Tony doesn't know why he did it. He just went. Forgetting to even call Allie, he boarded a plane and then a cruise ship to Alaska. While he's trying to figure out what is wrong with him, he has to figure out how an old college crush can get out of a murder charge when she admits to stabbing her millionaire husband. Tony Flaner is back, and his newest case is his coldest and most complicated yet. Can he avoid the all-you-can-eat buffet along with the bullets shot at him? Eh, no. Of course he can't.
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, best-selling author of books and stories. A Utah Writer of the Year. Trained in modern literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket multi-genre fiction, symbolized by his love of tie-dye and good words. “I write what I like to read,” he says. “This guarantees me at least one fan.”
Johnny is best known (so far) for his award winning, nationally acclaimed, best-selling young adult novel, ELEANOR, THE UNSEEN. It is a great book and if you haven’t read it, you need to. Johnny’s debut novel, the adult occult thriller, BEATRYSEL along with its companion story DR. STUART’S HEART explores the darker sides of love and Magick.
CELESTE, THE UNSEEN BOOK 2, continues Eleanor’s story as she tries to maintain a life in Jamesford, while distant events and local suspicion conspire to threaten everything. DAVID, THE UNSEEN BOOK 3, sees the powerful transformative conclusion of this awarding series as Eleanor learns her past and builds her future.
Johnny’s entry into mystery with THE BRAND DEMAND won a Silver Quill Award from the League of Utah Writers in the best novel category, while, his genre-bending comedy noire, THE FINGER TRAP, introduces Tony Flaner, a flawed slacker every-man detective who can’t throw a punch but can slay a room with sarcasm.
Johnny's short stories appear in a number of anthologies including the Dark Fiction LITTLE VISIBLE DELIGHT (The Point), Utah Horror, OLD SCRATCH AND OWL HOOTS (Keep Sweet), IT CAME FROM THE GREAT SALT LAKE (May 15th), Utah Fantasy, SECRETS & DOORS (A Thousand Secret Doors), HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT (The Lost Curse of the Witch's Nest) and the limited edition commemorate Salt Lake Comic Con anthology HEROIC: TALES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY (The Grape Whisperer).
Johnny lectures and teaches about writing and life whenever anyone will listen. He edits professionally for Omnium Gatherum, a dark fiction press. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, sons and a cat.
Tony Flaner is a slacker. He can't hold a job. He lost his wife. He didn't even tell his girlfriend he was going on an Alaska cruise. Will he lose her too? That's just one question in the third novel of Worthen's Tony Flaner series.
Yes, Tony is off on an Alaska cruise with his stand-up comedian friends. But because this is a murder mystery, people die. And because they are at sea, Tony is the man to try to solve it. There are several story lines going on, several suspects, and lots of clues. Worthen does a fantastic job weaving these all together and keeps you guessing. Yes, I was surprised at the end. Tony's signature humor is still here. Tony's group of quirky friends are here too. It all adds up to the best Tony Flaner story yet.
And I won't tell you if Tony loses his girlfriend. No spoilers here.
Note: I was provided an advanced copy of this book by the author.
In the Wake of Captain Lord is an excellent installment for the third novel of Tony Flaner Mysteries. It is a continuation of the same wit and off-the-wall (bulkhead) humor the earlier books contain.
I had fun reading In the Wake of Captain Lord. I enjoyed how the returning characters are continuing to grow, expand, and develop and not being presented as a stagnant episodic event. Each of them, seen through Tony’s point of view, provide a greater level to his character as well as their own (not sure what the point is of this sentence).
This is a standalone case for Tony, but the past stories are still alive and kicking (him) in this one. There are wonderful snippets to bring the past stories back to the present and provide an additional level to the story.
It is clear Tony Flaner is a dynamic character. He has growth in this book, struggles making him all the more human, jumping off the page and being someone you could easily meet on the street or at a coffee shop.
I recommend In the Wake of Captain Lord for everyone who has read the series (like that is even needing to be a recommendation).
I also recommend In the Wake of Captain Lord for people who like a good murder mystery with all of the elements presented. This story gives you the opportunity to decipher the crime and match wits with the detective.
Like all of the Tony Flaner books, this comedic mystery contains plenty of witty jokes, social commentary, and satire. This one even had a bit of a themed message revealed at the end of the book, which really made me stop and think back on every crazy event in the book with a new perspective.
If you've read Tony Flaner books before, you won't be disappointed by this one. If you haven't read the other books, I recommend starting with The Knicknack Case, which I believe is still available for free on the author's website.
If you're reading this while wondering about buying this book, I recommend you do it. It's a fun, unique, mishap-packed mystery with a great cast of characters and a surprising but satisfying ending.
Tony's group of friends are more involved in this one, which I really enjoyed. I am a Critter and Dara fan for life!
Spoiler Alert:I had a great time laughing at the MLM Nutri-Pod people, shaking my head at the ridiculous bear attack, and biting my nails in anticipation while the tour boat started sinking in killer whale territory!
Tony Flaner and his buddies from the comedy club are invited on a near season end Alaska cruise only to get embroiled in chaos and mayhem. The husband of a long-time-ago girlfriend (Kristin) of Tony's is murdered and Kristin, of course, is the prime suspect. Kristin asks Tony to investigate and clear her. If you have taken an Alaska cruise, you will recognize the locales. If you haven't, it's a fun analog to a real cruise but with a lot more excitement. Tony is still his irreverent self and the murder mystery turns into three interconnected mysteries with Tony working for both Kristin and the Cruise Line to figure it all out. And must complete his investigation within the timeline of the one week cruise.
Another crazy adventure with Tony. Wasn't sure if he was going to survive this one. Hope he hangs on to Abby. Not sure he deserves her tho. And again this book left me laughing.
Once again, I was up half the night until I found out “who dun it.” This was also probably the funniest Tony Flaner story I have read so far. I wonder how much research Johnny Worthen did for the vignettes about historic Alaska
This is the first book I've read featuring Tony Flaner, but it won't be the last. I'm not sure I can express how much fun this book was to read. Hilarious. Great characters and a terrific mystery. Delightful.