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Watch Me Die
 
 

Watch Me Die [Kindle Edition]

Lee Goldberg
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Product Description

"As dark and twisted as anything Hammett or Chandler ever dreamed up...." Kirkus, Starred Review

"Approaching the level of Lawrence Block is no mean feat, but Goldberg succeeds with this engaging PI novel." Publishers Weekly

The irreverent new crime novel that reviewers and readers alike are already hailing as one of the best of the year!

Harvey Mapes is a 26-year-old security guard who spends his nights in a guard shack outside a gated community in Southern California, reading detective novels, watching reruns, and waiting for his life to finally start... which happens when Cyril Parkus, one of the wealthy residents, asks Harvey to follow his beautiful wife Lauren.

The lowly security guard jumps at the opportunity to fulfill his private eye fantasies and use everything he's learned from Spenser, Magnum, and Mannix. But things don't exactly go according to the books...or the reruns. As Harvey fumbles and stumbles through his first investigation, he discovers that the differences between fiction and reality can be deadly.

(This book was previously released under the title The Man With the Iron-On Badge and nominated for Best Novel by the Private Eye Writers of America) 

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEE GOLDBERG & "WATCH ME DIE"

"A wonderfully fresh voice in the mystery genre, Goldberg will delight fans of Janet Evanovich and Robert Crais," - Rick Riordan, author of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians"

"Lee Goldberg bravely marches into territory already staked out by some fierce competition--Donald Westlake, Lawrence Block, the early Harlan Coben--and comes out virtually unscathed." The Chicago Tribune

"Goldberg has a knack for combining just the right amount of humor and realism with his obvious love for the PI genre and his own smart ass sensibilities. [...]A terrific read. Goldberg is the real deal and should be on everyone's must read list." Crimespree Magazine

"A quick, fun read with a satisfying and unexpected ending. Harvey Mapes is a hero I hope we see in a sequel." -- Phillip Margolin, author of "Gone But Not Forgotten"

About the Author

Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award nominee. His TV writing and/or producing credits include "Hunter," "SeaQuest," "Spenser For Hire," "Diagnosis Murder," "Martial Law" and "Monk." His books include "My Gun Has Bullets," "King City," "The Walk," and the "Diagnosis Murder" and "Monk" series of original mystery novels

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 212 KB
  • Print Length: 188 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1594143722
  • Publisher: Adventures in Television; 4 edition (8 Jun 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language English
  • ASIN: B003BLPGZO
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #29,809 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Mark Baker TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Harvey Mapes leads a rather dull life. He works nights as a security guard outside an exclusive community in Camarillo. To pass the time, he reads private eye novels. Growing up, he's watched all the classic detective shows on TV as well.

One day, one of the residents stops by the booth to hire Harvey. Cyril Parkus thinks his wife is up to something, so he wants Harvey to follow her for a few days to find out what is happening. Harvey jumps at the chance and spends the day before watching Mannix reruns to prepare for the case.

The first couple of days are rather boring, but Harvey is proud of the skills he's developing even if he's making blunders along the way as well. Then he hits pay dirt. And gets beat up for his efforts. In more pain then he expected, he thinks he's beginning to get a handle on the case when the first body shows up. In over his head but refusing to give up, Harvey must use every ounce of detective skill he ever had to stay alive and put the pieces together.

This book takes the cliches of the PI genre and clashes them with the real world. The result is an often amusing but still dark tale. The plot takes several unexpected twists before reaching the logical conclusion. The humor is mainly focused in the beginning since the story gets darker as it progresses.

Harvey Mapes is a very likable hero. He starts off pretty naive, even if he doesn't think so, but matures rapidly as the story progresses. In many ways, this is a coming of age tale with a mystery. By the end, he is struggling with what he has done to solve the case and deal with the differences between fiction and reality.

The author, Lee Goldberg, keeps the story moving rapidly from one scene to the next making for a fast read. The first person narration is wonderful since it allows us to further understand Harvey and all he is going through.

I did have a problem with this book - the language, sex, and violence. I knew going into this is was much darker and hard boiled then I normally like and chose to read it anyway. As I suspected, these elements turned me off at times. Still, I kept reading and was drawn into the story as I progressed. Obviously, this is personal and not a flaw with the book itself.

Overall, I am glad I read this novel. It was entertaining and kept me turning the pages.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Read the paperback version of Watch Me Die over the weekend. I've never read this genre before and enjoyed the book tremendously. The arc budding private investigator Harvey Mapes goes through is riveting and nothing like the televisual fantasy of the pi's Harvey and we watch on TV (as he quite painfully finds out). You root for Harvey as he grows as an investigator and a man as the story unfolds. I hope Lee Goldberg (writer/producer on such TV treats as Diagnosis Murder and seaQuest 2032) writes another adventure for Harvey Mapes (and main squeeze Carol) soon.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition
Oh, this book was so funny, sometimes I had to go back a paragraph or two to make sure that was indeed what I'd just read and wasn't seeing things. It does for its genre what Shrek did for animated movies - it's the exact opposite of what you'd expect from a detective book, which makes it so much easier for the reader to relate and empathize with the main character. At times, the detective is at pains to put himself down, in order to accentuate the effect of the "anti-detective", but as a whole it works beautifully.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Easy reading
Good book for easy reading. Not one for an indepth gripping book but a good one for the train ride home from work!
Published 1 month ago by Lar
Brilliant book
I loved this book, full of twists and turns and held me to the end. I wlll be looking out for this author in future.
Published 1 month ago by J. C. Little
Good easy read!
Its a hard book to review for me, I feel if I told you why I enjoyed it so much I would give away the end. All I can say is give it a read!
Published 2 months ago by Kismit
Fast paced thriller - Goldberg at his best !
Harvey Mapes is a dreamer, stuck in the boring everyday life he dreams of becoming a PI, so when he gets asked to do some investigating he jumps at the chance. Read more
Published 3 months ago by MungoParkIV
Enjoyable PI caper
Harvey Mapes is a bland nobody who gets his excitement through reading PI stories and watching TV. As a security guard on a private estate his dream comes true when one of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by echo
CLASS
This book is a first class novel, I could not put it down I would highly recommend this book it's a pity he didn't do a follow up
Published 4 months ago by flatfloyd
Please write more for Harvey Mapes
I downloaded this book as it was a kindle freebie, I normally read women's stories and wasn't sure how I'd get on with this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kim
Black Comedy Caper
Watch Me Die by Lee Goldberg is the story of Harvey Mapes, a boring man with a boring life. Mapes loves private eye novels and tv shows and, of course, dreams of being a real life... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Paul D Brazill
The Man with the Iron-On Badge
This is my third Lee Goldberg book and another great read! The main character develops as the story goes along and the humour, for me, was terrific! Read more
Published 15 months ago by W. Macpherson
5 star - can't wait for the sequel
If you like Robert Crais and (early) Harlan Coben and Robert B. Parker then you'll love this! It's engaging, believable in that vaguely unbelievable way of Parker and Crais,... Read more
Published 17 months ago by M. Friel
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