Amongst the slush I am frequently finding on Kindle Unlimited these days, I occasionally run across a real gem.
The Masked Man of Cairo series is one such gem. Another is John Tallon Jones’s Morris Shannon Mystery series, aka The Penny Detective.
I am loving this PI series by Jones. He tells you up front that the sole purpose of the books are to provide a couple hours of entertainment. That’s it. And in my opinion, they do that in spades.
In fact, I’d say that Mr Jones is being too modest. There is plenty of hardboiled grit delivered with plenty of humor, in a style that goes down quite easily. Maybe as easily as fish and chips, or a yummy bacon sandwich.
Morris Shannon is the son of a self-made multi-millionaire, who got his money selling used cars.
However, Morris (or Moggsy as most call him) doesn’t want to take over the family business. So Moggs becomes a private detective instead of the owner of a used car emporium.
Moggsy willingly admits he’s not a good detective. The only reason he’s still in business is because his partner, Shoddy, has the brains to connect the dots. But Shoddy, a former cop, is an alcoholic and is often too inebriated to be overly helpful.
From that background, Mr Jones spins delightfully entertaining stories set in the 1980s.
It’s great fun to return to life before cell phones and the internet. A life that in some ways was better than what those silicon chips have given us.
Mr Jones is British and some reviewers were put off by the British slang. I didn’t find it at all insurmountable, although I suspect he may have “Americanized” some of the Britishisms in response to the complaints.
One of the reasons I read British mysteries is because I love to see how our cousins use the common language that divides us. I find British English is often far more colorful than American.
Jones’s writing is straightforward. Nothing fancy. And he tells his stories well.
They are written in the first person, with Morris as the storyteller.
Imagine, if you will, Watson as the detective and Holmes as the sidekick. And Watson still tells the story. That will give you a good idea as to how this series is set up — and it is often hilarious.
The stories are not cozies. They run too dark for that. They are more in the hardboiled category. Except that Moggsy is rather naive and too trusting. Which adds to the humor. And the suspense.
The Morris Shannon mysteries are edgy whodunits. And did I say they are quite funny?
I’ve read the first 4 and loved each one. They are:
I’ve given the above books 5-star reviews on Amazon. The links above will take you to Amazon US.
Give this series a try. The books can be read in any order, although I’m reading them chronologically.
They are 5-star entertainment. Perfect before bed. Or for reading on a lazy afternoon. Or on the beach. Or to take along on vacation.
I highly recommend them.
Comments are always welcome! And until next time, happy reading!
CW Hawes is a playwright; award-winning poet; and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.
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