Murphy's Luck 4: Jinx Vs. Fate - Benjamin Laskin

    2023; 336 pages.  Book 4 (out of 4) in the “Murphy’s Luck” series.  New Author? : No.  Genres : Humorous Adventure; Magical Realism; Cozy Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

 

    The years have passed, and at long last, Murphy has found contentment.  He leads a peaceful life, in Cloverville, Kansas.  His wife, Joy, is somehow immune to the effects of Murphy’s Jinx.

 

    It’s hard to say for sure, but it looks very likely that their seven-year-old daughter, Phaedra, has inherited her father’s jinx.  She plays baseball against kids twice her age, and more than holds her own.  There are some bruised egos about that, but the players and parents know not to raise a ruckus.

 

    Murphy contents himself to developing his little community of Cloverville into a happy community.  Right now he’s excavating some sort of ancient ruins that seem to have conveniently appeared beneath the ground on his property.

 

    It would be nice if Murphy’s life continued on indefinitely in this serene manner.  But a jinx is a jinx.  Something tells me things are about to become bizarrely hectic.

 

What’s To Like...

    There are two main storylines in Murphy’s Luck 4: Jinx vs. Fate. One is Murphy’s 7-year-old daughter Phaedra making a name for herself in Little League baseball (at least she starts out at that level). The other is a super-secret organization that's watching, and then reaching out, to Murphy as a prospective agent.  The text switches back and forth between the two tales, which keeps the pacing brisk and slow spots absent.

 

    We meet a slew of new characters in both plot threads, and I loved the character-building performed by the author.  Phaedra’s baseball skills attract the attention of nerds, jocks, coaches, and sports agents.  Murphy’s jinxing skills attract the attention of secret agents, femme fatales, and identical twins.

 

    Murphy’s Luck 4 is first and foremost a tale of humorous magical realism.  Murphy is indwelt by a mystical jinx that spares him but will plague anyone or anything near him.  It’s fun to watch how the jinx manifests itself on nearby unsuspecting people, whether they be good guys or bad.

 

    The story is full of interesting bits of trivia.  Phaedra has a pet water buffalo named Hannibal, an appellation near and dear to my heart.  The mention of the Gnostics, who had the historical misfortune to run afoul of early Church, also resonated with me.  Other obscure references include Liechtenstein, the ouroboros, the 12-item list of Boy Scout laws, an enchanted dowsing rod, and even Epstein Island.

 

    Murphy’s jinx is a useful asset in the climactic chase scene, although it means you can guess the outcome.  The last couple of chapters (there are 37 of them) serve as an “One Year Afterward” epilogue, nicely tying up several plot threads.  There is room for a sequel, although since it’s been three years since this e-book came out, I have a feeling this is a completed series.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.5*/5, based on 17 ratings and 5 reviews.

    Goodreads: 2.00*/5, based on 1 rating and 1 review.

 

Excerpts...

    He slapped the two ten-dollar bills into Georgina’s hand.  “This is just the beginning, baby.  I’m going to make you a star!”

    Georgina glanced at the bills in her hand and replied, “Um—no, you’re not, sweetie.”

    “Have a little faith, my melodious, rose-breasted grosbeak, my euphonious robin, my dulcifluous canary, my canorous channel-billed cuckoo.”

    “It’s Monopoly money, my well-meaning, ignoramus of a husband.”  (pg. 136)

 

    Mitch returned the carton to the fridge and slammed the door as if locking away an evil spirit.  He joined Phaedra at the table and noted the neatly stacked piles.

    “Do you have a system for everything?” Mitch asked.

    “Uh-huh.  I learned from Daddy.  He’s very organized.”

    “Some might say neurotic and monomaniacally obsessive-compulsive.”

    “Yeah—Daddy’s the best.”  (pg. 311)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Oleaginous (adj.) : resembling, containing, or producing oil; oily; greasy.

Others: Chyron (n.).

 

Kindle Details…

    Murphy’s Luck 4: Jinx vs. Fate is priced at $4.99 currently at Amazon.  The other three books in the series also cost $4.99.  Benjamin Laskin has several other series in e-book format; the books in those are usually in the $2.99 to $4.99. price range.

 

“What’s a wanton floozie?”  “Umm . . . er, a popular Chinese soup?”  (pg. 314)

    Profanity is practically nonexistent in Murphy’s Luck 4: Jinx vs. Fate;  I spotted just two instances in the whole book.  Typos were also scarce—a missing quotation mark; a missing “you”; and a where/were slip-up.

 

    There’s not much in the way of a backstory, but that’s okay.  It just means you should really read this series in chronological order, like I fortunately did.

 

    Keep in mind this is a “cozy adventure”.  Nobody dies, action scenes are minimal, and there are no adult situations.  Instead, you get a witty, heartwarming tale where everything turns out okay for everyone, including the baddies.

 

    8 Stars.  One last thing.  I mentioned it in an earlier review in this series, but Benjamin Laskin’s musical tastes are excellent!  Music References here include The Knack, ABBA, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, and Queen.  Awesomeness!