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A new job. A murdered drummer. The partner from Hell. What could go wrong?
Noah Steele is sharp, handsome, and upwardly mobile. When he is transferred by the Chief of Police himself, to help rebuild a failing precinct, it is full of promise.

That is until he meets his new partner.

Comrade Flynt is unhinged, unkempt, uncouth and the most incompetent cop that never made an arrest.

When the drummer of a punk rock band is found impaled by his own drumsticks detectives Flynt and Steele get the call. That’s when the sparks begin to fly.

Introducing Flynt & Steele Mysteries an exciting new detective Series from Micheal Maxwell, the author of the bestselling Cole Sage Mystery series, and veteran storyteller Warren Keith.

Join the chase filled with murder, mayhem, music, and a cast of oddball characters all with a reason to kill!

Get your Today!

Kindle Edition

First published March 24, 2020

333 people are currently reading
139 people want to read

About the author

Micheal Maxwell

61 books75 followers
Micheal Maxwell has traveled the globe on the lookout for strange sights, sounds, and people. His adventures have taken him from the Jungles of Ecuador and the Philippines to the top of the Eiffel Tower and the Golden Gate Bridge, and from the cave dwellings of Native Americans to The Kehlsteinhaus, Hitler’s Eagles Nest! He’s always looking for a story to tell and interesting people to meet.

Micheal Maxwell was taught the beauty and majesty of the English language by Bob Dylan, Robertson Davies, Charles Dickens, and Leonard Cohen.

Mr. Maxwell has traveled the globe, dined with politicians, rock stars, and beggars. He has rubbed shoulders with priests and murderers, surgeons and drug dealers, each one giving him a part of themselves that will live again in the pages of his books.

Micheal Maxwell has found a niche in the mystery, suspense, genre with The Cole Sage Series that gives readers an everyman hero, short on vices, long on compassion, and a sense of fair play, and the willingness to risk everything to right wrongs. The Cole Sage Series departs from the usual, heavily sexual, profanity-laced norm and gives readers character-driven stories, with twists, turns, and page-turning plot lines.

Micheal Maxwell writes from a life of love, music, film, and literature. Along with his lovely wife and travel partner, Janet, he lives in a small town in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

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5 stars
116 (47%)
4 stars
93 (37%)
3 stars
32 (13%)
2 stars
2 (<1%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
Profile Image for Linda.
1,036 reviews
May 27, 2019
I received this book as a gift from the author but I will be back for the next chapter in this bumbling cop team. At first I found the story very odd, especially the character of Comrade Flynt. Obviously, he is depressed but why does he have such a terrible physical appearance, ‘hair growing everywhere’ and bright red hair. But, once Noah Steele is on the scene, things seem to go better for Comrade. It is a very odd story for a cop story BUT the redemption of Comrade and the understanding by Noah and the rejection of the Captain’s hope that Noah will find some way to fire Comrade, make it all worthwhile. And, along the way Comrade demonstrated his unique skills for getting to the heart of the issues. Noah tells the Captain that it is Comrade’s skill that solved the case of who murdered the drummer and attempted to electrocute the singer. Who knew that such competition existed among different bands. Stay tuned for the next book ‘Dead Duck.’ Thank you Micheal Maxwell for your gift and for your writing skills.
Profile Image for Texas.
1,685 reviews394 followers
December 6, 2018
Dead Beat - After finishing Dara and Dupree, my first read by this author, I jumped straight into this book blind. At first, I was turned off by the major character, but he evolved into someone I liked. As the storylines and the characters developed, this story had me immersed as it unfolded. Mr. Maxwell has a talent, like Ludlum, Balducci and De Mille to draw the reader into the story and keep them there until the last page. This is quickly read, but still substantial, interesting police story.

I wish the book had been better edited, worse than D and D; still problems with God, improper use of hyphens and missing commas, along with missing or wrong word usage. A dictionary would help with 90 percent of these errors. I contacted the author to review this book and received it through Booksprout. 4*

Dara and Dupree -This is my first read by this author and I'm in love with his writing style. Mr. Maxwell is second place in my favorite new authors list. I was totally immersed in this book for two days; I'm usually a fast reader, but the book had me mesmerized. Not knowing what the book was about, I dove off into a book filled with a variety of characters, adventure and discovery.

The continuously moving storylines never slowed or bored, but kept up the pace flowing from one happening or place to another. The characters range from the best to the worst; all believable, some lovable or likable, and the despicable. The dialog for all is realistic and there's no confusion with the speakers; Mr. Maxwell has done a tremendous job with the personalities of his characters. I could yammer on about this book, but I dislike people who do book reports and spoilers. This is a book about everyday people and change.

Unfortunately, this book needs editing, not many errors but they are the repeated offensive ones forced on (some) writers by publishers whose employers who have a problem with God, proper names and hyphens and commas. As annoying that is, Mr. Maxwell is still worth reading. 5*
Profile Image for Rosemary.
3,871 reviews70 followers
December 5, 2018
Dead Beat - a review by Rosemary Kenny

The start of a great partnership between Micheal Maxwell and Tim Attewell is narrated here, in the first novella in their sure winner of a series, The Flynt and Steele Mysteries.

Detectives Noah Steele and Comrade Flynt are partnered together in as unlikely a coupling as you ever saw or read about, since Starsky and Hutch.
Young Noah's full of enthusiasm and has a work ethic as strong as the Empire State Building. On the other hand, his new partner is eccentric, jaded and coasting through cases without the least dedication - browbeaten into resignation, if not submission by his former partner, (who shall remain nameless). Determined to get Flynt up to speed and strike a spark of enthusiasm into his colleague by his example, Noah struggles at first, especially when their first joint investigation comes along soon after they first meet.
A young drummer in a Punk rock band has been murdered bizarrely, by having his neck pierced with his own drumsticks. Suspects and red herrings are in plentiful supply, as the whole band hated each other more than the public they performed for and a steamy love triangle complicates things even further!
You'll really enjoy the way the case - and the unlikely partnership - brings out the best in Flynt and how he's galvanized into reaching his full potential as a homicide detective and partner.
I loved it and can't wait for book 2 in this fantastic series to hit the shelves!
Get your copy today and tell all your friends so they can enjoy it too!!
Profile Image for Bob.
1,984 reviews21 followers
August 25, 2020
Beginning of a mystery series with a unlikely pair of detectives. Comrade Flynt is a short, with the nickname of "Leprechaun", very unkempt and the but of jokes and comments through out the detective office. When is long time partner who supported him and accommodated his idiosyncrasies succumbs to a heart attack he is paired up with a new transfer, Lieutenant Noah Steele who is a sharp dresser, has a great reputation and is in every way the exact opposite of Comrade. When Steele meets with the head of the detectives he is given a not too subtle charge to come with something that will allow Comrade to be fired. As they proceed on their first case Steele is at first befuddled at his partner's antics, then annoyed, and finally comes to realize that Comrade is not what he appears to be but is actually quite sharp.
19 reviews
July 9, 2020
Adverse Childhood Experiences figure in

I couldn’t stop reading at the beginning because the character development was amazing. Each detective was revealed naturally through direct descriptions and reactions. As the plot developed mor details of character were added naturally and created “aha “ moments, sometimes very rapid-fire. The plot twists were beautifully executed and the conclusion was very satisfying. I’m looking forward to continuing the series.
Detective Flint can be compared to Monk the tv show character as a unique yet gifted detective
4 reviews
September 26, 2020
Fun read, needs better editing

This was a good, quick read. The plot is typical light mystery. The main characters draw you in with their depth and are what made the book enjoyable and worth reading.

There are multiple instances of discontinuity. One chapter takes place after lunch, the next on the same day its first thing in the morning. A guy is told to sit, in the next sentence they are continuing to walk down the hall.

Distracting but not enough to keep me from reading book 2.
133 reviews
March 18, 2024
interesting characters and story

⭐️ - awful, probably DNF
⭐️⭐️- didn’t like but not terrible, actually finished it
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - it was ok, passed the time
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - good story, good writing, entertaining, just not great
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - great, could not put it down, excellent writing and story

A simply written story, nothing marvelous about the writing, but I see the potential for future books. So I will add the next book in the series to my buy list. I toyed with the idea of giving a 4 star rating but ultimately the writing was not up to that standard.
Profile Image for Pat Eroh.
2,618 reviews32 followers
December 22, 2018
So in the beginning, because I work with autistic children, I felt this was a horrible story of people in a work situation judging someone by their social skills which people with autism are often lacking in and judged by. Without giving anything away, I was pleasantly surprised at the story and cannot wait to read more on these detectives. Awesome story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jeff Benham.
1,715 reviews11 followers
May 6, 2020
Flynt and Steele are about as far apart as two homicide detectives can be. Flynt is a seemingly incompetent follower, who is not fired because the union won't allow it. Steele is an experienced cop, hand picked by the chief to straighten up that department. Flynt doesn't do much to dissuade Steele of his initial impression. Flynt has a quirky way of getting things done. They are partnered together on the murder of a punk band drummer. Very interesting first book in the series.
97 reviews
August 15, 2020
Dead Beat Murder Mystery book is a must read!

Dead Beat is a book in its own bandwidth. The rave it creates will have your pages singing as you turn them fast until the end. Steel and Flynt are the main characters, police detective partners, who while seemingly appear polar opposites grow to find they are alike in many ways. I recommend this book for light murder mystery reading.
16.6k reviews155 followers
January 27, 2019
He has had a transfer to a new force but his new partner seems to be not so good. Soon a case lands on their desk and it could just become very interesting. Will they solve it? What will happen between the men? Can they make the partnership work? See what will happen

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Mary MacKintosh.
961 reviews17 followers
March 26, 2023
This book feels like a first novel. Some word choices were wrong, and there were minor typos. Flynt as a character was sketched out strangely. I thought for awhile he was going to turn out to be a leprechaun for real. The reasons for his behavior were not fully explained until near the end of the book. Good first try.
Profile Image for Sandra Burns.
1,798 reviews41 followers
June 18, 2020
First time author for me.

Two detectives, take on the case of musicians being murdered. Flynt, is odd, and the Captain wanted to fire him. The other, Steele, finally took to Flynt. It was Flynt, who cracked the case.
1,990 reviews23 followers
August 27, 2020
Good beginning

Flynt and Steele have the makings of a decent series. Simple, direct and to the point in this edition. No unbelievable twists or miss directs. For once I was happy to see an underdog come out on top and a Superior jerk get his comeuppance.
Profile Image for Barbara Sheppard.
277 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2020
Flynt and Steele have the makings of a decent series. Simple, direct and to the point in this edition. No unbelievable twists or miss directs. For once I was happy to see an underdog come out on top and a Superior jerk get his comeuppance.
1,471 reviews7 followers
April 21, 2022
Good police thriller

This story kept you guessing until the end. What a character Count was.Loved the fact that Steele gave him a chance and helped him to try and reach his potential..
Profile Image for Dawn Gehler.
325 reviews6 followers
April 17, 2024
Very good

Loved it. My guess of the killer was wrong. Kudos to the author for keeping the murderer concealed. I'm happy theat Steele actually gave Flynt a chance and didn't go along with the other cops opinions of him. Will definitely read book 2
Profile Image for Vicki Snyder davis.
26 reviews
January 13, 2019
Great read

Fast paced fun read! As always Mr. Maxwell rolls out a great story without all the profanity, just a great story line! Looking forward to more in this new series.
12.6k reviews189 followers
January 25, 2019
Amazing new series from a spectacular writer of many stories Plenty of action and suspense .
Profile Image for J. Lewis.
Author 1 book1 follower
October 22, 2020
Very good mystery. The dichotomy of characters is intriguing and carries the story throughout the book.
1,840 reviews16 followers
March 25, 2023
A new detective is brought into the precinct to run off the old, inept detective. Their first case is a murdered drummer. The inept detective turns out to be valuable
305 reviews3 followers
June 8, 2024
Interesting characters
Profile Image for Sherrie Gallegos.
596 reviews3 followers
May 20, 2025
Pretty good storyline and the characters are likable. Happy to learn it is the start of a series.
181 reviews3 followers
May 6, 2023
Is this Columbo reincarnated? A bizarre discovery starts the story – two youngsters breaking into a storage facility discover the body of a punk rock band drummer killed with his drumming equipment. Another bizarre incident quickly follows when the partner of Detective Sergeant Comrade Flynt (“The Leprechaun”) succumbs to a heart attack, and Comrade is then partnered with an up-and-coming high achiever, Noah Steele, to investigate the drummers death.
The story progresses with considerable bullying of Flynt by colleagues and his “different” appearance even has Steele wondering about Flynt’s future until the thoughtful side of Flynt comes to the fore and his input manages to resolve the case. This gives Flynt and his colleagues a different view of Flynt and sets the scene for future stories.
With plenty of twists and turns this is a story to make the reader think of the real-life situations that are brought to the fore.
Moses
2,958 reviews
August 22, 2020
This looks like the beginning of an enjoyable series. The characters are likeable, the plot has moments of humor - I rate it 4.7 stars.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews

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