Stuff
Dreams Are Made Of
A
James Lessor and Skip Moore Mystery
Don
Bruns
Oceanview
Publishing (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-933515-16-3 (1933515163)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-16-8 (9781933515168)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): James Lessor and Skip Moore, (and their white box
truck) are back. When Reverend Preston Cashdollar and his traveling
tent revival come to town, James and Skip reinvent themselves--as holy
rollers.
But these two aren’t seeking salvation; they’re
seeking the Almighty
dollar. After all, Cashdollar’s prosperity gospel draws
thousands of
people with open minds–and open wallets. With a few
modifications to
the truck, Less or Moore Catering is ready to roll, and the
entrepreneurs are born again, intent on making a mint by selling meager
meals to the hungry masses.
Cashdollar may preach about seeing the light, but his organization has
a dark side of greed, corruption, and murder. What in the name of all
that is holy have James and Skip gotten themselves into? This
meals-on-wheels venture is more like hell on wheels.
As James and Skip seek the truth, they’ll learn that the
stuff dreams
are made of may be their worst nightmare. They’ll either need
to keep
the faith, or run like the devil.
Review: 20-something
entrepreneurs James Lessor and Skip Moore think they've
discovered the path to easy money when they convert their panel truck
into a mobile caterer in Stuff
Dreams Are Made Of, the
second mystery in this series by
Don Bruns.
The site for their new venture is the local fairgrounds where a long
weekend revival is being held by the Reverend Preston Cashdollar. (No,
that is not a misprint.) Thousands of people attend the various
services and after the uplifting messages dispensed by Cashdollar,
they're hungry and swarm to the various catering trucks that dot the
property. But the other vendors are suspicious of newcomers James and
Skip. And Skip himself is suspicious of the entire setup. He remembers
a time when he was young and he met a young girl at a revival at these
very same fairgrounds, a girl that was later murdered. In fact, James
discovers there have been more than a few deaths associated with the
Cashdollar organization. When James and Skip are threatened, and
another vendor is later found dead, it seems this easy money gig may be
more dangerous than either of them had ever imagined.
Stuff
Dreams Are
Made Of is far more of a
character-driven mystery than a
plot-driven one. The plot itself starts slow and maintains a steady,
methodical pace until the final chapters when the energy level is taken
up a notch. And despite the dead bodies (both on stage and off, present
and past), there really isn't much suspense. From a character
perspective, however, the book is first rate. James and Skip (the
narrator) are portrayed as unique, complex individuals but with very
common, all too human tendencies. The numerous backstories help to add
depth and dimension to both, and in particular Skip, though often at
the expense of furthering the plot in any meaningful way. Even their
panel truck takes on many qualities of a character, being not only
where much of the action take place but also providing a backdrop for
the dreams and aspirations of its owners. The book concludes in a
rather unusual way, and many readers will appreciate the exceptional
manner and style in which the author chooses to bring this story to a
close.
Special thanks to Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity for providing a copy of Stuff Dreams Are Made Of for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Stuff Dreams Are Made Of? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series ...
Stuff
To Die For
Oceanview Publishing (Hardcover), September 2007
ISBN-10: 1-933515-10-4 (1933515104)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-10-6 (9781933515106)
Stuff
Dreams Are Made Of
Oceanview Publishing (Hardcover), September 2008
ISBN-10: 1-933515-16-3 (1933515163)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-16-8 (9781933515168)
Stuff to Spy For
Oceanview Publishing (Hardcover), November 2009
ISBN-10: 1-933515-22-8 (1933515228)
ISBN-13: 978-1-933515-22-9 (9781933515229)
Omnimystery
keywords for Stuff Dreams Are Made Of
...
Location(s) referenced: Miami,
Florida.
