Death of a Car Salesman

by Collin Brantmeyer

On a brutally hot summer morning in Charlotte, North Carolina, Big Al Washington—a local legend for car sales and eccentric commercials—dies under mysterious circumstances. As the vultures line up for their fair share of his fortune, Big Al’s trusted attorney, Larry Bridges, informs the Washington kin that the estate will be frozen until the case is solved.

Weary of probing police detectives and avaricious beneficiaries, Larry enlists his savvy daughter, Emily, and Alice Washington—Big Al's estranged daughter and the only family member with a legitimate alibi—to figure out who killed his former boss.

Meanwhile, Big Al’s grandson and successor Luke, in serious need of cash flow, hatches his own plans to speed up the dispersion process. He sees it as his mission to save the dealership and will fulfil it at any cost.

When everyone in the Washington family's inner circle has a potential motive, how will Emily and Alice narrow it down? Or is Big Al’s legacy already doomed, as autonomous cars overtake the market and drive his lifelong business into the ground?

Genres: Mystery

266 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2020

Reviews

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that each chapter was told by a different character. We’ll developed characters. Fun and entertaining read. Looking forward to what the author writes next.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Death of a Car Salesman is part murder mystery and part dysfunctional family scenario. Big Al Washington is a flamboyant eighty-five-year-old car salesman who won’t acknowledge that his time has passed. Death of a Car Salesman is the first novel by Collin Brantmeyer.

Big Al drives up to favorite car dealership just as his grandson is about to film a commercial against Al’s wishes. Al takes a tantrum, fires his grandson, and does the commercial himself. As the camera’s start to role Big Al collapses and dies. Al’s favoured lawyer, Larry, takes over and reads a surprising will to the family. The one proviso in the will is that nothing will be distributed until Big Al’s murderer is found. Thus begins a struggle between the two daughters, the grandson, the ex-wives and the lawyer. Who did it and why?

The character development is excellent. Big Al is bigger than life, or at least he thinks he is. The author does a great job of slowly revealing who Big Al really is and why the family is so dysfunctional. The same can be said for all of the characters. The reader slowly understands why the characters behave as they do. Brantmeyer has a great style for character development.

Unfortunately, I don’t not find the story very interesting. The family is definitely dysfunctional but the reader is not held captive by their story. The murder mystery exists but the reveal is so late it’s almost part of a different story. I feel there are too many unrelated mini-stories going on to make the book interesting.

I recommend this book who are interested in unique characters but it is not for those who enjoy a spellbinding story. I give it a 3 on 5. I want to thank NetGalley and Ready Demolition Books for providing me with a digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big Al Washington, patriarch of a car dealership empire, is dead and his estate is tied up until the killer is found. The characters are all overblown caricatures that you might equally find in an evening soap opera / drama like Dallas or FalconCrest. I shook my head so often at their ridiculous antics that only the incredibly rich and spoiled could ever hope to get away with. As for Big Al himself, he so resembled the flamboyant dealership legend, Cal Worthington (and his dog Spot) that I had to see if this was somehow based on his death and legacy. As far as I could tell, it wasn’t. If you want an over the top story where even the “good” characters are somewhat bad, this is a great escapist read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ready Demolition Books for a copy of the book. This review is my own opinion.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley, Collin Brantmeyer and Ready Demolition Books for the ARC of Death Of A Car Salesman
Al Washington was a well-known car salesman and he had decided he wanted to retire after his 47 years in the career. He was well known for his commercials and he was doing his final commercial just before he turned his business over to his grandson. He was so looking forward to his retirement but that was not to be what happened.
He was murdered and now the police had to find out who killed him. This was turning out to be a case that was not going to be easy to solve. He was worth over 200 million dollars and there was a long list of people who wanted his fortune.
This book had everything in it to keep me reading- humor- mystery and a big list of suspects!

[Liz Kuhns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the beginning when I found out it was set in the year 2028 to the last chapter that took me back through the opening chapter, I loved every small surprise that popped up.
The characters were totally believable and easy to imagine. Even the ones I expected to be flat stereotypes turned out to have an edge that made them less of an archetype.
An amazing mix of mystery, humor, and fantasy, it kept me wrapped up to the last word.

[Charles D'Amico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

I thought the story was witty and clever as imaginative went out what I was expecting and it had pretty well developed characters all in all I'd give it a 4 out of 5.

I try to save five stars for those books that you think just crush every aspect of it and are you know one of a kind

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s a murder mystery, but in some ways the murder is the least interesting part. The Washington family members are all so inept & ridiculous that I was much more invested in what dumb move they’d make next instead of actually trying to figure out the crime. It’s quirky, but not too quirky & gave me definite Fargo vibes.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley.

[Dave Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a very avid reader, I really enjoyed this book. It took me awhile to get used to the chapters being in the different character's first person narrative, but once I figured that out, it made the read more enjoyable. It's a good plot and well written. I would definitely recommend this book. Well done!

[Priya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read with believable characters and plot. Though the suspense is guessable that does not spoil the story or the narrative. The wry humour adds flavour to the mix. Looking forward to future books by this author. A joy to read.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collin creates a vivid backdrop for his story and compelling characters that draw the reader in. The plot is well thought out, engaging, and fast paced. Overall it’s a wonderful book and a seriously impressive work for a first time author. I’m eager to read his next work.

[Margot Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable thriller that MOVES!

Great characters and story. Highly recommend.

[James Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique thriller masquerading as a "whodunit." A pleasant surprise!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

First time novelist Collin Brantmeyer has made a fan out of me. An engaging story with delightful characters and a fast paced yarn that provokes one to try and finish it in one sitting. It is a well written book that had me guessing up to the final sentence. I look forward to what he puts out next.