About the Book
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Cozy Mystery (A Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol Mystery, #1)
ASIN: B00J5MJL1S
Synopsis
In the 1970s, teen idol Sandy Fairfax recorded 10 gold records and starred in the hit TV show Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth. Now he’s a 38-year-old recovering alcoholic with dead bodies getting in the way of his comeback! An easy gig as the guest celebrity at a Midwest Beatles fan convention turns deadly when a member of the tribute band is murdered. When the police finger Sandy as the prime suspect, the boy sleuth is back in action to interpret the “Beatle-ly” clues and find the killer.
My Review
Let me say right off the bat, I grew up in the era of teen idols and all those magazines like Tiger Beat, Fave, and 16. I would be one of those screaming girls for Bobby Sherman, David and Shaun Cassidy. So, when I saw this cozy mystery series, I couldn’t turn it down. This book brought back many happy memories.
Sandy Fairfax had been one of those teen idols way back when. Now, he’s a recovering alcoholic, divorced, unable to see his kids and an out-of-work actor. When he gets a gig at a Beatles convention in Indiana, he still acts the “diva” and his fans are still loving it and screaming. His character is well written and I can easily see this character being true to real life.
The plot surrounds a Beatles’ tribute band at a fan convention. One of the members is murdered and Sandy is the number one suspect. The police are more interested in arresting Sandy than investigating the murder. So, it’s up to Sandy to get into the persona of his 1970’s TV character Buddy Brave, Boy Sleuth and find out who really did it.
There’s a huge cast and I admit I had a bit of trouble keeping them all straight. Sandy and his #1 fan Bunny are the best developed characters of all. The police detective is pretty one dimensional in his quest to arrest Sandy. If you are looking for a police procedural, this definitely isn’t it. The detective takes the easiest solution around. LOL The other characters are all wacky, fun and amusing. The dialogue is witty and fresh.
This book is a combination of mystery and humor. It’s a clever and unique idea for a mystery series. You just keep going from page to page laughing and smiling. It’s not a thriller, just a good, enjoyable story.
For reading challenges:
2014 My Kind of Mystery Reading Challenge
Where are you reading? challenge (Indiana)
FTC Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of this book to review for this blog tour. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
About the Author
She has a master’s degree in theater from Indiana State University. While in school her plays “Star Collector” and “Common Ground” were finalists in the American College Theater Festival One-Act Playwrighting Competition. “Common Ground” also earned a college creative writing award and “Star Collector” was produced in New York City.
Carpenter also has a master’s degree in theology and a black belt in tae kwon do.
She’s worked as an actress, college writing instructor, theater critic, jail chaplain and tour guide/page for Paramount Pictures. She’s now employed at a community newspaper.
“The Baffled Beatlemaniac Caper,” was a 2012 Eureka! Award finalist for best first mystery novel.
“The Sinister Sitcom Caper,” the second in the Sandy Fairfax Teen Idol series, is published by Cozy Cat Press. The third book, “The Cunning Cruise Ship Caper,” is due in 2015.
Her short story, “Dark Nights at the Deluxe Drive-in,” appears in the 2013 anthology “Last Exit to Murder.”
“Faster Than a Speeding Bullet” was published in the “Plan B: Vol. 2” e-book anthology.
Her short story “The Pie-eyed Spy” appeared in the Nov. 23, 2013, issue of Kings River Life ezine.
She’s a member of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles and “mom” to two black cats.
Author/Book Links
Webpage: http://sandyfairfaxauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sally.carpenter.54
GoodReads: (kindle version not on GR yet)
Email: scwriter@earthlink.net
Purchase Links
Amazon
B&NTour Participants
June17 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway
June 18 – Mommasez… – Review, Guest Post
June 19 – Back Porchervations – Review
June 20 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview
June 21 – Carole’s Book Corner - Review
June 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Guest Post
June 23 – readalot blog – Review
June 24 – Christa Reads and Writes – Review
June 25 – deal sharing aunt – Interview, Giveaway
June 26 – Brooke Blogs – Guest Post
June 27 – Michele Lynn Seigfried’s Blog – Spotlight
June 28 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review
June 29 – Cicero’s Children - Interview
June 30 – Socrates’ Book Reviews – Review
Ah, Teen Beat and Shaun Cassidy. I remember those days. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry that the police officer was so one dimensional but it sounds like a fun book.
Sounds cool, though the cover, not
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fab review! I missed out on Beatlemaniac when it was happening but caught up later when I was in college.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds fun! I've enjoy the excerpts you've posted of this so I will definitely have to give this one a try!
ReplyDeleteI like funny mysteries, but this one just isn't grabbing me.
ReplyDelete