Murphy's Luck - Benjamin Laskin

   2015; 250 pages.  Book 1 (out of 4) in the “Murphy’s Luck” series.  New Author? : Yes.  Genres : Clean Romance; Magical Realism; Cozy Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

 

    Murphy Drummer is the unluckiest man alive.  He’s a walking disaster magnet!  If there’s a banana peel near him, you can count on someone slipping on it.  If Murphy passes by a guy on a ladder painting a wall, someone’s about to have paint spilled all over him.

 

    Murphy Drummer is also the luckiest man alive.  Disasters may be happening on all sides of him, but they never happen to him personally.  The bad things always happen to those close by him; he always remains untouched.

 

    Murphy Drummer is therefore a very unpopular person.  And a very lonely one.  In school, kids made up jingles mocking his dubious “talent”.  Neighbors are openly hostile to him because their houses always suffer storm damage while Murphy’s remains miraculously untouched.  Maybe it’s time for Murphy to move.

 

    To a monastery, perhaps?

 

What’s To Like...

    The surrealistic cover image notwithstanding, Murphy’s Luck is actually best described as a “clean and wholesome romance”.  So says the Amazon blurb, and I agree. Our hero sets out from his home in Eureka, Kansas; in search of a sanctuary built sturdy enough to survive the slings and arrows of his ill fortune.  Somehow he ends up instead on the beaches of Los Angeles, where an innocent love interest pops up to do battle with those persistent jinxes hovering around Murphy.

 

    The storyline moves along at a brisk clip, with lots of down-home humor and “aww” moments to keep you reading “just one more” of the 34 chapters in the book.  A second romance also pops up with its own set of foibles and awkward moments to entertain the reader.

 

    I liked meeting Madame Freya, a tarot card reader whose prognostications are uncannily accurate.  This bothers the daylights out of several skeptical clients.  It’s worldly logic versus otherworldly magic, and may the more powerful force in the cosmos win.  I really hope that Freya will become a recurring character in this series.

 

    There were some clever chapter titles, such as “Catcher in the Wry” and “Zyzzyva”, plus a Japanese phrase that I’d never heard before. The “murphometer” was a handy resource that our hero uses quite often, and I loved that a didgeridoo was worked into the storyline.  I chuckled at a 7-Eleven store also showing up; are they even still around anymore?

 

    The ending is a heartwarming affair, closing with a peek at Murphy’s life one year later.  I wouldn’t call it twisty, and it’s not a spoiler to reveal that Murphy never makes it to a monastery.  Neither does he find many explanations about his “curse” but he does find peace and happiness, exactly what one expects from a “cozy” novel.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.4*/5, based on 1,421 ratings and 343 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.15*/5, based on 752 ratings and 133 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “What do you think I’m trying to do?”

    “Make fun of me, maybe?”

    “I’m Murphy Drummer all right, and, you see, you’re not as jaded as you think you are.”

    “I never said that,” Joy said.

    “You said coincidences dried up, didn’t you?”

    “Well, yeah.  So?”

    “They didn’t.  You just stopped believing that they were important.”

    Joy turned pensive.  “So, what are they—coincidences?”

    “I don’t know.  A little stardust caught.  A fallen feather from an angel’s wing.  A few notes from the cosmic, Aeolian harp . . . maybe.”  (loc. 916)

 

    “All I’m asking is that you drive over to Vine Street.  It’s not far from here—31 Vine Street.  There’s an art gallery there called Shooting Star Gallery—fake marble storefront with a sculpture of some tangled monstrosity outside.  You can’t miss it.”

    “I’ve seen the thing,” Sarich confirmed.  “What’s it supposed to be, anyway?”

    Parker shrugged.  “Whatever you want it to be, I guess.  You know—art.”

    “But it’s ugly.”

    Parker chuckled.  “Maybe that’s the point.”  (loc. 2519)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Cynosure (n.) : a person or thing that’s the center of attraction.

 

Kindle Details…

    Murphy’s Luck sells for $4.99 right now at Amazon, as do the other three books in the series.  Benjamin Laskin has several other series in Kindle format; the e-books in those are usually in the $2.99 to $4.99. price range.

 

“He’s a tad eccentric, but he isn’t crazy.  He hears vibrations.”  (loc. 2372)

    There’s not much to gripe about in Murphy’s Luck.  There’s a small amount of cussing—just 7 instances in the first 25%—and I don't recall any “adult situations”.

 

    I noted only a couple of typos: eying/eyeing, which would be correct if you’re writing in English, not American; and a missing comma in direct dialogue.  That’s actually quite clean.  Kudos to the editor for an excellent job.  And if there was an answer to a riddle at 56%, “What is the Greatest Hobby of All?”, I didn’t catch it.

 

    All in all, I found Murphy’s Luck to be an enjoyable read, even though I’m not a big fan of cozy novels, especially not cozy romances.  It’s not epic by any means, but as a number of other reviewers have opined, it was cute and pleasant and makes an ideal beach or airport novel.

 

    8 Stars.  Murphy’s Luck is a standalone novel, as well as part of a 4-book series.  Although he’s achieved inner peace, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about Murphy’s curse.  I’m curious to know whether these “how come” issues are addressed in the sequels.  Inquiring minds want answers.