Review Tour: Clean Win
Clean Win
by Kevin R. Doyle
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GENRE: Mystery
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BLURB:
Laura Mosby is like a lot of young women, working in a job she doesn't like, looking for a way out, and doing her best to enjoy her privacy. When she dies a violent death at the hands of an intruder, it's at first brushed off as a standard homicide. But when Lieutenant Santiago, the supervising detective, comes across evidence linking her death to a local politician, he begins to see the faint threads of a much nastier scheme. Desperate to shield his people from potential harm, he turns to Sam Quinton, full-time gym owner and part-time private investigator, to help solve Laura's murder and help the police department evade the wrath of City Hall.
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Excerpt:
We sat there for another minute or two before I prodded the cop. “Laura Mosby.”
“Right.” Santiago sat a little straighter, as if pulling himself back on track. “We’ve got a possible suspect.”
“From what the local news has reported, you’ve had more than one possible suspect.”
Santiago nodded. “A former boyfriend, another even more former boyfriend, and a low-rent cousin who lives out of state.”
“But?”
“But they were all dead ends. And now we’ve got someone new to look at.”
“Which I’m guessing has something to do with why you’re slumming enough to visit me this morning,” I said. “So why not get to it. Who’s the new favorite?”
Santiago looked away as he pressed his hands flat on his thighs. Despite our not-so-hot relationship, I decided to give him the time he needed.
He looked back my way, his expression as calm and controlled as I’d ever seen him.
“Bob Marlow,” he said, so quietly I almost missed it.
I blinked a couple of times, processing the name.
“Bob Marlow,” I repeated a few seconds later.
“Yeah,” Santiago said, giving me half a nod.
“As in Mayor Bob Marlow?”
Only a quarter of a nod this time, if that. “Yeah.”
“As in recently-announced candidate for governor Bob Marlow?”
No comment this time, except for Santiago giving me a dead-level stare.
“Well, shit,” I said.
“Yeah,” Santiago said.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
A high-school teacher, former college instructor, and fiction writer, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of numerous short horror stories. He’s also written three crime thrillers, The Group, When You Have to Go There, and And the Devil Walks Away, and one horror novel, The Litter. In the last few years, he’s begun working on the Sam Quinton private eye series, published by Camel Press. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award for Best First PI Novel. The second book, Heel Turn, was released in March of 2021, while the third in the series, Double Frame, came out in March of 2022. The fourth Sam Quinton book, Clean Win, will be released in March of 2023.
Web site: kevindoylefiction.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevindoylefiction
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6473241.Kevin_R_Doyle
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Win-Quinton-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B0BN6X7WNW/ref=sr_1_1
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clean-win-kevin-r-doyle/1142741369
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Kevin R. Doyle will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Enter to win a $15 Amazon/BN GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway
My Review:
A fascinating whodunit
I love a series that can still be standalone. Sam Quinton is an interesting character, who has a nose for mystery. I love the colorful cast of characters that make up the town, and the deep dives into small town scandals. A fun read, and I’m inspired to pick up the rest of the series now!
Thank you for taking the time to read and review "Clean Win" today!
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon. I'd also like to say thanks for taking part in my tour.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite space to do your writing?
ReplyDeleteI'm really old school in that almost all of my writing is done on a desktop computer, with my computer desk situated in a little recessed area just off my living room.
DeleteDo you have a favorite character from this book?
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of a tough one, as the protagonist, now four books in with another on the way, would easily count as favorite. Other than Sam, though, I'd have to say my favorite for this book is Bob Marlow, the mayor and main suspect. He's unlikeable as all get out, at least I hope he comes across that way, but once you get all the way through there's a little more to him than appears on the surface. Not much, but a little.
DeleteLove this and very intrigued about the character of Bob Marlow-pretty sure the hardest character to like from a moral standpoint are definitely THE most fun to write. Much success to you in 2024!
DeleteHow do you choose what to write next?
ReplyDeleteTracie, choosing a next project kind of depends on a lot of things. Right now, I still have one more Quinton book left on my contract with Camel Press, so I'm naturally working on that. At the same time, I have sort of a passion project that's been in my head for years, and now that I've wrapped up my teaching career I'm easing into working on that one off and on. I also have an ongoing list I keep where I have various ideas, titles, or plots jotted down, and if I'm at an in-between point on projects I look that list over and choose something from it to begin working on.
DeleteWhat books are you currently reading now?
ReplyDeleteRight now, I'm going all the way back to my childhood and re-reading all the old Bantam Doc Savage paperback books, ordering off for ones I don't already have as I get to them.
DeleteThanks so much for your insightful responses and here's to a fabulous and productive February!
ReplyDeleteWhat sparks your creativity when you're feeling uninspired?
ReplyDeleteWhat is your favorite part of the writing process?
ReplyDeleteWhat personal experiences are you hoping to explore in your future works?
ReplyDelete