McGrave

It may be an action filled outlandish impossible adventure but it is a fun fast read, perfect for coffee or biological breaks. Lee Goldberg is my smart phone gift to myself to escape a mundane day

Action packed novel that helps you relax and enjoy a fiction piece. A little unbelievable but takes you briefly away from the “real world”.

Mr. Goldberg has done it again; written a story that kept me glued to my seat and turning pages to see what his quirky character would do now...He sent me this novella for review (thank you) and it is available on Amazon now. If you have Amazon Prime, it's free. Even at full price, it's a bargain.If you enjoy stories about rough cops or PI's with their own agenda and their own ways of doing things, you'll enjoy the McGrave character. His nickname is "Tidal Wave". Before the story ends, you'll well understand why.McGrave accidentally gets caught up in a heist of millions of dollars of rare art and collectibles and foils it. Unfortunately, all the bad guys/gals don't die. The one left kills his bulldog and threatens his family. McGrave doesn't take that threat idly and follows the criminal to Berlin. He may not be a cop anymore, but he still has his mission; nobody threatens his family. What he gets up to in Berlin is dangerous and humorous at the same time.This story is a wild ride and great fun to read. Lots of action, lots of character flaws, and you're rooting for McGrave to win. Why don't you buy a copy of this tale and see how it all turned out for him? I bet you'll be watching for another story about "Tidal Wave".Happy reading.

Jonathan Franzen would hate this book. It was written on a computer, probably with Internet access, and published on the Kindle. According to the Oprah-approved author, that means it's not literature and not meant to last.He's right. "McGrave" is what you would get if a Hollywood screenwriter rammed together John McClain from "Die Hard" and McBain from "The Simpsons" and played it straight. Imagine the comedy stylings of Leslie Nielsen from "Airplane!" and you get the idea.(Admission: I've reviewed Lee's books before, and we've exchanged emails. Another admission: I bought this book. Draw your own conclusions. Now back to your regularly scheduled review.)McGrave is a cop who disaster attaches to like a limpet. He is the ultimate Ugly American. He's direct. He curses. He hates foreign food."McGrave" was designed like a high-performance car, intended to go fast and scare hell outta people, and Goldberg's an old-school TV producer and the author of the "Monk" novels, so he knows how to design a story. There's detection scenes and chase scenes and clashes with authority, and McGrave rumbles through it all knowing exactly what to do next. He doesn't hate authority or paperwork or his bosses. What he does hate is crime and criminals with a childlike simplicity that would be endearing except to those who get in his way, especially on the road.So here's the story: McGrave goes after a ring of thieves, breaks up a home invasion and makes an enemy out of the Kraut ringleader. McGrave tracks the guy to Berlin, and there's more detection and another car chase and lots of action.That's it. "McGrave" is a novella and designed to be a fast read. The verbs are active and in the present tense:"Impressive, isn't it?" Russel says.McGrave squints at it. "What is it?""The newest addition to Wallengren's collection. A three-thousand-year-old chamber pot.""So it's a toilet," McGrave says."McGrave" is loud and dumb and brash and I read it on my Kindle over the course of the evening: between sorting and filing papers in the basement office, talking with the wife in the kitchen, at the dinner table (we all read at the table). I finished it in bed, and I felt like a kid again, reading the Hardy Boys and wanting the next book.So Franzen is right: "McGrave" is not literature. But guess what? Literature doesn't always last. But there's always room in the world for a good story.

Having a Kindle has many advantages, one of which is the free books that authors give out in hopes of luring in new fans. It definitely worked here. I was looking for something to read, the description of McGrave sounded good and the price was in my budget so I took a chance. After reading it I now want to get more books by Mr Goldberg and I am willing to pay for them.The book has action from beginning to end with lots of humor in the mix. The title character is what most of us want in a hero. He enjoys his work, he gets the job done and he makes lots of people mad while he is doing it. McGrave reads like a great action movie and I hope it becomes one some day.

What can I say??? Lee Goldberg hits it out of the park again! This author writes great stories with such memorable characters, excellent character development, action and wit--and now he has given us another character to love, McGrave. This book reads like a script and is filled with so much excitement and crass, sarcastic wit that you find yourself wishing you were McGrave, just for a moment. Here is a protagonist with no filters; he lives by his own code, and he doesn't stop for anything. He has a job to do and, by God, he is going to do it. If you like your cop stories full of action and adventure with a good guy who is so "bad" he's great, this one is for you.

If you like Dirty Harry you'll like McGrave. I read this book in about 2 hours and was not disappointed. It's not a detailed, in-depth work of literature but it doesn't claim to be. The action starts right from the beginning and continues till the end. The section breaks are short which helps the author progress his story quickly. The characters are defined fairly well given the short time giving to details. It's certainly a roller coaster ride from page one till the end.

This book grabbed me from the first paragraph. The main character is slightly reminiscent of Lee Child's Jack Reacher. McGrave is absolutely out of control as a police officer, but is very effective in a crude way. I was laughing (in a good way) for the first two chapters. I do hope Goldberg makes a series out of the character. The Amazon book description tells the plot very well, without giving away too many details.