Novels

REEL LIFE CRIME

Mystery

A new take on The Maltese Falcon, REEL LIFE CRIME mirrors the plot of Dashiell Hammett’s story

(and John Huston’s film), while being an original mystery in its own right, a tongue-in-cheek

hard-boiled detective story, an affectionate tribute to the noir genre, and a commentary on

how much films impact our culture and our everyday lives.

"...written like a film, revealing characters and situations through dialogue -- at which Pepper excels.

...twists and turns...oddball characters...and it's very funny."

"A great read.

The author takes us back to the days of Spade and Marlow: nicely done with some surprising twists!

The dialogue is crisp, the characters are skillfully drawn and delightfully offbeat, and the plot,

while intentionally tracking the original, is new and fresh. And, of course, there's a beautiful woman

knee (or thigh) deep in the case."

Great. Wonderful descriptions of the city...felt like I was visiting San Francisco, again.

I might have missed some of the nuances, not being a movie or a history buff,

but even if this was the case it didn't distract from my enjoyment. Fun.

I was intrigued by Reel Life Crime...

There is mystery, plot twists and turns, revenge and near-death experiences. The ending is not

what one would expect.

I thought this was a great read and highly recommend it. I enjoyed the suspense and the characters

were believable and likeable. I have never read The Maltese Falcon or seen the movie but I will now.

- Cindy A. Johnson, writing on Reader Jots

Follow Cindy's blogs at:

“...what I call a curl up in front of the fire with a bag of popcorn and some hot chocolate

and sit down to a really good book.

This is a great story, full of suspense and wonderfully real characters....

I loved it. I hope [the author] creates many more novels with these characters.”

"This book is a lot of fun. It roughly follows the plot of The Maltese Falcon, and its fond references

to the 1941 movie are skillfully woven into it.... Like the movie, the reader thinks the case is done

until the next monkey-wrench is thrown into the works. The main character, Ed Sampas,

is a character right out of 1940’s film noir.

...this story and its characters will absorb the reader to the last page."

Read an excerpt here.

Available as an e-book at smashwords.com

Available on Kindle

Available on Nook

Available on Amazon UK

Available on Amazon DE

Available on Amazon FR