In "Crazy Love", Bubba gets into one of his typical situations. He isn't getting much work, and rather than allowing his wife to support him, he takes on an odd case, the client that wants to find out with whom his dead wife had an affair. Things seem to move toward a quick conclusion of the case when suddenly the suspected lothario is dead, Bubba's client is the key suspect, Bubba is viewed as a potential accomplice, and the client disappears. Ever faithful to his client, Bubba tries to find out who the real murderer is. Getting in his way is a happy widow, a bruising hulk, another case with a demanding client, and Bubba having to deal with his jealousy of his wife working long nights with a handsome new coworker and his parents dropping by from out of town. He is sucked further into the quagmire finding himself in jail for attempted murder, being fired from a case, and his wife angry at him for his jealous accusations. How does he resolve it all? As only Bubba can.

If you enjoy a good twisted plot mystery, a likeable detective, and hours of good reading, pick up Crazy Love by Steve Brewer. While you're at it, pick up any of the other titles by Brewer, they are all very enjoyable.

Think Elvis is dead? Then perhaps you should start with Lonely Street, the first Bubba Mabry mystery.

Albuquerque private investigator Bubba Mabry desperately wants to tell his nemesis private detective William J. Pool to go to hell when his unscrupulous rival asks for help. However, Bubba needs the cash, sees a chance to obtain a needed boost to his own agency, and also has an opportunity to finally trump William. He agrees to join in on the investigation of locating Richie, the teenage son of Texas millionaire Dick Johnson.

The circumstantial evidence points towards an abduction especially since the kidnapper sent Dick a ransom note. However, Dick feels his crazy son set up the entire affair, including authoring the note. Bubba delivers the ransom, which Richie collects. Dick informs his two detectives that the one who brings his son home keeps the ransom money. Amoral William sets bungling Bubba up to fail as they contend for $200,000.

DIRTY POOL is a different type of private detective story because the hero is more human than most investigators found in mystery tales. Bubba has at best average intelligence and makes the cowardly lion seem heroically intrepid. However, this leaves readers with divergent feelings towards him. At times, one wants to help him as he muddles his way through a case. At other times the audience will want to slap him silly and shut the book. Stephen Brewer demonstrates he has the ability to write an entertaining novel starring a less humorous Couseau-like boob.

Harriet Klausner

Bookie Three-Eyes plans to make an example of Helen's spouse, Freddie Graham, who owes the bet taker a fortune. Knowing his sports connections, Helen wants Drew to ask Three-Eye for an extension. Drew tries, but Three-Eye refuses to budge. Drew heads to the nearby mountains to talk with Freddie, only to find Freddie's dead. The police suspect the murder, done with a fire poker, is a crime of passion, which leaves Drew as the prime suspect. Rather than wait for further damaging evidence to surface, Drew begins his own inquiries starting with an END RUN with no blockers in front of him and plenty of defenders waiting to tackle him.

The first Gavin amateur sleuth mystery is a powerful modern sports noir that provides a glimpse into the deadly political side of major college sports. The story line is crisp, often outrageous, but always fun. However, the plot belongs to its faded star, a has been jock found seeking to connect his short glory days with his failed present by using self deprecation and interesting "soliloquies." Steve Brewer provides a tale that will send readers seeking his other series (Bubba Mabry) while wanting Gavin sequels.

Harriet Klausner

But one aspect of Brewer's writing that is so rewarding for the reader, and which is a hallmark of all of his books, is his uncanny ability to describe his characters so that you can see and even smell them, as though they were standing in front of you. When he writes that the high-tech guru, Wally Mertz, " . . . looked like Alley Oop" and then adds, "Lank black hair . . .", "A square face and a heavy brow and a long upper lip.", "A jagged beard along his jawline.", and "Big forearms . . ." you picture the guy and know the character in a way that few writers are able to convey. Brewer makes you care about his protagonists, his victims, and even the peripheral characters. And boy does he make you hate the bad guys!

I can't wait for the next book in the Drew Gavin series.

I recommend it warmly, just take a look at it, dammit!

So why am I wandering around amazon.com looking to buy it? Because it was great! Sure, Brewer (via Bubba) pokes fun at the women of WOMB. Sure he shows entirely too much sympathy for the deprogrammer, and gives way too much credence to the guy's incorrect information about what he thinks is going on at WOMB.

Who care?!? It was a great story. It's a rare murder mystery that I can't figure out ahead of the detective in the story. (Exempting, of course, the ones where we know the ending up front, which annoys the hell out of me.) But I had absolutely no clue who had killed the second victim until about three words after Bubba figured it out. And this wasn't for lack of clues, but due to good writing. And you want to talk about funny? I was laughing hard enough to give up coffee for two whole days!

And I never felt the author was seriously contemptable of the women or their beliefs, particularly in view of the way they treat both Bubba and his girlfriend. (Whose name I have forgotten but was hoping to remember when I got my own copy of the book, dang it!)

If this ever comes back into print, I'll be there with my grubby little dollar bills in hand. In the meantime, just know that it was really enjoyable.