin air, live broadcast, and her and the umpire collapse together on the field. If that doesn't catch your attention, what will? She was laying as if on an invisible table and her finger was embedded in the umpire's skull. A surgeon was called and asked his PI friend to come along. His name is Eric and he is not just any PI, he has a secret, he can read minds. The story gets crazier from there. The woman claims to have amnesia but escapes, Eric figures out who she really is and it is not from this time period, he is also working on another interesting case, things get wild. This is a must read book. Fun dialogue, great plot, lots of twists, great unique characters, and I can't wait to see more from this series. I received this book from LibraryThing for a honest review and it in no way effects my rating or review content, it is just darn good!
July 27, 2016
The opening scene grabs your attention and makes you wonder why? From there the story continued to be interesting and became a very quick read. It was interesting having a PI that can read thoughts, because when he'd ask someone a question and they'd think the truthful answer but verbally give a lie - made for some funny scenes. If there's ever a sequel I'd probably read it, since I really enjoyed this book.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
July 4, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this twist on time travel. With a unique storyline, fleshed-out characters and solid writing, this is definitely one I'd recommend to anyone who likes Sci-Fi, mysteries, gritty detectives and / or fast paced stories with realistic characters.
June 20, 2020
This was a delightful surprise. After so many books recently that were labeled "science" fiction but seemed ignorant of any hint of science, this one had a great balance. It did not dive too deeply into science at all, while getting (as best I can tell) what it did touch on correct. Basically the author did not over-emphasize the science fiction aspects (such as time travel and oil-eating virus) but planted the idea and let it play out in the story naturally, as effects not as the main plot. It was a bit short, emphasized by being a fast and easy read as well as one holding your attention.
The character development was decent. The love-at-first-thought (of sorts) not completely believable, especially since it was mutual, but played out well. The trans assistant, interaction with the doctor all added interest and good setup for future stories (the police interaction was a tad weak).
I have mixed feeling about some tangents, like the SEC investigation on his stock buy. It was more of a dead end tangent, but it also added some realism to the process. Similarly the love interest he picked up and then, literally, forgot about. Ultimately these tangents made it more realistic, even if they did not feed the story line directly.
I would have liked to see about another hundred pages, maybe a more slow process of falling in love and developing the relationship more.
But on net it was really a very nice read, and definitely merits me looking at the next volume now.
The character development was decent. The love-at-first-thought (of sorts) not completely believable, especially since it was mutual, but played out well. The trans assistant, interaction with the doctor all added interest and good setup for future stories (the police interaction was a tad weak).
I have mixed feeling about some tangents, like the SEC investigation on his stock buy. It was more of a dead end tangent, but it also added some realism to the process. Similarly the love interest he picked up and then, literally, forgot about. Ultimately these tangents made it more realistic, even if they did not feed the story line directly.
I would have liked to see about another hundred pages, maybe a more slow process of falling in love and developing the relationship more.
But on net it was really a very nice read, and definitely merits me looking at the next volume now.
March 19, 2019
YESTERDAY’S THIEF by Al Macy is not easy to categorize. But that’s not a bad thing.
The protagonist of YESTERDAY’S THIEF is a mind-reading detective. I wasn’t sure about this at first. I thought: “How much fun could this be? He could solve the case just be reading the killer’s mind!” As it turns out, the mind-reading capabilities are extremely limited. This makes the idea less over the top that it might at first appear. He still has to do some old-fashioned sleuthing.
The plot is more science fiction than mystery and involves limited time travel and a few societal explorations of a few years in the future. Some of the ideas, apart from the mind-reading, are quite interesting. For example, the world’s oil supplies are dwindling due to accidental release of petroleum-eating bacteria originally created to clean up oil spills. The only problem is that the author may have inadvertently limited his vision because the setting is 2020, which will be here and gone (and may be gone before you read these words) before we know it.
The characters are quite fun. The time traveler, for example, is a beautiful Eastern European woman but the detective’s sexy secretary is a transgender man who appears to be a beautiful woman.
Is it a detective story? Is it science fiction? Is it a fun story?
I might suggest the answer to all three questions may be:
Yes.
The protagonist of YESTERDAY’S THIEF is a mind-reading detective. I wasn’t sure about this at first. I thought: “How much fun could this be? He could solve the case just be reading the killer’s mind!” As it turns out, the mind-reading capabilities are extremely limited. This makes the idea less over the top that it might at first appear. He still has to do some old-fashioned sleuthing.
The plot is more science fiction than mystery and involves limited time travel and a few societal explorations of a few years in the future. Some of the ideas, apart from the mind-reading, are quite interesting. For example, the world’s oil supplies are dwindling due to accidental release of petroleum-eating bacteria originally created to clean up oil spills. The only problem is that the author may have inadvertently limited his vision because the setting is 2020, which will be here and gone (and may be gone before you read these words) before we know it.
The characters are quite fun. The time traveler, for example, is a beautiful Eastern European woman but the detective’s sexy secretary is a transgender man who appears to be a beautiful woman.
Is it a detective story? Is it science fiction? Is it a fun story?
I might suggest the answer to all three questions may be:
Yes.
June 3, 2019
Reading Al Macy’s Dr. Beckmann books, I often wondered how Beckmann met his unusual, yet beautiful wife. I finally got to read the first Eric Beckman series book and, I have to say, I enjoyed the humor and the romance encapsulated in that book.
Born in 1949, this western European women with long dark lustrous hair, athletic, and a habitual jewel thief, Viviana and Beckman instantly became in love with each other at their first meeting. Viviana was confused when she woke up from a coma after time traveling to the present so she did what came naturally to her from her criminal experience, she ran and hid. Her new life was financed with a cash and jewelry stash that shit hi away for this eventuality. Beckmann finally caught up with her. The couple agreed to trust each other implicitly and a true love bond developed as a result. Viviana and Beckmann’s close doctor friend Craig are the only two people in the world that now know of Beckmann’s mind-reading ability.
This first book in the Beckmann series had the right amount of humor, romance, and intrigue to be a very enjoyable read.
Born in 1949, this western European women with long dark lustrous hair, athletic, and a habitual jewel thief, Viviana and Beckman instantly became in love with each other at their first meeting. Viviana was confused when she woke up from a coma after time traveling to the present so she did what came naturally to her from her criminal experience, she ran and hid. Her new life was financed with a cash and jewelry stash that shit hi away for this eventuality. Beckmann finally caught up with her. The couple agreed to trust each other implicitly and a true love bond developed as a result. Viviana and Beckmann’s close doctor friend Craig are the only two people in the world that now know of Beckmann’s mind-reading ability.
This first book in the Beckmann series had the right amount of humor, romance, and intrigue to be a very enjoyable read.
November 25, 2016
A satisfying read - light and tasty
The author captures a fulfilling sense of whimsy throughout the story. Enough back story is given to set the required scenery and plot in motion.
The author describes the science enough to get over the bumps that are present in a way that does not detract but adds to the storyline. Not to give away any spoilers, this is the first novel I have read that treats the plot devices in this manner - and presents logical reasoning to support them.
The character and plot development are handled smoothly moving from a "how'd this occur" to "ah - makes sense" explanation (major plot points are not left in question).
And like many a situation in life there is a rush near the end to tie everything together in a neat bow (which of course really doesn't happen in life) that has the reader going "more, I want more" from the author!
The author captures a fulfilling sense of whimsy throughout the story. Enough back story is given to set the required scenery and plot in motion.
The author describes the science enough to get over the bumps that are present in a way that does not detract but adds to the storyline. Not to give away any spoilers, this is the first novel I have read that treats the plot devices in this manner - and presents logical reasoning to support them.
The character and plot development are handled smoothly moving from a "how'd this occur" to "ah - makes sense" explanation (major plot points are not left in question).
And like many a situation in life there is a rush near the end to tie everything together in a neat bow (which of course really doesn't happen in life) that has the reader going "more, I want more" from the author!
June 14, 2021
Alright, first of all, this came out in 2016, set in 2020. So four years into the future from the time this book was published. Self-driving cars are pretty much only just now being tested in 2020 and 2021, but yes, they have self-driving taxis.
Anyway, now that I have that off my chest, I have to say that these books that I have downloaded for my journal are not looking good. I struck gold with the X-Gen series and the three books since then have fall waaaaay down. I’m so disappointed.
The premise of this book sounded interesting, I was looking forward to a mind-reading PI…This is going slap bang into the DNF pile, which is just steadily growing, more than I want it to.
If you'd like to read the rest of my review, please visit my blog!
Anyway, now that I have that off my chest, I have to say that these books that I have downloaded for my journal are not looking good. I struck gold with the X-Gen series and the three books since then have fall waaaaay down. I’m so disappointed.
The premise of this book sounded interesting, I was looking forward to a mind-reading PI…This is going slap bang into the DNF pile, which is just steadily growing, more than I want it to.
If you'd like to read the rest of my review, please visit my blog!
September 8, 2017
A Private Investigator who can “hear” the thoughts of others. A naked woman who appears “out of thin air” at Home Plate on a televised ballgame. A bizarre kidnapping. A suicide attempt gone wrong. And a near future (2020) where things are changing even faster than they are now. An interesting mix of plot elements that will keep you turning the pages. As a bonus, there is a free download of “Yesterday’s Thief Technical Notes” that gives interesting insights into the author’s sanity and sense of humour.
This is one of those three-plus-star reviews that has been rounded up to four.
There are two more novels that follow this one, so if the taste of this one pleases you palate, there is guaranteed more to come.
This is one of those three-plus-star reviews that has been rounded up to four.
There are two more novels that follow this one, so if the taste of this one pleases you palate, there is guaranteed more to come.
January 8, 2017
Hm, preco autor, ktory vyda knihu v r. 2016, da dej knihy do buducnosti do r. 2020??? Nechapem, vsak je to za rohom.
Ok, Erik je vysetrovatel, ktory ma schopnost citat myslienky. Super, nie? Jedneho dna vidi v telke, ze sa pocas zapasu zrazu z nicoho nic objavi naha zena na ihrisku - cestovala v case. Erik sa snazi vysetrit, kto to je, ale to, ze ona je v kome a ma myslienky v inom jazyku, mu nepomaha :slight_smile:
Nakoniec sa preberie, on sa do nej zalubi, zisti, ze je to profesionalna zlodejka, ktorej otec zostrojil stroj casu a teraz ho hlada.
Kniha bola nabita dejom, bolo tam toho ozaj dost, ale nieco tomu chybalo.
Ok, Erik je vysetrovatel, ktory ma schopnost citat myslienky. Super, nie? Jedneho dna vidi v telke, ze sa pocas zapasu zrazu z nicoho nic objavi naha zena na ihrisku - cestovala v case. Erik sa snazi vysetrit, kto to je, ale to, ze ona je v kome a ma myslienky v inom jazyku, mu nepomaha :slight_smile:
Nakoniec sa preberie, on sa do nej zalubi, zisti, ze je to profesionalna zlodejka, ktorej otec zostrojil stroj casu a teraz ho hlada.
Kniha bola nabita dejom, bolo tam toho ozaj dost, ale nieco tomu chybalo.
September 11, 2024
Want to go back to the future? This book will let you, but only if you read it when it came out. However it's still a fun look at what the future could have been. Merge that plotline with a PI search to find someone, and he is not the only one. Turns out his assistant is pretty good too. There's also a bit of "no good deed goes unpunished", plus what the does Eric Beckman really know about romance. That part of his life is real confused.
If was fun to just follow along and enjoy the sequences and action as they happened. Just don't get too serious about it.
If was fun to just follow along and enjoy the sequences and action as they happened. Just don't get too serious about it.
March 6, 2017
Available Kindle Unlimited but I got it free through library thing same as the other one Sanity's Thief. . Odd story, enjoyable but odd, very odd. Held my attention and all, just a bit confusing here and there so unsure whether that was the writing or the reading of it to be totally fair as sometimes read with kindle for pc and sometimes let audio take over with those programs.
date is off because noticed had done amazon but not here
date is off because noticed had done amazon but not here
March 15, 2018
Terrific
While I wasn't in a hurry to read this, as I had my 10 KINDLE unlimited books already waiting, I glanced at the first page and that was all it took. I got the feeling that the PI, Eric, might have been a little amused by the weird in his life. I couldn't stop reading. It was wild, fun, mysterious, and dangerous. I loved it and you will too. Can't wait for the next one.
While I wasn't in a hurry to read this, as I had my 10 KINDLE unlimited books already waiting, I glanced at the first page and that was all it took. I got the feeling that the PI, Eric, might have been a little amused by the weird in his life. I couldn't stop reading. It was wild, fun, mysterious, and dangerous. I loved it and you will too. Can't wait for the next one.
January 13, 2020
Good mix of science fiction and private investigation with interesting relationships to help the story along. It would be difficult for Eric to keep his ability to mind-read a secret for as long as he has - I know that I would have messed up multiple times. I found it strange that the story was set in 2020. Too many things had happened in the small time gap from writing the story. I think 2030 (or at least 2025) would have been better. This annoyed me but didn’t detract from the story.
July 2, 2017
(3.5)
A fun, quick read. Not a lot of actual detecting happens on the part of our PI sleuth protagonist, and a side quest involving a missing person has no impact whatsoever on the main story, but it's still a fast-moving good time. And the mystery woman, Viviana, is a hoot. Worth reading just for her.
A fun, quick read. Not a lot of actual detecting happens on the part of our PI sleuth protagonist, and a side quest involving a missing person has no impact whatsoever on the main story, but it's still a fast-moving good time. And the mystery woman, Viviana, is a hoot. Worth reading just for her.
June 16, 2018
I should like this book, but I don't. I got 39% into the book (Chapter 9), put it down and could never make myself pick it up again. The worldbuilding and story were good; the characters - blah. I'm not deleting the book from my collection for about 6 months in case I change my mind about it, but I'm not holding my breath.
October 20, 2018
Yesterday's Theif
So much fun: wonderful characters, both snarky and subtle humor and a crash course in Romanian. What more could you ask for in a paranormal sci-fi thriller? Oh yeah, some romance and a touch of Phillip Marlowe, check. I enjoyed this book immensly and will now go for more.
So much fun: wonderful characters, both snarky and subtle humor and a crash course in Romanian. What more could you ask for in a paranormal sci-fi thriller? Oh yeah, some romance and a touch of Phillip Marlowe, check. I enjoyed this book immensly and will now go for more.
February 3, 2019
This book is very interesting and intriguing. The characters are awesome and the story is totally worth the read. It’s unusual, thrilling, and paranormal. If you like reading about things that happen in the future as well as about things that are going to happen then this book will grab you and run!!
November 21, 2019
I enjoyed it. This book will keep you captivated from start to finish. An action packed story about a mind reader and time travel. It is innovative for our time. Al Macy keeps you entertained with his ability to jump back and forth from the present to the 1980s. If you enjoy time travel stories, you will love Yesterday's Thief.
March 29, 2020
Yup, like an old Porsche ride in San Francisco,
Smooth curves on gravel, just as I thought events were going smoothly, zing! Al Macy smiles, what? there was a lot hole or speed bump. Thank goodness for " look up medical terms and awesome folks Macy knows, thought shunts were for heart, now I know for brains. Can't wait to see what happens next book.
Smooth curves on gravel, just as I thought events were going smoothly, zing! Al Macy smiles, what? there was a lot hole or speed bump. Thank goodness for " look up medical terms and awesome folks Macy knows, thought shunts were for heart, now I know for brains. Can't wait to see what happens next book.
December 27, 2020
Great fun
Just when you don't expect it somebody from the past materialises right before your eyes. Don't you just hate it when that happens. Fortunately, Eric is on hand to pick up a few clues and fall in love with the leading lady. Seriously, what could go wrong?! An entertaining read with great characters and witty writing.
Just when you don't expect it somebody from the past materialises right before your eyes. Don't you just hate it when that happens. Fortunately, Eric is on hand to pick up a few clues and fall in love with the leading lady. Seriously, what could go wrong?! An entertaining read with great characters and witty writing.
June 18, 2017
Enjoyable
I enjoyed this book, as I have others that Al Macy has written. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story flowed well and kept me interested beyond the end.
I enjoyed this book, as I have others that Al Macy has written. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story flowed well and kept me interested beyond the end.
February 4, 2018
Liked the book. The premise of a mind reading PI was interesting. Kind of a dark look at the future but entirely possible with energy and global warming issues. Will be looking forward to the next installment of Eric’s story.
February 12, 2018
Fun story and interesting characters. I kept picturing Peggy in my head while reading about her and it was amusing. I'll say no more on that, haha! I would have liked a little more story though. I feel like I burned through it really fast. Overall good though.
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