Customer Reviews

Loose Coins: A Mystery

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In Memphis, Al Sears is a recovering alcoholic, who plans to remain sober for the rest of his life because he knows how much the drink cost him. His spouse left him. His law practice died. Finally, his beloved coin collection disappeared during a haze of booze. Getting his life back on track, Al works part-time at Ralph's Coin shop and as a private investigator. Bottom line is that at least for now Al is the poster boy for AA.

However, an individual holding a shotgun tries to abduct Al from his weekly poker game. With the help of his cronies, the culprit is killed. Later, Al learns from the police that the deceased was a professional hit man. Someone, probably from his boozed past, has targeted Al for death. Since he already is climbing up from the bottom, Al decides to uncover the identity of his enemy before his new lease on life is permanently ended.

LOOSE COINS is a well written who-done-it that introduces readers to an interesting and appealing character, filled with flaws and a mistake-laden history. The story line is straight forward, making for an easy, enjoyable experience. However, because of the streamlined plot, the support cast (including the city of Memphis) never displays depth or motivation. Still, Joe L. Hensley and Guy Townsend scribes a fast reading and absorbing novel that will appeal to mystery buffs who want a fast read.

Harriet Klausner

Hensley and Townsend have crafted a tightly conceived story that will appeal to anyone who has ever looked carefully at the money they handle daily. It will appeal even more to those who've set foot inside of a coin shop or coin show. The hero is a former star gymnast and drunken lawyer, now on his way back to a sober life as a PI and part-time coin dealer. The strongest features of this tale are the characters, perhaps brought to life by the authors and perhaps only remembered from their trips into the world of numismatics. The authors have a way of letting you figure out whom to suspect and why, only to have the hero shoot down that idea in the next chapter. The weakest part of the book is the lack of a surprise ending and a hard to believe reason for wanting to take out the hero in chapter one. Try it, you'll like it.