A Town Called Potato

A Sci-Fi Murder Comedy (Galactic Detective Agency, Book 1)

De: Gary Blaine Randolph

Narrado por: Tim Ratliff

It's a lighthearted murder mystery ... with space aliens!

Gabriel Lake is a not so hard-boiled computer guy who finds himself swept up into a web of interstellar crime when he is recruited into the Galactic Detective Agency, led by the brilliant Oren Vilkas. Can a mere Earthling track a killer across the stars before more lives are lost? Can he negotiate his way around other worlds and understand the ways of extra-terrestrial cultures? Can he even figure out how to use a bathroom designed for aliens? And can he uncover the mystery of A Town Called Potato?

©2020 Gary Blaine Randolph (P)2025 Gary Blaine Randolph

Outlandishly imaginative!

Tim Ratcliff’s narration was extremely effective and lighthearted. I can hear the fun he had stepping in to Gary Blaine Randolph’s world. There’s plenty of voice disparity between characters and emotive delivery to draw listeners in and keep them engaged. My critique is that the humor in the book often felt a bit forced and self serving to the author. I continually found this jokes landing flat and a bit cringy at times. All in all, a worthy listen, but the plot could benefit from a significant trimming…it’s a bit long IMO for what it accomplished. Still, my hats off for truly accomplishing an endeavor of providing a unique story….not an easy feat by any standards.

sci-fi elements and humor

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to "A Town Called Potatoe". It was delightfully funny, and I loved the clever blend of classic detective noir with sci-fi elements.

A fun mystery!

This was such a funny sci fi murder mystery!  I enjoyed how the author wrote Gabriel Lake, and he was such an easily likeable character.  I thought it was hilarious how the aliens approached Gabriel, and enjoyed learning about the alien technology.  The running commentary and how some things were similar was funny. I enjoyed connecting all the dots and trying to figure out who was behind everything.  The narrator, Tim Ratliff does a great job portraying Gabriel and several of the alien species. He kept me engaged till the very end.  This would be great for fans of A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Sherlock Holmes. I also believe that this would be fun to read for middle grade readers! 

What a Fun Ride

"You say Tomato, I say To-mah-to."

An easy, fast, comedic listen. A who-done-it, murder mystery, hilarious ride. How about the Butler, in the Library, with the candlestick.

An intergalactic, murder mystery with "the Rock" as our guide. The MMC is a mediocre computer hacker, but the aliens think he's a genius. Across galaxies, you are met with one-liners, Steak-n-Shake, and mishaps. All individuals involved are working toward one thing. Solving the mystery before anyone else dies.

Narrator: His intonation makes the read. He brings to life the quirkiness of all the characters. Be ready for the laughs, the "Karens," and all the twists thrown at you to detour you from discovering who the murderer is.