Wicked Break (Noah Braddock Mysteries, No. 2) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "The man on the shore was waiting for me..." (more)
Key Phrases: Peter Pluto, San Diego, Deacon Moreno (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

San Diego PI Noah Braddock interrupts his surfing for a missing persons case in Shelby's action-packed follow-up to Killer Swell (2005). Noah isn't eager to take on new clients, but he's moved by Peter Pluto's pleas to find younger brother Linc, a college student, whose apartment turns out to contain a stash of guns. The tension escalates when Linc's neighbor is shot after being questioned by Noah. Soon after, Noah's untimely arrival at Peter's ransacked house in a quiet cul-de-sac irritates a couple of vicious skinheads. Noah awakes in a ravine, left for dead, and a bit too cozy with Peter Pluto's corpse. Later, accompanied by his pal Carter, conveniently six-foot-nine, Noah boldly wades into plenty of life-and-limb"threatening situations, including verboten gang territory and a secluded skinhead gathering. Strong characterization and wonderfully biting humor compensate for a straightforward plot that's overly generous with tough guy posturing. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From The Washington Post

The hero of Jeff Shelby's Wicked Break is a "Surfer PI," which sounds like he'll be catching a gnarly wave and listening for the killer's name in the surf or some such New Age hokum. But, thankfully, surfing -- while adroitly handled -- occupies only a tiny portion of this novel. For a detective series to work, the writer must create a character readers want to follow book after book, and with this follow-up to last year's bestseller Killer Swell, Shelby has done that well. Noah Braddock, PI, comes across as both rough and tender, his tough-guy veneer occasionally cracking to reveal a vulnerable core.

The novel begins when Peter Pluto approaches Braddock at the beach and hires him to search for his missing brother. The action unfolds fast and furiously: By page 35 there's already been an extortion attempt, a shooting and a beating by murderous skinheads that leaves Braddock within an inch of his life. In fact, he spends a great deal of the book being beaten up, nursing injuries and replying to a lot of "What the hell happened to you?" questions.

Personally, I take to a character who absorbs a beating or two, licks his wounds and keeps at it. One problem I had with Robert B. Parker's Spenser was that he was too cool a customer, too bulletproof; invulnerability isn't an attractive character trait. Braddock is emotionally and physically fallible but ultimately resolute -- another reason to get behind him.

Into the faithful sidekick role steps Carter, Braddock's streetwise childhood pal. The majority of the novel's humor comes from their exchanges. Here they are observing a skinhead rally:

" 'Can I just pick 'em off,' Carter asked. 'One by one?'

" 'That would probably be Plan Z.'

" 'What's Plan A?'

" 'We lie here and see what happens.'

"He glanced at me. 'You are so boring.'

" 'One of my best qualities.'

" 'Said the really boring guy.' "

Braddock and Carter have more than one obstacle to hurdle -- violent drug dealers, shady lawyers and an uncooperative police force -- but their chief foes are a gang of white supremacists, an underworld faction that Shelby appears to have researched well and that he details chillingly. He also works the reader through the unfolding mystery dexterously, introducing new characters and possibilities while keeping an eye on various subplots that no doubt will continue to develop over the course of this series.

Does it all work? Not totally. The subplot involving Braddock's alcoholic mother is an attempt at family drama that feels tacked on; the novel bogs down during these chapters. A few logical inconsistencies intrude as well, such as the episode in which Braddock and Carter shoot up a white supremacist compound with illegal machine guns, killing several residents, only to have the police let them go after some halfhearted questioning. (In Shelby's defense, a 10-year prison hitch would severely derail Braddock's investigation.) Finally, there's a whopper of a plot twist that, while admittedly surprising, is completely unheralded and comes off feeling like a cheat.

That said, the book reads faster than a ripcurl and is thoroughly enjoyable. Fans of the Bolitar, Spenser or Burke detective series should hang 10 with Shelby's Noah Braddock.

Reviewed by Craig Davidson
Copyright 2006, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451412419
• ISBN-13: 978-0451412416
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,022,950 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another book in the Noah Braddock series, July 12, 2006

By	Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Wicked Break: A Noah Braddock Mystery (Noah Braddock Mysteries) (Hardcover)

WICKED BREAK by Jeff Shelby
July 12, 2006

Amazon Rating: 4/5 stars

This is my second novel by Jeff Shelby and as with the previous book, WICKED BREAK was very entertaining as well as a fast read. WICKED BREAK is another thriller featuring private investigator Noah Braddock, who grew up and currently lives in the San Diego coastal area of Southern California. His love of surfing and the ocean is a big part of these stories, as they define his personality and is what is unique about this protagonist.

In this second novel, Noah is approached by Peter Pluto, asking him to locate Peter's missing brother Linc. Nearly the entire novel is Noah's search for Linc, while all around him dead bodies are being found. Noah as always gets into a lot of trouble by taking the law into his own hands, and not letting the police know what is going on. A few times he comes close to being a dead body himself, but with dumb luck he always survives.

Carter, his best friend, helps add to the comedy relief and the two of them get into trouble together, nearly losing their lives a number of times before the story is over. The main gist of the story takes the reader to an Aryan Nation type of group, a San Diego based racial hate group that is somehow involved with the missing Linc (pun intended). There is a twist at the end, which I didn't see coming but it made a lot of sense, knowing how the story began.

There are two small subplots which involve Liz, a San Diego cop who was once romantically involved with Noah, as well as the story of Noah's relationship with his alcoholic mother. These two story lines aren't too important to the main plot of the missing young man, but they do help define Noah, allowing the reader to get a better picture of who he is and therefore have more interest in the series as a whole.

I think Jeff is doing a good job slowly building up this series. He's a new author but I can see he's got talent. It will be interesting to see how this series evolves. I will be interested to read the next book in the series!

5.0 out of 5 stars A surfing mystery., September 21, 2007

By	A. Dasovic (Daw Park, Sth Australia Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wicked Break: A Noah Braddock Mystery (Noah Braddock Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Jeff Shelby has done it again with this next installment of the Noah Braddock mystery series. If you liked Killer Swell, you will love Wicked Break!

4.0 out of 5 stars Breezy good time, December 5, 2006

By	W. Sanders (Bloomfield, CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Wicked Break: A Noah Braddock Mystery (Noah Braddock Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I'm starting Killer Swell after reading Wicked Break--so I can say that Wicked Break was good enough to make me want to read another Noah Braddock mystery. For years I lived in San Diego, and Shelby has the ambience down just right, and he doesn't over- or under-do it. The characters make a good ensemble to work with the main character for a good series of novels. Braddock is conflicted enough to make him human, but not so much to make the reader neurotic. The story carries the reader along, but near the end it seems a bit contrived and ends on a somewhat disappointing note. However, it's not disappointing enough to keep me from reading more of these novels.

I'd really like to see an OTL tournament novel with the main characters.