Swollen Identity

McCall & Company #2

by Rich Leder

BEAUTIFUL BILLIONAIRE SOCIALITE. COLD-BLOODED CORPORATE ASSASSIN. MCCALL & COMPANY BACK IN BUSINESS.

Way-off Broadway actress and NYC PI Kate McCall had promised the police and the Assistant DA—her son—that she was all done investigating any damn thing in New York...

Meaning beautiful billionaire socialite Brooke Barrington says someone has stolen her identity, and the corporate assassin who murdered Kate’s father has shot the eyes out of the CEO of Superior Press...

Meaning McCall & Company is back in business...

Meaning Kate enlists the help of the eccentric tenants of her brownstone—the House of Emotional Tics—and her melodramatic acting troupe, the Schmidt and Parker Players...

Meaning things spiral hilariously and dangerously out of control...

Meaning she is confronted by Brooke's demonic identical twin, Bailey, accosted by international counterfeiters, and arrested for impersonating a hooker...

Meaning will she stop Bailey from murdering Brooke? Or will she stop Brooke from murdering Bailey? Or will she figure out how to tell one from the other in time to survive the wrath of the Bulgarian mob men hired to protect the counterfeit cash? And will she finally find her father’s killer?

She might, but it's going to be a fast, fun, and furious ride.

Genres: Mystery, Humor

Unknown Binding

First published September 7, 2014

About the author

Rich Leder has been a working writer for more than three decades. His screen credits include 19 produced television films for CBS, Lifetime, and Hallmark, feature films for Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, Longridge Productions, and Left Bank Films. He has published eight novels through Laugh Riot Press.

He has been the lead singer in a Detroit rock band, a restaurateur, a Little League coach, an indie film director, a literacy tutor, a magazine editor, a screenwriting coach, a wedding guru, a PTA board member, a commercial real estate agent, and a visiting artist for the University of North Carolina Wilmington Film Studies Department, among other things, all of which, it turns out, was grist for the mill.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like great reading that is:
1. Fun, fast and furious
2. Over-the-top funny, quirky and filled with great wit
3. Has a dark and dangerous side and even a sprinkling of some profoundly touching moments?

Welcome to the world of Rich Leder and Kate McCall, actress by profession, Private Investigator by inheritance. This time out, Kate gets a double barreled load of trouble of the deadly nature when she is hired to discover who is stealing a wealthy heiress’ identity and a few billion dollars, give or take. Kate had no idea what she was getting herself into when she took that retainer, but hey, paying customers are few and far between and she gave up her dog walking job for this! Little did she know she would be tag-teamed by a set of identical twins with a severe case of greed.

Meanwhile, Kate is still determined to find her father’s murderer, even if it gets her arrested for being a call girl, accused of another murder and almost a corpse herself. Our Kate is nothing, if not a trouble magnet with a knack for thinking her way out sticky situations with the help of her quirky neighbors! Her over-starched son may even finally recognize his mother’s ability as a PI, or not.

When her life is almost forfeit again as she uncovers an international counterfeiting ring, she finds that following the money, real or fake can be a deadly proposition, but it may lead her one step closer to solving the case dearest to her heart.

McCALL & COMPANY: SWOLLEN IDENTITY is like riding the Tilt-A-Whirl after a margarita or two, laugh out loud funny with dizzying twists and turns, all done at a high-velocity pace! Rich Leder has brought back the entire crew, and they are in rare form, once again, although I have to say, Fu is my fav! He may not talk much, but he packs a mean wallop just when Kate needs him most.

Prepare for sores laugh muscles after reading this tale, but don’t be surprised to realize that this is also one of a mystery read that leaves that final twist at the end completely hidden! My only regret: I have but 5 stars to give this entertainment bliss!

I received this copy from Rich Leder!

Series: McCall & Company - Book 2
Publisher: Laugh Riot Press (September 7, 2014)
Publication Date: September 7, 2014
Genre: Humorous Suspense | Satire
Print Length: 392 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Malavika P · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH. MY. GOD. McCall and Company is back and they have done it again.

Normally I avoid reading the second book in a series whose first book I loved because they’re always a let down. Let’s just say I was totally and completely wrong. While Workman's Complication itself was amazing, I enjoyed Swollen Identity so much more!

Swollen Identity is smart, sassy, ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS and a must read. I enjoy reading mystery books quite a lot but I never expected the combination of mystery and humor to pan out so well. I love every character in the book and I’m so upset that one of my OTP’s in the book didn’t end up together!

One of the major things that made me like both books in the series, and which should act as a motivation for you to read them as well is the protagonist herself i.e. Kate McCall. She stands out in so many ways. I’m so tired of female protagonists that are either looking for the perfect guy/ the damsel in distress types, and Kate is the complete opposite. It is so refreshing to read about a female character that is smart, savvy and independent. Her relations with every character in the book are interesting and meaningful. I love how despite how much she loves her son, she still stands up for what she believes in even if it means going against his wishes. She is smart and sensitive and yet just childish enough to amuse the readers – an excellent example being her use of adjectives like Antagonistic, Vile and Tedious every time she mentions her son’s girlfriend Nina (which had me cracking up through the entire book).

And then there are simply the hilarious and adorable parts. There are very few books after all that can boast a Chinese martial arts expert and ex-assassin with a penchant for Italian music and baking decorative tea cakes.

I received an eBook of Swollen Identity by Rich Leder in exchange for an honest review.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Source* Publisher
*Genre* Mystery, Humor
*Rating* 3.5

*Thoughts*

Swollen Identity, by author Rich Leder, is the second installment in the authors McCall & Company trilogy. The story picks up right where Workman's Complication left off. 
Welcome back to the wacky, wacky world of Kate McCall who not too long ago, days actually, promised her son and a NYPD Detective that she wasn't going to get involved with any more dangerous investigations. Pfft, amateurs! 

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...

[Felita Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the McCall and Company series. We reviewed the first Workman’s Complication awhile back here, and I loved it. So I was really looking forward to reading Swollen Identity. This book picks up immediately after the last one. I still love these characters, the antics, the humor and the action. Kate still struggles with what she wants to do with her life and what life keeps throwing at her in spite of her plans. Fu is still as heroic. The rest of the supporting cast is still colorful and ready to step up for adventure with Kate.
This novel has two story plots going. Kate is still on a quest to find who murdered her father (unpaid mission). Since Fu hung the McCall and Company Private Detective sign on her door, she also has a rich, beautiful paying client, Brooke Barrington. Her name even sounds wealthy. Her son still wants her to get a ‘regular’ job. So her life is going about ten different directions but she still gets it done. Along with the humor there are actual dangerous people and situations to maneuver. I appreciate that a lot about Leder’s books. The people here understand there is real threat to their lives and they still choose to participate (they aren’t just stupid). They are bold, crazy bold, and they think on their feet.
I love his charming humorous chapter titles- icing on the cake. My favorite one in this book is “Most Non of the Chalant.” If you like your mysteries with some smart humor, and an eclectic cast- these books are for you. Five Stars.
I was provided a free copy of the book to read and write an honest review.

[Cheyanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich Leder's second installment in his McCall & Company series packs just as many punches as the first. In fact, it has somehow managed to take another step further into crazy land.

Aside from the usual funny antics from the larger than life characters, the plot twists EVERYWHERE, the breath-takingly fast plot that barely comes up for air and even another ending worthy of a Sherlock novel with its deductions, we also have even crazier moments than the first book happening. It feels like a superhero movie, without the superpowers. But plenty of the 'no way, that wouldn't happen' moments. You do begin to wonder what the hell is going on, yet these moments are written with such a surety that you inevitably just except it and carry on reading.

Leder's brilliant style shines through here again, adding that underlying humour with his usual bout of witty word plays and metaphors. Add in those characters, and the crazy moments and it's got Leder written all over it.

This book is easily a step up from the first, in a way that seems both natural and chaotic simultaneously. You thought the first book was crazy? Then book two will blow your mind! More complex, more humour, crazier story... it seems Leder has indeed found his calling.

[Clabe Polk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dare I say that Kate McCall is an actress; not a ‘real’ private investigator at all?

McCall, who held a PI license only because she helped her father, Jimmy, at times with his PI business, found herself in possession of that business after her father’s bizarre murder. Feeling the need to avenge Jimmy and angry at his assassin, she is using her acting abilities and her PI business to find Jimmy’s killer. Her decidedly odd group of friends and neighbors from her building and her theater company help her in their escape to humdrum existence, make a few bucks , and occasionally, out of true concern for Kate’s well-being.

Now, she is facing her second case as a private investigator; one that will totally tax her skills of observation, manipulation and her ability to think logically…how can she tell two perfectly identical twins apart when both are free spirits and have unlimited resources at their disposal? What happens when one twin wants the other dead, McCall has no idea which twin hired her, and the twins both play reversible rolls to the hilt? The twin’s father is ninety-two, ill and subject to die leaving a 10 billion dollar estate divided between the twins and both of them are determined the other will have none of it.

Into this mix, throw a business executive murdered in same manner as Jimmy leading McCall in a second direction chasing the killer. Complicate the murder with a pugnacious business partner everyone loves to hate as the prime murder conspiracy suspect, a second business partner whom no one suspects but who has a foreign agenda of his own, a pissed off Manhattan Assistant District Attorney who happens to be McCall’s son, a pissed off NYPD detective who wants to solve cases and keep McCall alive at the same time, and a crooked Weehawken, NJ, homicide detective and all hell breaks loose in the Bronx.

Swollen Identity is a rousing romp and entertaining read for mystery action readers of any age. McCall is a complex character and in Swollen Identity she may be show to be much more complicated that originally suspected…or at least even more confused. Fu, her friend and ex-Chinese mob assassin, acquires new parrot, Jerusalem Joe; Jerusalem Joe is McCall’s payment to him for saving her life five times. Fu, however, still speaks in three to five word sentences. The reader is introduced to Warren’s ten-year old Toyota Corollas each of which Warren has lovingly named, and to Al as the ruthless manager of his illegal car rental company. They are just one more cog in the gear of oddball personalities that make up McCall’s associates and ensure that she survives her PI business.

In all, a fun and challenging (for McCall) plot neatly tied up in dry humor and presented through unlikely scenarios guaranteed to make it a fun read

[Margaret Millmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read book one in this series some time back and thoroughly enjoyed it, and when I was asked review book 2, I eagerly agreed. Kate McCall is an off-Broadway actress who inherited her father’s private detective business and suddenly she found herself in the P.I. business. Her life is complicated and rather eccentric to begin with, so adding this new career only complicates things. Her father was murdered in a rather heinous manner (book 1) and she can’t stop thinking about catching his killer. When an incredibly beautiful woman hires her to find out whose stolen her identity, things get even more complicated, especially since this woman knows exactly who the culprit is. Add in her district attorney son, who’s very unhappy with her pursuits as a detective and a police detective who’s already got it in for her and it’s a recipe for disaster.

This is very well written and witty story, the characters are fun and completely insane and everything in-between.

I only have one complaint, and perhaps it’s a bit petty, but it did grate on me—when the author identifies what everybody is wearing it always starts off with “she wore” or “he wore” and since there are lot of characters and they’re always changing their clothes…it got a bit tedious (although not enough to stop me from putting the book down – everything else was just too enjoyable).

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. See all our reviews at our Book Explosions page on Goodreads.

[Steve Ochs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since this is the second in the McCall & Company series, it should come as no surprise that I read it second. Truth be told, it could have stood up independent of the previous read because the history, characters, etc. are all nicely re-established. Fans of deductive reasoning will have already determined that I enjoyed the first, Workman's Complication, or I would not have read the second. Elementary.

However, I did not read the books back-to-back. It wasn't because I needed a break from the style or story; it was because Leder's books ARE a break! As I learned from his final words in my Kindle edition, this is by design. Leder doesn't really want me to think too hard while I'm reading him. He wants me to snack on the trim chapters like kernels of popcorn or a swig them like a bottle of beer. To that end, he never gets heavy, never gets preachy, never seems to be hiding a deeper meaning in a metaphor or trying to pass me a subliminal message. Instead he's trying to feed me an amuse bouche; a palete cleanser; refreshing and tasty without requiring the eyebrow furrowing concentration of, say, tasting a complex wine.

If we think about the way a chef might choose to put a palate cleanser between the tomato tartar and the sea bass, we can compare the McCall & Company books to sorbet Maybe instead of going right from a Delillo to, whatever, a biography, I want to lighten it up? I want an intelligent read with a page tuning storyline and imaginatively-hewn characters that won't weigh me down. I want a book I can grab when I've got a little time, or maybe a lot of time (Fu doctor's waiting room! [McCall in joke]), that allows me to just scoop out a few frosty spoonfuls! This is where Leder's 'tude fits perfectly into my life.

The book itself is powered by a fun plot - actually a pair of fun plots, running in harmonic-humming unison like the propellors that flank a small airplane's fuselage - both of which are strong enough to command my interest. The lead character's various quirks (boxing), hobbies (sort of; she fancies herself a professional actress, but her work seems restricted to a so-bad-they're-good theater group, love life (hard to explain but in this book it's a guy too much her junior and a woman or women too beautiful to resist even if one is straight) and neighbors, maintain the reader's interest like a gardener would a millionaire's lawn. I honestly don't see any reason to reveal anything about the plot itself, because in a way, you don't really read a McCall book because you're intrigued by the plot line. This isn't sci fi; this is playtime.

So, I am wholeheartedly recommending this book and it's predecessor, but not as, I don't know... a destination book. It is a vacation book in the every sense of the word because not only is it a great book for that lodge/airplane/pooside read, it is a great vacation between more serious books.

[Chris Pavesic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Rich Leder’s style of writing: It is the perfect blend of mystery, humor, action, and quick-witted comments. Rich Leder does a wonderful job at keeping the tone light. The humor comes from the writing—the subtle way the sentences are crafted—and from the characters themselves.

For Kate McCall what starts as a small stolen-identity mystery grows into something larger and more deadly at every turn. When reading the novel, I could envision this as a film or a television series. Hmm . . . Let’s go with television series so that Leder will have to write many more adventures with McCall & Company each year. I think 22 stories a year sounds about right.

Kate McCall is a wonderfully complex character. I believe that it is Leder’s understanding of the human condition—of the many contradictions that make up an individual—that make her so relatable. Not everyone in the world can envision being a private detective or an actress, but it is easy to relate to Kate’s family situations, her friendships, and her desire to find her father’s killer. It is also easy to understand why she needs to resolve the case rather than depending upon the police or her son, who is a district attorney, to do the job.

The chapter for me that really reveals the essence of Kate’s character is “Don’t Call Me a Crazy Bitch, You Crazy Bitch.” In it Kate’s “eye-for-an-eye” philosophy really comes to the forefront, as do her acting and detective skills. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but she gets to throw a haymaker punch that would have made her father proud as well as outsmart two smarmy idiots. This is a definite must-read series.

Swollen Identity by Rich Leder is a novel I would recommend to any adult reader who likes a good mystery with a touch of dry wit.


Disclaimer—I received a copy of this book for a fair and timely review.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ecopy of this book for an honest review.

I read Workman’s Complication, the first McCall & Company book, and enjoyed it so I was looking forward to reading Swollen Identity.

Kate McCall has promised her Assistant DA son that she’s done working as a PI. But when Brooke Barrington wants her to help figure who has stolen her identity and won’t take no for answer, Kate agrees to help her out.

What a ride! There are multiple plot twists and the same unique characters as in the first book. The people in Kate’s building aren’t only her friends, but they’re willing to help her on her cases. They’re all crazy in their own way, but you can’t help but like them all.

I like Rich Leder’s writing style. It’s easy to follow and fun to read. Swollen Identity was very funny. This is a good book for anyone who likes mysteries and likes to laugh.

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious, sexy and laugh-out-loud funny. Among female sleuths, Kate McCall is near the top.

Is it even possible to be too beautiful, seductive and rich? That’s what New York private detective Kate McCall thinks of her newest client, Brooke Barrington, who is suffering from a case of identity theft. With a net worth of four billion dollars and cover girl looks, it’s easy to see why her identity is a hot commodity.

Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com

[Susan N Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than the first

An entertaining read with strange, but wonderful characters. This series if full of twists and turns and I love every minute of it. I'm looking forward to the next!