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Truman Kicklighter Mystery #2
Crash Course
Retiree extraordinaire Truman Kicklighter returns in the second installment of a simmering Florida series by one of today's hottest suspense writers. When Truman's twenty-something pal is taken for a ride by a used-car dealer, he has to put the brakes on a scam with a deadly payoff.
Truman's young friend Jackleen Canaday has bought herself the car of her dreams, a hot red '88 Corvette with cool leather upholstery, but the ink's hardly dry on the contract when she realizes she's got a nightmare on her hands. The 'Vette reeks of lemon, and Jeff Cantrell, the suave huckster who sold her the car, refuses oh-so-politely to take it back. Much as Jackie loathes Cantrell, she's shocked when she goes by the lot one evening and finds something that looks an awful lot like his corpse. She's even more shocked when the cops arrive a few minutes later and there's no body to be found.
Enter Truman, who hates to see a friend cheated and hates even more to pass up a juicy puzzle. Cantrell's employer, the surpassingly oily Ronnie Boundurant, insists that Cantrell quit abruptly--something about a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity--but Truman's acquaintances on both sides of the law suggest that Cantrell and his boss have been seen in the company of a local drug lord. Truman goes undercover and gets a ringside seat at the scene of several crimes, from insurance fraud to usury to--he's increasingly convinced--murder. He unearths a bloody trail that leads from the dealership to Tampa's strip-clup strip, and quite possibly to his own demise.
Truman's young friend Jackleen Canaday has bought herself the car of her dreams, a hot red '88 Corvette with cool leather upholstery, but the ink's hardly dry on the contract when she realizes she's got a nightmare on her hands. The 'Vette reeks of lemon, and Jeff Cantrell, the suave huckster who sold her the car, refuses oh-so-politely to take it back. Much as Jackie loathes Cantrell, she's shocked when she goes by the lot one evening and finds something that looks an awful lot like his corpse. She's even more shocked when the cops arrive a few minutes later and there's no body to be found.
Enter Truman, who hates to see a friend cheated and hates even more to pass up a juicy puzzle. Cantrell's employer, the surpassingly oily Ronnie Boundurant, insists that Cantrell quit abruptly--something about a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity--but Truman's acquaintances on both sides of the law suggest that Cantrell and his boss have been seen in the company of a local drug lord. Truman goes undercover and gets a ringside seat at the scene of several crimes, from insurance fraud to usury to--he's increasingly convinced--murder. He unearths a bloody trail that leads from the dealership to Tampa's strip-clup strip, and quite possibly to his own demise.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
128 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Hogan Trocheck
18 books588 followersaka Mary Kay Andrews
Kathy Hogan Trocheck is the author of critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series. A former reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, she is also the author of Little Bitty Lies and the Edgar®- and Macavity-nominated Savannah Blues, under the name Mary Kay Andrews.
Kathy Hogan Trocheck is the author of critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series. A former reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, she is also the author of Little Bitty Lies and the Edgar®- and Macavity-nominated Savannah Blues, under the name Mary Kay Andrews.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 6, 2025
I really can’t believe I finished this book it was so bad. I am so glad there are no more books in this series. It had too many side characters and I couldn’t keep everyone straight. It was not like the other books from this author and I wish she would stay with the happy go lucky romance novels she normally writes.
October 10, 2011
Wished I had stopped reading at the first sign of a continuity error, about chapter 2, because those mistakes continued and the plot just got worse.
July 24, 2012
The Truman Kicklighter series falls FAR short of the other books I've read by this author.
December 6, 2021
Unlike the Garrity books this is a thriller not a mystery. We know who did the murder from the beginning and we are given some of the story from the viewpoint of the villains. Kicklighter and Jackleen are great characters and there's much insight into being a retired male and someone living on minimum wage. The Fountain of Youth Hotel and Bondurant Motors are well done. My trouble was with the villains - well they're fairly good villains but three other Florida thriller-writers have given us great villains. I kept comparing this with Leonard's "Maximum Bod" and Hiaasen's "Striptease" and Willeford's "Miami Blue." I know they were set on the opposite coast but it's all one state to me. The car talk was good but Seranella does it better. Making these comparisons knocked off a star but this is excellent page-turning entertainment. Did they ever open the trunk of the pink Cadillac?
July 18, 2022
I found the first book in this series (Crash Course) on the giveaway shelf at my local library. I had never read anything by Kathy Trocheck, but I have read and liked Mary Kay Andrews books and I knew they were the same person so thought I would give it a try. The first one was cute, so I went on the search for this one, the second in the series. When I was looking for it, I wondered why there were only two in this series; usually a series has at least three books, but after reading this, I understood why.
I don't know if Kathy just lost interest in her character or what, but this one was not nearly as good as the first one. In fact, I at first gave this book three stars before I wrote my review, but I subtracted a star after I thought more about it.
The main reason is because she left too many unanswered questions. I won't mention them because I don't want to spoil it for someone who hasn't read this yet, but it was really a disappointing book.
I realize she was just starting her writing career when she wrote this, but I much prefer her books written as Mary Kay Andrews.
I don't know if Kathy just lost interest in her character or what, but this one was not nearly as good as the first one. In fact, I at first gave this book three stars before I wrote my review, but I subtracted a star after I thought more about it.
The main reason is because she left too many unanswered questions. I won't mention them because I don't want to spoil it for someone who hasn't read this yet, but it was really a disappointing book.
I realize she was just starting her writing career when she wrote this, but I much prefer her books written as Mary Kay Andrews.
February 28, 2025
Truman has gotten involved in another mystery. His friend Jackleen bought her dream car on a whim from Jeff Cantrell. When it turns out to be a lemon she goes back to complain to Jeff but he's no where to be found. The dealer, Ronnie Bonderant, won't give her the money back and says she'd better make the payment or the car will be repo'd. Instead, the car gets stolen....and she thinks Bonderant stole it. She goes looking and finds a dead Jeff Cantrell in the car. Truman, Jackie and Ollie set out to prove Ronnie Bonderant killed Jeff and get messed up in more trouble than they bargained for. Apparently Bonderant is up to no good and is on the radar of law enforcement. This is a fast paced book with twists and turns.
January 24, 2022
Another Kathy Hogan Trocheck mystery that has Truman Kicklighter as its main character.
Jackleen,who is a waitress at the hotel Truman is living in, decides to buy a used car, against Truman’s advice, she is swindled. This leads Truman to investigate the used car company. He finds that it is rotten to the core and tries to get retribution for Jackleen.
In looking into it he finds that one of the car salesman has disappeared and that the owner of the car lot may be involved with more than illicit car sales.
A really nice read that takes place in Florida and a novel that can be enjoyed by all.
Jackleen,who is a waitress at the hotel Truman is living in, decides to buy a used car, against Truman’s advice, she is swindled. This leads Truman to investigate the used car company. He finds that it is rotten to the core and tries to get retribution for Jackleen.
In looking into it he finds that one of the car salesman has disappeared and that the owner of the car lot may be involved with more than illicit car sales.
A really nice read that takes place in Florida and a novel that can be enjoyed by all.
June 1, 2022
Pretty unbelievable sleuthing by Truman, Jackie & Ollie but you have to like these characters. Their determination to right the wrongs done to Jackie, find a dead body and get a good story (Truman) lead them into some dark places. They meet a cast of interesting characters along the way - good fun read!!
September 8, 2025
I was as excited to find an early work of Mary Kay Andrews. I was done at pg. 30.
F bombs aren’t my thing. I’ll keep watching for her new releases as MKA. I’m glad her work (and vocabulary) evolved.
F bombs aren’t my thing. I’ll keep watching for her new releases as MKA. I’m glad her work (and vocabulary) evolved.
February 27, 2019
quick read with some colorful characters.
October 28, 2019
I really enjoyed reading this mystery. I love any book by MKA or Kathy Hogan Trocheck. She is a great writer.
May 17, 2023
So good - couldn't put it down.
March 12, 2024
Love Truman. He’s always getting in a little too deep but with his cast of friends (characters they are) he comes through. Interesting character. Look forward to the next one in this series.
August 9, 2024
I wanted to care but I just didn’t. I didn’t find the characters to be realistic and I wasn’t super interested in how it would end. Also parts felt quite racist.
February 18, 2017
A lot going on in the plot of this second of a 2 part series. A fun and entertaining read, not very well written.
June 8, 2016
Set in St. Petersburg, Florida, Truman Kicklighter is a widowed, retired newsman, living in a run-down residential hotel. When waitress Jackie is tricked into buying a Corvette that's a lemon from a scumbag used car salesman, Kicklighter tries to help her recoup her loss. However, things go seriously awry when the Corvette is stolen from Jackie and she and Kicklighter discover it back at the used car lot with the salesman inside dead. But we know who killed him, so this story is not just about the murder. It's about multiple murders, insurance fraud, black market meat, and drugs--and finding the body of the used car salesman which disappeared as quickly as it was reported to the police.
Because of the Florida setting and the irony, this book reminded me of those by Carl Hiaasen. Although the characters aren't quite as quirky as Hiaasen's, the team of a black waitress, a retiree, and a dwarf against a crooked used car dealer, his painkiller-popping sidekick, and a half-Native American/half-black crook do create some Hiassen moments. This is the second in the series and I think I need to go back and read the first book now.
Because of the Florida setting and the irony, this book reminded me of those by Carl Hiaasen. Although the characters aren't quite as quirky as Hiaasen's, the team of a black waitress, a retiree, and a dwarf against a crooked used car dealer, his painkiller-popping sidekick, and a half-Native American/half-black crook do create some Hiassen moments. This is the second in the series and I think I need to go back and read the first book now.
May 11, 2015
I tried to like this book. I really did. Unfortunately, I was never able to connect with the characters. It seemed like every time a character was told on good authority not to do something, they did the very thing they were told not to. And then the choice they did make was just plain stupid.
The cover of this book announces that it is "A Truman Kicklighter Mystery" which I assumed meant the book would be a "who done it." The reader knows who did it from the start so there is no mystery to figure out. This is more of a "Truman Kicklighter Adventure" instead.
For me, the redeeming elements of this book were the brief mentions of some small South Carolina towns including Due West and Denmark. But these small points were not enough to salvage the story.
If you are interested in the circa late 1990s adventures of widower, retired reporter Truman Kicklighter and his ragtag friends, you may like this book. But it just didn't work for me.
The cover of this book announces that it is "A Truman Kicklighter Mystery" which I assumed meant the book would be a "who done it." The reader knows who did it from the start so there is no mystery to figure out. This is more of a "Truman Kicklighter Adventure" instead.
For me, the redeeming elements of this book were the brief mentions of some small South Carolina towns including Due West and Denmark. But these small points were not enough to salvage the story.
If you are interested in the circa late 1990s adventures of widower, retired reporter Truman Kicklighter and his ragtag friends, you may like this book. But it just didn't work for me.
February 8, 2014
As a faithful fan of Mary Kay Andrews (Kathy Hogan Trocheck), have read all her books, so finishing up the last of the Truman Kicklighter Series, after the witty and wild Callahan Garrity Series.
Jackleen Canady returns again with Truman Kicklighter (from #1 series) in this Florida setting when Jackleen is taken for a ride by a used car dealer, and he is helping to put a stop to the scam with a deadly payoff.
Truman goes undercover and gets a ringside seat at the scene of several crimes, from insurance fraud to murder. He unearths a bloody trail that leads from the dealership to Tampa's strip club strip, and quite possibly to his own demise.
As Truman follows his twisting path to justice, we get to see crazy glimpse into retirement as this crew definitely -not sitting around in rocking chairs! Recommend for those over 50 as they can appreciate! Full of humor and wit!
Jackleen Canady returns again with Truman Kicklighter (from #1 series) in this Florida setting when Jackleen is taken for a ride by a used car dealer, and he is helping to put a stop to the scam with a deadly payoff.
Truman goes undercover and gets a ringside seat at the scene of several crimes, from insurance fraud to murder. He unearths a bloody trail that leads from the dealership to Tampa's strip club strip, and quite possibly to his own demise.
As Truman follows his twisting path to justice, we get to see crazy glimpse into retirement as this crew definitely -not sitting around in rocking chairs! Recommend for those over 50 as they can appreciate! Full of humor and wit!
June 23, 2014
Novel set in St. Petersburg/Tampa, Fl. area. Truman is a retired newspaper reporter who helps a young waitress, Jackie, solve a mystery about her red Corvette. Lots of tales of unscrupulous used car dealers, insurance scams, etc. A quick read- not one of my favorite Kathy Trocheck novels.
September 27, 2016
Stopping at page 100. I did not like the first book and this one isn't holding my attention any better.
I just do not care for the characters in this series. I loved the Callihan Garrity series. i was hoping for the same in this one, but guess it was not to be.
On to something better.
I just do not care for the characters in this series. I loved the Callihan Garrity series. i was hoping for the same in this one, but guess it was not to be.
On to something better.
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September 3, 2007A pretty decent little mystery written by the same author who uses the pen name of Mary Kay Andrews.
December 4, 2013
Back to Truman Kicklighter for the second in the series.
Used car/insurance scam.
Well done.
Used car/insurance scam.
Well done.
January 2, 2016
Easy read
August 18, 2021
Light reading with a twist at every turn. Typical summer read of character dysfunction!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews