Customer Reviews

Moody Gets the Blues (Moody Gets Blues)

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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The sensitive, brooding, witty protagonist in an attempt to better his condition falls prey to misfortune. He gains our sympathy and we root for him. His clever sense of humor helps him survive. A believable character and plot, set in the 70's brings us back to that period with accuracy. With pleasure, I look forward to the next in the series.

Though i occasionally felt as if i was trapped inside a bad-tempered version of a Harry Chapin song, as cab-driver/PI Moody gets involved in finding the husband of his ex-girl-friend who has Married Well, over all i greatly enjoyed this first in a proposed series.Moody's background as a Viet Nam veteran and mental patient is interesting enough and supplies enough possibilities for both complications and characterisation that i'm going to watch that aspect with interest to see if the author can actually do something with it or has been over-ambitious in setting up his series's "givens".Speaking as someone who has felt some of the same things, i can sympathise with Moody's "survivor syndrome" guilts about Viet Nam -- what made *us* special? Why did *we* deserve to come home when so many others didn't make it? That question alone has been enough to break some people of our generation, and it's only a part of what preys on Moody.On the other hand, the cab-driver PI bit, for some reason, even with only two that i know of in the current field, still seems over-crowded, and i'm not sure why. Certainly, Moody is about as different from Carlotta Carlyle as it's possible to get, but one feels right and the other seems a bit forced and i can't say why.But it's a good, solid fast read for all that, and well worth your while.

Met the author at book signing while on holiday in Scottsdale at Poisoned Pen. Very impressive background and charming speaker. No doubt it is a first novel, but it contains lots of strong moments. Mr. Oliver's discussion of where his protagonist is going (and growing) whet the appetite for more of Moody. Moody and his associates in Spokane can make you laugh and make you cry. You cannot help but care about them. Interesting plot that is fully resolved.