Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Newcomers to the Andy Hayes series will find this eighth outing an excellent place to begin. We come into Andy’s life at a turning point. A former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns quarterback, Andy’s now working at a Columbus art museum as a security guard. The job provides steady money, something that doesn’t come with being a PI, and Andy needs it to pay the costs of two divorces and for two teenaged boys. It’s quiet––until somebody tries to steal a new, expensive acquisition from the museum. Andy, in complete defiance of the museum’s “no pursuit” policy, chases down the thieves and retrieves the painting.
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| Image Source Swallow Press |
Cedar Point doesn’t have a bigger roller coaster than Andy’s life. He has to work a cold case, and neither the cops nor hospital security are happy about that. The investigation into the hit-and-run takes some corkscrew turns, revealing Medicare fraud, boutique medicine, adultery, anti-vaxxer hysteria, hostility to medical personnel, and murder. And if that weren’t enough, the FBI keeps showing up to complicate his life and impede his ability to investigate.
That this is a fast-paced PI novel is both its strength and its weakness. It’s a cozy with plenty of Midwestern decency and only a mildly snarky, world-weary tone from a man who has grown up and owns his mistakes, who drives a Honda Odyssey minivan (a touch of genius this, as there’s probably no more invisible car), and who can’t carry a gun, so there is little overt violence. Andy’s problems mount the more shoe leather he puts down. Because Andy is so likable, readers will keep flipping pages to see how he handles them.
However, this novel is as much about personal relationships as it is about murder, and these relationships, particularly at the art museum, are not given as much time and space to breathe as I would have liked. In fact, the heist subplot, which opens the novel, gets resolved almost as an afterthought. The author could’ve taken the time and the pages to develop these things further, going for depth instead of breadth.
Still, Sick to Death is an enjoyable, fun read, carried by a good character. My reservations won’t stop me from reading the earlier novels or seeking the next one. Andy Hayes is too good a guy not to have a cold one with.
To enter to win a copy of Sick to Death, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "sick,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen October 5, 2024. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.
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K.G. Whitehurst holds a PhD in British history from the University of Virginia. K.G. has blogged about historical fiction at DIYMFA.com; she writes both historical and science fiction mysteries. She lives with her husband, three cats, and over 100 houseplants in Frederick, Maryland, USA.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
Sounds interesting! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteMary Holshouser
ReplyDeleteTwo ex-wives - tough to lose the job by
mistake. Sounds like a good read.
thanks. txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com
I enjoy a good mystery! tWarner419@aol.com
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