Andy Straka

Frank Pavlicek, former cop, is out hunting with his Red-tailed Hawk, Armistead, when he stumbles over a body. In a plot full of coincidences, it turns out that the deceased knew Frank's teen-aged daughter. So he tampers with the scene, and then, of course, involves himself in the investigation.

There are punctuation, capitalization, and spelling errors (apparently the publisher's) in the Kindle edition that at times obscure the meaning of the text, and weird usage ("heralded" for "hailed", show more "epitaph" for "epithet" being two that come immediately to mind) which are apparently the author's. Intransitive verbs are employed as transitives. Run-on sentences alternate with lonely little fragments. And then there are the redundancies like the "bolero vest".

The dialogue is wooden when it's not being impenetrable: One character inexplicably speaks as if English were her second language (it is not), and conversations are riddled with non-sequiturs. The narrative is third-rate, too. Sentences that should be transitional are parked in the middles of paragraphs instead of at the ends; other paragraphs contain stray sentences conveying completely irrelevant information. The characterization is so thin that I can't remember who is who, other than the bird, who, although more memorable than the human characters, still isn't given much personality.

Speaking of birds, neither falconry in general nor this bird in particular are as central to the story as one is given to expect. The author throws around esoteric falconry terms without explanations for the uninitiated--easy enough to include smoothly if he only wished to--and these are not the sort of words found in one's bedside Merriam-Webster. So it has an air of showing off to it. And don't plan on wading through the book just to get to the few hunting scenes, if you are a falconer or simply a nature-lover, because they aren't well-written enough to be worth your effort. Sibley's guides contain better physical descriptions of the birds. And you'll get no sense of the weather or the terrain or the thrill of the thing because the author's vocabulary seems bereft of appropriate modifiers. Instead, we get incomprehensible phrases like "muddy haze."

In the Foreword, Straka writes about "growing" a story and even mentions having a grammar maven ready to hand, but the book shows evidence of neither. It's carelessly written, and not worth much more than the 99 cents Kindle is charging for it. All-in-all, very disappointing, especially as Straka came highly recommended by a falconer/author of some repute. I expected to like it. I wanted to like it. Alas, I did not. And you probably won't either. show less

This is what, the fourth Frank Pavlicek mystery I have read, and I am starting to yawn. I think perhaps Andy Straka just doesn't have what it takes to bring Frank to life. I am particularly irritated by the limping relationship between Frank and his daughter Nicole. His pontificating about her sex life, and her willingness to put up with it remind me that these books have an underlying Christian vibe that I don't like. Too faint to make this a "Christian" book, but too strong to be anything show more but deliberate. Kind of creepy, especially as Frank likes the occasional bedroom tumble, but pushes his daughter to wait till marriage. Double standard much?

I received a review copy of "A Cold Quarry: A Frank Pavlicek Mystery" by Andy Straka (Brash) through NetGalley.com. It was originally published in 2003 by Signet. show less

This is not your mother’s cat mystery. (With apologies to all you lovers of feline noir.)

No one would ever mistake Virginia private investigator and falconer Frank Pavlicek for Ace Ventura. But when the ex homicide detective is asked to return to New York City to help find a physician/animal rights activist’s missing feline, the stage is set for one of the most bizarre cases of Frank’s career.

Are the doctor’s accusations true? Has the eccentric developer of her luxury apartment show more building actually hired a hit man to kill her pet by stealing the poor creature and hunting the kitty down with a bird of prey? Turns out, the doc and some of her fellow apartment owners are embroiled in a rancorous legal dispute with the builder. Other pets are missing too and witnesses claim to have spotted a specter-like figure prowling Central Park at night carrying a giant owl.

With the help of his daughter Nicole, sometime partner Jake Toronto, and tough-nosed PI Darla Barnes, Frank soon discovers more is at stake than any of them had imagined. Chasing the mysterious falconer, they stumble upon an anonymous, half-dead child. Darla is shot and seriously wounded. To make matters worse, a reporter more interested in a bizarre story than in pursuing facts interferes along with competing camps of protestors. Not to mention Frank’s rekindled romance with erstwhile flame Marcia D’Angelo.

In the end, both the good doctor and the developer must come clean about their respective agendas, exposing a true evil that has escaped unnoticed. Overcoming such an evil will take every skill in Frank’s hunting bag, the courage of a most unlikely band of survivors . . . and a sacrifice by a heart as big as New York City and all outdoors. show less

“Split City” by Andy Straka is the perfect cozy mystery for a relaxing weekend or holiday.

As the book begins pro bowler Billy Gills is summoned to the Partridgeberry County morgue to identify the body of his identical twin brother Bo. But Billy insists it is not Bo. Is this a case of the “third twin”?

Billy owns a bowling center in the Catskills while his brother Bo designs specialty bowling shoes. Billy is very likeable, even loveable, while Bo seems to be a bit shady.

This is a show more character-driven novel, as I believe most cozies are. The protagonist is likable and the primary feature of the story with the mystery itself being secondary. The supporting cast of characters were interesting and entertaining. The small-town setting is perfect for the quirkiness of some of the characters. It also was perfect for the small-town politics of the story leaving the reader to wonder who could be trusted.

I was a bit perplexed by “Operation Rabbit Rescue. Maybe it was just a momentary diversion that added a bit of humor to the story.

I found an activity mentioned in the book that was new to me - “extreme ironing”. Yes, it is a real thing. It even has championships. Definition: an activity that involves ironing items of laundry while engaged in a sport such as snowboarding or rock climbing. All I can say is “Why?”

This was an enjoyable weekend read. show less