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!
