The Wrong Idiot

by Tim Reardon

In the early days of the pandemic, San Francisco realtor and part-time bookie, Eddie Bilker, has two his wife has been kidnapped, and there’s a dead body in his Porsche. In this twisty tale, Eddie if forced to navigate two separate worlds. He goes toe-to-toe with the wildly eccentric criminals, who may or may not be involved in the kidnapping, while simultaneously trying to hold onto his straight life as an upstanding member of society. “As the conspiracy unfolds, you’ll meet characters who are all a bit compromised but each tethered to a dramatic kidnapping that is not what it seems.” -Annie Gaus, SF Standard

280 pages, Paperback

Published July 19, 2022

Reviews

[joy walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was fun

I love books set in San Francisco where I was raised, especially close to my old neighborhood.

Reardon’s characters are hysterical, Duff and Carl tie for favorite. How this story evolves is genius in that it is almost believable. I love the perfect title. I have to read more of Reardon’s books.

[Mitchell Waldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a page-turner of a novel, full of surprises and turns, keeping me wondering what was going to happen next. How will the kidnapped woman, Kimberly be saved? How will the older cancer-ridden man, Carl, make it through to his God-chosen end date? This book is full of colorful characters, all with their flaws. Even the good guys have screwed up, made their mistakes in this crime novel, yet we root for them somehow to make it through this tangled web of lies, deceit, and murder. A good story from a very good writer.

[Melissa Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a good afternoon read, not what I expected the story to be which was a good thing, kept me interested until the last page