Buzz Riff: A Novel of Crime [Hardcover]

Sam Hill (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 30, 2004

After his successful debut in Buzz Monkey, Top Kiernan is back. Only life in Athens, Georgia has grown more complicated. His former office manager (and ex-lover) has stolen half his clients and set up shop on her own. Top's no longer banking big bucks as an operative for Shaw’s Mercantile Marine, which has found his addiction to the adrenaline buzz a dangerous risk. He's six months behind in mortgage payments, and Fourth Federal is set to foreclose. So, for all his objections—the job’s too small, the client’s a racist—has no choice, really. He needs the twenty thousand. All he has to do is recover a Confederate battle flag—the one that stanched General “Stonewall” Jackson’s wounds when he was fatally shot on May 2, 1863, and in that instant became an American relic of incalculable value. Top’s search for the flag takes him and his friends on a raucous jaunt from Athens to the mansion of a multimillionaire stripper-turned-car-dealer to an armed compound in the Okefenokee Swamp to a tattoo convention. In between, they outwit and outrun obsessive collectors, bikers, ATF agents, the KKK, and more. It’s not exactly the way to beat an adrenaline habit.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The hardest thing about loading your first mystery with all sorts of tricks, treats and relatively original concepts is what to do for an encore. Following his delightful debut, Buzz Monkey (2003), which introduced adrenaline junkie/international mercenary/arcane-quotation expert Tip Kiernan, Hill hits this wall hard in the sequel. There are some alluring leftovers: Tip can still tell us that "In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king" didn't come from either Abraham Lincoln or the Bible (it was the 16th-century Dutch philosopher Erasmus) and then, minutes later, take down a crew of three thugs hired to send a message. But almost perversely, Hill turns everything that was great fun in Buzz Monkey into a downer. Among other problems, Tip's quotation-checking business, Polymath, is failing after his partner/lover runs off with the company's money and clients. Somehow, the prospect of earning 20 grand for recovering a famous Confederate flag (the one used to staunch the blood of dying General Stonewall Jackson) doesn't get either Tip or the reader really excited: it's just a job, even if the outcome does involve what the book's promotional copy calls "a raucous jaunt" with some zany cohorts—all of whom had a much better time in Hill's first book.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Athens, Georgia, mercenary Top Keirnan (Buzz Monkey, 2003) isn't thrilled about his latest gig--locating a famous Confederate flag for a controversial historian--but he needs the money. His research firm, a front for his off-the-books activities, is failing because an employee he fired for embezzling--and who was also his lover--has started a rival business that is stealing his clients. Keirnan's life sure is complicated, but this "buzz junkie" wouldn't have it any other way. His attempts to capture the flag introduce him to pedophiles, bikers, and white supremacists, while his other woes lead him to try dirty tricks, shady freelance work, and even legal maneuvers. Keirnan is lots of fun if a bit over the top: he remembers famous quotations verbatim and has a Holmesian eye for detail. He sleeps at center court in the gym of a lovingly restored 1930s-era elementary school. He's a bicyclist with bad knees. He's also tough, thoughtful, ruthless, and loyal. Supporting characters are less memorable, and pacing is uneven, but Hill's infectious enthusiasm somehow trumps these flaws. The second in a series with strong potential. Keir Graff
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf (August 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786713909
• ISBN-13: 978-0786713905
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,215,004 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buzz Riff by Sam Hill, September 26, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Buzz Riff: A Novel of Crime (Hardcover)

Sam Hill's move from writing great non-fiction business books (My favorite: "60 Trends in 60 Minutes") to mystery/action books is an upward spiraling success. He said his second book in the "Buzz" series ("Buzz Monkey"; "Buzz Riff") is better. That's no bluff; that's no fluff; that's accurate reporting. "Buzz Riff" is great. A friend made the mistake of starting it late on a week night. SHE had to put it down and wait A WHOLE DAY to get back to it. I started Friday night. Saturday I read straight through (taking time out for those irksome tasks like eating, drinking, breathing) and finished past my bedtime. You don't need no stinking bookmarks with Sam Hill! Where are THE MOVIES? Protagonist "Top" Kiernan's day job is running Polymath, his self-founded facting finding, fact checking business haunted by ex-librarians (with dark sides!) and para-legal types. His night job (often turning into 24/7) is finding and people and things for clients with big bank accounts. This time it's a Confederate flag. And wherever Top--who's got a severe case of adrenaline "buzz"--damage seems to follow--and half the time it's to him! One of the many great lines this time is "Don't you ever have any plans that don't involve Blue Cross/Blue Shield?" And quotes are one of the many side benefits of reading Mr. Hill: amid the hijinks, he relays a lot of great famous quotes, accurately. Among the ones not yet included pertain to this book:
"Eleven on a scale of ten". Jackson Browne. "Redneck Friend".

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Move Over Just A Little Kinky Friedman, September 9, 2004

By 

Reader from Long Island "lba7370" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buzz Riff: A Novel of Crime (Hardcover)

Sam Hill is a terrific writer, and very clever. His characters are unique and the story extremely entertaining. I started with Buzz Riff, will now read the first in the series, Buzz Monkey, and can't wait for the next Buzz Book! Buzz on Mr. Hill. Buzz on.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, October 4, 2004

By 

Mystery Addict - See all my reviews

This review is from: Buzz Riff: A Novel of Crime (Hardcover)

Readers of Buzz Monkey will find more suspense and better flow in this, the second book in the series. The story is rich with detail, well-paced, and never predictable. Here, Top truly becomes a character to root for... You won't want to put it down until you're done.