Author: Geoffrey Knight
Publisher: Wilde City Press
Pages/Word Count: 90 Pages
Rating: 5 Stars
Blurb: Welcome to Wilde City, 1924—a crane on top of every skyscraper, a party in every club, a romance on every dance floor, a shooting every night, a broken heart on every street corner and a dirty secret behind every window with the curtain drawn. It’s the kinda town that keeps Buck Baxter, private detective, in business.
For despite his fondness for a cold gin and a pipe stuffed with cannabis, Buck is the best gumshoe in Wilde City. Why? Because he has rules: never make friends, never make enemies, and never ever fall in love. That is until the day playboy nightclub owner Holden Hart swings into town. He’s suave, he’s charming, he’s chivalrous… and he’s exactly the kinda man that Buck will break all the rules for.
From the romance of the Rainbow Palace atop the Wilde City Tower, to the dazzling debauchery of the gentlemen’s parlor The Velvet Viper—from the history surrounding the sinister convent on the hill better known Hell’s Bells, to the lantern-lit opium barge, The Peking Empress, run by the mystical Madame Chang—could Buck be about to unravel the greatest mystery of them all…
The mystery of love?
Review: I’m no stranger to Geoffrey Knight. I absolutely love his Phantom Five series, and I believe this series is going to be another one of my favorites by him.
Picture this: it’s 1924 in a place called Wilde City. It’s corrupt, shady, just like any other city. We meet Buck Baxter, a private investigator. He’s an average guy, a bit lonely, just doing his job. Never in his wildest dreams could he imagine a seemingly easy case, checking into an alleged cheating husband, would alter his life forever.
I love how the author gives subtle hints and clues throughout the story about Buck. We don’t get the entire picture until the end, and I was okay with that. What we do know isn’t pretty. I know there is way more information we didn’t get yet. There’s still some mystery surrounding him, but from what I know, this is going to be a series. I’m positive we’ll get to know a little more about Buck in the future.
I enjoy how the author can find the funny right alongside the mystery, murder, and just all around craziness. We have situations here that are downright serious, and yet we have laughter in the next paragraph. The author also has a way of writing action scenes that have you holding your breathe, wondering if they’re going to all make it out alive. I hung on to every word and loved every minute of it. This was a very fun story to read.
I enjoyed meeting the many different characters along the way and seeing Buck’s interactions with them. With names like Holden Hart, Mickey Marlow, Stella Starling and Bugsy Brown, how can you not find them interesting? They were all great. Now, I’m not going to say this was a romance. It has romantic tendencies, so don’t go into this thinking it’s gonna be all lovey-dovey; it’s not. I will say that our Buck does have a love interest, and it turns out to be the biggest surprise of his life. I admit, I was a little teary-eyed over that scene. You’ll know what I’m talking about when you read it.
Read this story. You won’t be disappointed.
**Lynn’s review is being reposted with permission from MANtastic Fiction**
You can buy Buck Baxter, Love Detective here:
