Rigged

February 17, 2020
In Lyle’s fast, fun fourth Jake Longly thriller (after 2019’s Sunshine State), Longly describes himself as an “ex–major league baseball stud, restaurateur, defender of frivolous lawsuits, lover of women, well, one in particular, and for sure a world-class avoider of work.” He reluctantly helps out at his father’s Alabama PI firm, where his girlfriend, Nicole Jamison, and his best friend, Tommy “Pancake” Jeffers, work as operatives. Pancake is assigned to the financial side of the divorce of a woman he last saw in grade school, Emily Patterson. He’s looking forward to meeting Emily again, but she fails to turn up for their appointment and is later found murdered, along with her friend Jason Collins. Drugs found in Jason’s pocket and the gangland-style killings lead the local police chief to suspect a turf war between rival dealers. Emily’s brother hires the Longly team to bring her killer to justice. The characters are fresh and well-defined, but it’s Jake’s snappy patter and amusing riffs, often focusing on his monumentally annoying ex-wife, that drive the narrative to its Glock-blazing conclusion. This series just keeps getting better. Agent: Kimberly Cameron, Kimberly Cameron & Assoc.

April 1, 2020

Tommy "Pancake" Jeffers has never forgotten his first love, Emily Patterson. When Emily files for divorce, her attorney asks Longly Investigations to check out finances. Pancake heads to Fairhope, AL, where he hears nothing but good things about Emily. When she doesn't show for their meeting, Pancake calls on the local police chief. Emily and her boyfriend are found dead, shot execution-style, so Pancake calls his boss, who brings in Jake Longly and his lover, Nicole. Emily's husband was on an oil rig at the time of her murder, so the investigation focuses on a possible drug connection. The story unfolds slowly, while the characters are the actual draw in this book. There's a great deal of humor in the conversations among Jake, Nicole, and Pancake. The sexual innuendo and off-the-wall phone conversations with Jake's ex are fun. VERDICT The follow-up to Sunshine State is labeled thriller, but it's a step-by-step investigation with a great deal of dialog. The witty banter and Jake's character might remind readers of Rex Stout's Archie Goodwin. Fun for those with a penchant for good conversation and detectives under the thumb of a beautiful woman.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2020
Jake Longly is the Bartleby of detectives: he'd prefer not to. Who can blame him? He's living the sweet life, owning a Gulf Coast bar/restaurant and dallying with the luscious Nicole, who, he mock-laments, is insatiable. Plus, his father is a real PI who occasionally pulls Jake into snoop work, though this time it's an investigation by Jake's buddy, Tommy "Pancake" Jeffers. The nickname comes from his time as a high-school footballer, when he left opponents flattened like pancakes. Pancake is looking into the finances in a divorce involving his grade-school love, Emily, and he yearns to rekindle the spark. Too bad Emily is murdered before that can happen. Heartbroken, he asks Jake to catch the killer. Their poking about uncovers a shadow world of drugs and violence, and Lyle writes about it in a stripped-down style with nice, low-key touches. Afternoon melts "toward evening, the shadows long and muted." There's nothing low-key, though, about Nicole when fight time comes. Her clash with the villains is worth the price of admission.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)