A quirky conglomeration of popular culture that’s worth the price of admission.
Wagstaff, a modern Renaissance man, believes the universe speaks to him through images of film scenes as he follows clues that lead him to humorous, harrowing situations.
Berkin puts popular culture to the test as Professor Wagstaff, a lecturer of film and art (among various other professions), sets out to solve a mystery. Wagstaff luckily has some very powerful friends, and Rafik, his superior at an ambiguous government entity, supports him in his unorthodox method of investigation. Upon discovering some “copies of The Third Man in a succession of yard sales,” Wagstaff believes the universe is sending him upon his next adventure, and when he discovers that Rob, the IT guy, has disappeared, Wagstaff decides it’s his duty to locate him. Upon this quest, films begin to overlap and the clues lead him to discoveries that may help him save the world from an evil plan of domination. Wagstaff has many friends through his connections as a professor, and his beloved former students often step in to help him along the way. Everyone is aware of his unique methods, and many, even Wagstaff himself at times, know he’s eccentric and possibly insane, but they all seem to accept this about him. His inherent flaws are endearing, and he overlooks much else to focus on the role of film in his next adventure. The book reads like a script as Wagstaff self-deprecatingly narrates his exploits. And true to silver-screen format, there are explosions, sexual tension, big money, plot twists and lowbrow humor. Berkin pulls out all the stops; no big screen moment is lost in this tale.
A quirky conglomeration of popular culture that’s worth the price of admission.Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-1477532720
Page Count: 282
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tough heroine who refuses to quit uses her own troubled background to crack the case.
A private investigator from Louisville, Kentucky, reluctantly takes a job that may be the death of her.
Annie Gore has hocked her watch again to pay her bills, so when a young man wants help finding his long-vanished sister, she’s glad to take on the job. Max Andrews has long been saving up for Annie’s retainer, and although her resume mentions Air Force service, college degrees, and private security, when he meets her, she’s not what he imagined. Max comes from a small North Carolina mountain town; Annie’s own experiences with a battered mother in a similar town make her well aware of small-town secrets and grudges. Max’s sister, Molly, was one of three girls abducted years ago. In each case, an applehead doll was left at the scene. When Jessica Hoyle, the child of a poor family, vanished, her case aroused little interest. A second girl, Olivia Jacobs, was returned two weeks after being kidnapped, perhaps because she’s autistic. Once Molly was taken, an all-out hunt was launched, and the FBI got involved, but neither she nor Jessica was ever found. Annie doesn’t get a warm greeting in Quartz Creek, and poking around doesn’t increase her popularity. The sheriff, who’s Olivia’s uncle, is hostile, but his deputy is willing to help. One of the first people Annie meets is Susan McKinney, who makes potions and reads cards. Some of the townsfolk think she took the girls because she was moved by the tale of a witch who traded apples to the starving mother of two girls and then turned them into birds. Eventually, Annie turns up so many suspects that she’s almost killed in a meth lab fire and narrowly escapes serious injury from a shooter.
A tough heroine who refuses to quit uses her own troubled background to crack the case.Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2025
ISBN: 9781250338686
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Minotaur
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
The procedural emphasis continues to set this series apart from other dog mysteries.
A police officer and her canine partner search for a body missing from a gruesome crime scene.
A slasher has executed a St. Valentine’s Day massacre of his own in Fort Worth. A call from Detective Audrey Jackson summons Officer Megan Luz and Brigit, her K-9 teammate, to the scene, a suburban kitchen covered in blood. It’s not the way Megan pictured spending the night of her engagement to Seth, her firefighter boyfriend, but Seth has a dog of his own, and he understands the importance of K-9 teams. When Megan gets to the scene, poor homeowner Shelby Olsen is distraught by the gruesome mess but even more upset that Greg, her loving husband, is missing. She asks Audrey and Megan where Greg could be. The two don’t know how to tell her that, given the blood volume they see, it really doesn’t matter where Greg is any more. Eager to impress her mentor and prove that she’s fit to fill her shoes one day, Megan digs into the case of the apparent murder and the missing body. But all the obvious leads go nowhere, and Megan isn’t sure what’s next. Interspersed chapters adopt the perspectives of the slasher, who’s mainly keeping a low profile at a hotel, and Brigit, who’s equally concerned with tracking the killer and scoring some liver treats. At length Megan’s investigation leads her to the one and only possible conclusion.
The procedural emphasis continues to set this series apart from other dog mysteries.Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-19739-9
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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