Bang

Dev Haskell Mystery #26.5

by Mike Faricy

Bang gives us a peek at the young Devlin Haskell, before he got to be “that rascal, Dev Haskell”. Truth to tell, we learn that at thirteen he was already a rascal, and exactly how it could have been so much worse!

Dev Haskell is juggling a shoestring P.I. operation and a long string of Miss Right Nows when his junior high school nightmare walks into his office. It seems the neighborhood bullies have grown up, served their prison time, and resurfaced under the cloak of newfound respectability with bigger threats than taking Dev’s lunch money.

ebook

First published January 7, 2020

About the author

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.

Reviews

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arthur “Junkyard Dog” Goodwillie, Alan "Bang" Kelly, & Bobby “Dead” Mason were the kind of guys you wanted to avoid at all costs.
The 3 of them hotwired a 1985 Ford Crown Vic & sped away.
If they hadn’t of sideswiped the cop car they might have got away.
The pistol fired when the car hit the phone pole, & it killed Bobby instantly.

Arthur & Alan were taken to the hospital.
Alan who had the pistol was tried as an adult & served 5 years for manslaughter.
Ended up in Waupun Correctional Institution Waupun, WI.
Arthur who was supposed to do 6 months in the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Center managed to escape, got caught & spent a year in the Red
Wing Juvenile Correction Facility.
Dev Haskell was grilling out in the backyard when Heidi Bauer (lover) was consuming a few drinks.
The funny things is Heidi asked Dev if he could have Destin Quigley (Quigley Group president, lawyer) whacked.

20 yrs. Later. Haskell Investigations. Arthur “Junkyard Dog” Goodwillie was at PI Dev Haskell’s desk all decked out wanting him to find Alan "Bang" Kelly.
He didn’t leave PI Haskell much choice.
# 217 Division St. PI Haskell found nothing there but a yard full of trash. Destin just happened to call PI Haskell with a little information.
The Poop Deck bar. Lieutenant Aaron LaZelle (Homicide) arrived at the crime scene.

I do not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing free books from publishers & authors. Therefore, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

An awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very professionally written crime thriller (short story) book. It was extremely easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great description list of unique characters, settings, facts etc. to keep track of. This could also make another great crime thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is an extremely easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Credit River Publishing; PDF book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dev Haskell is one of those P.I.s you can’t help but like. He’s a womanizer but he’s smart and he has contacts for just about anything…whether they’re willing to help him or not. When a bully from his past needs his help to find someone, those old feelings come up but he realizes he’s an adult now and won’t let be bullied anymore. Good for him! He does agree to look for the old friend, but does he really want to find him?

This novella is short but still has a good story. The best part is that it introduced me to a new author and a new character and I’m definitely going to have to find some time to read the novels about Dev Haskell!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one and now want to read more. Dev is asked by an old acquaintance to find another one who were both in an accident as kids and a third friend was shot and killed. Dev's dad took him to the sight and showed him what happens when you do some bad things. It stayed with Dev and he is a PI now with good intentions. What happens is crazy but you have to read it to find out.

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Faricy has created an engaging protagonist in Dev Haskell. His unique stories are amusing,
entertaining and easy-to-read. Recommended
A free book, this is my honest review.

[Andrea Latham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this whole novella after I had breakfast this morning because I couldn't put it down. Someone that Dev Haskell knew from school years ago, Arthur Goodwillie (Junkyard Dog) hires Dev by giving an offer he can't refuse to find Alan "Bang" Kelly (got the nickname because he carried a gun at age 12) with no reason. I liked how Dev goes around town asking questions and getting the information he needs. The other characters work well in this story too.