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Monday and the Murdered Man: A Tale of the 5th World
In a sprawling urban landscape where magic is as common as technology, Zack Monday is a hard-working private detective who is street-smart, resourceful, and tricky. But will that be enough when a dead man shambles into his office looking for help solving his own murder? Zack's investigation will take him from a high-class bordello filled with goblins, faeries, and even stranger magical creatures to the seedy underbelly of a world-wide sports cartel.
320 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2011
About the author
Andrew Kirschbaum
5 books12 followersAndrew Kirschbaum was born in Nebraska in 1967. Education, employment, and an overseas war kept the Kirschbaum family on the move for the next ten years, living in Nebraska, Iowa, Nevada, and Florida before settling in Massachusetts. A basic ineptitude at anything not related to reading and writing his native language led to a B.A. in English Literature from Brandeis University and a short-lived career as a technical writer. In 1991, he started 3 Trolls Games & Puzzles – a traditional board game and puzzle store in Chelmsford, MA – with his family and has been running it ever since. In 2011 he collaborated with a group of friends and family to produce Verdigris, an interactive novel for the iPhone and iPad; Monday and the Murdered Man followed shortly thereafter. He is currently working on the next Monday adventure, Monday and the Apocalypse Engine, another interactive novel, and various live action role playing games.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 13, 2012
Monday is fun again!
As a fan of urban fantasy as well as old style noir I found _Monday and the Murdered Man_ a near perfect combination of thugs, patsies, bosses, dames, gumshoes, magic and all the things that you hope you will find when you crack open a book. The initial premise- helpin...Read More
As a fan of urban fantasy as well as old style noir I found _Monday and the Murdered Man_ a near perfect combination of thugs, patsies, bosses, dames, gumshoes, magic and all the things that you hope you will find when you crack open a book. The initial premise- helping a reverent (a corpse whose revival is based purely on revenge) find his own killer- leads deeper and deeper until you realise that there is so much more going on that you wish you had a notebook like Monday's to help you solve it all! Luckily for you, Zach Monday has one and looks at it frequently to keep you in the know.
Set in an alternate reality where heaven and hell have played havoc with our world since the 1920s and magic can create undead mob bosses like "Frankie Golem" while Fae and Goblins fight centuries-old battles with corporate sponsership Monday, as a mere human going off of brains and grit, seems almost outclassed. Too bad for the bad guys that they thought the same and never saw Zach Monday coming!
I had a great time with this book, even telling friends to go have fun without me so I could finish it, excited and in total suspense right to the very end when the Devil himself tells Monday about the 5th world (the series title). Even then, I knew that there was more story to tell. I await more tales of Mr. Monday and expect that the suspense and color will continue in (I hope!) plenty more books to come!
January 1, 2012
A good first novel and apparently the start of a series being "Book One of the Fifth World Series" (in which the Chicago Cubs beat the Detroit Tigers). Actually it is not a book about baseball or Monday night football, it is a murder mystery in which the P.I. is hired by a dead man. Sounding like a movie noire, reading like a Mickey Spillane novel with perhaps a character based on a different Mickey Spillane, (yes one was a writer, the other a mobster) one is put in a somewhat mid 20th century mood while at the same time experiencing a turn of the century (20th-21st) flavor. With homage to at least one of the TV series of that time. The author skillfully blends the two genres, adding a little scene or two of erotica, into an easily read book everyone should read.
October 13, 2020
A fantastic murder mystery set in a wonderful new sci-fi/fantasy world. The humor is Douglas Adams meets Terry Pratchett while the twists and turns are something that Agatha Christie would be proud of!
I may be effusive but I love this book. I found it because the author is my wife's cousin but I've reread it every year since I picked it up.
I may be effusive but I love this book. I found it because the author is my wife's cousin but I've reread it every year since I picked it up.
August 1, 2012
Monday and the Murdered Man deftly melds urban fantasy with detective noir in this entertaining self published novel by Andrew Kirschbaum. Zach Monday is a private investigator whose latest client is a revenant, a man raised from the dead bent on avenging his own murder. Unusually the revenant can't remember who he is, nor the circumstances leading to his death and wants Monday to find out. Despite his distaste for his clients rotting flesh, Zach agrees to take the case only to find himself in the midst of conspiracy, corruption, a mob war and a battle between heaven and hell. But Zachariah Monday never backs off until he has the truth, results guaranteed.
The world in which Monday lives is populated by a mix of humans, goblins, faeries and a raft of other mythical creatures. It is an alternative Earth, also known as the Fifth world, where magic is as commonly used as technology. The author has created a alternative world that is inventive and interesting and he builds it naturally throughout the narrative. Germane to this novel is the war between the Goblins and Faeries that has been transformed into 'The Game' a televised event of individual fights between the two races. The death of 'Freakshow', one of 'The Game's' most popular Goblin fighters, at the hands of the Prince of Faery becomes relevant to Monday's investigation when he stumbles across a new street drug known as Passion. The plot is actually quite complex, as Monday pieces together the clues to identify his client and his murderer he is drawn into an illegal drug manufacturing ring, a mob turf war, sport fixing and the evil plans of the Duke of Sorrows. Throw in time travel, magical disguises,a touch of romance and plenty of action, and Monday and the Murdered Man is a terrific read.
Monday has the air of a cynical, tough guy 'gumshoe', and his personality merges surprisingly well such a fantastical environment. Quick witted, handy with his fists and willing to take risks he doesn't back down, even against overwhelming odds. As a human surrounded by magical creatures, Monday has to be clever and resourceful, though being human doesn't exclude him from the use of magic in the form or runes, charms and packaged spells. For back up he relies on his half goblin business partner, Baxter, and an eccentric warlock, Tim.
Imaginative, well written and entertaining, I really enjoyed Monday and The Murdered Man and I hope that Kirschbaum is already working on a second. If the combination of urban fantasy and detective novel appeals to you at all I urge you to take a chance on this novel - its well worth the gamble.
The world in which Monday lives is populated by a mix of humans, goblins, faeries and a raft of other mythical creatures. It is an alternative Earth, also known as the Fifth world, where magic is as commonly used as technology. The author has created a alternative world that is inventive and interesting and he builds it naturally throughout the narrative. Germane to this novel is the war between the Goblins and Faeries that has been transformed into 'The Game' a televised event of individual fights between the two races. The death of 'Freakshow', one of 'The Game's' most popular Goblin fighters, at the hands of the Prince of Faery becomes relevant to Monday's investigation when he stumbles across a new street drug known as Passion. The plot is actually quite complex, as Monday pieces together the clues to identify his client and his murderer he is drawn into an illegal drug manufacturing ring, a mob turf war, sport fixing and the evil plans of the Duke of Sorrows. Throw in time travel, magical disguises,a touch of romance and plenty of action, and Monday and the Murdered Man is a terrific read.
Monday has the air of a cynical, tough guy 'gumshoe', and his personality merges surprisingly well such a fantastical environment. Quick witted, handy with his fists and willing to take risks he doesn't back down, even against overwhelming odds. As a human surrounded by magical creatures, Monday has to be clever and resourceful, though being human doesn't exclude him from the use of magic in the form or runes, charms and packaged spells. For back up he relies on his half goblin business partner, Baxter, and an eccentric warlock, Tim.
Imaginative, well written and entertaining, I really enjoyed Monday and The Murdered Man and I hope that Kirschbaum is already working on a second. If the combination of urban fantasy and detective novel appeals to you at all I urge you to take a chance on this novel - its well worth the gamble.
June 13, 2012
Monday is fun again!
As a fan of urban fantasy as well as old style noir I found _Monday and the Murdered Man_ a near perfect combination of thugs, patsies, bosses, dames, gumshoes, magic and all the things that you hope you will find when you crack open a book. The initial premise- helpin...Read More
As a fan of urban fantasy as well as old style noir I found _Monday and the Murdered Man_ a near perfect combination of thugs, patsies, bosses, dames, gumshoes, magic and all the things that you hope you will find when you crack open a book. The initial premise- helping a reverent (a corpse whose revival is based purely on revenge) find his own killer- leads deeper and deeper until you realise that there is so much more going on that you wish you had a notebook like Monday's to help you solve it all! Luckily for you, Zach Monday has one and looks at it frequently to keep you in the know.
Set in an alternate reality where heaven and hell have played havoc with our world since the 1920s and magic can create undead mob bosses like "Frankie Golem" while Fae and Goblins fight centuries-old battles with corporate sponsership Monday, as a mere human going off of brains and grit, seems almost outclassed. Too bad for the bad guys that they thought the same and never saw Zach Monday coming!
I had a great time with this book, even telling friends to go have fun without me so I could finish it, excited and in total suspense right to the very end when the Devil himself tells Monday about the 5th world (the series title). Even then, I knew that there was more story to tell. I await more tales of Mr. Monday and expect that the suspense and color will continue in (I hope!) plenty more books to come!
November 4, 2012
Some people think being a private detective is all about following around people who are busy cheating on their significant others. Zack Monday is not that kind of private detective. He’s the kind of man that doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty, his body beaten up, or being involved in magic that’s not exactly safe – as long as he solves the case in the end. It’s this dedication to his job that makes him the perfect private detective to solve his dead client’s murder case.
Zack finds himself in deep as the pieces of the case start to unfold. He has to face old enemies, risk breaking hard sought truces, and test the loyalty of his closest friends. In a world where magic and mystical creatures are as common as technology and humans, it can be difficult to tell who’s right and who’s wrong, who’s good and who’s bad. And difficult to know who, exactly, Zack is working for as the case brings him to some of the darkest places he has ever been.
In Monday and the Murdered Man, Andrew Kirschbaum has woven a web of deceit, double dealing and mystery that keeps the reader guessing all the way through. He has created a world where underground battles are fought between creatures much more powerful than humans and where the lines of right and wrong are often blurred. The balance of these things directly affects the safety of humanity. It’s a good thing there are men like Zack Monday willing to put their lives on the line to make sure that balance is maintained.
I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book 5 stars.
Zack finds himself in deep as the pieces of the case start to unfold. He has to face old enemies, risk breaking hard sought truces, and test the loyalty of his closest friends. In a world where magic and mystical creatures are as common as technology and humans, it can be difficult to tell who’s right and who’s wrong, who’s good and who’s bad. And difficult to know who, exactly, Zack is working for as the case brings him to some of the darkest places he has ever been.
In Monday and the Murdered Man, Andrew Kirschbaum has woven a web of deceit, double dealing and mystery that keeps the reader guessing all the way through. He has created a world where underground battles are fought between creatures much more powerful than humans and where the lines of right and wrong are often blurred. The balance of these things directly affects the safety of humanity. It’s a good thing there are men like Zack Monday willing to put their lives on the line to make sure that balance is maintained.
I thank the author for a review copy and I give the book 5 stars.
March 15, 2012
A fairly light-hearted pan-supernatural urban fantasy novel, the first of a series.
I love the combination of first person noir patter with a supernatural setting. The Monday series certainly has a lot of meat to write about based on the descriptions of the New Jerusalem setting. The use of magic in the story is also compelling. Monday is an interesting character, gutsy and self-deprecating at the same time. Do I detect a hint of Spenser in him? Oh... I think I do.
On the critical side, I would have rather had solution to the mystery be something the reader could never have guessed. I think the way this ended was neat, but I wish that it had been something I could have figured out had I been on the ball enough.
I love the combination of first person noir patter with a supernatural setting. The Monday series certainly has a lot of meat to write about based on the descriptions of the New Jerusalem setting. The use of magic in the story is also compelling. Monday is an interesting character, gutsy and self-deprecating at the same time. Do I detect a hint of Spenser in him? Oh... I think I do.
On the critical side, I would have rather had solution to the mystery be something the reader could never have guessed. I think the way this ended was neat, but I wish that it had been something I could have figured out had I been on the ball enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2012
A lovely little noir story set in an alternate universe with technomagic, goblins, faeries, and even the occasional extraplanar visitor. It's not quite a mystery in the traditional sense, since we don't get enough information to foresee the end, only to follow along, but what an exciting adventure to be tagging along on! I did actually snicker when I realized how he was going to get himself out of his Old City pickle. It's nice to see a protagonist who doesn't take himself too seriously and I'm looking forward to sequels.
March 14, 2012
Fun little noir/pulp/fantasy detective novel. I'm looking forward to Andy's next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews