Stuff to Spy For [Hardcover]

Don Bruns (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2, 2009

Best friends James Lessor and Skip Moore are still stuck in dead-end jobs, still living in their ratty apartment in Carol City, Florida, and still dreaming of hitting the big time. It seems those dreams are finally within reach when James lands a job to install a state-of-the-art security system for Synco Systems. There's a huge commission-and plenty of strings-attached. To collect on the cash, James will have to provide "additional services" by assuming the role of pretend boyfriend of Sarah Crumbly, an employee who's having an affair with Sandler Conroy, Synco's married president.When Sandler's wife offers James a tidy sum for the dirty details about what's going on at Synco, James and Skip resurrect their entrepreneurial dreams and go into the business of being spies. The spymobile-their beloved, rattletrap of a boxtruck-is on its last legs, and they'll have to spend a small fortune on spy equipment, but there's no business like spy business.In this spy game, James and Skip may be the ones who get played-or worse.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Skip Moore and James Lessor pursue a new career as spies in Bruns's wacky third novel to feature the bumbling South Florida sleuths (after 2008's Stuff Dreams Are Made Of). When Sarah Crumbly, an old high school friend, approaches Skip about updating the security for Synco Systems, a software company that designs protection systems for computer networks, Skip accepts because he's promised a big bonus if he also pretends to be Sarah's boyfriend until the installation is complete. Sarah, a high-rent call girl, happens to be the mistress of Synco's married CEO, Sandy Conroy, with whom she has plans to leave the country. Complications ensue after Synco's v-p, Ralph Walter, turns up dead in his office, an apparent suicide. Skip, James and Skip's girlfriend, Emily, become bargain-basement James Bonds as they acquire an assortment of nifty spy stuff to use in their investigation. Be prepared for some laugh-out-loud moments. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Publisher

An Interview with Don Bruns, author of Stuff to Spy For

How long did it take to write Stuff to Spy For?
Three days. That's what I get for waiting til the last minute. Seriously, Stuff to Spy For took about six months.

How did you get the idea?
I always loved those movies from the seventies where a utility truck would pull up in the neighborhood and inside would be all of these recorders and cameras and they would set up surveillance at some guy's house. That, in part, inspired Stuff to Spy For.

Did you have to do any special research in writing Stuff to Spy For? If so, what did you research, and how?
I met a guy named Jody who is a private eye with a spy store - a retail spy store, where you can buy all kinds of spy cameras, hidden GPS units. You wouldn't believe all the stuff he has. I not only picked his brain, but made him a sleazy character in the book. He's less sleazy in person.

What did you enjoy most about writing Stuff to Spy For?
I enjoy Skip and James. I love their interaction.

How have James Lessor and Skip Moore evolved since you wrote the first Stuff novel, Stuff to Die For?
The terrible thing is, they may start to mature, but I'm hoping they don't. They're much more fun when they're being juvenile.

What are the challenges of writing two (or more) different book series at the same time?
I don't have a problem with it. And I believe, objectively, that each book has a distinct voice unlike the others.

Which do you enjoy writing more - the Stuff books or the Mick Sever books? Why?
I love them both. They fight for my attention, and my ego is flattered.

In Stuff to Spy For, James, after being given the oh-so-important title of "person in charge of the project", is quick to call on his friends to help him out. What does this say about James?
James is a confident, self-assured individual. That is, until he gets into trouble. Skip, on the other hand, is unsure of himself. He's a worrier, but when trouble rears its head, he's the one who steps in and solves the problem.

What do you think is James Lessor's best quality? Worst quality?
He is a true friend and his intentions are honorable. He also takes risks he shouldn't take.

What do you think is Skip Moore's best quality? Worst quality?
Putting up with James is his best quality. That he puts up with James is also his worst quality.

What on earth do you think Emily sees in Skip?
Em sees a little boy who she finds attractive. She's charmed by his innocence and often put off by it.

James and Skip are pretty quick to jump in feet first, e.g., buying spy equipment they can't afford. Do you think their unbridled enthusiasm is a blessing or a curse? Both?
Boy, is that a tough question! They are friends, and I don't know if I want to answer this. There's a freshness in their attitude toward life. That's what it is.

James Lessor and Skip Moore have really struck a chord with readers and reviewers alike. What do you think makes them such endearing characters?
Unbridled enthusiasm! I believe that readers identify with the fact that James is bound and determined to become rich. They identify with Skip who is a steadfast friend through thick and thin.

Do James and Skip have another adventure in the works?
They do. They are asked to investigate a traveling carnival whose rides keep jumping the track. I believe that book comes out in 2010.

What's next for Don Bruns?
I've got three treatments and a screenplay I'm working on. Other than that... not much.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Oceanview Publishing; First Edition edition (November 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933515228
• ISBN-13: 978-1933515229
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,827,105 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Bruns is a novelist, advertising executive, musician, songwriter, cook and painter who has no idea what he wants to do when he grows up. He's the author of nine books and was editor of the mystery/music anthology A Merry Band Of Murderers.

Don's published novels cover two series. One, a Caribbean thriller collection and two, the Stuff series, a humorous look at two twenty-four year old guys in South Florida who start their own detective agency and end up neck - deep in trouble. Skip and James from the Stuff series have often been compared to grown up versions of the Hardy Boys.

Jamaica Blue, Barbados Heat, South Beach Shakedown, St. Barts Breakdown and Bahama Burnout make up the Caribbean books. The Stuff series consists of Stuff To Die For, Stuff Dreams Are Made Of, Stuff To Spy For, and Don't Sweat The Small Stuff- which came out in December 2010. Bruns is currently working on the fifth Stuff book, Too Much Stuff.

His two series have won numerous awards, and the latest "Stuff" series has won a starred review in Booklist.

"Will remind the reader of Tim Dorsey's cast of whacked-out characters but with the narrative voice and feel of Mark Twain's Huck Finn."

Traveling the Caribbean for his Mick Sever series, or hovering around Miami for his "Stuff" series, Bruns enjoys the writing life. You can find him at http://www.donbrunsbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Great, Nothing Terrible but it's Nothing Like a Hiaasen or Dorsey Novel as the Cover Claims, September 25, 2010

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Stuff to Spy For (Hardcover)

This is an easy to read, light story where even though you find out a couple of people have been killed early on, you know nothing too graphic is ever going to occur in the pages ahead. What is isn't though is plausible, nor is it funny. The back cover of the book mentions Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey each a couple of times. This book is nothing like the eccentric character filled humorous genre which those authors and others such as Bill Fitzhugh have mastered. The two main characters and best friends Skip Moore and James Lessor in this book just aren't believable at any time in the novel. Skip has a hot rich girlfriend and James soon gets the interest of a hot security guard. It doesn't really seem plausible that these women would be in relationships with these bumbling through life dim-witted guys and its never explained why they are. I haven't read the previous novels in this series as I didn't know this book was part of one. Maybe it's explained why the hot rich educated Emily with completely different morals would date Skip, it just didn't seem plausible to me. Nor was the fact Skip would be put in charge of a $75 000 dollar project, or that he would be able to appoint his unqualified roommate and the neighbour who at first seems like he belongs as an extra in a My Name is Earl trailer park scene, as the two supervisors. You would have thought he would have been quickly dismissed especially after the work had begun and he still hadn't gotten the deposit which would be the first thing anyone would do.

All these things have to be ignored for the plot to work. Basic plot of a couple of doped out type characters (although they don't do any drugs in this novel) land the contract to install a $75 000 security system in a highly security sensitive company with its own client that is insisting on the upgrade. The receptionist at the company is a hot classmate Skip went to school with so of course he doesn't mention his girlfriend. She offers him another $10 000 to pretend to be her girlfriend so the wife of her boss can't allege she is having an affair with him. Shortly after, that wife offers Skip another $10 000 to get some evidence in the office to prove someone is trying to kill her. Skip of course accepts both jobs but isn't bright enough to ask for any money up front.

Even though the two main characters are dim-witted and likeable, they just don't have the comedic presence that these sort of characters need to make the story funny or even memorable such as say Bill and Ted, or Harold and Kumar, Shrek and Donkey, Wayne and Garth, Forrest Gump, or any Adam Sandler character. And if comparing this book to an Hiaasen or Dorsey novel, there just aren't any other eccentric characters in this book and those other characters are what make those books work and a genre of their own! Plus the lack of humour is also a big factor.

Stuff to Spy for is a book that will pass the time but it's nothing great.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun Read, June 19, 2010

By 

Anne K. Edwards "AKE" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stuff to Spy For (Hardcover)

A fun read from talented author Don Bruns about the adventures of Skip Moore and his pal James Lessor when they get involed with former schoolmate Sarah Crumbly who proves to be something other than she says.

Skip is merely supposed to sell a security system to the company Sarah works for but finds he has opened a can of worms when complications get out of hand. Not only is he selling security but he has some romantic problems of an unusual sort, and death takes a hand in the story.

Nothing is as it seems to be and that makes for an interesting adventure for the reader as well as the characters. You'll have no trouble following all that is going on however, and will enjoy the tale. This author writes with a good deal of understanding of how people are influenced by friends and the promise of money.

I'm pleased to recommend this story to any reader as a very satisfying read who is looking for some laughs along the way. A fun blending of comedy, satire, wit and mystery to be enjoyed with those complications that add up to a good time had by all.

Enjoy. I sure did.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pedestrian plot, extremely poorly edited, January 4, 2010

By 

Dennis Doughty - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stuff to Spy For (Hardcover)

I'm a sucker for a good comedic mystery. Alas, "Stuff to Spy For" pales by comparison to anything by Lawrence Block, Gregory McDonald, or Donald Westlake. This book was agony to read.

First, the plot. (Mild spoiler alert, but as you'll see, there's little to "spoil".) The plot centers around espionage at Synco Systems, a defense contractor. Evidently a few people at Synco have figured out how to steal "the codes" that will reveal all secrets of the DoD. This is ludicrous at its core, and to his credit the author never tries to put together technical mumbo-jumbo to justify it. But it's ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the idea that the two hapless protagonists could ferret all this out using cheap spy gadgets. (Yes, I recognize that the story is supposed to be absurd, and I would have cut this conceit some serious slack if the execution were remotely funny. But it wasn't.)

Second, the structure. The writing is incredibly redundant. Yes, we get it. Skip's girlfriend is "out of his league." Do we really have to read that exact quote in every chapter? Do we really have to hear two different characters use the same characterization for beer within pages of each other? Do we need to have the identical internal monologue about whether Skip should confide in his girlfriend? The author was clearly stretching to fill pages; this quickly became tedious to read.

Actually, that makes for a good segue to the third issue, the editing. This book was in dire need of an editor. Consider Chapter Forty-Four. James "popped the top on his [beer] and took a long swallow. 'Warm, cold, it's still better than water.' " On the facing page, J.J. enters. James offers him a beer. J.J. says "[b]etter than water." Skip thinks, "I couldn't believe it. Better than water?" This was extremely odd. Skip loves beer so much he drinks it in every chapter. James has just used this formulation without incident. But when J.J. says it Skip wonders why anyone would like beer so much? This isn't even the worst example. The book is packed with misspellings that any halfway decent editor could have fixed. "It's" where the proper construction is "its". A character who invites someone to "take a peak" at something. Or referring to the musical group "Flight of the Concords". I noticed at least a half-dozen of these, all of them jarring.

I cannot recommend this book.