Jeffrey Allen (3) (1970–)

This book is very cute, and pretty much delivers exactly what's promised on the tin: a light, frothy mystery that's very easy to read and very entertaining.

Deuce Winters (I know, I know, that is the name of a douchebag) is your typical stay at home parent, carting his kid to many different sorts of activities (soccer, swim lessons, VBS). He has a side business as a private investigator, and he's dragged into a case when he learns that Moe Huber has stolen $73K from his daughter's soccer association and has vanished into thin air. The soccer association is fee-driven and will have to completely shut down, which nobody wants - even if the kids are playing soccer for fun instead of serious competition. So, reluctantly, he begins to track down Huber and runs into quite a few twists and turns along the way.

The characters are really nicely drawn. Deuce narrates in the first person, and its a refreshingly irreverent point of view. He is devoted to his wife and his daughter and, contrary to the name, is the opposite of a douchebag. One of the subplots is how his wife is determined to have another baby, and she is just as driven in her personal life as she is in her career as an attorney: she charts out the next two months of their sex life, and holds him to a strict schedule in order to maximize her chances of getting pregnant. It's rather hilarious, actually; he learns about all the things that affect his sperm count.

She is also very practical and level-headed, and lends her legal expertise to his crazy schemes as a PI. He has a partner in the PI biz, Victor Anthony Doolittle, who is just as loud as he is short. He apparently helped Deuce clear his name in the first book of this series, and they teamed up shortly thereafter. They rib each other constantly, which is also funny, but the midget jokes can start to run a little thin. They have a great buddy-cop partner thing, tho.

Even the characters central to this story are pretty nicely fleshed out. Though I could've done without the constant description of the 350 lb Belinda (head of the kiddie soccer association), who sweats profusely in the Texas heat. That was the one blip on the character radar, and I guess it can be written off as it being a first person male POV. Mercifully, he doesn't ogle the sorority sisters who show up about halfway through the book to nearly the same nauseating degree, which is nice. And his scenes with his daughter are really cute.

The plot is a bit on the convoluted side, but in the context of the story, it makes sense. Deuce is not the most patient person on the planet, so he tries to cut through the woo-woo bullshit pretty quickly, which I appreciated. I definitely kept turning the pages this afternoon and (in spite of the screeches of a dying squirrel) managed to get through it all in about three hours. There was no heart-stopping, edge-of-your-seat denouement, but the ending was wrapped up quite nicely, and the story actually ends on a very sweet note, with Deuce's wife revealing that she's pregnant.… (meer)

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

Deuce Winters is a stay-at-home dad who inadvertently solved a mystery with the help of a private investigator (see book 1 Stay At Home Dead). Now, it seems he needs the annoying PI again for a case of the missing King of Soccer and $73K of youth soccer association fees. The more Deuce digs the more complicated things get, but he feels he needs to find Moises Huber and the money for the kids’ sakes.

Humorous and twisty this mystery kept me guessing until the end. Lots of colorful characters and amusing situations, but Deuce’s daughter, Carly, takes the spotlight. Adorable! If you like small town stories with humor and a decent mystery then don’t pass up this book or book 1. You won't be sorry!… (meer)

Review Originally Posted At: FictionForesight

In a small Texas town, one can never forget their high school sports glory. For Deuce Winters, it comes back to haunt him when his rival, and career killing tackler, is found dead in his minivan in a crowded parking lot. Will Deuce deduce the real killer before his reputation is ruined for his daughter?

Like many of the books that I have read in the cozy mystery genre, this one had so much potential, but got muddled somewhere in the middle. Deuce started out as a likeable enough character; he has a nice job as a stay at home father with his three-year old daughter, while his wife works as a lawyer. His peaceful life came to a halt when he was shopping and found the person responsible for ending his football career in his car, stabbed to death. Many antics ensue, including a “midget” private detective and some knuckle-headed peers.

Now it was a very funny read. Any issues I had with deciding how to rate and review this book were due to the literal laugh out loud moments that I had while reading it. Seriously, I was reading while waiting for a hair appointment and got many strange looks as I chuckled to myself. Allen does a good job of adding in blunt humor, making a strong male voice in place of the usual flaky female characters seen in the genre.

The downside to his strong Deuce character was that the other characters fell flat. His wife had many sexist comments pointed towards him about being a stay at home father, and I think if it were gender-flipped it wouldn’t seem as funny or cute as Allen makes it seem. She seems to rebuke him whenever he tries to get a new job, and in the end cements him as staying home because she wants another child. It just seems a little weird for a cozy mystery to have such a strong relationship dynamic.

The writing itself was a little disjointed. It was concise, but lacked some of the flow that I like to see between scenes. This bluntness also ruined some of the credibility the situations had, including a lot of the jumps to violence by Deuce. I mean I get that he is a former football player, but he had an all out brawl with a random stranger while his daughter was alone inside the house. He’s also aggressive towards the private detective the whole novel, even though there really was never given a solid reason for it. Maybe he just doesn’t like short people, but the guy was really just doing his job.

All in all it was an enjoyable read. I thought it was very fast and would make a good beach or break read, since it moves quickly and lacks a ton of detail.

(www.FictionForesight.com)… (meer)

Another funny outing with Deuce Winters, the stay-at-home dad with the gorgeous (and hugely-pregnant) lawyer wife and the adorable preschooler. I really enjoy this series.

Deuce always runs afoul of dead bodies, nefarious strangers, and shady activities while trying manfully to be involved in community affairs that affect his wife and daughter. This time is no different as he tries to focus on 4-H, the county fair concession stand, and preventing Julianne from committing homicide or hari-kiri. Julianne is funny, feisty, and nearly 10 months pregnant. Either this child leaves her body speedily, or heads will roll...possibly Deuce's.

Even more likely, Victor's. Julianne does NOT want Deuce involved in another murder investigation. However... Victor is the dwarf private investigator who is Deuce's reluctant partner in sleuthing. They are trying to unravel the circumstances of the dead body Deuce found in the fair ground freezer. The dead body leads, as is to be expected, to financial shenanigans, secret affairs, underground political movements (sort of), and shady strangers handing out big money for questionable promises.

The characters, both central and peripheral, are well-drawn and completely nuts. The small town atmosphere of gossips, good-ole-boys, multi-generational grudges, and long memories is so true to life, I'd swear the author came from my home town. At the same time, there are moments of insight and tender feeling that touch me in the heart. I really like this series for the humor, smiles of recognition, and mild mysteries. Worth my time and recommended.… (meer)