Brett Enters the Square Circle

Brett Cornell Mystery #5

by David D. D'Aguanno

Where in the world is Stacey Ashton? Stacey herself told her employer that she was leaving for Philadelphia on personal business. But Melanie Foster suspects that the girl has run off to Florida with her husband instead. Enter private detective and self-proclaimed unscrupulous bastard Brett Cornell who attempts to discover Stacey's true whereabouts, only to learn that she may actually have been murdered -- and that the murder took place a lot closer to home. In this fifth Brett Cornell detective novel set in the late 1980s, Brett finds himself pitted against a group of particularly deceitful and unpredictable characters. And at the same time, he is about to imperil those stunning Adonis-like features of his when he enters the boxing arena in a major bout that may very well turn out to be a life-changing experience for him.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published by David D. D'Aguanno in 2018.
Read by Travis Henry Carter.
Duration: 8 hours, 32 minutes.
Unabridged.

Brett Cornell is a private detective in Rhode Island. He's big, he's fearless and he knows how to fight. He is full of smart comments, opinions about orange juice and is quite sure that he is the most amazing lover of all time. He is cunning. He is unscrupulous and will certainly pad his bill to eke out as much money as he possibly can from his clients. And, he's not much for education.

Brett begins by running into a series of rough cops at a bar. These are violent officers who throw their weight around with everyone - especially with know-it-all loudmouths like Brett. Soon enough, Brett ends up being challenged to participate in a charity fight with the biggest bruiser cop of the bunch - except that everyone knows that this fight will be for real.

In the meantime, Brett has been hired to find a missing woman who is suspected of having run off to Florida with his client's husband. It's the middle of winter in Rhode Island - who wouldn't want to take a working vacation to Florida? But, things get more and more complicated the more Brett investigates...

The audiobook was read by Travis Henry Carter who delivered a fantastic performance. He performed lots of accents and male and female characters with a lot of skill.

However, I found Brett's long-winded expositions to be wearisome. He is a memorable character, but not one that I would ever choose to spend any time with. The book is told in first person and Brett takes a long time to tell any story. He can be amusing, especially in his profound ignorance (he thinks Tampa is in Arizona, for example), but he just plain old wore me out.

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5.

Note: I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher so that I could write an honest review.

https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2018...

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"A few rotten tomatoes in every bushel of cucumbers."
Life is catching up with Brett. His secretary has left him, although the relationship with ever faithful Ginger continues to be on-off, his glorious beauty has been slightly disfigured by the missing ear and even his title as most Unscrupulous Bastard is being challenged by Big Bull. He even finds himself actively involved in working in his Private Eye occupation, looking for a missing girl at the same time as he tries to prepare for a boxing match with bully cop, Gil Bailey - and, worst of all, someone is actually sorry for him.

The wonderful Travis Henry Carter is back, taking on the persona of Brett as he flawlessly reads the text with all of the charismatic charm and wrongly expressed quotations of our hero. Just listening to him read gives a tingle of delight. And all of the other protagonists have their very distinctive voices, too, from sexy Melany Foster to Sergeant Joe Raff, police officer and boxing coach. A superb performance, as always.

This is the fifth book in the gloriously funny series about the self opinionated, insufferably egotistical private eye, Brett Cornell, self styled unscrupulous bastard, girl magnet and nobody's friend. Not someone to ever hope to meet in real life but between the covers of a book, superb. Both dialogue and action are hilarious, as always. But this book takes a darker turn and a new Brett tentatively begins to peep out, if you know what I mean, Jelly Bean.

My thanks to the rights holder of Brett Enters the Square Circle, who, at my request, freely gifted me a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom. It's funny, it's naughty and absolutely unmissable.

[Rabid Readers Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we embark on Brett’s fifth outing, he still thinks of himself as the golden egg the goose laid. As has been the habit of the course of the series, D’Aguanno invites us to see a little more of what makes Brett tick which, frankly, is this character’s saving grace. Brett, as usual, is the one telling the story and readers know to take most of what he says with a giant block of salt. Brett Enters the Square Circle is less a mystery and more a story of Brett. He and Ginger are on a break (which he pretends to enjoy as it opens up his sexual horizons). He runs across bastards more unscrupulous than himself, women who are sometimes willing and sometimes not to put up with his classic Brettisms. He, as the title implies, winds up in a square circle. This is where narrator Travis Henry Carter really comes into his own. From the start this narrator has been a stroke of brilliance for the series. His voice embodies the bald face bravado that has become Brett’s brand.

While Brett may be Melanie Foster’s “dream come true,” his story isn’t something you would want to play during the daily school commute. D’Aguanno’s language is bold and brash but refreshing in its inhibition. Travis Henry Carter enhances what has become a pretty fluid voice gifted to Brett by his author. His quick patter and easy sounding shifts between Brett and his wise-cracking adversaries (both male and female) allow the reader to become fully engaged. Brett Enters the Square Circle is fast paced and entertaining. Come for the mystery, which is wrapped up pretty neatly, but stay to get to know Brett better. A truly good listen.

[odedo1 Audio book worm. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 5 of this great series and I still love it just as much as I did when I started with book one.
Truly, I have no idea how out of nowhere he comes out with those sentences that just blow my mind make laugh like there is no tomorrow!
Brett is one hell of a character, a fool that got more luck then a dog , he reminds me of the pink panther but much tougher.
The ending this time surprised me because after all Brett does have emotions which is refreshing, something new is coming, after all he is getting older.
I can't wait for number six to see where this masterpiece is heading.
Perfectly written and perfectly narrated so there are no complaints.
I love this series and I can pretty much guarantee that all will.

So I absolutely recommend this book, you'll thank me !



Received this audiobook for free for giving an honest review about it.

[Hanny Carmel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well...
This book is just as good as the previous ones in the series, and, finally, I can say that I actually felt strong empathy for Brett. This book shows so much more of Brett's soul than the mare "scrupulous bastard".

[David Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not many people have gotten the best of private detective Brett Cornell. After all he is one unscrupulous bastard who is smarter, tougher and better looking then everyone around him and he always gets the ladies. There is one man who did get the best of him and his name is Gil Bailey. Along with his buddy “Big Bull” Sean O’ Rourke, they scarred Brett for life. Brett wants revenge and gets his chance when Gil challenges him to a charity boxing match. Can Brett keep up with the younger and stronger Gil or will he be left with psychological scars that will never heal?

To make things a little more complicated, Brett also gets hired by Melanie Foster to find Stacey Ashton. Melanie believes Stacey stole her husband and ran off to Florida and Melanie wants her brought back so she can teach Stacey a lesson. As Brett researches the case he finds out that Stacey may have been murdered and her body may be hidden close by.

Brett Enters The Square Circle by David D’Aguanno is the fifth book in the Brett Cornell mystery series. All the books in this series are stand alone stories and you don’t have to read the others to enjoy it. This book has some funny lines from Brett but there is also a good story and some great characters.

A couple of reviews I saw for Brett Enters The Square Circle called it a “light read” and another one said that “Brett is annoying and he overshadows the other characters.” I couldn’t disagree with these statements more. I felt the story was deep and all the characters came across as interesting including the minor characters. For instance you hear about Melanie Foster’s husband from her point of view but then you really get to know her husband and feel sympathy for him. He isn’t in the story for long but I liked seeing how different he was from Melanie’s description.

Another character in the story that is more than he appears is Brett himself. He comes across as dumb and egotistical but if you pay attention you see that there is more to him then meets the eye. As the story moves along you see why he is the way he is, you also see that he’s a good detective he is and cares for his girlfriend even though he can’t show it.

The characters are the best part of the book but I also like how the mystery unfolds. The mystery gets deeper and more intriguing as it moves along and I was surprised at the conclusion. The boxing match story was great as well because it was more than just a match, it was about Brett dealing with the fact that he may not be top dog anymore.

Brett Enters The Square Circle works on a lot of levels, probably the best part is the humor in it. Like when Brett gets his way on an airplane and when he takes a five dollar bill from a cop, his dialogue also makes this book worth buying. I love how the Brett Cornell series of books seems to get better as they go on. I could not put this book down and I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store for Brett in his next four books.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly fun read! The mystery, the story, the other characters, all pale when compared to Brett Cornell's overwhelming personality. He has a gigantic ego, crass attitude, and a perverse outlook on life. He swaggers through the whole book (well, until near the end) and I kind of wanted to see him 'knocked down to size' but even with his arrogance, he's not the most distasteful character in the book, and there are a few characters I hope he'll get the better of. Brett's view on his fellow humans, while seemingly perverse, are more often than not, accurate, so even if Brett sometimes doesn't seem like the sharpest tool in the shed, there are surprising flashes of his intellect and intuition.


The mystery is resolved rather quickly and efficiently, and the murderer telegraphs his guilt pretty clearly in one scene, but the mystery is secondary to the comedic tribulations of the main character as he tries his best to get laid, get respect, and get money with as little effort as possible. However, near the end of the novel, there are several poignant moments where our hero starts to realize the trajectory of his volatile life's path and the question of whether or not he will be redeemed will no doubt be fodder for subsequent books in the series, but the fact that Brett does have a heart somewhere makes the whole book that much more of an intriguing character study. So I would recommend this story and probably the whole series for the outrageous and humorous adventures of Brett Cornell.

[Janet E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buckle up for FUN:

David D'Aguanno's Brett Cornell Mysteries are fast-paced, witty, mysteries. Brett's adventures are among my favorite books found on Amazon. Brett Enters the Square Circle is Book Number Five in the series, but D'Aguanno's deft portrayal means you can start anywhere in this series and have a complete adventure. Although, I will admit that once you read one of these, you'll want them all -- if you like light, fast-paced fare told in the first person by Brett, self-proclaimed bastard and handsome, heroic anti-hero.

Now, to our story:

Stacey Ashton is missing, and Brett must find he for Melanie Foster. who thinks Stacey has run off to Florida with Melanie's husband.

Our private detective, Brett, soon suspects that Stacey may instead have been murdered.

Set in the late 1980s, in this tale Brett encounters what may be the most unsavory characters of his career.

Pretty-boy Brett risks his perfect profile when he must enter a boxing arena in a major bout to protect his cover....

Brett is the handsome son of a tradition of hard-bitten detectives not only the gift of deduction, but the gift of gab. If you read one of Brett's first-person tales of his exploits, you'll want to get them all.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked many parts of this book by David D. D’Aguanno, and think the premise of this series is fun and great. The personalities of the main character Brett is outrageous to the point of admirable, and I genuinely enjoyed getting inside his head for a while and following him through his exploits. However, there were several instances of editing errors that distracted me at times, along with run on sentences that sometimes spanned as many as 10 lines on my kindle (One I counted as being 17 lines). In my opinion these should be cut way down so that it is easier to read and understand. Nonetheless, I don’t feel that this book has any real problems that a good editing job can’t fix up, and it was undoubtedly quite an entertaining read.