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Rating: 
Summary: A new "must read" author for me...
Review: Based on the recommendation of another Amazon reviewer, I picked up a copy of Shoofly Pie - A Bug Man Novel by Tim Downs at the library. And I think I've found another "must read" author...
Dr. Nick Polchak is a forensic entomologist... basically a guy who studies the effects of insects on dead bodies. Real appealing stuff. And due to some prior hardships in his life (that aren't covered in this, the first installment of what should be a series), he's pretty much done with dealing with people and prefers to stick with his bugs. After getting caught "helping" the police one too many times, his college exiles him to a remote area of North Carolina to do some research. While there, a person turns up dead in a field and is ruled to be a suicide. A long-time friend of the dead guy isn't convinced, and she hires Polchak to uncover the truth at whatever the cost may be. Using his skills, he determines that the body had to have been moved to where it was found, and the bugs present in the wounds indicate that the death occurred somewhere else. Now all he has to do is narrow down who is the murder while not getting himself killed in the process...
There are quite a few things to like about this book. Polchak is a hard-nosed "bug man" who has no problems saying or doing anything to find out what he needs to know. He's also detached himself from a number of human emotions so that he can observe reality instead of what others think must be there. The writing and dialogue is interesting, and the story moves at a comfortable pace. The other unusual thing about this book is that it's put out by a Christian book publisher. While most Christian fiction tends to weave in a strong moralistic message, there's really none of that here. The language is clean, and its the type of book that would get a PG-13 rating in a theatre if this were made into a movie. It's a refreshing change from novels that feel the need to use every four letter word in the book just to appear "real".
Downs has done an outstanding job in this his first Bug Man novel. I can't wait to get ahold of the next one in the series.
Rating:
Summary: bugs, bees... give me more please!
Review: Bugs, bees, dead bodies, stench, murder, betrayal,love, war, good 'ol country boys... it's a wonderful world! Who would ever think I could be entertained AND learn some science at the same time. Tim Downs' impecable research and general knowledge of the human species fly off the pages. This is definately a book for a screen writer to develop - I can see it on the big screen or as a TV series... 3-D with smell effects would be the BEST!
Rating:
Summary: This was fun!
Review: I do have to say that this is one of the most original books I've read in a long time! This was hilarious in spots where you shouldn't even be MAKING jokes, but they still came off as funny and at times I'd sit there and say aloud, "GEEZ!" and almost start rolling on the floor! I have to say one thing... Tim Downs should have started writing fiction a long time ago, because this book was long overdue! This book was fun, funny, sarcastic, suspensful and just plain enjoyable. Dr. Nick Polchak, (almost sounds like pole cat!) is the bug man! Or, to be literally correct like Nick would be, he is a forensic entomologist, an investigator who studies dead bodies after the bugs start to get to inhabit the body. Here he investigates an apparent suicide. Kathryn Guilford, friend of the victim is not convinced that it is a suicide and feels that there are details being overlooked. The authorities declare it a suicide, but as Nick gets involved, things come to light slowly but surely. This book has a really good twist, with an even better plot. It also has a message in it, without being preachy. But I'll say this. If you want something different, get this. It isn't just an interesting looking cover, it is a very entertaining read that keeps the pages turning!
Rating:
Summary: Shoofly Pie Is One Murder Of A Book You Got To Read
Review: Imagine Jeff Goldblum speaking lines worthy of Indiana Jones. That's the picture I had in my head the whole time I was reading SHOOFLY PIE, a delightful novel that helped launch Howard Publishing's fiction line earlier this year. This intelligent and refreshingly believable murder mystery offers a sometimes yucky look into the work of a forensic entomologist --- in this case, Dr. Nick Polchak, also known as the Bug Man. Polchak is an academic who studies bugs for a living and tends to get into hot water for overstepping his bounds by involving himself in pesky little extracurricular activities like murder investigations.
Shipped off to the backwater of North Carolina, where his superiors figure he'll stay out of trouble for the summer, Polchak is drawn into another sticky situation by a woman whose good friend's death has been ruled a suicide. She doesn't believe that, of course, and turns to Polchak for help, which makes more sense than it sounds. What ensues is a story of intrigue and misunderstandings, and all manner of entomological mayhem. And thankfully, only the merest hint of romantic attraction. Anything more would have been way too predictable, and one of Downs's many strengths as a writer is his unpredictability.
From the opening scene you have this suspicion that SHOOFLY PIE is not going to be your typical Christian novel, although things have improved so dramatically in so short a time on the CBA fiction front that I'm not sure how much longer I can keep comparing new releases to what used to be typical. Downs's opener is as memorable a scene as you'll find anywhere in contemporary fiction, and what's even better, the rest of the book is worthy of his captivating prologue. It's funny, smart, suspenseful, and blessedly free of heavy-handed reminders that this is a "Christian" novel.
And it has characters, starting with Polchak. How Downs managed to create such a distinctive, provocative and believably eccentric character in his first novel is the kind of thing that should be required instruction at writers' conferences. Downs should also teach a course or ten on writing dialogue --- he has that pretty much perfected.
The guy --- Polchak, that is --- just won't let go once he settles into your imagination. He's self-absorbed and irritating and likeable in that exasperating way that annoying but charming people seem to somehow master. His thinking is so intertwined with his work that he describes people and their habits in entomological terms, and he does it so unselfconsciously that it's simply hilarious.
Which brings up another point: Never does Downs's writing seem forced. All the elements that make for good fiction --- among them, memorable characters, a colorful setting, a riveting plot and believable dialogue --- come together seamlessly in this book. There's a flow to the story that makes for a genuinely enjoyable reading experience.
About the Jeff Goldblum/Indiana Jones connection: Polchak's wisecracks, comebacks and observations about the human condition could have come straight from the mouth of Jones, which is not so surprising considering that, like Jones, he's an academic who gets caught up in an adventure of sorts. Physically, he's Jeff Goldblum. And if that leaves you with the impression that reading SHOOFLY PIE tends to conjure up cinematic images, well, you'd be right. And that's because this is one book that would make a terrific movie.
And yes, this is the first novel in the Bug Man series. There's more to come, and that is very, very good news.
Rating: 
Summary: Polchak: The Bug Stalker
Review: Shoofly Pie is a very enjoyable book. Set in rural Holcomb County, North Carolina, where Nick Polchak expects to keep himself out of trouble, the novel sets up nothing but for our hero and his client, Kathryn Guilford. With an ever-increasing body count and bugs swarming everywhere, Polchak and Guilford must find a way to expose a killer before they wind up as just so much Shoofly Pie, themselves.
The pacing of the novel is fast and the dialogue is frequently funny yet still believable. The scientific elements are presented convincingly without weighing down the story with technical details - how accurate they are, I don't know, but it all sounds pretty plausible when you're reading along. Downs runs into some trouble keeping his POVs fixed; when telling things from Kathryn's perspective, for instance, he will often use technical insect names or forensic jargon she herself wouldn't know. Sometimes he'll include a description of something down a hallway that the POV character couldn't see. Minor points, but they keep the book from getting a five-star rating.
Very little Christianity gets presented in the book; it's limited primarily to the presence of an elderly preacher who conducts a couple funerals. He's treated sympathetically (an exception from the way a secular book would likely portray him), but he never preaches a sermon of Christ-oriented salvation (an exception from most evangelical novels). The net result is a message that Christians are okay folks, no need to run and hide when they come around. There's little in the book to offend - no sex, no swearing and "on-screen" violence is limited to a couple fistfights - but Downs doesn't go to the Pollyanna extreme, either.
If you're a fan of any of the CSI programs on television, you'll likely enjoy Shoofly Pie. A few scenes carry descriptions as gooshy as the graphic CSI animations, so if those creep you out - or if you're insectophobic - you might want to give this novel a pass. Otherwise, get ready for an experience unlike anything you've had before. Shoofly Pie is well-worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Shoofly Pie Is One Murder Of A Book You Got To Read
Review: Shoofly Pie is one heck of a ride. It's like a twisted CSI TV show with one liners that make you think Jerry Bruckheimer should pick up the movie. I could see David Duchovny playing the main character. Basic plot is about this guy named Nick Polchak who they call "The Bug Man" because the guy basically knows more about bugs than anyone. It is almost as if he knows what they are thinking and can hear them talking. Packed with action and some thought-provoking clues and evidence which is mind boggling at times, Shoofly Pie is the latest book to hit my top ten list. The last one was Tim Brown's DaVinci Code if that tells you anything. If for no other reason, get the book cause it's got one of the coolest book covers out there.
Rating: 
Summary: It has the 3 qualities needed
Review: This book has all that mysteries need: an intriguing story line, a hero that's credible, and a engaging adventure as the hero solves the mystery. I don't know anything about bugs, but Downs created that scientific world that's believable.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Entertainment
Review: Wide-eyed and shaking my head in astonishment, I finally exhaled a big, "Whew!", when I finished the first chapter. It's that good. The rest of the book nearly kept pace and the result is a wonderful first novel. Forget that it's displayed on the fiction shelf at the local Christian Book Store - it's good enough to take its place alongside Grisham, Cornwell, Leonard, et al at Barnes and Noble.
Christian fiction usually disappoints me. But this book holds it own in the crime/mystery genre without a single profanity, innuendo, or sex scene. It's a book for grown-ups that's clean enough to recommend to your teenaged son or daughter.
But if you are looking for a book in which everyone gets saved and then they all preach to one another, this isn't it. My guess is that, since this is the first in a promised series, spiritual development of the characters will occur in later volumes.
Downs has really done his homework on the subjects of homicidal investigations and entomological forensics. The characters are diverse and interesting and the plot twists and turns down unexpected roads. The dialogue is natural. The packaging is first-rate. Howard Publishing is to be commended on a fine job of editing and production.
My only criticisms are that his metaphors and descriptions occasionally go over the top and a few of the plot developments are a little incredible.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with the worst Christian fiction being a 1 and Grisham's best being a 10, I'd rate this book a solid 8. Downs has found that narrow space between pandering, romance-style Christian novels and vulgar secular crime fiction. Well done.
Rating:
Summary: A New Species in the Christian Market!
Review: With a quirky title and an edgy cover, this book snagged my eye. Twenty pages into it, you know that this mystery is far different than anything else in the Christian fiction market...maggots in a cadaver's eyesockets, bugs crawling everywhere, and lead characters that make you squirm and laugh in the same paragraph. Yeah, this book is its own new species. I loved every minute. I looked forward to each new chapter. The mystery itself is handled well, particularly in its inclusion of entomology (study of bugs...oooh). The main surprises don't come from the mystery, so much as from the characters themselves. These people think and do things that don't always make sense--kind of like real people! You can't help but love (or despise) the people herein. The Bug Man, in particular, is one of the more colorful leads I've come across in a while. Read this book if you love a twisting, and twisted, tale. Read it if you like imperfect yet likeable characters, with hints of romance on the side. Don't come expecting a spiritual hammer to hit you over the head--there's no preaching here. But if you believe that God works in subtle ways to change people from within, you'll get the point. Oh. And watch out for the end, it's got quite a bite. Or should I say, sting?
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