Lonely Street [Paperback]

Brewer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1994

Albuquerque private eye Bubba Mabry is hired by a gold-swathed man named Buddy to work security for the King--a back-from-the-dead, low-profile Elvis--and becomes the sole suspect in two murders.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This work introduces Bubba Mabry into the legion of fictional hard-boiled detectives, and Bubba's client is no less than the King himself. It seems that a hard-working but seriously overweight tabloid journalist spots a convincing Elvis look-alike in New Mexico. On closer examination, it turns out to be the genuine article, and Elvis becomes worried that he could be exposed, so he hires Bubba for some surveillance work at the astonishing rate of $30 an hour. A couple of corpses later, Bubba is a murder suspect, Elvis has left the building, and journalists are circling overhead like vultures. Narrator Gene Engene does an absolutely terrific job of conveying the humor and frantic pace of this comic crime novel. He does a wonderful imitation of Elvis, but he is even better with the more outrageous characters. To the folks at Books in Motion, I can only say...thank you, thank you very much. A priority purchase.ARay Vignovich, West Des Moines P.L., IA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A murder mystery filled with Albuquerque color . . . and offbeat characters anyone will enjoy." -- Albuquerque Journal

"Steve Brewer gives a fast-paced and witty look at how it might be if America's No. 1 celebrity really was alive. A wonderful new entry in the Private Eye field." -- Tony Hillerman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671747347
• ISBN-13: 978-0671747343
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,342,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

STEVE BREWER is the author of 20-plus books about crooks, including the recent crime novels PARTY DOLL, LOST VEGAS, THE BIG WINK and CALABAMA.

His first novel, LONELY STREET, was made into a Hollywood comedy starring Robert Patrick, Jay Mohr and Joe Mantegna. BOOST currently is under film/TV option.

Brewer's short fiction appeared in the anthologies DAMN NEAR DEAD, THE LAST NOEL, CRIMES BY MOONLIGHT and WEST COAST CRIME WAVE, and he's published articles in Mystery Scene, Crimespree and Mystery Readers' Journal.

A former journalist and syndicated humor columnist, Brewer now works as a writing coach and University of New Mexico lecturer. A frequent speaker at mystery conventions, he was toastmaster at Left Coast Crime in 2011.

Married and the father of two adult sons, Brewer lives in Albuquerque, NM.

More at www.stevebrewer.blogspot.com. Write him at [e-mail].

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious bloody fantasy/mystery, April 4, 2000

By 

Andrea Egger, author of Grave Accusations (Gallup, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Street: A Bubba Mabry P.I. Mystery (Bubba Mabry Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm not sure anyone would want to emulate private eye Bubba Mabry's investigative style, but journalist Steve Brewer takes a delightful look at Albuquerque, New Mexico's beauty and dark side in this thriller. Brewer throws in a bit of the unrealistic by bringing Elvis Presley back to life -- although he shows readers a pretty good depiction of what the King would be like were he still alive. Several murders add enough blood for the morbid-at-heart, and the language makes up for a somewhat shaky plot. The characters, other than Elvis, are pretty ordinary -- the tired private eye looking for some dough, tabloid reporters out for the story of the century, a curvaceous Marilyn Monroe-type blonde who will either sleep with a man -- or threaten to shoot him -- in order to get information, and a couple of hulky thugs. But the combination of all the elements makes for a fast-read full of laughs, even in the face of horrible death.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Reader Makes the Book Come Alive, December 12, 2006

By 

Dainy Masic (Hixson, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Street (Audio Cassette)

I enjoy listening to audio books when I am in my car or when I am doing chores at home. I especially enjoy them when I am sewing. I am very critical of the readers and many times I will take a book back to the library based on the fact that I do not like listening to a certain reader. Gene Eugene, who is Bubba Mabry in this story, has a very cool Southern drawl and exceptional timing that makes him come alive as Bubba Mabry. Mr. Brewer gives him a wealth of hilarious one liners to make it very humorous. I really think this book would make a great movie, based on the easy going layed back character of Bubba. Finding an actor to play Bubba as well as Mr Eugene plays him would be the catch.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I got a kick out of this mystery, February 22, 2011

By 

Happy Reader (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lonely Street: A Bubba Mabry P.I. Mystery (Bubba Mabry Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I really got a kick out of this mystery. It's like a hard-boiled detective story, but the toughness is just a shell. Underneath, there's humor, raunchy at times, but always a hoot. And the premise, that Elvis is alive and well and living incognito, is very well handled I thought, without unnecessary romanticism.

I got the movie based on the book (it's older and dropped in price) and Patrick Dennis is a GREAT aged Elvis.