Foiled is the Fourteenth mystery in the highly entertaining Dev Haskell Private Investigator series. Fun loving, back slapping, wrong guessing Dev is surprised when Bonnie, a one-night stand from ten years back, suddenly shows up in the office and hires Dev, along with his Golden Retriever, Morton to provide 'security' for she and her business partner Iggy while they complete a software project. Iggy turns out to have a number of issues, add to that the criminal activity of Niles Wegger as he attempts to insert a bug in the software and you've got Dev calling on former NFL tight end, Luscious Dixon for some special help. If you like Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey & Elmore Leonard - make room for one more! "Faricy is America's hottest new mystery writer...and Dev Haskell is one of the looniest and most enjoyable characters inhabiting the world out there today." The Dirty Lowdown "Faricy is the next Carl Hiaasen." Crime Scene "I'm not sure what Faricy is drinking...but it really works!" Behind Bars
I 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.
The problem with writing reviews for series that are well into the character, is that you do not know who will be reading it. The seasoned Dev Haskell follower, of which there are at least 8 or 9, will understand an attempt at humor, no matter how lame. If you are new to Dev Haskell and expecting a serious by the book PI, you probably didn't get as far as reading this review. Suffice it to say, Dev is Dev and Morton has once again saved his career. If you are new to Dev Haskell but like humor and a slightly flawed hero, you will love this book!
Well, Dev and Morton are back on the job. In this outing, Dev has been hired by a woman, Bonnie, he once had a one night stand with at a friend's wedding. That was a decade ago. Now she's calling, as if no time has passed, asking Dev to do some security for her soon-to-be new company. She works from home, and is currently in the processes of developing a game-changing new software, and someone is after it. Her partner, Iggy, a computer genius, but socially challenged (to say the least) young man who moved into her basement and keeps himself barricaded there, complete with tin foil hat, vinyl body wrap, and a collection of Star Wars t-shirts. A man from a company where he and Iggy once worked is trying to get the new software any way he can, and he isn't drawing the line at violence. Dev and Morton move in for a couple of weeks, and, as usual, it's Morton who calls Dev's attention to prowlers as the days wear on. As the product's release date nears, Bonnie must travel to another state to meet with clients, leaving Dev in charge of her home, and Iggy's safety. Dev has won the confidence of the shy computer genius -- or at least he is willing to be friendly in exchange for having Morton visit him in his basement barricade. But the bad guys keep coming and Dev needs help. So he turns to his friend, 400 lb. ex-NFL linebacker, Luscious for help. Having successfully defended the house and Iggy from all comers, the bad guys turn to kidnapping, snatching Bonnie's three kids, who were visiting with at Bonnie's sister's lake cottage in Wisconsin. Dev must now leave Iggy in Luscious' care while he teams with Bonnie's ex-husband (and the first prowler to be foiled at the house) and adventuresome locals from a Wisconsin bar to mount a rescue mission.
The novel is full of all of Dev's outrageous and quirky doings, keeping him securely on top of the list of America's best-loved horn dogs. There is action galore, lots of danger, romantic (ish) interludes, and lots of laugh out loud moments. Great pacing and flow. Good proofing and editing, with only one error found. Believable characters and situations. A delightfully good read.
This is the 14th in the Dev Haskell series, but you can read them in any order. Dev is surprised to get a call from Bonnie, a one night stand from ten years ago. Bonnie is working on a hot software project and wants to hire Dev and his golden retriever Morton as security to protect her and her partner Iggy, who lives in her basement. Iggy is a computer genius, but to call him strange is an understatement. He stays locked in his basement room wearing a tinfoil hat and Mylar cape to protect him from the prying eyes of the highway department. But he and Bonnie have reason to fear as hacker Niles Wegger is desperate to steal their software project. Dev is forced to call in the aid of former NFL linebacker Luscious Dixon for help. This was skirt chasing Dev Haskell at his finest.
This book was so funny I couldn’t breathe and made high pitched tea kettle whistling noises. The cataplexy got me good as it’s activated by laughter and unexpectedly hilarious things are the key.
Mostly because I love when the inept goons get their asses handed to them, but this was one of Faricy’s funniest books in the series. I was reading at work during lunch and laughed so hard and so much that people came to investigate what the hell was happening. This one deserves more than 5 stars. There’s editing errors as there are in all of the books, but my habit is to highlight them and make corrections in the annotations. With the Kindle, I can share my notes and perhaps I’ll send them to the author one day. The files can always be updated since these are ebooks.
Dev Haskel, I think the Dev is short for Devil, even if it's supposed to be Devlin. But still, he's the nicest possible devil, he seems to always put himself first, but her really doesn't. If you want laugh out loud funny, plots that are intricate, deranged, yet easy to follow since they have a weird logic all their own, love dogs like Morton, although you wouldn't want YOUR dog to be like him, you're going to want to read every book in the series. I read this one twice, and it was just as much fun the second time.
Dev gets a visit from Bonnie he hasn’t seen her for 10 years. She has small business now thanks to the divorce. She’s been working on a program she wants to sell to Amazon. A competitor is trying to get Her & Iggy’s program. First her ex-husband tries to break in then Niles’ brother does trying to get the layout of the house. Then Bonnie’s 3 children are staying with her sister while she flies to Seattle. Then they receive a call Nile has kidnapped her kids and her sister.
Dev Haskell, ever the good Samaritan, finds himself babysitting, and ultimately befriending, a member of the tinfoil hat brigade named Ignatius Arnold, better known as "Iggy." Mortimer helps with this achievement a lot.
Dev Haskell hasn't seen Bonnie Lowry in ten years. She's divorced, with three kids whose names reflect her drinking habits over the years, and now developing software with her computer genius roomer, Iggy. Of course, the software is a game changer, Bonnie and Iggy are in danger… you can guess the rest. Niles Wegger, another programming genius, and international online scammer is at the heart of all the troubles. Follow Dev down the highways and byways, and even a river chase, as he foils the dastardly plot.
If you've been reading the series (you HAVE been reading it, right?), Lucious Dixon, ex-NFL player with anger management issues, is becoming quite the regular sidekick for Dev. He's big, he loves to eat, and he drives like an old lady. Once you get past his size and propensity for shopping bags full of fast food, he's on OK guy.
If you're looking for a few laughs, a lot of action, and voluptuous babes… look no more. This is the series for you.
This was a great read right from the beginning and kept me not wanting to put it down. Action through the whole thing. Great read Mike, looking forward to the next one.
I've read a lot of the Dev Haskell books by Mike Faricy. Most of them have a lot of humor, and Dev's always interested in women that he soon finds hate him and his behavior. I would consider this book one of the best. The story is interesting, involving software development and a software geek who is convinced that the highway department is watching him. He covers himself with mylar and a tinfoil hat to avoid them from seeing him, and he lives like a hermit in a woman's basement to develop the software.
Some of the standard Dev characters are in this book, but it's mostly about protecting the geek and his benefactor and her children from anyone who would want to access the software.