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Read my post Murder Off The Glass Redux
Read my post Last Dance In Redondo Beach Redux
Read my post The Big Freeze Redux
Murder Off The Glass was the first in my acclaimed comic mystery trilogy featuring sportscaster Andy Sussman and detective Murray Glick. After Chicago Stadium blacks out in the middle of a game featuring the downtrodden Chicago Flames, Andy’s broadcast partner Lester Beldon turns up dead. Andy is implicated and, with the investigation dragging, he turns to his buddy Murray, who has abandoned hard core crime for a comfy office in the Northbrook Court shopping mall. Murray “no longer does murders” but he’ll provide the analysis if Andy does the dirty work. Andy recruits his lovely attorney, Susie Ettenger, and the three of them unravel a deadly conspiracy.
Last Dance In Redondo Beach is the second in the trilogy. Sportscaster Andy, now a network reporter, is assigned to anchor the Celebrity Network Superteams. When the masked wrestler Dr. Double X mysteriously drowns in a rowboat race, Andy intrepidly digs up more facts than he’d wished for. He soon calls in his girlfriend/lawyer, Susie Ettinger and his pal Murray Glick, who has taken a break from his shopping mall office to run Mystery Cruises.
The world of pro wrestling provides a raunchy and hilarious backdrop for the story, including Shakespearean actor Lennie Weintraub, aka The Renaissance Man, and Dr. XX’s manager, Wireless.
The Big Freeze, the third in the trilogy, begins when Andy receives a mysterious manuscript. It’s Murray Glick’s first person account of the case of a missing young woman at the ski resort of Sunburst, Colorado. When Murray’s “diary” ends suddenly, Andy and Susie head to Sunburst Mountain to track him down. With only Murray’s unreliable manuscript as a guide, they find themselves in the middle of a murder and kidnapping.
Here’s a few of the raves from Michael J. Katz’s mystery series:
MURDER OFF THE GLASS:
“Murder Off The Glass is like an off-balance jump shot that rolls tantalizingly around the rim before dropping through for the score.”
Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times
“Murray Glick is a new type of private eye in contemporary fiction…Get. You’ll like.”
New York Times
“A highly entertaining tale. Katz displays a flair for witty dialogue and for funny characters as well.”
Publisher’s Weekly on “Murder Off The Glass”
“An agreeable, promising, mystery debut – thanks to a genial sleuth-hero, an amusingly crass Watson and a bright, breezy Chicago milieu…atmospheric fun.”
Kirkus Reviews
“A writer who combines both mirth and murder from the world of sports.”
San Diego Union
LAST DANCE IN REDONDO BEACH
“What a lot of raffish, rowdy, reprehensible people Michael Katz has assembled on Redondo Beach. I loved hanging out with them, and I was sorry when the party was over.”
Donald Westlake
“[Andy Sussman's] dogged pursuit of the facts is consistently beguiling. Katz’ character is as relentless in the pursuit of the story as Gregory McDonald’s Irwin Fletcher, and he could just as easily be played by Chevy Chase.”
New York Newsday
“The second adventure of Andy Sussman, an out-of-shape, un-suave personality, should delight his fans…Funny, poignant, and definitely human.”
Sara Paretsky
“The action bounces between Southern California and Chicago, both of which serve as delightfully realistic locales, and Katz livens things up with a slick PI named Murray Glick, who’s based in a Northbrook mall. The wrestlers are portrayed with sensitivity, the investigation has a nice rhythm and the TV sports background is accurately drawn.”
Chicago Tribune
“Michael Katz is one of the wittier crime writers to come along in some time. I enjoyed Last Dance In Redondo Beach every wry step of the way. Don’t miss it!”
Roger L. Simon
“Katz makes the men behind the gaudy facades believable figures rather than comic grotesques…the unmasking of both victim and killer is cleverly and comically plotted.”
Los Angeles Times
“Katz’s characters are disarmingly off-center and his portrait of pro wrestling comically sympathetic.”
Publishers Weekly
“A hilarious book with characters right out of the Hunter Thompson mode…Highly recommended–you’ll hear more from this new author!”
The Vermont Standard
THE BIG FREEZE
“Katz, who’s always looking for good ways to segue between New York sportscaster/ amateur investigator Andy Sussman and his buddy, seedy Chicago private eye Murray Glick (Murder off the Glass, Last Dance in Redondo Beach), finds a honey here…Katz’s breezy, what-the-heck style is always easy to take.
Kirkus Reviews
“Spirited prose, refreshing surroundings, deftly delineated characters and engaging protagonists.”
Library Journal on “The Big Freeze”
“A light-hearted romp of a mystery…a solidly plotted mystery that provides a glimpse of the conflicting problems facing developers and environmentalists.”
The Toronto Star on “The Big Freeze”
“Panache, charm and wit. All are apt descriptions for the style of Michael Katz.”
West Coast Review of Books on “The Big Freeze”
“Crackles with wit.”
ALA Booklist
