Muffin Man [Kindle Edition]

Brad Whittington (Author)

Book Description

#1 in Fiction / #1 in Mystery (April 2012)

John Lawson, sheriff of the quiet Hill Country town of Bolero, Texas, attempts to quell a feud between the local megachurch and a construction contractor, but it escalates from picketing to vandalism to arson.

The case is derailed by the unwelcome return of John's free-wheeling bipolar father, who arrives in the same red Mustang he drove away twenty-four years ago when he abandoned the family.

But ultimately it is the muffin that his overzealous deputy bags as evidence that threatens John's ordered life, possibly beyond repair.

-.-

After six years of silence, Whittington’s highly anticipated entrance into the general fiction market combines his considerable storytelling talents with influences as diverse as Richard Russo and Michael Connelly. Muffin Man strikes a balance between comedy and drama and takes the trademark Whittington elements of rich setting, engaging characters, and turn of phrase to a new depth.

Product Details

• File Size: 1294 KB
• Print Length: 309 pages
• Publisher: Wunderfool Press (April 1, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007PVTOEA
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,579 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Muffin Man is Downright Delectable March 31, 2012

By Mom&Librarian

Format:Paperback

My favorite books are those that are so deeply entrenched in their own sense of place that the town or region is as essential to the story as the leading characters. I read Muffin Man on a succession of spritely spring days, yet every time I opened the book, I could feel the blast of heat, my clothing stuck to me and I had to check to make sure sweat was not dripping off my chin. I could see and feel and smell high summertime in the Texas Hill Country, and, hot as it was, I wanted to be there.

If you have ever spent any time at all in Texas, you know these people. Brad Whittington has populated a real, if fictional, town with real (are they fictional?) people who interact with each other in yes, OK, very real ways. I know them, or people just like them, and I cared intensely what happened to them. I had a difficult time putting the book down despite the heat, because this book is completely engrossing. The mystery is intelligent, despite the talking muffin, and, slowly at first, then faster and faster the plot progression pulled me through to the satisfying conclusion.

If you love the English language, beautifully wrought quirky characters, similes and metaphors so artful they make you smile, and if you can resist (or else lovingly submit to) the temptations of passionately described epicurean gifts so pervasive in this part of Texas, you'll find much to love in Muffin Man. Warning: Prepare to crave ribs all week.

I know my husband is going to love this book. Its full of guy stuff - camping, poker, rugged vistas, muscle cars, challenging police work - but, ultimately, its a novel about logic and resisting it, the fine line between insanity and genius, lifegiving dreams and the freedom in reality, and, at the very root of everything, love. Always. Never doubt it.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Whittington at it again March 24, 2012

By John A. Wood

Format:Paperback

Brad Whittington, in a nice follow-up to his "Fred" stories, knows Texas and Texans. He can paint scenery that makes you think you are there, and he describes people you would like to know, or, at least, to observe.
The author weaves several threads surrounding the book's main character, small town Texas Sheriff John Lawson. The reader sticks with the story wanting to hurry up and find out how all this stuff is going to come together. The return of John's father, after a twenty-four year absence, adds a psychological dimension to a story about arson and political corruption that John spends every waking hour trying to figure out. He is aided by a muffin that seems to give him clues to the case in cryptic language. Whittington makes that darn part nearly believable.
It's a fun and good read, even if you aren't from Texas, don't like muffins, and don't have issues with your father.

John A. Wood, Professor Emeritus of Religion
Baylor University

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Whittington is back! April 8, 2012

By Cheryl Kirkbride

Format:Paperback

I discovered Whittington's Fred books when they were featured at my local library as a staff choice. I've been hooked ever since and frequently purchase the trilogy as a gift for friends and family. Whittington is the master at subtle character development and the descriptive phrase. Like Mark Cloud's personal journey in the Fred books, John Lawson battles external forces as he learns something about himself and his history throughout Muffin Man.

Sheriff Lawson's battle with his father, son, ex-wife, girlfriend, mother, colleagues and his diet mimics the internal battle he wages against his childhood, failed marriage, lackluster career and stalled romance. The sins of the father come back to haunt the son and grandson as Lawson must come to terms with his father's mental illness and the ripple effects on his own relationships.

Whittington departs from the coming-of-age Christian fiction of the Fred books into general market mystery/crime fiction in Muffin Man and it works. Sheriff Lawson drinks too much, is too critical and judgmental, is mostly honest and is largely blind to his own weakness. Whittington sets the pace with plot twists and turns that keep the pages turning and the reader off-balance. The crime investigation parallels the protagonist's own journey into his past and the fall-out it brings into the present. I particularly appreciated the struggle Sheriff Lawson had in understanding and responding to the accusations of his long-time girlfriend. Lawson did not have a ready response or clever comeback. The author perfectly nailed the communication struggles between the sexes with frustration, confusion and a bit of dry wit and understatement that is his signature strength. The ending is neat, but not too tidy and leaves the reader hungry for more.

More About the Author

Brad Whittington was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on James Taylor's eighth birthday and Jack Kerouac's thirty-fourth birthday and is old enough to know better. He lives in Austin, Texas with The Woman. He is greatly loved and admired by all right-thinking citizens and enjoys a complete absence of cats and dogs at home.