“Book Review: The Great American Deception”

Reviewed by R. Read

An eclectic sci-fi comedy, chock full of java.

Frank Harken is a private investigator of the futuristic netherworld, and he’s joined by a loyal side-kick robotic coffee machine named Arjay. Armed with endless one-liners, the two investigate the disappearance of a client’s sister. Navigating a giant mall and plenty of space-aged clubs in pursuit of a classic damsel in distress, this caper of a novel is one cheeky cupful.

“You’ve partnered with a coffeemaker?”

“He makes a hell of a cup.”

Frank and Arjay start out on what seems to be a fairly simple disappearance case, until a deadly plot rears its ugly head and threatens their already bonkers society. Mishaps are plentiful, and so are the laughs.

Slapstick meets the future, and it really is tons of fun to immerse yourself in. Just be ready for the challenge of following footnotes like telling apart Winsome Smiles the character from Winsome Smiles the location. If you’re looking for the misfortune found by mixing brouhaha with ruckus and calamity, this book will school you on levels of each. Misadventures and mayhem delight in this outside-of-normal-boundaries literary gift.

Nutella…was very distracting. She had this hard-to-explain way of getting you to think about one thing when something else was the thing you should have been thinking about. It was quite sneaky of her. Really, how were you supposed to stay on mission when she walked around smelling like that?

Considering that the coffeemaker is making this observation about Nutella (a character, not the delicious spread), I’m thinking you’ll see this–along with many other lines–on the verge of laughing out loud. Wordplay at its finest. You’ll love Stein’s mashups, and you might even be tempted to give it a second read-through for the absorption and enjoyment of it all.

“You, appliance,” Officer Claymore said to me. “Our machine’s busted. We need three coffees.” It wasn’t a request.

“Coming right up.” With four arms, I could serve them all simultaneously through the bars and still have a hand free for a salute.

What detective wouldn’t appreciate a perfect cup-of-joe, on the spot, offering high levels of intelligence and caffeination? This laugh-out-loud mystery twists classic characters within detective novels, changes their species, and turns out to be a good-to-the-last-drop comedy!

Publisher: Tiny Fox Press

Paperback: 228 pages

ISBN: 978-1946501219

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