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Mackenzie August #1
August Origins
Mack August, frustrated Los Angeles police detective, moves to a smaller city in Virginia to start over. Rather than join the force, he opens his own P.I. shop and hires out to local attorneys--until Sheriff Stackhouse comes calling, a stunner in designer khakis. Trouble has arrived, she explains, in the form of a gang general from the West Coach. He's galvanizing the drug trade using vicious strong-arm tactics, and the police can't identify him.
The Sheriff begs Mackenzie to take a temporary assignment teaching at an inner city school, to infiltrate the general's operative ranks inside, identify the crime boss, and bring him down. It's an impossible task; he'd be a bull in a china shop. He could lose his license and people might get hurt. But if anyone can pull it off...
The Sheriff begs Mackenzie to take a temporary assignment teaching at an inner city school, to infiltrate the general's operative ranks inside, identify the crime boss, and bring him down. It's an impossible task; he'd be a bull in a china shop. He could lose his license and people might get hurt. But if anyone can pull it off...
206 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 14, 2017
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About the author
Alan Lee
34 books269 followersYour favorite mystery author for the next twenty years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
March 23, 2020
AUGUST ORIGINS introduces Mack August, former police detective, former English teacher, now a Private Investigator.
Sheriff Stackhouse begs Mack to help her out. The drug trade in their area has been taken over by a gang leader, known as the General, and young girls have been targeted... then killed as a rite of passage.
She wants him to go undercover at the local high school in order to infiltrate the general's operative ranks inside, identify the crime boss, and bring him down.
There's plenty of action with enough 'toughs' to keep you riveted to the pages. Watch out for the explosive, unexpected conclusion. This is just the first of a series and I, for one, will be adding the others to my towering TBR pile.
Mack August is a unique character. He has a smart-aleck answer for just about everything. He's funny and sometimes irrelevant, sometimes rude, sometimes just to make a point. He lives with his father, Timothy August (as he always calls him) and his 2-year-old son. He's trying hard to be the kind of man, the kind of son, the kind of father, that he wants to be.
Mack is also tough as nails, practices Mixed Martial Arts and has no fear that he doesn't joke about. He also has a best friend, Manny, a member of law enforcement, who shows up to stay with them awhile. He bunks on Mack's floor with a gun drawn .. but he's sweet as candy when it comes to Mack's son.
This is well written with skillfully drawn characters. Mack's sense of humor may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. There's a bit of budding romance, but Mack isn't sure he wants involved with a woman who is a practicing lawyer and a bartender.
Highly recommended!
Sheriff Stackhouse begs Mack to help her out. The drug trade in their area has been taken over by a gang leader, known as the General, and young girls have been targeted... then killed as a rite of passage.
She wants him to go undercover at the local high school in order to infiltrate the general's operative ranks inside, identify the crime boss, and bring him down.
There's plenty of action with enough 'toughs' to keep you riveted to the pages. Watch out for the explosive, unexpected conclusion. This is just the first of a series and I, for one, will be adding the others to my towering TBR pile.
Mack August is a unique character. He has a smart-aleck answer for just about everything. He's funny and sometimes irrelevant, sometimes rude, sometimes just to make a point. He lives with his father, Timothy August (as he always calls him) and his 2-year-old son. He's trying hard to be the kind of man, the kind of son, the kind of father, that he wants to be.
Mack is also tough as nails, practices Mixed Martial Arts and has no fear that he doesn't joke about. He also has a best friend, Manny, a member of law enforcement, who shows up to stay with them awhile. He bunks on Mack's floor with a gun drawn .. but he's sweet as candy when it comes to Mack's son.
This is well written with skillfully drawn characters. Mack's sense of humor may not be for everyone, but I enjoyed the heck out of it. There's a bit of budding romance, but Mack isn't sure he wants involved with a woman who is a practicing lawyer and a bartender.
Highly recommended!
August 20, 2021
Mackenzie August is a private detective in Roanoke, Virginia. He’s a former Los Angeles police officer who took a leave of absence after working on some brutal murder cases. He taught English for a year (he had a double major in English and Criminal Justice in college) and then decided to make his leave of absence permanent. Now he is back in the city where he grew up, doing PI work for lawyers and living with his young son, Kix, and his father, Timothy.
Mack is still getting established when the Sheriff asks him to go undercover as a high school English teacher in order to help catch a drug gang that is killing teenage girls. There’s no doubt that it’s a dangerous assignment. As the Sheriff explains, Roanoke is the halfway point in the billion-dollar drug corridor between Atlanta and New York City. But Mack takes the job. After all, it’s a good fit: he’s a good English teacher as well as a good detective, if he does say so himself.
Author Alan Lee acknowledges that he has been influenced by some of the great detective novelists, including Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, Robert B. Parker, and Sue Grafton. Some of those influences, especially Parker’s, are apparent in August Origins. Mackenzie August shares quite a few traits with Parker’s hero Spenser. He’s tough but sensitive, confident but self-deprecating, quick with a wisecrack but also erudite enough to quote Robert Frost, C.S. Lewis, and others from the literary canon—not to mention actually teach English classes.
There are a few other echoes of Spenser in Mack too: Like Spenser, Mack operates by a code that doesn’t permit him to kill in cold blood. He has a friend, Manny, who, like Hawk in the Spenser books, is good with a gun and is not necessarily bound by the same code. And like Spenser, Mack is a romantic who is looking for an ideal woman. In this first book in the series, he thinks he’s found her in the person of Ronnie, a lawyer who moonlights as a bartender, but it remains to be seen where the relationship will go. (Hopefully, it will not go to the same saccharine place where Spenser’s relationship with Susan Silverman quickly went.)
I don’t mean to say, though, that Mackenzie August is a carbon copy of Spenser. He’s a family man who’s devoted to his son Kix, and he’s also close to his father. He is also rooted in the community. While working undercover, he takes a genuine interest in his students. He also takes a young neighbor boy who’s in foster care under his wing. Despite all his wisecracks, Mack is a pretty serious guy. As he tells Ronnie, “‘I want to do life right.’” She asks whether he’s talking about morals, but he says no. “‘More like simple survival. Morals implies I know the right and wrong ways to act, which puts me in position to judge others. I’d rather not have the responsibility.’”
Maybe not the responsibility of judging others, but he is certainly willing to take the responsibility of helping and protecting others. Not surprisingly, that leads him into danger when he goes after the drug gang.
August Origins is a fast-paced detective novel that quickly pulled me in and kept me reading. I finished the book in two days, and now I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series and probably the ones after that. I recommend the book.
Mack is still getting established when the Sheriff asks him to go undercover as a high school English teacher in order to help catch a drug gang that is killing teenage girls. There’s no doubt that it’s a dangerous assignment. As the Sheriff explains, Roanoke is the halfway point in the billion-dollar drug corridor between Atlanta and New York City. But Mack takes the job. After all, it’s a good fit: he’s a good English teacher as well as a good detective, if he does say so himself.
Author Alan Lee acknowledges that he has been influenced by some of the great detective novelists, including Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, Robert B. Parker, and Sue Grafton. Some of those influences, especially Parker’s, are apparent in August Origins. Mackenzie August shares quite a few traits with Parker’s hero Spenser. He’s tough but sensitive, confident but self-deprecating, quick with a wisecrack but also erudite enough to quote Robert Frost, C.S. Lewis, and others from the literary canon—not to mention actually teach English classes.
There are a few other echoes of Spenser in Mack too: Like Spenser, Mack operates by a code that doesn’t permit him to kill in cold blood. He has a friend, Manny, who, like Hawk in the Spenser books, is good with a gun and is not necessarily bound by the same code. And like Spenser, Mack is a romantic who is looking for an ideal woman. In this first book in the series, he thinks he’s found her in the person of Ronnie, a lawyer who moonlights as a bartender, but it remains to be seen where the relationship will go. (Hopefully, it will not go to the same saccharine place where Spenser’s relationship with Susan Silverman quickly went.)
I don’t mean to say, though, that Mackenzie August is a carbon copy of Spenser. He’s a family man who’s devoted to his son Kix, and he’s also close to his father. He is also rooted in the community. While working undercover, he takes a genuine interest in his students. He also takes a young neighbor boy who’s in foster care under his wing. Despite all his wisecracks, Mack is a pretty serious guy. As he tells Ronnie, “‘I want to do life right.’” She asks whether he’s talking about morals, but he says no. “‘More like simple survival. Morals implies I know the right and wrong ways to act, which puts me in position to judge others. I’d rather not have the responsibility.’”
Maybe not the responsibility of judging others, but he is certainly willing to take the responsibility of helping and protecting others. Not surprisingly, that leads him into danger when he goes after the drug gang.
August Origins is a fast-paced detective novel that quickly pulled me in and kept me reading. I finished the book in two days, and now I’m looking forward to reading the second book in the series and probably the ones after that. I recommend the book.
October 8, 2017
I won this book in a giveaway. On the back of the book, the author makes the bold statement that he will be my favorite author for the next 20 years. He. Was. Right. It was an easy read that kept me reading past my bedtime. The story is interesting and the characters are ones you want to get to know. I now have to read his other books.
September 23, 2019
Jackpot!
I nabbed this book for free on BookBub, as I do a lot of novels. Most, quite honestly, aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on—and considering they’re all ebooks, that’s saying something.
Occasionally, though, I stumble upon a gem. It feels a lot like what I imagine those Forty-Niners panning for gold must have felt, when that rock turned out to be a clump of the good stuff.
Even better when a book is the start of a series! Eureka indeed!
Mackenzie August is a character I plan to follow for awhile. Sardonic wit. MMA fighter. English teacher. A magnet to attractive women, but not interested in casual sex (anymore). Dad to a toddler. Son to an attractive father (three generations of August men living under one roof—be still my heart!) Traumatic, somewhat mysterious past.
Naturally, he finds himself entangled with a beautiful, mysterious woman, and a dangerous investigation—this is a gumshoe novel, after all.
The fun is all is in Mack’s first-person narration, witty banter and dialogue, and the whodunnit mystery. (I never saw it coming.) It doesn’t hurt that Mack is just a few clicks shy of being a superhero—he’s got all the doubt and humanity to be human, but the madskilz to get out of just about any scrape. Great escape fantasy reading!
Few typos, too. Bonus, for a self-published offering.
Bravo! I plan to devour the rest of the series!
I nabbed this book for free on BookBub, as I do a lot of novels. Most, quite honestly, aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on—and considering they’re all ebooks, that’s saying something.
Occasionally, though, I stumble upon a gem. It feels a lot like what I imagine those Forty-Niners panning for gold must have felt, when that rock turned out to be a clump of the good stuff.
Even better when a book is the start of a series! Eureka indeed!
Mackenzie August is a character I plan to follow for awhile. Sardonic wit. MMA fighter. English teacher. A magnet to attractive women, but not interested in casual sex (anymore). Dad to a toddler. Son to an attractive father (three generations of August men living under one roof—be still my heart!) Traumatic, somewhat mysterious past.
Naturally, he finds himself entangled with a beautiful, mysterious woman, and a dangerous investigation—this is a gumshoe novel, after all.
The fun is all is in Mack’s first-person narration, witty banter and dialogue, and the whodunnit mystery. (I never saw it coming.) It doesn’t hurt that Mack is just a few clicks shy of being a superhero—he’s got all the doubt and humanity to be human, but the madskilz to get out of just about any scrape. Great escape fantasy reading!
Few typos, too. Bonus, for a self-published offering.
Bravo! I plan to devour the rest of the series!
August 19, 2017
I was really missing my yearly Spencer fix. Quite frankly, Ace Atkins just doesn't cut it. It's not that the new "Spencers" are poorly written. They're not. It's not that the plots are bad, because they're not. It's simply that Spencer, Hawk and Susan are not Spencer, Hawk and Susan. They're just not. Hawk is no longer strong, self-possessed and silent. He talks too much. Susan is more sexually forward than the real Susan ever was and Spencer is diminished. Not as tough, not as smart, not as witty as he was when Robert B. Parker was writing the series.
But now we have Alan Lee and Mackenzie August, who is just as big, just as tough, just as smart and just as witty as Spencer. Lee has obviously studied the Master's style. Many of the little sayings that Spencer was known for are here ("Yowzah," "We'd be crazy not to."). The plots are solid, if a little over the top but the tone, the attitude and the excellent dialogue are dead on.
I really missed Spencer. I'm glad he's back.
But now we have Alan Lee and Mackenzie August, who is just as big, just as tough, just as smart and just as witty as Spencer. Lee has obviously studied the Master's style. Many of the little sayings that Spencer was known for are here ("Yowzah," "We'd be crazy not to."). The plots are solid, if a little over the top but the tone, the attitude and the excellent dialogue are dead on.
I really missed Spencer. I'm glad he's back.
May 27, 2020
The Paragon of PI Novels.
Mackenzie August is a paragon of virtue and Alan Lee is a master of the writing craft. Never before have I read a take on the hard-hitting detective novel so unique and wildly entertaining. Fans of the action detective genre will find everything they love in this book, from its knockout blondes to the irreverent maverick hero, but Lee elevates this book into the stratosphere of literary excellence. It manages to make you reflect on the pitfalls of virtue and vice while ratcheting up the tension page after page. Every note of this book is pitch perfect, from its endearing cast of characters to the twist you never see coming. This novel had me up late into the night and right back at it in the morning. I haven’t devoured a series like this in a long time. This is the second book I have read by Alan Lee, having started with Desecration of All Saints, and I have already downloaded the next in series. There is every reason to believe I will buy everything this author writes and burn through it just as fast. If I could give this book ten stars it would deserve eleven. Read it and enjoy the satisfaction of time and money well spent. I’m off to start the next installment.
Mackenzie August is a paragon of virtue and Alan Lee is a master of the writing craft. Never before have I read a take on the hard-hitting detective novel so unique and wildly entertaining. Fans of the action detective genre will find everything they love in this book, from its knockout blondes to the irreverent maverick hero, but Lee elevates this book into the stratosphere of literary excellence. It manages to make you reflect on the pitfalls of virtue and vice while ratcheting up the tension page after page. Every note of this book is pitch perfect, from its endearing cast of characters to the twist you never see coming. This novel had me up late into the night and right back at it in the morning. I haven’t devoured a series like this in a long time. This is the second book I have read by Alan Lee, having started with Desecration of All Saints, and I have already downloaded the next in series. There is every reason to believe I will buy everything this author writes and burn through it just as fast. If I could give this book ten stars it would deserve eleven. Read it and enjoy the satisfaction of time and money well spent. I’m off to start the next installment.
October 8, 2017
An easy read, and I like the characters
Easy dialogue and a fun sense of humor. The characters have character and are fun. An easy read for a rainy day.
Easy dialogue and a fun sense of humor. The characters have character and are fun. An easy read for a rainy day.
Want to read
June 29, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (6/29/2019)! 🎁
January 27, 2020
I am really invested in this series. I am not a fan of detective novels or police procedurals but this series is developed differently. And this difference draws me in and keeps me coming back for more.
I love the humour, the sarcasm and the quick wit from Mackenzie, Manny, Ronnie and other main characters. This just adds to the appeal of the novels and breaks up the tension without disjointing it or derailing the plot. Lee has been successful in making this series character driven rather than plot driven seeing police procedurals seem to be based on the latter. But the former does not detract from the action, suspense and mystery of this detective/police procedural.
I love how down to earth, honest, and sincere (despite the humour, sarcasm and quick wit from Mackenzie) about his personal integrity, being a man of honor/integrity and in not compromising his standards in relation to his being a father, and towards women. Mackenzie could have the song A Better Man by Robbie Williams as his theme song! He is trying to be a better man learning from the mistakes of his past and not repeating them. Trying to be a better man.
The same can be said for him and his relationship with God. He knows his failings, he knows God is to honoured but he struggles but does not give in!
Lee is a great novelist. I am sure some of Lee is in Mackenzie! I like both of them! Would sit on the balcony with both of them any time!
I am looking forward to the rest of this series and the spin-off series that has Manny centre stage.
All Lee's novels are highly recommended.
I love the humour, the sarcasm and the quick wit from Mackenzie, Manny, Ronnie and other main characters. This just adds to the appeal of the novels and breaks up the tension without disjointing it or derailing the plot. Lee has been successful in making this series character driven rather than plot driven seeing police procedurals seem to be based on the latter. But the former does not detract from the action, suspense and mystery of this detective/police procedural.
I love how down to earth, honest, and sincere (despite the humour, sarcasm and quick wit from Mackenzie) about his personal integrity, being a man of honor/integrity and in not compromising his standards in relation to his being a father, and towards women. Mackenzie could have the song A Better Man by Robbie Williams as his theme song! He is trying to be a better man learning from the mistakes of his past and not repeating them. Trying to be a better man.
The same can be said for him and his relationship with God. He knows his failings, he knows God is to honoured but he struggles but does not give in!
Lee is a great novelist. I am sure some of Lee is in Mackenzie! I like both of them! Would sit on the balcony with both of them any time!
I am looking forward to the rest of this series and the spin-off series that has Manny centre stage.
All Lee's novels are highly recommended.
Read
October 9, 2017A Page Turner
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book for the first couple of chapters because it seemed like a knock off of the Spencer Series. As the story gained momentum, the storyline began to take on its own personality.
I read the book in one day because I couldn't put it down. I've already bought the next book in the series and I can hardly wait to get to it.
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book for the first couple of chapters because it seemed like a knock off of the Spencer Series. As the story gained momentum, the storyline began to take on its own personality.
I read the book in one day because I couldn't put it down. I've already bought the next book in the series and I can hardly wait to get to it.
June 25, 2024
One of my new favorite characters. Mackenzie August is funny as hell, full of integrity but with a dark backstory, and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. And he teaches high school English on the side. I really enjoyed this and sped through the second half. His sidekick, Manny, is dark and brooding and a little scary but also seems like a good guy deep down. His son, Kix, is pretty deep for a toddler. 😉 And his Dad is quite the ladies man. A great cast of characters that I will gladly join up with again. And I didn’t even mention the exciting and terrifying story yet. I enjoyed it immensely. Until next time, Mack!
October 6, 2019
Wisecracking Mackenzie August, the PI detective who taught in a Virginia middle school in the prequel I just finished, now is teaching sophomore English at an inner city Roanoke school to help the sheriff (an extrovert lady who bought herself some notable breast enhancement to help her advance professionally) track down a gangland general overseeing significant flow of drugs through Roanoke as a midpoint distribution center. Mackenzie is as charming as ever, and the school setting is well written again.
This novel also includes a supporting character sidekick that arrives from L.A. and moves in with baby Kix, Mack, and Mack's dad Timothy at La Casa August. Manny is Latino with lots of tats, now hired as a U.S, marshal for the government, and in establishing his identity I think Lee overdoes the one and two word Spanish comments too much. He also, confusingly, has Manny say he is from Argentina at one point, though he uses Mexican and Chicano slang from East L.A. (Also, in the next book in the series, Mack tells someone Manny is from Puerto Rico. He should have one identity in the Latino world and stay consistent--and use the right language, accordingly.)
I also like how Lee works in references not only to other detective fiction writers, but also in this novel and the next, references to and discussions of other good current writing about life in America, such as Just Mercy or Hillbilly Elegy.
This novel also includes a supporting character sidekick that arrives from L.A. and moves in with baby Kix, Mack, and Mack's dad Timothy at La Casa August. Manny is Latino with lots of tats, now hired as a U.S, marshal for the government, and in establishing his identity I think Lee overdoes the one and two word Spanish comments too much. He also, confusingly, has Manny say he is from Argentina at one point, though he uses Mexican and Chicano slang from East L.A. (Also, in the next book in the series, Mack tells someone Manny is from Puerto Rico. He should have one identity in the Latino world and stay consistent--and use the right language, accordingly.)
I also like how Lee works in references not only to other detective fiction writers, but also in this novel and the next, references to and discussions of other good current writing about life in America, such as Just Mercy or Hillbilly Elegy.
August 5, 2019
Wise-cracking PI is irresistible
Quite the funny guy, Mackenzie August is what I think of as every woman’s dream guy-almost. Yes, he’s full of character and one-liners and could probably laugh a lady right into his arms. But his hopeless desire for an unavailable beauty, who’s on a collision course with disaster, makes him a less-than-perfect potential beau. His philosophical approach to life has him questioning how to become a “better Episcopalian “. His buddy Manny, also a displaced lawman from LA, is a nice addition to the storyline.
I rarely write a review, but for this for a soon-to-be Uber Author, it is a small price to pay for such an enjoyable romp of a book. I hope more readers will discover the pleasure of reading this guy’s books. In his own words, he wants to become your favorite author. Great Start!
Quite the funny guy, Mackenzie August is what I think of as every woman’s dream guy-almost. Yes, he’s full of character and one-liners and could probably laugh a lady right into his arms. But his hopeless desire for an unavailable beauty, who’s on a collision course with disaster, makes him a less-than-perfect potential beau. His philosophical approach to life has him questioning how to become a “better Episcopalian “. His buddy Manny, also a displaced lawman from LA, is a nice addition to the storyline.
I rarely write a review, but for this for a soon-to-be Uber Author, it is a small price to pay for such an enjoyable romp of a book. I hope more readers will discover the pleasure of reading this guy’s books. In his own words, he wants to become your favorite author. Great Start!
April 27, 2018
Scott Ellis does a remarkable job of voicing the rather diverse and quirky cast of nicely drawn characters in this humorous modern detective mystery. With a double major in criminal justice and English, and an unapologetic sense of humor, Mackenzie is uniquely suited for this undercover assignment. It makes for a delightfully funny and entertaining listen. The mystery is wrapped up satisfactorily in the end, but one wants to hear more from these characters. This looks to be a promising series.
NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
July 2, 2019
Every once in a while
You know you have hit the jackpot when a book is so good you can't put it down yet try to make it last at the same time. This is Alan Lee's August Origins. So clever, so many characters to like, such a sly sense of humor and just darn well written. I just bought the next two in the series. Oh, you don't need to, as this is a stand alone, but I can't let this main character go yet. Nor this author. Makes me wonder what kind of a person Mr. Lee is and if he has patterned Mack after himself a bit. It would be so nice if men like Mack existed in the real world. Maybe we would all be better persons. Don't miss this book or author.
You know you have hit the jackpot when a book is so good you can't put it down yet try to make it last at the same time. This is Alan Lee's August Origins. So clever, so many characters to like, such a sly sense of humor and just darn well written. I just bought the next two in the series. Oh, you don't need to, as this is a stand alone, but I can't let this main character go yet. Nor this author. Makes me wonder what kind of a person Mr. Lee is and if he has patterned Mack after himself a bit. It would be so nice if men like Mack existed in the real world. Maybe we would all be better persons. Don't miss this book or author.
July 4, 2019
Snappy writing style
Concise sentences, male style, tell the story of an ex-cop who opened a business as a private investigator, who is asked by the silicon-enhanced chief of Police to use his English teacher's degree at the local high school to expose a massive drug trade as well as the murder of several young girls. Mack has a two-year old son, his dad and a Mexican ex-partner in his home and they cope well together. Then a beautiful attorney with 3 secrets falls for him. The feeling is mutual, but there are problems.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to the second one already downloaded.
Concise sentences, male style, tell the story of an ex-cop who opened a business as a private investigator, who is asked by the silicon-enhanced chief of Police to use his English teacher's degree at the local high school to expose a massive drug trade as well as the murder of several young girls. Mack has a two-year old son, his dad and a Mexican ex-partner in his home and they cope well together. Then a beautiful attorney with 3 secrets falls for him. The feeling is mutual, but there are problems.
I enjoyed this story and look forward to the second one already downloaded.
November 6, 2020
If you're looking for a great new series you've come to the right place
Alan Lee is a terrific writer and this series debut novel augurs well for the sequels. I plan to read The Second Secret (book 2) immediately.
MacKenzie August is the perfect character to anchor a series which is no mean feat to create. Successful series are fundamentally different from stand alone thrillers. There must be characters one cares about, story arcs that carry on over numerous volumes, never fully resolved.
Lee has managed the craft with talent and aplomb.
I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.
If you're looking for a great new series you've come to the right place
Alan Lee is a terrific writer and this series debut novel augurs well for the sequels. I plan to read The Second Secret (book 2) immediately.
MacKenzie August is the perfect character to anchor a series which is no mean feat to create. Successful series are fundamentally different from stand alone thrillers. There must be characters one cares about, story arcs that carry on over numerous volumes, never fully resolved.
Lee has managed the craft with talent and aplomb.
I'm looking forward to reading more of his work.
If you're looking for a great new series you've come to the right place
February 24, 2020
One of my new favorite detective novels.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. Mackenzie, the hero of this novel, is exactly the kind of ,wise cracking,hard guy i really enjoy. He's a mixed martial artist, a Dad and a genuine good guy. He's also tough and not to be messed with. His pal Manny is also a tough guy and a great sometime partner. Mackenzie is funny like Spenser and tough like Jack Reacher. He's a private eye and intelligent. A great combination.
I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to the rest of this series. Mackenzie, the hero of this novel, is exactly the kind of ,wise cracking,hard guy i really enjoy. He's a mixed martial artist, a Dad and a genuine good guy. He's also tough and not to be messed with. His pal Manny is also a tough guy and a great sometime partner. Mackenzie is funny like Spenser and tough like Jack Reacher. He's a private eye and intelligent. A great combination.
August 29, 2021
This book series was recommended to me, mostly because I have been reading/enjoying the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels series. For anyone who isn't familiar with the Jack Daniels mysteries, what I enjoy most is the way the books cleverly include just the right amount of humor without straying from what is expected of mystery/detective genre, and I am pleased to say I am finding the same to be true of the first book in the Mackenzie August series.
I'll admit that I assumed Mackenzie August was going to be a female character, based on the name… and it's true that I tend to prefer female protagonists in this genre for several reasons, but Mack quickly won me over with his wit, his moral code, his ability to quote C. S. Lewis, and his genuine respect for the female characters in the story.
I will also note that I listened to the audiobook version of this title, which I bring up for an important reason. I think it would have been easy to portray Mack as overly cocky if the narrator wasn't spot-on with his delivery, but Scott Ellis did a great job conveying Mackenzie's humor and charm in a way that actually made me like the character more than I might have if I were simply reading the text… for whatever that's worth.
Overall, I thought this story was engaging and amusing, and I look forward to the next books in this series. (I plan to opt for the audiobook versions of those as well.)
I'll admit that I assumed Mackenzie August was going to be a female character, based on the name… and it's true that I tend to prefer female protagonists in this genre for several reasons, but Mack quickly won me over with his wit, his moral code, his ability to quote C. S. Lewis, and his genuine respect for the female characters in the story.
I will also note that I listened to the audiobook version of this title, which I bring up for an important reason. I think it would have been easy to portray Mack as overly cocky if the narrator wasn't spot-on with his delivery, but Scott Ellis did a great job conveying Mackenzie's humor and charm in a way that actually made me like the character more than I might have if I were simply reading the text… for whatever that's worth.
Overall, I thought this story was engaging and amusing, and I look forward to the next books in this series. (I plan to opt for the audiobook versions of those as well.)
December 30, 2021
more fun!
August Origins follows up the prequel with more grins and giggles. Mackenzie has moved back home to Roanoke, Virginia to open shop as a PI. More Timothy and Kix in this novel as Mackenzie is asked to find out why the gang presence has increased at a local school. Mackenzie has his hands full keeping students, a lawyer who has a lot of baggage, an old comrade from LA, and a neighborhood friend out of trouble. I think that I liked this book so much because Mr. Lee just portrays modern schools so well.
August Origins follows up the prequel with more grins and giggles. Mackenzie has moved back home to Roanoke, Virginia to open shop as a PI. More Timothy and Kix in this novel as Mackenzie is asked to find out why the gang presence has increased at a local school. Mackenzie has his hands full keeping students, a lawyer who has a lot of baggage, an old comrade from LA, and a neighborhood friend out of trouble. I think that I liked this book so much because Mr. Lee just portrays modern schools so well.
January 4, 2020
I'm not sure what rating to give this first book in the series. I plan to read the second book before I make a decision whether to follow through on the whole series.
I think I like Mackenzie August, but he is a bit of a smarta$$. So far that trait has not tipped the scale over my interest in this story....
I think I like Mackenzie August, but he is a bit of a smarta$$. So far that trait has not tipped the scale over my interest in this story....
February 26, 2022
yes! well done!
Ah, a welcome respite from my most recent spate of chick-lit quasi-paranormal rom-com homicide tales!
Refreshing Chandler-esque with thought-provoking humor.
More, more, more!
Strong 3.75 stars, and I am real picky.
Ah, a welcome respite from my most recent spate of chick-lit quasi-paranormal rom-com homicide tales!
Refreshing Chandler-esque with thought-provoking humor.
More, more, more!
Strong 3.75 stars, and I am real picky.
Read
January 14, 2020DNF at 17% so I'm not going to rate. Just not for me as I found the main character's constant sarcasm and smartassiness wearing.
November 9, 2020
A very quick read at just under 200 pages. Snappy dialogue is the positive. The storyline is pretty predictable. Veteran readers of this genre figure out very early who the bad guy is.
Kindle Unlimited.
Kindle Unlimited.
August 2, 2024
Entertaining character, of course I like the English teacher side of him better than the fighter side.
May 18, 2021
Set in Roanoke, Virginia Private investigator Mackenzie August has been offered a job by Sheriff Stackhouse to infiltrate a gang-affiliated group by working undercover as a tenth-grade English teacher. Mackenzie would be working for her for ten months where he’d be the eyes and ears inside Patrick Henry High School.
November 5, 2018
Sophomore Slump is a curious mix. On the one hand, it’s very entertaining, with a brisk pace and a decent cast of characters. On the other hand, it’s too much— trying too hard to be clever, witty, and irrepressible.
The central character, Mackenzie August, is a former cop now working as a PI in Roanoke, VA. He’s a good character but just too smart-ass, too irreverent and devil-may-care. The author mentions admiring the writing style of Parker, but I thought more like Virgil Flowers, only turned up to eleven. For me, at least, he’s just trying too hard.
Mackenzie (Mack) has the inevitable sidekick, Manny, a slightly PTSD affected U. S. Marshall (who appears to have tons of free time to hang out with Mack. In fact, he kind of moves in with Mack, Mack’s father and toddler son, Kix. It’s just so cozy and adorable, but what with the parade of gorgeous women seemingly attracted to both dad and Mack and Manny as well, along with a bunch of minor details, credulity is an early casualty in this book.
There’s a love interest (of course), and some social commentary slipped in by the author along with some genuinely funny dialogue between Mack and Manny (the best aspect of the book). It’s just insufficient to move the rating beyond a three. To be clear, I enjoyed reading this one, but it’s fluff— I also enjoy eating pretzels, but would never mistake them for a satisfying meal. Just depends on what you’re in the mood for— a snack or dinner.
The central character, Mackenzie August, is a former cop now working as a PI in Roanoke, VA. He’s a good character but just too smart-ass, too irreverent and devil-may-care. The author mentions admiring the writing style of Parker, but I thought more like Virgil Flowers, only turned up to eleven. For me, at least, he’s just trying too hard.
Mackenzie (Mack) has the inevitable sidekick, Manny, a slightly PTSD affected U. S. Marshall (who appears to have tons of free time to hang out with Mack. In fact, he kind of moves in with Mack, Mack’s father and toddler son, Kix. It’s just so cozy and adorable, but what with the parade of gorgeous women seemingly attracted to both dad and Mack and Manny as well, along with a bunch of minor details, credulity is an early casualty in this book.
There’s a love interest (of course), and some social commentary slipped in by the author along with some genuinely funny dialogue between Mack and Manny (the best aspect of the book). It’s just insufficient to move the rating beyond a three. To be clear, I enjoyed reading this one, but it’s fluff— I also enjoy eating pretzels, but would never mistake them for a satisfying meal. Just depends on what you’re in the mood for— a snack or dinner.
June 14, 2018
I'm a fan of Robert B Parkers Spenser series and this is a worthy addition to the genre. Wisecracking and intelligent Mack and Manny are fully drawn characters, perfect in their imperfection. With a beautiful woman (Ronnie) that seems to be trouble--and irresistible, maybe unobtainable--traveling outside of the main plot, this is a fun read. It also goes way too quickly. I want more. Fortunately, there are 3 (so far) to follow and 1 prequel with incidents that are mentioned in this book.
A new author worth following.
A new author worth following.
March 27, 2018
Really enjoyed this book. It's well written and smart. Mack, his son, his Dad and friend all live together. This is a fast moving story of drugs, murders, kidnapping, a bad cop, alittle romance and much more. Mack is a good Dad and really tries to do right and help others even when it gets him in trouble. He's not perfect but he's honorable.
Really liked this story-enough so I can't wait to read the next book.
Really liked this story-enough so I can't wait to read the next book.
February 2, 2022
Read in 2018. I like the protaginist. The plot twist surprised me again. Re-read january, 2022.
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