Customer Reviews

Roadhouse Blues (Mike Travis Series)

5 star:		(7)
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I read about this new writer and Roadhouse Blues in the L.A.Times. It is the first in a series about Ex-LA honicide detective, Mike Travis. Being a series reader including all the books by Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane, Lawrence Block, and Steve Hamilton, gave me a base of reference from which to judge. I think that Roadhouse Blues is one of the best books of 2001 and I am surprised that it did not get consideration for the Best First Novel for the Edgars. It's just that good!
Thanks Baron for the Excellent read. Please Keep up the good work.

Excellently written by Baron Birtcher...new action Mike Travis character will keep readers coming back for future stories. Each paragraph held the story line and moved swiftly through to the finale.....I can't wait for the next Mike Travis action mystery. I expect to line my bookshelves with more of Baron Birtcher's books. No doubt this new writer will be making it to the top of the best seller charts quite rapidly. Go for it Baron!

Birtcher's Mike Travis is one of the most refreshing and engaging tough-guy detectives I've found in a very long time. The setting is mostly Avalon (Catalina Island) and Los Angeles, and the plot is full of bizarre twists and turns, not the least of which involves Doors' front man Jim Morrison.

Very inventive and original.

I came to this book after a book store friend of mine turned me on to Birtcher's newest, RUBY TUESDAY. I read that one in one sittng, and had to read ROADHOUSE BLUES. The plot is highly orginal -- a link to the seventies music scene via the always interesting/controversial Jim Morrison, and extremely well written. Birtcher has the ability not only to make characters come alive, but to bring you right into the locale. You can feel the sand in your toes when you stand at the crime scene under the pier at Venice Beach, and feel the pouring rain during the climactic chase scene in Avalon. I loved this book, and felt the same about Ruby. Together, these are TWO OF THE BEST HARDBOILED NOVELS I'VE READ ALL YEAR.

Alright, I'll admit it, I bought this book because out of support and curiosity. The author is a family friend and neighbor from my childhood who I haven't seen in 20+ years. But that isn't what kept me riveted. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down! I really like the characters and am excited to see that this is the first in a series - I'm looking forward to the next one. The Southern California settings are familiar and realistic. I've put in an Amazon alert for future works. Baron, congratulations on writing such a great book. Cheers!

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in its initial release, I salute Baron Birtcher on his first Mike Travis novel. The mystery begins routinely enough with Travis, a former cop, coming out of retirement because of the recent murder of a woman whom he suspects is the victim of a serial killer who got away when Travis was still on the force. From that seemingly routine launch, the plot moves swiftly and unexpectedly. Birtcher writes tough prose and captures the essence of a tough world. ROADHOUSE BLUES is contemporary noir at its best.

I loved this book! It's great from the start and all the way through. I couldn't put it down. Birtcher has really got something here!