Customer Reviews

The Case of the Pitcher's Pendant: A Billibub Baddings Mystery

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I only became familiar with Tee Morris' work about a month ago, when a friend introduced me to podiobooks.com. I downloaded 'Morevi Remastered' first and after listening to it in two days, I found 'Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword'. I could not put it down and had listened to it in a day and a half. (listening at work) When it ended I was more than happy to see Tee had written a second book in the series. (Hopefully many more to come)
Thanks to the Tee's love for his fans, I have had a chance to read 'The Case of the Pitchers Pendant'. It is every bit as engaging as the first book, filling with the clever wit, puns, and eye rolling humor I have come to expect. It will be a wonderful addition to my personal library.

Also go see Philippa Ballantine's 'Digital Magic'.

The Case of the Pitchers Pendant is an absolutely excellent book. Tee Morris weaves an elegant and entertaining story that you wont be able to put down. Having read the first Billibub book, I was pleased to find that this book is just as clever and witty as The Case of the Singing Sword. Whilst you can, most certainly, enjoy this book without reading The Case of the Singing Sword first, I would highly recommend getting both books. You won't regret it!

After the Stock Market Crash, times are hard in Chicago, even (or maybe especially) for Billibub Baddings, an independent private investigator who just happens to be a Dwarf Captain from the Highlands of Gryfennos. He has to take 'munchkin' jobs just to pay the bills, until he gets the job of his dreams -- an investigation for the Chicago Cubs, in "Billibub Baddings and the Pitcher's Pendant". As in his first Baddings novel, Tee Morris' mystery and fantasy pedigree are impeccable.

Paid to look into the game he loves (as do most Americans of this day), Billi is on the case again, in Tee Morris' followup to his first mystery, "Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword". He picks up where the last novel leaves off, complete with the palpable atmosphere of Chicago in a much different time, when the dark mist of the Great Depression is beginning to settle all over the country. It becomes a character in the book; along with Morris' other characters it is wittily but sharply drawn. The dream job becomes a nightmare and the plot twists are downright challenging.

Fans of mystery, fantasy, and just plain good writing need to call REDfern 6500. You're in for a grundle'malkin' good time, I promise!

This is, perhaps, the best thing Tee Morris has ever written, so far. I got addicted to the Dwarf Detective with Case of the Singing Sword, but Pitcher's Pendant outshines the Sword by far. Maybe it's the stadium lights?

Reading about Billi getting a Dream Job from the Cubs was just fun, and the way Tee skillfully mixed the facts about 1920's baseball actually got me interested in the sport. It's a book I highly recommend, a quick and engrossing read. I wish you luck trying to put it down between chapters.

I was just recently introduced to Tee Morris' work with Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword. I was immediately struck with how well Tee balances the world of fantasy with crime noir. He created a rich world with fleshed out characters you got to know and love. If I were forced to compare Billi's world with another, the closest would be Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, but that's just because both series have a foot planted firmly in the fantasy world as well as the crime noir world. That's where the similarities end. Tee has definitely set these books in their own universe that completely sucks you in.

With his second book, It would have been very easy for Tee to just leave his stories set only in the ugly underside of Chicago. Thank God he didn't! He takes the opportunity to build on the world he's created and brought back fond memories for myself. I don't watch baseball on tv, but I'll go to a game any time. Tee richly recreated the atmosphere that is only achieved when you go to a major league ball game in setting up the story.

It's not as if I needed any help, but his attention to detail in that one scene hooked me even more and I enjoyed the ride the rest of the way. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and 40's crime drama.

I was very disappointed in this book because I thought it was heavy-handed in style. This is a case where the style stood in the way of my enjoying the mystery -- I wasn't able to just sit back and immerse myself into the story because I was conscious at all times of the author being aware of his/her own writing.

As a fan of the first book, I expected more of the same; subtle and brilliant twists on the tropes and cliches of the two genres (hard-boiled detective novel and magical fantasy). And believe I would've been perfectly happy if that's all it was, because that's what I liked about the first one. Nothing wrong with consistency folks. But by the time I was done with Pitcher's Pendant, I was impressed that not only did I get more of what I liked, I got more period. As cool as the first book was and is, it's sequel is a step above even that. Morris not only gives us the goods in the latest adventure of the dwarf detective, he also manages to give us a sense that there is something even bigger coming down the pike. I can't really say anymore without spoiling it, but once you get to the end of this book, your only regret is that the next adventure involving one (or maybe even more. Oooooh) of the Talismans of Acryonis isn't there yet for you to pick up.

Tee Morris hit a home run with the second Billibub Baddings book. Morris gave himself quite a challenge to meet or exceed the adventure, excitement, and mystery he crafted in the first Billibub Baddings story, Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword. He delivered nothing but excellence with his second story in this universe.

I haven't been much of a mystery novel buff, but I do like one on occasion. The combination of crime noir and fantasy is a wonderful paring. Like a sweet bread pudding and a fantastic imperial pale ale, I never would have thought the two would work well together, but the result is fantastic. Billi's rough-and-tumble attitude as a warrior dwarf from another realm sets him up perfectly as a private detective. Humor about the clash of cultures from his background works great too.

Morris also managed to make me care about a sport I had long given up on: Baseball. By taking the great American past time back to the heyday of the sport and picking the setting of one of the most beloved baseball teams of all times, Morris inspired the great joy of sitting at a ballpark, eating a hotdog, and hearing the crack of a ball against a bat and the crowd going wild. I appreciate those feelings of nostalgia.

The characterizations of fellow authors and podcasters into the novel made for great treats. I look forward to a podcast version of the story with guest voices, much as Morris did with the first Billi story. The mystery and murder are exciting and fast-paced, keeping me turning pages throughout the book. I'm hooked on Billibub Baddings' stories, and I eagerly anticipate the next one in the series!

Love mystery? Fantasy? Film noir? How about Philip Marlowe or David Eddings? If you can say yes to any of these questions, run, don't walk, to get a copy of The Case of the Pitcher's Pendant. It's the perfect mix of all the above.
Tee Morris flows in his use of metaphor and imagery of the 1920's. If you have listened to the podcast of The Case of the Singing Sword you can almost hear Tee narrating his latest Billibub offering.

Enjoy the mix of baseball and fantasy metaphors that flow together seamlessly.

Billi's character development, as well as that of the supporting cast is credible. No need to suspend (much) belief when reading. I could go on, but I'm afraid of giving out spoilers.

If you don't mind mixing your genres, this is an enchanting and entertaining read.

Tee Morris is an author I would recommend to anyone interested in fantasy genre. This book kept me riveted from the first to the last page. In his podcast of his first book "Billiub baddings: The Case of the Sing Sword" he really brought the story to life.