Case of the Missing Tucker

G&B Detective Agency #1

by R.L. Link

Max Mosbey and Skip Murray, veteran police officers, have grown accustomed to their routine over the years, patrolling the numerous bars in the Midwest college town of Ames, Iowa. After bar close on Saturday mornings, before going back to the station, they stop at the Quik Trip to buy their Powerball tickets, and share dreams of what they will do with their winnings. But when they actually win the two-hundred-twenty-million dollar prize, they quit the department and start the G&B Detective Agency. They hire ex-stripper Monica for their receptionist, and instruct her to answer the phone, "G&B Detective Agency, we are not taking any cases.” Everything is going smoothly until Max's wife talks him and Skip into investigating a friend's missing therapy dog. When the two reluctant detectives agree to take on the case, they find much more is involved than just a missing dog named Tucker.

Genres: Mystery

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2017

Reviews

[Barbara Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like to buy mysteries by local authors set in the area we’re visiting. I got this one at Dog-Eared Books in Ames, Iowa, but it could have been set in any medium-sized town. There’s no mention of the locale until the very last chapter.

What there is, is a lot of repetition and description of every single thing happening. A car chase that should have been exciting is excruciatingly boring. I’m surprised the author didn’t document the detectives’ bathroom breaks.

There is no mystery. Everything is laid out.

There is no publisher listed. The book says “Made in Middletown, DE” which is where Amazon’s self-publishing platform does print-on-demand. Self-publishing has become just too easy.

[Ann Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the almost cozy mystery. Was prejudiced because it's a local author, but it was a fun premise: two cops won the lottery and set themselves up as private detectives that don't take cases. Of course they do, with a former stripper as their office manager.

[Margaret Gilchrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy read, very enjoyable.

Easy read, very enjoyable. The characters were real, the story was interesting. I plan to read the next book soon.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting little mystery about a stolen therapy dog set in Ames, Iowa.

[Denise Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: my husband wrote this book. He retired from the same police department as the protagonists and had many of the same experiences. I'll leave you to figure out which stories are purely fiction and which are loosely based on fact.

The book is a fun, spirited answer to the question pondered by work friends everywhere who play the lottery: what if we win?