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The Big Snooze: A Duffer McDermott Mystery
What do you get when you mix murder, golf, and the Grateful Dead? The funniest mystery you’ve ever read!
‘The Big Snooze,’ the first entry in the Duffer McDermott Mystery Series, is a wildly humorous, fast-paced murder mystery set in the high-pressure world of professional golf. Full of comedy, action, and a glimpse of how the rich and beautiful live, this debut novel from Cornelius Peter combines the carefully constructed plot of a traditional whodunnit with the madcap energy and laughs of your favorite comedy classics.
Welcome to La Siesta, California, aka The Big Snooze, a perfect little jewel of a town on the Pacific Ocean. Home to the wealthiest one percent of the one percent, it’s an enchanted place where the only thing more beautiful than the houses lining the shore are the people who live in them. They arrive on yachts, driving Bentleys, and flying in private jets. Sometimes, they leave in a body bag.
Francis “Duffer” McDermott’s life is in the deep rough. His career as a cop is over, he’s in debt to a pair of bloodthirsty gangsters, and his dream of playing professional golf is fading fast. But then, hope appears on the horizon like a beer cart on the ninth hole, when Duffer unexpectedly qualifies to play in the La Siesta Open. He may be the longest of long shots, but if he plays well, he’ll earn enough money to pay his debts. More importantly, if he can pull off a miracle and win the tournament, he’ll finally earn himself a spot on the PGA Tour.
Unfortunately for Duffer, his plans go off the rails when the president of the La Siesta Country Club is murdered. Complicating things further is his ongoing affair with the dead man’s wife. Now, it’s up to Duffer to solve the murder, searching through a sea of colorful characters and hanging on through every twist and turn. At the same time, he’s got to stay one step ahead of his nemesis, the Chief of Police, who’d love nothing more than to pin the murder on him. And he’s got to do it all while playing the best golf of his life…
‘The Big Snooze,’ the first entry in the Duffer McDermott Mystery Series, is a wildly humorous, fast-paced murder mystery set in the high-pressure world of professional golf. Full of comedy, action, and a glimpse of how the rich and beautiful live, this debut novel from Cornelius Peter combines the carefully constructed plot of a traditional whodunnit with the madcap energy and laughs of your favorite comedy classics.
Welcome to La Siesta, California, aka The Big Snooze, a perfect little jewel of a town on the Pacific Ocean. Home to the wealthiest one percent of the one percent, it’s an enchanted place where the only thing more beautiful than the houses lining the shore are the people who live in them. They arrive on yachts, driving Bentleys, and flying in private jets. Sometimes, they leave in a body bag.
Francis “Duffer” McDermott’s life is in the deep rough. His career as a cop is over, he’s in debt to a pair of bloodthirsty gangsters, and his dream of playing professional golf is fading fast. But then, hope appears on the horizon like a beer cart on the ninth hole, when Duffer unexpectedly qualifies to play in the La Siesta Open. He may be the longest of long shots, but if he plays well, he’ll earn enough money to pay his debts. More importantly, if he can pull off a miracle and win the tournament, he’ll finally earn himself a spot on the PGA Tour.
Unfortunately for Duffer, his plans go off the rails when the president of the La Siesta Country Club is murdered. Complicating things further is his ongoing affair with the dead man’s wife. Now, it’s up to Duffer to solve the murder, searching through a sea of colorful characters and hanging on through every twist and turn. At the same time, he’s got to stay one step ahead of his nemesis, the Chief of Police, who’d love nothing more than to pin the murder on him. And he’s got to do it all while playing the best golf of his life…
318 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 12, 2021
21 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Cornelius Peter
8 books3 followersCornelius Peter was born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, attended the Pomfret School in Connecticut and later received a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Following graduation, he moved to San Francisco with two goals in mind: to see more Grateful Dead shows and to somehow break into stand-up comedy. After a chance meeting with the manager of the Punch Line Comedy Club at a concert by the Jerry Garcia Band, he accomplished both. He became director of promotions for the club, started working nights at the front door and eventually kicked off his performing career at the now legendary Sunday Night Showcase.
Cornelius spent the next two decades performing stand-up around the country at such venues as Cobb’s Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, the Improv and many others. In 2009 he wrote and starred in “The Pot Luck Club,” a one-person show chronicling his career in the cannabis industry. During the years that followed, he produced, hosted and booked “The Highland Park Show” a popular monthly comedy show in Los Angeles that ran from 2012-2016, hosted the podcast “Book Me, Please”, and was the author/illustrator of two comic strips, ‘The Daily Comics’ from 2007-2009, and ‘The Bald and the Beautiful’, which ran from 2014-2019 in the LA Art News
In 2011, temporarily laid off by the cannabis industry and seeking a new direction, he tried his hand at acting. He has since appeared in dozens of television shows, including "How I Met Your Mother,” “Silicon Valley,” “Atypical,” “Two Broke Girls,” and “Fresh Off The Boat.” He lives in Los Angeles with his dog, Jack, where he continues to act, write and play golf rather poorly. “The Big Snooze" is his first novel.
Cornelius spent the next two decades performing stand-up around the country at such venues as Cobb’s Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, the Improv and many others. In 2009 he wrote and starred in “The Pot Luck Club,” a one-person show chronicling his career in the cannabis industry. During the years that followed, he produced, hosted and booked “The Highland Park Show” a popular monthly comedy show in Los Angeles that ran from 2012-2016, hosted the podcast “Book Me, Please”, and was the author/illustrator of two comic strips, ‘The Daily Comics’ from 2007-2009, and ‘The Bald and the Beautiful’, which ran from 2014-2019 in the LA Art News
In 2011, temporarily laid off by the cannabis industry and seeking a new direction, he tried his hand at acting. He has since appeared in dozens of television shows, including "How I Met Your Mother,” “Silicon Valley,” “Atypical,” “Two Broke Girls,” and “Fresh Off The Boat.” He lives in Los Angeles with his dog, Jack, where he continues to act, write and play golf rather poorly. “The Big Snooze" is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 27, 2022
An exciting and amusing tale that kept me going. Full of similes and metaphors in the cliché style of so much detective fiction ("felt like a tuning fork that had fallen down a flight of stairs", "stood out like a pimple on a supermodel’s ass", "panting like a couple of huskies after finishing the Iditarod"). Paints the privileged and wealthy in broad sometimes resentful strokes. Much of the dialog was laugh-out-loud funny, especially when characters exchanged threats and insults. Delivers insight into the mental aspects of golf. Unfortunately, 80% of the way through, the author drops a hint so strong, you instantly realize whodunnit, and how the author will finish the story, and you spend the rest of the book watching him wrap it up as predicted.
December 28, 2021
An amazing introduction to what I hope will be a long lasting series! Duffer McDermott is the ultimate flawed hero, but he is witty and tenacious. Peter, a stand up comic, peppers this cozy mystery with hilarious observations and dialogue. It reminded me so much of Fletch. I read this entire book in one sitting. Cannot wait to read book two!
May 12, 2022
Quick read with a couple twists and turns
May 29, 2022
Clever mix of golf, mystery and smart ne-er-do-well. Very amusing with a good mystery. I will look forward to #2.
July 18, 2023
Fun adventure, particularly for golf aficionados and those who like Lawrence Saunders’ Arch McNally PI series.
January 2, 2025
A fun read
March 27, 2025
Quite an interesting murder mystery. A little prejudiced as I love anything related to golf. Looking forward to reading more about Duffer (Duffey) McDermott.
November 30, 2025
bad language
Could be a good story but the language is really bad. I am not sure why authors think bad language makes the book better.
Could be a good story but the language is really bad. I am not sure why authors think bad language makes the book better.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews