The Big Rusty Lie (Paperback)

by Ryan Speck (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Bernardo Walterhaus is a detective on a mission: find a missing heiress that no one can seem to locate. Armed with cunning wit, luck, and an unerring ability to find trouble, Bernardo will solve the case with the help of his bodyguard/driver and a pack of the most vulgar and violent cops you could have on your side. Bernardo will find an unlikely solution, without a clue or a good idea, as long as the mercenaries, gnomes, orderlies, exploding castles, fake Germans, angry competitors, plane crashes, burning office buildings, board meetings, boiling chocolate, fratboys, and criminal masterminds don¿t get him first. A surreal comedy caper from Ryan Speck.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Curbstomp Press (January 17, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0615178367
• ISBN-13: 978-0615178363
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,790,934 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Hardboiled Detective Fiction Steeped in the Surreal, May 18, 2008

By	Steven G. Saunders "Bacon Lord" (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Are you looking for something a bit strange, off or weird? Well, if it's just a "bit" you may be slightly disappointed. With his book, The Big Rusty Lie, author Ryan Speck manages to create a piece of hardboiled detective fiction that's so amazingly bizarre and odd that it's nearly perfect in its eccentricity and surrealist attitude without losing it's hardboiled and noir edge. In fewer words: it's a riot. You'll laugh, you'll cry-- it will become a part of you. I don't think I've ever read crime fiction where gnomes play a serious role in the story, for instance. From the unique city and county of Oberwalz to the "the world's greatest detective" Bernardo Walterhaus, readers are treated to all sorts of standard tropes given the surrealist treatment.

I cannot recommend this book enough, especially since much of what I read tries to appease certain standards too much. Speck certainly provides an incredibly entertaining story that will leave you hungry for more; but he does it on his terms. And trust me, you wouldn't want it any other way.