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THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS
22nd Feb, 2020
TITLE: Outlier Man
AUTHOR: Charles Puccia
Star Rating: 4

CATCHY QUOTE
‘A well-plotted P I mystery with a ton of twists to keep you turning the page.’ The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
When I was a kid, I loved Magnus P I. Everybody did! He was cool; we all loved the red Ferrari, and every mystery he solved was complicated – but not too complicated. Oh, and we all loved Higgins. Now, I’m much older, Magnum is not long on UK TV and I detest Midsummer Murders. Thankfully, my need for a cleverly plotted P I mystery is now met by novels. And, I’m happy to tell you, this P I mystery is pretty good.
Now this book is not going to wow you in terms of originality. There are a few murders, there’s a charismatic and (slightly) complex P I named Vinnie Briggs, there’s a ton of twists – a few you will see coming, a few you won’t – and there’s a lot of ‘manly’ stuff, a bit of romance, oh, and the hero enjoys saying the F word. All in all, it’s a ‘by the numbers’ murder/mystery. For men!
But that’s okay!
You see, I love books like this. Is it politically correct? Not always. Is the writing style sharp with plenty of pacing. Absolutely. Will my overly liberal sister-in-law who has an overly boring, grey Ford and enjoys telling everybody how wonderful the opera is – will she like? God, no!
So, to sum up, if you enjoy a beer, if you drive an even slightly interesting car, if you think Magnum P I was cool, this book is for you. If going to IKEA is your idea of a fantastic day out, it’s not.
Real men…enjoy!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk