Jethro Koller Lieberman

I have read a lot of fiction in the 81 years on this planet, so when I read the description of this book on Early Reviewers it sounded interesting. But other titles captured my attention and it’s been a while before I could read this novel.
I was disappointed by the story in many ways. First in the publishers note it was stated this was the debut novel. As I began reading I was prone to overlook the different names and strange beginning. In the context I felt the author was writing in the 30’s with jargon and sentence structure, but then he would talk about being in the 21st century. I was confused and it got worse with all the jumping around.
Reading about the author’s background and education surprised me.. then I understood why all the weird names from a lawyer. It was also unwise to compare his detective to the really great fictional detectives of our world..
I will to be reading any more of his fiction.… (plus d'informations)

I received a free copy of this book from Librarything.com in exchange for an unbiased review.

TR Softly is sort of a modern day Sherlock Holmes, complete with his own band of Irregulars.

The book starts with a trial of a notorious mobster, Romo Malbonum. The Feds had been trying to get the goods on him for years. Then one day he calls the FBI and gives it all up. Confesses to everything he's done, gives up all his associates, waives his right to an appeal, and meekly accepts multiple life sentences. The day after the trial he recants his testimony but it's too late.

Then the book switches to the early life of TR (he was named for Teddy Roosevelt) Softly. We learn how in 4th grade he meets 6th grader Khaki Blumenthrace, who sort of takes him under her wing, pretty much forces him to work hard at school so he can skip grades and catch up to her by high school. They become fast friends and while in high school, they form a detective agency (i'm skipping a lot of details). When they graduate from college she goes on to a career in phycology, he starts being a detective seriously.

A quick aside on character names. Most are ridiculous. Khaki Blumenthrace? Judge Pickscreed? Mallory Greenstock? And perhaps the worst: Mark Mallycorn Pohtiss the president of the United States.

Three story lines (TR, the Malbonum case, and the President) come together when Mallory (the other woman in TR's life beside Khaki) calls in TR to consult on the Malbonum case. She was the US Attorney who prosecuted him. She's suspicious because after this case, 2 other gangsters did the same thing: spilled their guts, accepted sentence then recanted.

So there's a mystery and apparently TR Softly is the world's greatest detective.

It would be too much of a spoiler to go into much detail as to what TR finds out. Suffice it to say he uncovers a super secret FBI department with totally unbelievable technology that they used on these gangsters. Then they use it on the President.

The story of the President is told in asides and a brief biography. He is a Trump-like character which might have been good satire except Trump is pretty much beyond satire.

I didn't really like the ending. OK TR finally gets together with a woman (Mallory) after having been holding himself out for Khaki for years. But how this happens is beyond belief.

I didn't hate it but parts of it were a slog and I wanted to finish it for the promised review.… (plus d'informations)