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Being a P.I.-Again!
Tom Mayor is a man in his mid-fifties who had done nothing with his life. Never had a steady job living off his parents, and he was a closet drunk. Then, as a joke, he told his mother that he had “the stuff” to be a private detective, like the “Thin Man”.
With the help of his mother, he gets his first case, and after some difficulties, he solves the murder of the next-door neighbor’s granddaughter. The case made him famous—and rich! The father of the murder victim gives him a million dollars. Life, for the first time in his miserable life, is good for Tom.
But now, someone is trying to kill him. Who? Why? To find out, Tom must become a P. I.—Again!
With the help of his mother, he gets his first case, and after some difficulties, he solves the murder of the next-door neighbor’s granddaughter. The case made him famous—and rich! The father of the murder victim gives him a million dollars. Life, for the first time in his miserable life, is good for Tom.
But now, someone is trying to kill him. Who? Why? To find out, Tom must become a P. I.—Again!
Kindle Edition
Published October 4, 2019
9 people want to read
About the author
Alan Zacher
12 books134 followersAfter being a "struggling" actor in Los Angeles for many years, I returned home to St. Louis and turned to writing. I have had four novels published: I'm No P. I.; A Ghoulish Good Time; Murder, Vampires and Leprechauns and For They Shall Wait. I have been a member of Goodreads for some years now, but for a year, in 2015, I was in a rehab house--my MS finally took its toll on my body. I'm back now; I know both physical and mental pain, and I need much laughter to endure it all. Hopefully, my novels do just that--give much laughter. My email address is: zacher123.mail.com. Alan
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 10, 2020
A Modern Crime Thriller With An Anti-Hero Harkening Back To The Gumshoe Era!
Overview: Tom Mayor, a man in his mid-fifties who had never really done anything with his life, somehow convinces his mother that he has “the stuff” it takes to be a private detective. With her help, Tom gets his first case, and solves the murder of the next-door neighbor’s granddaughter, earning himself both fame and fortune. But now, someone is trying to kill Tom, and to find out who has it in for him, he must regretfully become a P. I.—Again!
Author Alan Zacher’s “Being a P.I.-Again!” is an irreverent, sass-talking modern crime thriller with an anti-hero lead harkening back to the Gumshoe Era. The author’s impromptu, conversational writing style instantly familiarizes readers with his main character while his story produces an engaging plotline for a well-written, entertaining, and engaging, macabre Crime Fiction read.
While Zacher’s off-the-cuff, in-your-face writing style lends a great sense of realism to his story, his main character can be defined as a throwback to a grittier, more chauvinistic time. Tom Mayor is introduced as a typical slovenly, middle-aged, unmarried alcoholic who has survived life solely as an in-home-caretaker for his very spry and mentally adept mother. He’s a somewhat unsavory character who engages only in activities when there’s a payoff and will bring him some sort of profit. He also holds an obvious obsession with the size and quality of women’s breasts. But, all in all, Mayor is a fascinating character due to his unusual circumstances.
Tom Mayor pops from the pages of Zacher’s novel as he relates his own story, engaging readers in a vivid, non-apologetic recounting of his life and the bizarre situation in which he suddenly finds himself. Tom explains his past, regaling readers with yarn after yarn about his neighbors and the strangers he runs into as he explains how he stumbled into fame and fortune as an amateur sleuth. He then tweaks his life, hoping that he is heading in a more positive direction, only to fall for a trampy, drug-addicted, foul-mouthed single mother of three girls, each with their own separate issues. When Tom meets two of Cindy’s exes at a birthday barbecue, things don’t go well... One ex hates Tom so much that he makes a botched attempt to end Tom’s life, and he himself ends up dead. From here, readers are led through a wild investigation, led by Tom, to clear his own name and find the true killer.
Overall, and for the right type of reader, “Being a P. I.-Again!” is a surprisingly entertaining page-turner with a fascinating, self-doubting protagonist who bungles his way into becoming a hero. Like many others who hope to raise themselves from their current circumstances of merely wandering aimlessly through life, Zacher’s chauvinistic anti-hero, Tom, is trying hard to be a somebody in today’s world—His story may ultimately hold more appeal to middle-aged men of the same persuasion than Gen-Xers and women, but it’s interesting all the same. Although Zacher’s main character’s archaic opinions sometimes conflict with his well-intended actions, Tom Mayor does reflect the key personalities of those popular gumshoe detectives of a bygone era. Through all the negative qualities and backward opinions Mayor possesses, however, one can see that, deep down, in the end, he actually does have a heart of gold and would do anything to help out a neighbor or friend who has suffered a great unfairness—Especially if there might be a little something extra in it for him.
“Being a P.I.-Again” does contain graphic violence, adult situations, and racially offensive language. Survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, eating disorders, and drug addiction may be triggered by this story. This is a read intended for adults only.
Overview: Tom Mayor, a man in his mid-fifties who had never really done anything with his life, somehow convinces his mother that he has “the stuff” it takes to be a private detective. With her help, Tom gets his first case, and solves the murder of the next-door neighbor’s granddaughter, earning himself both fame and fortune. But now, someone is trying to kill Tom, and to find out who has it in for him, he must regretfully become a P. I.—Again!
Author Alan Zacher’s “Being a P.I.-Again!” is an irreverent, sass-talking modern crime thriller with an anti-hero lead harkening back to the Gumshoe Era. The author’s impromptu, conversational writing style instantly familiarizes readers with his main character while his story produces an engaging plotline for a well-written, entertaining, and engaging, macabre Crime Fiction read.
While Zacher’s off-the-cuff, in-your-face writing style lends a great sense of realism to his story, his main character can be defined as a throwback to a grittier, more chauvinistic time. Tom Mayor is introduced as a typical slovenly, middle-aged, unmarried alcoholic who has survived life solely as an in-home-caretaker for his very spry and mentally adept mother. He’s a somewhat unsavory character who engages only in activities when there’s a payoff and will bring him some sort of profit. He also holds an obvious obsession with the size and quality of women’s breasts. But, all in all, Mayor is a fascinating character due to his unusual circumstances.
Tom Mayor pops from the pages of Zacher’s novel as he relates his own story, engaging readers in a vivid, non-apologetic recounting of his life and the bizarre situation in which he suddenly finds himself. Tom explains his past, regaling readers with yarn after yarn about his neighbors and the strangers he runs into as he explains how he stumbled into fame and fortune as an amateur sleuth. He then tweaks his life, hoping that he is heading in a more positive direction, only to fall for a trampy, drug-addicted, foul-mouthed single mother of three girls, each with their own separate issues. When Tom meets two of Cindy’s exes at a birthday barbecue, things don’t go well... One ex hates Tom so much that he makes a botched attempt to end Tom’s life, and he himself ends up dead. From here, readers are led through a wild investigation, led by Tom, to clear his own name and find the true killer.
Overall, and for the right type of reader, “Being a P. I.-Again!” is a surprisingly entertaining page-turner with a fascinating, self-doubting protagonist who bungles his way into becoming a hero. Like many others who hope to raise themselves from their current circumstances of merely wandering aimlessly through life, Zacher’s chauvinistic anti-hero, Tom, is trying hard to be a somebody in today’s world—His story may ultimately hold more appeal to middle-aged men of the same persuasion than Gen-Xers and women, but it’s interesting all the same. Although Zacher’s main character’s archaic opinions sometimes conflict with his well-intended actions, Tom Mayor does reflect the key personalities of those popular gumshoe detectives of a bygone era. Through all the negative qualities and backward opinions Mayor possesses, however, one can see that, deep down, in the end, he actually does have a heart of gold and would do anything to help out a neighbor or friend who has suffered a great unfairness—Especially if there might be a little something extra in it for him.
“Being a P.I.-Again” does contain graphic violence, adult situations, and racially offensive language. Survivors of sexual abuse, domestic violence, eating disorders, and drug addiction may be triggered by this story. This is a read intended for adults only.
December 28, 2022
Tom Mayor is a middle aged slacker, and quite happy being nothing...Until the day his mother boasts to their neighbour, a dying woman named Claire, that Tom is a P.I. and can solve her family's darkest mystery. He doesn't quite have the heart to tell them the truth.
This was an enjoyable read, set around the holidays, and quite funny at times as Tom tries to navigate an occupation with no skills or knowledge. The applied homophobia, especially in 2007, seems a little forced ("YOU'RE A..." big reveal kind of left me thinking "So?"), and the "reveal" was pretty obvious from early on in the story. It was still entertaining, mostly on the relatability of the utter slob that Tom turns out to be, and he cracks the case more through luck than skill. I'm sure we can all relate.
This was an enjoyable read, set around the holidays, and quite funny at times as Tom tries to navigate an occupation with no skills or knowledge. The applied homophobia, especially in 2007, seems a little forced ("YOU'RE A..." big reveal kind of left me thinking "So?"), and the "reveal" was pretty obvious from early on in the story. It was still entertaining, mostly on the relatability of the utter slob that Tom turns out to be, and he cracks the case more through luck than skill. I'm sure we can all relate.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews