reporter investigates deaths connected to child snatching

True Life Adventure- A Paul McDonald Mystery by Julie Smith is a 2013 publication.

I have always liked Julie Smith’s mysteries- from Rebecca Schwartz cozies to the Skip Langdon series. This one is new to me, but because I know this author, I was sure I would enjoy this one.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Paul initially. He is a mystery writer turned detective in San Francisco. He’s a little odd, pretty funny, and before long I decided I liked him despite his foibles.

This first book in the series, has Paul looking into the death of the detective he was working for, which involved the disappearance of a woman and child. Along the way, Paul meets a slew of unbalanced people, and becomes involved romantically with a woman who becomes may his perfect match and becomes his partner in crime, so to speak.

The plot is pretty interesting, with a mad scientist on the loose, and multiple attempts on Paul’s life, and of course the whereabouts of the missing woman and child, which is at the heart of the case.

Paul’s first person narrative will remind you of the old school detectives like John and Ross McDonald, a couple of Paul's influences, but much quirkier. He’s brutally honest with himself and also lies to himself, but knows he’s lying to himself, which is super funny and makes for an interesting characterization.

The story was a bit uneven at times, and had a few rocky moments before the plot firmed up and became very absorbing, but I enjoyed it enough to continue on with the series for a few more installments to see how things go.

This book is compared to Ellery Queen, and Castle, so that should give you an idea of the type of series this will be. If you like amateur detectives, with an old school tone, you will want to give this one a try. ( )