The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man

Book 1 of the Repo Man Series

By: W. Bruce Cameron

Narrated by: George K. Wilson

Ruddy McCann, former college football star, has experienced a seismic drop in popularity; he is now Kalkaska, Michigan’s full-time repo man and part-time bar bouncer. His best friend is his low-energy Basset hound Jake, with whom he shares a simple life of stealing cars. Simple, that is, until Ruddy starts hearing a voice in his head. The voice introduces himself as Alan Lottner, a dead realtor. Ruddy isn’t sure if Alan is real, or if he’s losing his mind. To complicate matters, it turns out Katie, the girl he’s fallen for, is Alan’s daughter.

When Alan demands Ruddy find his murderers, Ruddy decides a voice in your head seeking vengeance is best ignored. When Alan also demands he clean up his act, and apartment, Ruddy tells him to back off, but where can a voice in your head go? With a sweet romance, a murder mystery, a lazy but loyal dog, and a town full of cabin-fevered characters you can’t help but love, New York Times best-selling novelist W. Bruce Cameron’s The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man, yet another laugh-out-loud, keep-you-up-late, irresistible listen.

©2014 W. Bruce Cameron (P)2014 Macmillan Audio

The Voice Inside Your Head

Ruddy McCann -- ex-football star, ex-con, currently a repo man and bar bouncer in seasonal northern Michigan -- dreams of a murder. He soon discovers that the murdered man, Alan, a real estate agent when he was alive, has come alive inside his head, where only Ruddy can hear him and talk to him. Alan wants Ruddy to find out who killed him, and why. That task is complicated when everyone thinks Ruddy is suffering from repo madness, hearing voices.

Well, there's that, and there's a cast of characters swirling around Ruddy that could have come right out of a Carl Hiaasen novel, if this were set in Florida instead of Michigan. There are several other things going on that may or may not be related to Alan's murder, and one of the things Bruce Cameron does well is make his red herrings worthy side plots in and of themselves. All in all, good fun, well plotted, well peopled, well written.

Cameron is best known for his Dog's Purpose and Teenage Daughter series. Here he branches out in a different direction, doing for his home area in Michigan's Northwoods what Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey, Dave Barry and the like have done for South Florida -- humorous crime novels set in a particular locale filled with quirky characters, starting with the cynical wise-cracking protagonist and his idiosyncratic sidekick, in this case a voice in his head.

No coincidence that George Wilson, who has lent his gravelly voice to many a Hiaasen and Dorsey audiobook, gets the call to narrate Repo Man, reminding you of the genre. If you're familiar with it, you'll like this Michigan transplant. I'd wager you might like it no matter what. The only thing missing is an overarching theme that transcends the plot and the fun, but that is not a show stopper.

Laugh out loud Book

This is my first review, this book was that good. The narrator was great with all the different characters. This book was funny and had a good story line, I had a hard time stopping it to go to work and to sleep. I wish more books were this good, I actually laughed out loud a few times as well as enjoyed the story plot. I hope his next book repo madness is as good as this one. Very good all around book.

4.5 Stars

First person. Interesting mystery, definitely character-driven. The plots meanders pleasantly now and then (I find this unusual for a male author, guess I need to read more of them :>)). Ruddy is immediately likable and feels authentic in his thoughts, circumstances, dialog and behavior. The rest of the characters are well-developed, but not more than they need to be (know what I mean? I hate it when a character is all fleshed out, and then disappears after a chapter or two). Oh, and there’s a nice romantic element too :>). Tiny niggle: I thought Ruddy and his sister’s relationship recovered awfully easily following a brutal remark she made to him. Maybe guys are like that, but it would have been relationship-ending for me without a (reasonably-timely) seriously-heartfelt apology. He told someone about it, but it didn’t affect his next interaction with his sister in any apparent way. Maybe it’s a guy thing. Me, I tend avoid people who filet me to the core of my greatest deep-seated insecurities and guilt. Action scenes are detailed—every thought, physical sensation and motion. The ending was wonderfully told and satisfying (though I do wonder what Ruddy told Strickland). All in all, the writing could have used some polish (editing) but Bruce Cameron is a great story teller. Small-town Michigan flavor, though it could have been in Minnesota or North Dakota. The narrator was pretty good at differentiating the voices, not great. I intend to read the next one.

Full of Excitement

Loved everything about this story. This is the first of his novels that made me laugh on a very sad day of my life. I'm so glad that I had this story to help lift my mood. It was just what I needed today.

A charming tale you wont regret listening to

Will this story change your life? No. Will this story be unique and entertaining? Yes A who-dunit /cottage mystery with a very clever twist. Delightful characters that I had no problem envisioning due to their personalities and the reader’s voice.

Enjoyable contemporary fantasy mystery

Perfect entertainment - interesting plot with dimensional characters, and a bit of humor. I really enjoyed this narrator's presentation of the characters. The story is very good, well done, and this book is perfect for listening to while doing something else.

Frustrating but okay

Revising my initial review...
This book really tried my patience. It has a very clever premise and some great characters, but it's a shaky plot led by a protagonist who is at times competent and capable and other times frustratingly dimwitted. It seems the author's only device for charting out the "arc" of this story was to employ stupidity. Some might find it comic when characters and plot are sidetracked by murphy's law, and I can tolerate it in moderation. But I had to put this one down a few times and almost gave up on finishing it. In the end, I returned and found it wasn't so frustrating that I couldn't finish and get some closure. But wow, I don't think I'd sign up for the sequel.

A fun story given a good performance

Ypu might expect there to be more dogs in a book by W. Bruce Cameron, but this one is more about people with a guest appearance by one charming dog. What's good about the story is the ever moving, intervening threads that keep things churning. it takes a while to feel good about some of the characters, but they do liven things up.

Well worth it

Sometimes you just want a fun book that's checks all the boxes and that's what this book does. Funny, charming, and even clever with a good plot. I highly recommend it.

Slow start... Then suddenly I was hooked!

I grew to love the characters & story. A fun suspenseful read. Twisted & turned, the ending change & changed.