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Summary: Caught by Surprise
Review: THE EAGLE HEIST surprised me. I had formed an opinion that it would be "routine" reading (before I had even read it!) Was I ever caught by surprise. This book, after the second chapter, left me wondering what else could happen. Each chapter flowed into the next that I could not put the book down until I had finished it. Beauford Sloan had murder, surprise, hope, romance and mystery surrounding him, and still an unexpected end. Will hope this book is the first of many for Raymond Austin.
Rating:
Summary: Beauford Sloan the next Hercule
Review: Loved reading about a character that has character and brains and not all looks. He is down to earth,believable and has a sense of humor. All the characters were excellent and the plot carried you through to a good ending. I hope we get a change to see a lot of Beauford and his crew in other novels from Charlottesville. They get my vote for a repeat performance.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive
Review: A terrific job. Beauford Sloan is a super character. The polt,tops.
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Summary: Met author.
Review: We met the writer at a signing in Waldensbooks, in Charlottesville VA. A very interesting man. Besides directing one of my favorite TV show "Spenser," and being a fan of Robert Parker and Rita Mae Brown . . . he as written a very good book. The plot is tops. And I like his private eye Beauford Sloan very much. Pen Wilson.
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Summary: A New PI @ Work
Review: Well-developed characters, nicely woven plot, and smooth writing--all make Raymond Austin's Beauford Sloan a welcome addition to our mystery reading. ...
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Summary: Great New Mystery
Review: What else can a man like Raymond Austin accomplish? He's directed some of the most successful television series in both the U.S. and in England; now he's given the world a bright new character: Beauford Sloan. And from what I understand, THE EAGLE HEIST is just the beginning of this exciting new mystery series, which will probably become a television movie. I'm one of the fortunate ones who got their hands on an advance copy of this book. THE EAGLE HEIST is a quick, entertaining read with a great cast of characters. For those who know and love Wilford Brimley, the resemblence to Beauford Sloan is unmistakable. I have to agree with Booklist, THE EAGLE HEIST is "a great debut and a real find." I can't wait for the next installment of the "Beauford Sloan Mysteries."
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Summary: I Love A Mystery
Review: Raymond Austin has created a great character in Beauford Sloan. The plot is exciting plot, once I picked the book up, I couldn't put it down. A good debut and a real find is Austin and his Beauford Sloan." Look forward to the next. I hope they make a TV show out of it.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous Debut Mystery
Review: As an editor and publisher myself, I'm just sorry this one did not cross my desk before it found a home with another publisher. Raymond Austin is a well-known television director and screenwriter, and he has brought us a new hero: Beauford Sloan. This Wilford Brimley look-alike PI is a lively character who reminds me of our old television friend "Columbo". Well-written and the editing is first-rate. And the story Austin developed kept me turning pages as fast as I could. Surprise ending, too. A Five Star whodunit.
Rating:
Summary: Quality work as usual
Review: When you're reading a certain kind of book, coming to its ending is a bit of a shock. You've grown so accustomed to the characters and the world they inhabit, that it's utterly startling to turn the last page and realize (once again) that they only live their lives inside the head of the author - Raymond Austin! The Eagle Heist is such a book.
The characters are interesting and powerful. The writing is fast paced and good to the last word. I read his second book first my mistake, "Dead Again" but was not disappointed in any way. This too is a satisfying thriller. With the track record of this writer I am surprised both of his books have not been turned into a film, or television show yet.
Rating:
Summary: The first Beauford Sloane mystery turns out to be a good one
Review: When you look at the cover of "The Eagle Heist," the first of the Beauford Sloan mysteries by Raymond Austin, you will notice that the photograph on the identification card of Sloan looks a lot like Wilford Brimley. This would be because it is a photograph of Brimley, who writes the brief introduction for the novel and has known the author since they were stunt men together in the old days. Then Brimley went on to be a familiar character actor and Austin directed a lot of television shows from "The Avengers" to "JAG."
The running gag in the book is that Sloan looks like Brimley, but the chief advantage is that every time you listen to Sloan in the mystery you can hear Brimley's familiar voice (every time I read a play the female lead is Katharine Hepburn, adjusted for whatever age is required). Knowing exactly how the main character speaks is certainly an advantage, but you are on your own when it comes to the mental images you come up with for the sex scenes in the book (or the mental picture demanded by the book's final line).
"The Eagle Heist" begins with a rather ingenious way of making an armored truck carrying sixteen million dollars in diamonds and three million in cash disappear. All the authorities have to go on are a couple of bodies and some $100 bills and after six months the case has gone stone cold. However, Rosa Costello, the mother of one of the murdered guards from the armored truck is not willing to let the crime be forgotten and hires Beauford, an ex-Virginia cop turned private eye. Within hours he makes a big break in the case and almost as quickly people start dying. Clearly, our hero is making progress and there is somebody who does not like that at all. But once Beauford gets the bit between his teeth there is no stopping him.
Brimley says this mystery is "a great read," and that is certainly an apt description. The action proceeds at a brisk pace, the supporting characters are pretty engaging, and they are enough twists and turns in the mystery, some of which are not exactly happy ones, to keep you engaged from start to finish. One of the reasons it works this well as that Austin provides his hero with a complete back story that comes into play at various points. There is a sense of history to the character and his friends even if this is the first Beauford Sloan mystery. Fortunately I already have the next one, "Dead Again," in my possession, so I do not have to wait for the next "episode" (it is hard not to think of this as a television series, which is not a bad thing in this case).
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