Customer Reviews

Black's Beach Shuffle

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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!

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.

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.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! A fantastic update of the Southern California Crime Novel. Fayman shows a real knack for the genre and skill with storytelling. The classic characters are there with modern twists. It is an easy read. The structure keeps you interested - wanting to get to the next chapter. I am looking forward to the next in the series

I had a great time reading this fun old-school detective novel set in modern San Diego. Brings back Dashiel Hammett, Ross MacDonald books with lots of musical references including the characters' names. Good twists and the intrigue and excess of the internet world. Very easy read. I played hooky and stayed up too late to read the vignette-length chapters. I would like to read the next installment.

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (3/07)

I have little knowledge of the dot com world or music but that wasn't necessary to enjoy this book.

Eyebitz.com is a new company promoting their product. The company had "created a way to track how people respond to the content we send them." CVO, Ricky Rogers, explained the company to Rolly, "information can flow both ways." "We can store the information in our database, analyze patterns and predict user behavior, allowing us to target advertising for our sponsors in ever more accurate ways." The missing key is a "removable data disk." The mystery gets deeper; the creator of the missing key is also missing. "Curtis is not your usual employee, Mr. Waters. Eyebitz.com is not your usual company."

Sounds like scary stuff to me!

Rolly Waters and other members of his band are asked to play for the Eyebitz.com company party. Unfortunately he left Moogus to pack up the instruments after the gig and in his rush he left behind a guitar. Rolly is attached to his 1965 Gibson Es-335 Thinline electric guitar; he says it's worth double his Volvo. Rolly could just picture it lying on the dew-wet grass soaking up moisture.

Determined to retrieve the Gibson, Rolly returned to the mansion and rang the intercom. When no one answered he assumed everyone was asleep whence he decided to scale the wall. As he frantically searched for the guitar he noticed a dark shape in the swimming pool. He panicked when realized it was the body of a young man. Rolly grabbed the case and quickly left the scene.

Rolly Waters, musician, alcoholic and Private Investigator, had stumbled upon a body floating in a swimming pool. From that moment on he's thrust into an investigation he doesn't want any part of. When he arrived home, he couldn't sleep. He kept picturing the young man in the pool. He didn't want to become involved but was drawn in despite his wishes. Companies didn't offer business to Rolly but suddenly Eyebitz.com offered him a retainer to investigate a missing key.

"Black's Beach Shuffle" by Corey L. Fayman is a fast-paced mystery. I enthusiastically turned page after page to see what would happen next. This book reminded me of an old-fashioned gumshoe novel but with a modern high tech twist. Rolly Waters is an interesting and complex character. He's not an ambitious sort, his music is important to him, so are his parents, little else matters. I highly recommend "Black's Beach Shuffle" to all mystery fans; they'll love this one.

Received book free of charge.

This is a page-turner. I am a mystery fan, not a musician or computer geek, so I may have missed some of the in-jokes, but I loved the characters, especially Rolly Waters the rock and roll detective. The plot meshed like a spiderweb and twisted all the time so I couldn't put the book down. A very satisfying read.