Black's Beach Shuffle [Paperback]

Corey Fayman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2006

Rolly Waters is a recovering rock musician and part-time private eye. One night his band performs at a blowout party for EyeBitz.com, a fast-rising Internet startup that has the city of San Diego talking. When Rolly returns after hours to retrieve his guitar from the host’s mansion, he finds a dead body floating in the swimming pool. His discovery sets in motion a series of intrigues that drag him into the surreal world of dot.com culture, as well as the dark heart of his own uneven past.

Black’s Beach Shuffle updates the classic Southern California gumshoe world of Raymond Chandler and Ross McDonald with contemporary technology riffs, new millennium anxieties and sun-blotted humor. It pumps out a page-turning mix of plot twists, colorful characters and laugh-out-loud humor as Rolly’s investigation ricochets him from the high-tech industrial parks of Torrey Pines Mesa to downtown blues clubs, from street taco shops to the penthouse of the La Jolla Hyatt, from the hallowed halls of academia to the sands of Black’s Beach, San Diego’s official clothing-optional playground.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Corey Lynn Fayman has been a professional musician, songwriter, sound designer, educational technologist, and multimedia developer, and has outlived any number of rock and roll bands and Internet start-ups. He lives with his wife in San Diego, where he teaches interactive design and multimedia. For more info, visit www.coreylynnfayman.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 180 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (November 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595402674
• ISBN-13: 978-0595402670
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,646,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rolly Waters: Just your average ordinary everyday superhero., January 14, 2008

By 

Cara Elizabeth "Fortes Fortuna Juvat" (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black's Beach Shuffle (Paperback)

I haven't gotten into a mystery in a long time and Black's Beach Shuffle made me remember how good they can be- I've missed the essential "Detective." Rolly Waters is a character that anyone can appreciate. The book itself has a solid plot line, great characters, and character development. It's a plus if you're a San Diegan and can visualize the settings! Corey Fayman's talents definitely come out in this novel. And thank you for dragging me out from under my Science Fiction addiction!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Sabrina Williams, May 24, 2007

By 

Front Street Reviews www.frontstreetreviews.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black's Beach Shuffle (Paperback)

When emerging Internet success EyeBitz dotcom seeks out private detective Rolly Waters to investigate a missing "Magic Key" that is an integral part of their business, he can't seem to shake off the feeling that their interest is more than just a coincidence. Just the night before at a gig, Rolly came across a dead body floating in the pool of a high-ranking EyeBitz employee. Of course, Rolly had nothing to do with the death, as he was only retrieving his beloved 1965 Gibson ES-335 Thinline guitar after his band's performance at the owner's party. But someone could have easily been watching Rolly while he recovered his lost instrument. And that someone could be the killer.

When Rolly finds the Magic Key, which is actually a USB mini-disk, hidden in his guitar case, he knows there must be more to the story than the execs at EyeBitz are telling him. Rolly needs to find out who knows he has the Key and why it is worth a human life before he loses his own life to an unknown murderer.

Black's Beach Shuffle is the reader's first taste of Rolly Waters, a character to be realized in a trilogy by Corey Lynn Fayman. Rolly is an aging musician, recovering from his rock and roll past of drugs and alcohol through his day job as a private investigator, while feeding his artistic needs playing small gigs at night with his band. An interesting aspect of the novel is that while Rolly Waters is a brand new character for mystery fans, the storyline is filled with people from Rolly's past. There are many characters who play an essential role in the investigation that only surface through Rolly's past connections, but Fayman does a superb job of familiarizing the reader with their stories. They are as recognizable as if they are reappearing from a previous volume.

The story centers around the technology culture of San Diego, capitalizing on the possibilities of corruption within a community inundated with overnight dotcom millionaires. It is a tale of how easily good intentions can develop into greed and crime. It is a mystery that keeps the reader guessing, but not one of such intensity that it requires deep concentration. A light thriller featuring a struggling musician beating down his own demons, Black's Beach Shuffle would make an excellent airport or vacation read due to chapter brevity and pace.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, January 16, 2012

By 

David Blood "geekd" (San Diego) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Black's Beach Shuffle (Kindle Edition)

I may be a bit biased, since I live in San Diego, and many of the book's scenes play out in neighborhoods I am familiar with. That said, those scenes are totally accurate. Besides that, tho, this is a great story, a great mystery, and totally real. I KNOW those people. The dot-com CEO - I know that guy. The musicians - I know them. The author draws his characters so well that I feel like I am there. As a rock musician and a software engineer in San Diego, I can attest to the fact that this story could totally happen, and these people are woven from real cloth. Well done.