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Jasper, Street-Fighter, and Me #1
Candie is not Always Sweet
Meet the most unique detective team today. Jasper, Street-Fighter, and Me.
A border collie, Sgt. Jasper, USMC Ret; a streetwise tomcat, Street-Fighter; and Me a forever 39 year-old Maggie McKenzie, USMC Ret. Together, we take on almost any case.
In this case my client has asked me to tail her to see if she is being followed. It doesn’t take us long to discover that she’s up to something, and that she’s using me to cover her back. How could a college professor who appeared to be sweet be so bent on making the whole area sour?
Now professionally edited to correct errors discovered in the original edition.
A border collie, Sgt. Jasper, USMC Ret; a streetwise tomcat, Street-Fighter; and Me a forever 39 year-old Maggie McKenzie, USMC Ret. Together, we take on almost any case.
In this case my client has asked me to tail her to see if she is being followed. It doesn’t take us long to discover that she’s up to something, and that she’s using me to cover her back. How could a college professor who appeared to be sweet be so bent on making the whole area sour?
Now professionally edited to correct errors discovered in the original edition.
111 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2015
About the author
Richard Nurse
26 books28 followersABOUT_THE_AUTHOR
A Vietnam Era Veteran, my desire to write was born in my late teens. Inspired and encouraged by professionals when I spent a year as the Office Boy for the President and other Executives of Gannett News. My higher education was interrupted by a six-year stint in the Navy, where I developed my ability to spin a tale, coached by some of the best story tellers around, and where the best stories usually began with “Now this ain’t no B…S…”.
Married to the same wonderful woman for almost 50 years now, I somehow managed to earn three degrees by working and going to college at night, while we raised our daughter. This daughter kept my creative juices flowing, as she required me to come up with a new story every night about one of her stuffed animals. I began to write fiction, along with poetry, as a way to battle boredom at work, as well as to fill the time spent alone, as it was my wife’s turn to complete her dream and become an Art Historian. With our daughter now married, and living her dream as an Elementary School Teacher, wife, and mother of the greatest granddaughter in the world, it was time for me to re-kindle my dream. I retired at the earliest age that I could and began to write seriously. My first published work was a feature article for a collecting magazine, titled “Addicted to Glass”.
Not being a person who tolerates long waits for answers well, I read up on the world of self-publishing. I decided to give it a go. I published works under a pen name at first, and then more recently under my own name. To date, between the two, I have over thirty works of fiction ranging from short stories to novels, along with three collections of poetry, and four stand-alone poems published.
A Vietnam Era Veteran, my desire to write was born in my late teens. Inspired and encouraged by professionals when I spent a year as the Office Boy for the President and other Executives of Gannett News. My higher education was interrupted by a six-year stint in the Navy, where I developed my ability to spin a tale, coached by some of the best story tellers around, and where the best stories usually began with “Now this ain’t no B…S…”.
Married to the same wonderful woman for almost 50 years now, I somehow managed to earn three degrees by working and going to college at night, while we raised our daughter. This daughter kept my creative juices flowing, as she required me to come up with a new story every night about one of her stuffed animals. I began to write fiction, along with poetry, as a way to battle boredom at work, as well as to fill the time spent alone, as it was my wife’s turn to complete her dream and become an Art Historian. With our daughter now married, and living her dream as an Elementary School Teacher, wife, and mother of the greatest granddaughter in the world, it was time for me to re-kindle my dream. I retired at the earliest age that I could and began to write seriously. My first published work was a feature article for a collecting magazine, titled “Addicted to Glass”.
Not being a person who tolerates long waits for answers well, I read up on the world of self-publishing. I decided to give it a go. I published works under a pen name at first, and then more recently under my own name. To date, between the two, I have over thirty works of fiction ranging from short stories to novels, along with three collections of poetry, and four stand-alone poems published.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 25, 2016
From the cover: Welcome to the new Jasper, Street-Fighter, and Me Detective Agency. I say “new” because until just recently its name was the Jasper and Me Detective Agency. Forgive me, and allow me to introduce myself. I am “Me”, aka Maggie McKenzie, Major, USMC Ret. I am permanently 39 years old, and retired from the Marines early when my father was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. I was part of the Military Police within the Marines, and a dog handler. Thanks to changes in the law regarding K-9 members of the Marines and their partners, Jasper, my amazing border collie, was allowed to retire with me. We shared two tours together in Afghanistan, and thanks to Jasper’s amazing nose, and other abilities, we never lost a member to an IED. We have worked together so much, and so often under high stress and often dangerous situations, that we were able to operate, often without the use of any verbal commands. I received a call yesterday from a Ms. Candie Strong, who asked me if I could meet her for dinner, to talk over a case she would like me to take on. I of course accepted her offer, and after taking care of a minor disturbance at my own house, I managed to make it to the dinner meeting. Candie, certainly looked sweet when I first met her, and by the end of the evening I had decided that Candie, while a strange flavor, was quite sweet.
This is a short fast paced book. Since it’s a short book I finished it in an afternoon (ok not that long). The characters were interesting, but I would have liked a little more on Maggie. She seems like a strong individual with a great background that I would like to explore more. I love that the author writes that the cat is a ‘miniature lion’. How could a person who likes mysteries not enjoy this one-it’s short, well-paced, interesting characters, PI and has a dog and cat helping.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
This is a short fast paced book. Since it’s a short book I finished it in an afternoon (ok not that long). The characters were interesting, but I would have liked a little more on Maggie. She seems like a strong individual with a great background that I would like to explore more. I love that the author writes that the cat is a ‘miniature lion’. How could a person who likes mysteries not enjoy this one-it’s short, well-paced, interesting characters, PI and has a dog and cat helping.
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
July 1, 2016
A quick, entertaining read that suggests a promising series.
The book introduces an unusual detective agency made up of a female ex-marine, her combat dog and a streetwise alley cat. When they take on a new client who claims she is being followed all is not as it seems.
Engaging characters, a fast paced story line and concise clear writing made the book a pleasure to read and I'll look out for later books in the series to see how the characters are developed and what they get up to.
I didn't like the extended introduction to the book and didn't feel it was necessary. Especially as from chapter one onwards I really enjoyed the read. I do prefer full length novels but the story kept me fully entertained on a rainy afternoon.
If you enjoy private investigator mysteries and prefer shorter reads then I'd highly recommend Candie Is Not Always Sweet.
The book introduces an unusual detective agency made up of a female ex-marine, her combat dog and a streetwise alley cat. When they take on a new client who claims she is being followed all is not as it seems.
Engaging characters, a fast paced story line and concise clear writing made the book a pleasure to read and I'll look out for later books in the series to see how the characters are developed and what they get up to.
I didn't like the extended introduction to the book and didn't feel it was necessary. Especially as from chapter one onwards I really enjoyed the read. I do prefer full length novels but the story kept me fully entertained on a rainy afternoon.
If you enjoy private investigator mysteries and prefer shorter reads then I'd highly recommend Candie Is Not Always Sweet.
August 19, 2016
This story follows Maggie McKenzie, formerly of the Marine's Military Police, who teams up with one dog and one cat to take on an adversary hell bent on causing chaos and destruction.
A fairly short story of the thriller variety, things move along at a pleasingly quick pace from the very beginning. There are a few twists and turns along the way, although overall the storyline is pretty straightforward.
For me the book fell a bit short in two areas. I would have liked more character development, especially of the main supporting cast, about each of whom we are fed a little information but don't really get to know what makes them tick. The other area was the dialogue which sometimes came across to me as a bit forced and mechanical.
I guess if you are a thriller reader who also like dogs and cats then this will be the purrrr-fect read!
A fairly short story of the thriller variety, things move along at a pleasingly quick pace from the very beginning. There are a few twists and turns along the way, although overall the storyline is pretty straightforward.
For me the book fell a bit short in two areas. I would have liked more character development, especially of the main supporting cast, about each of whom we are fed a little information but don't really get to know what makes them tick. The other area was the dialogue which sometimes came across to me as a bit forced and mechanical.
I guess if you are a thriller reader who also like dogs and cats then this will be the purrrr-fect read!
October 11, 2015
Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars Breath-taking crime thriller in the detective series., January 21, 2016
By Amazon Customer
This review is from: Candie Is Not Always Sweet (Jasper, Street-Fighter, and Me Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
'Candie Is Not Always Sweet' is definitely a tempting, appealing title in the detective series of Jasper, Street Fighter and Me. by author Richard Nurse which instantly draws its readers and glues them to this mystery thriller from the very first page where we learn that our protagonist Maggie ( a retired marine and presently working as a detective), lives with her Border Collie 'Jasper' who are very welcoming to a street tom cat as a new member in the family naming him as 'Street Fighter'.
Maggie's relation with Jasper and Street Fighter are put to test when life threatening challenges from past grip Maggie's life and soon this bond strengthens for good when she is hired by Candie Strong for someone stalking her.
Author Richard Nurse very smartly leaves much more to this 'Candie' episode to be discovered and solved for Maggie, Jasper and Street Fighter along with his readers in his fast paced, action packed novel full of entertaining twists and turns, keeping our curiosity level to the top.
'Candie Is Not Always Sweet' is bound to make its readers look for more in this detective series. I would love to recommend this interesting novel to all and esp. to those looking for a quick read in the genre of mystery, crime thriller for an amazing vacation read.
5.0 out of 5 stars Breath-taking crime thriller in the detective series., January 21, 2016
By Amazon Customer
This review is from: Candie Is Not Always Sweet (Jasper, Street-Fighter, and Me Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
'Candie Is Not Always Sweet' is definitely a tempting, appealing title in the detective series of Jasper, Street Fighter and Me. by author Richard Nurse which instantly draws its readers and glues them to this mystery thriller from the very first page where we learn that our protagonist Maggie ( a retired marine and presently working as a detective), lives with her Border Collie 'Jasper' who are very welcoming to a street tom cat as a new member in the family naming him as 'Street Fighter'.
Maggie's relation with Jasper and Street Fighter are put to test when life threatening challenges from past grip Maggie's life and soon this bond strengthens for good when she is hired by Candie Strong for someone stalking her.
Author Richard Nurse very smartly leaves much more to this 'Candie' episode to be discovered and solved for Maggie, Jasper and Street Fighter along with his readers in his fast paced, action packed novel full of entertaining twists and turns, keeping our curiosity level to the top.
'Candie Is Not Always Sweet' is bound to make its readers look for more in this detective series. I would love to recommend this interesting novel to all and esp. to those looking for a quick read in the genre of mystery, crime thriller for an amazing vacation read.
July 16, 2016
Candie Is Not Always Sweet is a short, fast paced thriller. Your heroes are Maggie, an ex-marine, her military dog, Jasper and a large cat named Street Fighter. How can you not love these guys? Maggie is a no nonsense private eye. Jasper is a wonder dog and Street Fighter is a miniature lion. They are all fun.
The plot is fast paced and interesting. The story is too short to adequately develop the characters. As a result there is little to distinguish between the four main ones: all female, all accomplished operatives (some good guys, some bad guys), all physically fit, and most (if not all) with the same sexual preference. They seemed almost interchangeable. The canine and feline characters were much more interesting.
This series has great potential, because the detective agency team is so engaging. It’s an unbeatable combination: an ex-marine and a working dog that cannot only follow a wide-range of commands, but can also anticipate them? Throw in a self-taught, alpha male alley cat and you are in for quite a ride.
The plot is fast paced and interesting. The story is too short to adequately develop the characters. As a result there is little to distinguish between the four main ones: all female, all accomplished operatives (some good guys, some bad guys), all physically fit, and most (if not all) with the same sexual preference. They seemed almost interchangeable. The canine and feline characters were much more interesting.
This series has great potential, because the detective agency team is so engaging. It’s an unbeatable combination: an ex-marine and a working dog that cannot only follow a wide-range of commands, but can also anticipate them? Throw in a self-taught, alpha male alley cat and you are in for quite a ride.
October 20, 2015
In Episode 1 of his new detective series, Richard Nurse introduces us to Maggie, a retired Marine with a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice, and her mutt Jasper. The family expands with the addition of an alley cat named Street Fighter. The story takes off at break-neck speed, with Maggie in the shower when an intruder breaks in. It’s Abdul, and Maggie suspects he’s been sent to avenge his brother’s death. And so begins another of Richard Nurse’s tales with their twists and turns. He does a great job keeping the reader guessing, and wondering what happens next, such as the arrival of the title’s subject, 25-year-old Candie Strong, who after her return from the Middle East, suspects that someone is stalking her. She asks Maggie to follow her in order to determine if her suspicions are warranted. This is a quick read (80 pages)in which “Candie isn’t always sweet.” I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.
November 23, 2015
This is a small book, but fast paced with twists and turns. The trio of Jasper (ret. military dog), Street Fighter and Maggie (ret. Marine, now Private. Detective) are such a good combination that it keeps the plot moving in a great way. Includes some very interesting characters, including the title person- Candie, that are well rounded individuals and carry the story in unpredictable ways. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for honest , non-reciprocal review.
October 11, 2015
A story that is as much fun to read as it was to write. The story simply flowed out of me, as I let the characters take the lead once again. The twists turns and the conclusion were all of their doing.
March 18, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews