Perk Noir

A Mason Barnes Mystery

De: Chris Garson

Narrado por: John Bell

Meet Mason Ezekiel Barnes, former NFL tackle turned successful author of the naughty ninja adventure series Mia Killjoy. Mason is obsessed with winning a Pulitzer and is thwarted by his fellow author and nemesis, the twerpy little gnome Conrad Bancroft. Mason spends his days writing at a local cafe, Perk Noir, the one-of-a-kind jazz coffee shop where he and Bancroft ply their craft. The joint is thick with mysteries.

Mason is obsessed with the life of jazz great Earl "Lightning" Perkins, a legend and former owner of the Perk Noir. Mason is convinced that Lightning has a hidden past and he’s determined to find it and catapult himself to greatness and the coveted Pulitzer once he writes his greatest story yet.

One day, unexpectedly in walks Shelly, a Mia Killjoy super fan-girl who happens to have a mysterious pocket watch she recently inherited from her grandfather. Shelly convinces Mason to assist her in unraveling its history.

Join along with Mason and Shelly as they find themselves embroiled in a deeper mystery than they could ever have imagined, full of twists and turns and surprises that pop up around every corner. Perk Noir is full of comedic relief, pop culture, NFL, jazz, a little touch of romance and flashbacks of Lightning and his family during both the first half of the 20th century and later during the Civil Rights Movement. Mason and Shelly and their adventures is a fun-filled thrill ride that will appeal to all listeners. There is something for everyone at the Perk.

©2016 Chris Garson (P)2018 Chris Garson

Narrator?

What three words best describe John Bell’s voice?

John Bell did a good job reading the book, but for a big man with a big head I wanted the first person voice to be deeper. I kept picturing a big guy with a high voice. When at the end of the book I heard the authors voice, it was "yes! that is what it should sound like!"

Blues, Football, Coffee, NFL, Movies, and Writing -

•audiobook•
3.75

Sexual content and language

The book is better than the book description!

I’ve looked forward to a mystery that does not stem from a dead body and Pert Noir was a delicious find!
Writing in a coffee shop - we’ve all done that! I frequent my Starbucks to work on reports once in a while! Add a slight mystery regarding the identity of the original owner and Mason’s comedic daydreams (which reminded me of the 90s tv comedy show Herman’s Head), and this turned out to be a surprising tale within a tale.

Mason was an intriguing, complex main character using good old fashioned tools to unravel the mystery of his legendary blues icon, Lightning.
I liked his story, Lightning’s story, and how it unraveled. It motivated me to get past the things I didn’t like, which were plenty.
Along for the ride is (in my opinion) an overzealous stalker Shelley, who dresses and acts like Mia, his MC in the series he’s penning. Maybe as a cosplayer, she’s considered ‘normal’, but between her intimate knowledge of everything in his life (except she didn’t know he wasn’t close to his family) and her undying love (I call it infatuation) is the age gap ... which was creepy.
For a novel written with such attention to minute details of daily activities, the two or three times information was dumped (events that happened on days that we already read/listened to), was more noticeable.
And it’s really irking, if not cliche, that everyone who meets them, assumes they’re a couple.
I liked the book and would recommend it to adult listeners, but I don’t think I’d pick up another in the series. Shelley is just too disappointing.
The narrator had good, distinctive voices. Although I didn’t care for Shelley, the voice given to her didn’t help make he endearing either.
I have picked up another book by this narrator and will listen to it next.