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The Claire Saga #4
Finding Jimmy Moran: Codicil to The Claire Trilogy
Who is Jimmy Moran? It starts with a lucky penny. Then a muse who bestows a mystical gift. Or maybe a curse? Family, friends, and fights abound as Jimmy breaks the law, looks for love in all the wrong places and experiences loss that transforms him. A mischievous Bronx boy becomes a man in his search for the love of his life. This is the coming of age story of the character we meet in The Claire Trilogy, who becomes a mob lawyer, Claire the mule's best friend, and the leader of the motley crew of magical misfits.
362 pages, Paperback
Published April 13, 2023
153 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Tom McCaffrey
17 books92 followersTom McCaffrey is a born-and-bred New Yorker who, after a long career working as a successful entertainment attorney in Manhattan, relocated with his wife to a small town in Northern Colorado to follow a road less travelled and return to his first passion, writing. Despite the local rumors started by Claire the mule, he denies being in the Witness Protection Program.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 16, 2023
Nicely done. This author has found his lane, so if you liked his earlier works, you'll like this one. Those new to the author may like this for its humor and solid writing.
I really appreciate the free copy for review!!
I really appreciate the free copy for review!!
April 17, 2023
This novel was exhausting to me, but I had to read every word! McCaffrey is a great writer. So read this first and don't miss the Claire trilogy. I loved every word of it, especially Claire. Hee haw.
May 4, 2023
Delightful
Upon reading four books by Tom McCaffrey I find them delightful!! They are funny and imaginative. They show the strong bonds of relationships and family values. The characters display ethics but not saintly. These books are a work of art that stretches the human imagination and provides lots of laughter and also some sadness. A highly recommended read!!
Upon reading four books by Tom McCaffrey I find them delightful!! They are funny and imaginative. They show the strong bonds of relationships and family values. The characters display ethics but not saintly. These books are a work of art that stretches the human imagination and provides lots of laughter and also some sadness. A highly recommended read!!
December 6, 2022
Finding Jimmy Moran
FJM is a fact meets fiction coming -of -age story like you won’t find anywhere else. It is the prequel to “ The Claire Trilogy” which I read prior. The author , Tom McCaffrey, weaves together his real life experiences growing up Irish and “rough”in New York, ( as referenced in his blogs) with a futuristic mystical character from his “The Claire trilogy.” Loaded with characters you will root for, cry over, adore, and be amazed they lived through their teenage years … it is a story about loyalty, family bonds, lifetime friends, teenage troublemaking, searching for love (and sex) and sometimes loss. A bit of a love story on several levels. I was lucky enough to read the manuscript ahead of its release and I literally read for hours at a time, making my eyes burn. I couldn’t wait to see how Jimmy’s story ended… and the end is a good one! McCaffreys trilogy plus FJM are so descriptive… together they would make a terrific movie!
FJM is a fact meets fiction coming -of -age story like you won’t find anywhere else. It is the prequel to “ The Claire Trilogy” which I read prior. The author , Tom McCaffrey, weaves together his real life experiences growing up Irish and “rough”in New York, ( as referenced in his blogs) with a futuristic mystical character from his “The Claire trilogy.” Loaded with characters you will root for, cry over, adore, and be amazed they lived through their teenage years … it is a story about loyalty, family bonds, lifetime friends, teenage troublemaking, searching for love (and sex) and sometimes loss. A bit of a love story on several levels. I was lucky enough to read the manuscript ahead of its release and I literally read for hours at a time, making my eyes burn. I couldn’t wait to see how Jimmy’s story ended… and the end is a good one! McCaffreys trilogy plus FJM are so descriptive… together they would make a terrific movie!
May 1, 2023
Fun
Fun read! This one is very reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein. If you enjoy a romp into the past, read on! Thanks Tom. Keep up the good work.
Fun read! This one is very reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein. If you enjoy a romp into the past, read on! Thanks Tom. Keep up the good work.
December 22, 2022
I enjoyed this book so much I read it twice!
Chapter by chapter, we watch as Jimmy Moran grows from toddler to college student in the 60’s and 70’s in Queens New York. With all of his highly entertaining life experiences preparing him for adulthood as a lawyer for the mob, as was his livelihood in Tom’s previous books which start with The Wise Ass.
I highly recommend this book, as well as the other three in the series.
So glad I discovered these books!
Chapter by chapter, we watch as Jimmy Moran grows from toddler to college student in the 60’s and 70’s in Queens New York. With all of his highly entertaining life experiences preparing him for adulthood as a lawyer for the mob, as was his livelihood in Tom’s previous books which start with The Wise Ass.
I highly recommend this book, as well as the other three in the series.
So glad I discovered these books!
January 22, 2023
I am not an author or writer, just a book enthusiast that enjoys a good book. This is a 5 star book that I highly recommend. I read it after the Claire Trilogy which I also highly recommend.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
April 30, 2023
This is the prequel to the Claire trilogy if you’ve ever wondered how Jimmy became the wise ass mafia lawyer father to space aliens and lover of Eleni then you need to read Finding Jimmy Moran his before life is just as funny as his after life in this coming-of-age book about Jimmy his brothers and one older sister and him needing everyone he calls family today then don’t miss reading this book it is the prequel but even if you haven’t read the Clare trilogy you still love this book it is so funny you won’t turn the page without a few LOL moments and you will not want to stop turning the page I loved this book I love this author and can’t wait to see what he does next. I received this book from NetGalley in Black Rose writing but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
April 13, 2023
This is a coming of age story about Jimmy. We follow his path from toddler to man as he finds his way through life with a little help from a supernatural force. This book had me laughing out loud at the crazy situations Jimmy and his friends found themselves in and crying as he lost friends along the way. A fast and easy read from cover to cover!
May 10, 2023
Finding Jimmy Moran starts on a great note and maintains the pace brilliantly.
You get a glimpse of a typical Irish Catholic family and Jimmy is one of the younger uns but not the youngest.
Much before Jimmy learns to deal with world he first has to survive fights with his brothers and disciplinary thrashing from his short tempered grand father, hilariously known as Spaghetti .
One initially often feels sorry for Jimmy as he stands his own ground but these home grown battles help him to deal with the skirmishes to come in the outside world. Little Jimmy grows up to be a rambunctious young man who does not hesitate to cock a snook at his Irish catholic school in his junior year for growing out his hair. How he managed it that's a story within a story itself.
As Jimmy grows up to be this boisterous hard nut to crack, albeit hiding a soft heart kind of guy, true love evades him and he cannot ever fathom the reason why. There are girls in abundance but no relationship ever survives beyond the thrall of the first bloom. In some mysterious way his heart is protected as he waits for the right woman to come along at the right time.
Finding Jimmy Moran will offer you an in depth glimpse into his many adventures ~including the fall from grace of a buddhist friend as Jimmy falls in and out of trouble. You will understand the making of a man that finally becomes a mob lawyer and the reason his heart will break when his family is harmed. This book explains those deep bonds and at the same time is very entertaining.
I would suggest fasten your seat belts and enjoy this ride. There is love, family, mischief, adventure all rolled into one in this coming-of-age book.
You get a glimpse of a typical Irish Catholic family and Jimmy is one of the younger uns but not the youngest.
Much before Jimmy learns to deal with world he first has to survive fights with his brothers and disciplinary thrashing from his short tempered grand father, hilariously known as Spaghetti .
One initially often feels sorry for Jimmy as he stands his own ground but these home grown battles help him to deal with the skirmishes to come in the outside world. Little Jimmy grows up to be a rambunctious young man who does not hesitate to cock a snook at his Irish catholic school in his junior year for growing out his hair. How he managed it that's a story within a story itself.
As Jimmy grows up to be this boisterous hard nut to crack, albeit hiding a soft heart kind of guy, true love evades him and he cannot ever fathom the reason why. There are girls in abundance but no relationship ever survives beyond the thrall of the first bloom. In some mysterious way his heart is protected as he waits for the right woman to come along at the right time.
Finding Jimmy Moran will offer you an in depth glimpse into his many adventures ~including the fall from grace of a buddhist friend as Jimmy falls in and out of trouble. You will understand the making of a man that finally becomes a mob lawyer and the reason his heart will break when his family is harmed. This book explains those deep bonds and at the same time is very entertaining.
I would suggest fasten your seat belts and enjoy this ride. There is love, family, mischief, adventure all rolled into one in this coming-of-age book.
April 11, 2023
This was such an enjoyable read, fantastic novel. Though the details were so descriptive and cleverly intertwined with the humorous telling, it could be a biography of one very interesting childhood. Parts of the book remind me of the Sandlot, the way Jimmy's gang holds together through thick and thin. It was great to escape in this "time gone by" story when we could experience our childhood in totality without the need for technology, helicopter parents and cell phone apendages. But I think that muse definitely cursed him. Why? That would be brutal having to experience teenage love the way he did. Maybe it was the tradeoff for those voices of wisdom he heard in his head? It certainly must have fortified his fighting character. I can now see why Jimmy became the lawyer. And the fantasy interwoven throughout the book was perfect in is this codicil to the Claire Trilogy. A perfect gem!
April 13, 2023
This is a must read! I loved it! It has humor, family, magic, growing pains and love within all the pages. I'm sure many of you will love it and enjoy it and perhaps recall part of your own childhood as you read "Finding Jimmy Moran".
After reading The Claire Trilogy I was very excited to get my copy of Finding Jimmy Moran and it did not disappoint. In fact it was even better than I anticipated. The story brought me moments of laughing out loud as well as tears running down my cheeks.
McCaffrey has shared a story of growing up (that he states his fictional) a story I imagine each reader will wish they were part of, wish they shared the experiences and met these larger than life characters .
After reading The Claire Trilogy I was very excited to get my copy of Finding Jimmy Moran and it did not disappoint. In fact it was even better than I anticipated. The story brought me moments of laughing out loud as well as tears running down my cheeks.
McCaffrey has shared a story of growing up (that he states his fictional) a story I imagine each reader will wish they were part of, wish they shared the experiences and met these larger than life characters .
April 28, 2023
Great storytelling is an art and Tom McCaffery is a true master. Like drinking at a pub until sunrise with your oldest and most entertaining friend, McCaffery has the unique ability to bring the reader into his world and make it feel like their own. No pretense, no punches pulled, the stories in this book are gritty, hysterical, sometimes heart-wrenching, and probably the most authentic and enjoyable history lesson about what it was like growing up in the 1970’s Bronx that’s ever been written. The book works as a stand-alone, but I’d highly recommend reading The Claire Trilogy first because they provide a context that makes the colors in Finding Jimmy Moran really pop (and all three previous books are awesome).
McCaffery is a natural – do yourself a favor and read these books!
McCaffery is a natural – do yourself a favor and read these books!
April 5, 2024
A Pleasant surprise
While this book is a treatise on the trails of a baby boomer's path to adulthood. It uses the characters of the associated trilogy. At the age of 75, I was delighted by the resurrection of long forgotten memories. I loved the previous three books. However, this one may be my favorite. Great job Tom McCaffrey!
While this book is a treatise on the trails of a baby boomer's path to adulthood. It uses the characters of the associated trilogy. At the age of 75, I was delighted by the resurrection of long forgotten memories. I loved the previous three books. However, this one may be my favorite. Great job Tom McCaffrey!
June 25, 2024
Incredibly disappointing. I thoroughly enjoyed the Claire Trilogy yet this book had so little relevance to the series that I wasn’t sure what the purpose was.
It is very rare that I don’t finish a book but if I hadn’t read the trilogy, this would have been one of a handful that I walked away from. I’m sorry I didn’t.
It is very rare that I don’t finish a book but if I hadn’t read the trilogy, this would have been one of a handful that I walked away from. I’m sorry I didn’t.
May 3, 2023
It wasn't as good as the first 3 but still great.
I really enjoyed the characters in this series. The humor and adventures were really fun. The first 3 books were the best but going back over his family life was really interesting.
I really enjoyed the characters in this series. The humor and adventures were really fun. The first 3 books were the best but going back over his family life was really interesting.
August 28, 2023
A very entertaining & insightful peek into the vibe of what it was like growing up in the Bronx at the time Tom was writing about. I’m sure he had to live it to relate it so well. I never wanted his stories to end, & would love to hear more!
June 17, 2023
Laugh out loud funny, a great coming of age novel.
October 18, 2023
Comming of age story presented in a clever way. Great 1970s NYC adventures
September 16, 2024
Memory lane
It was interesting watching Jimmy develop into the person he became. His past and character were different than I thought they would be.
It was interesting watching Jimmy develop into the person he became. His past and character were different than I thought they would be.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews