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Charlie Waldo #2
Below the Line
Eccentric private eye Charlie Waldo is back in another wildly fun and fast-paced thriller lampooning Southern California.
Former LAPD detective Charlie Waldo was living in solitude deep in the woods, pathologically committed to owning no more than one hundred possessions, until his PI ex-girlfriend Lorena dragged him back to civilization to solve a high-profile Hollywood murder. Now Waldo and Lorena have their hands full with a new client, a wild and privileged L.A. teenager named Stevie Rose who tells lies as easily as she breathes.
When the teacher Stevie claims seduced her turns up dead, the LAPD pegs her as the prime suspect. Then Stevie disappears, and her self-involved Hollywood parents turn to Waldo to find her--a task that draws him down into Orange County's dangerous and complex worlds, both opulent and seedy, where nothing is as it seems.
With treachery and deception at every turn, and with Waldo's eco-obsessed rules for living complicating his already complicated relationship with Lorena, Waldo fends off enemies old and new as he races to find Stevie and solve the murder.
Former LAPD detective Charlie Waldo was living in solitude deep in the woods, pathologically committed to owning no more than one hundred possessions, until his PI ex-girlfriend Lorena dragged him back to civilization to solve a high-profile Hollywood murder. Now Waldo and Lorena have their hands full with a new client, a wild and privileged L.A. teenager named Stevie Rose who tells lies as easily as she breathes.
When the teacher Stevie claims seduced her turns up dead, the LAPD pegs her as the prime suspect. Then Stevie disappears, and her self-involved Hollywood parents turn to Waldo to find her--a task that draws him down into Orange County's dangerous and complex worlds, both opulent and seedy, where nothing is as it seems.
With treachery and deception at every turn, and with Waldo's eco-obsessed rules for living complicating his already complicated relationship with Lorena, Waldo fends off enemies old and new as he races to find Stevie and solve the murder.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2019
About the author
Howard Michael Gould
6 books102 followersHoward Michael Gould is a screenwriter and playwright and has been head writer and executive producer of several network television series. He is the author of three mystery novels featuring the tortured, eco-maniacal detective Charlie Waldo: LAST LOOKS, BELOW THE LINE and the upcoming PAY OR PLAY. The film version of LAST LOOKS, starring Charlie Hunnam and Mel Gibson and directed by Tim Kirkby, will be released in early 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
August 26, 2019
3.5 stars
I read a lot of mysteries and b/c of that, i try to find ones with something different.
Charlie Waldo is diffent in that his quirk is that he's a minimalist who tries to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible. (ie. using public transportation, biking, buying fresh food, etc.)
It can get annoying at times but he's a smart, likable character anyway.
the mystery in this one was complex. I didn't figure it out as there were a lot of leads to follow.
Some humor.
Lorena wasn't as likable but i read this 2nd one b/c after the 1st, i was curious to see how reconciling w/Lorena would effect Charlie. could he still maintain his lifestyle or would he give it up & go back to how he was before embracing "minimalism". It becomes his personal struggle thruout the narrative. It came across as realistic b/c how do u sustain a relationship with a person who has a different way of living from you.
I look forward to another book in this series.
I read a lot of mysteries and b/c of that, i try to find ones with something different.
Charlie Waldo is diffent in that his quirk is that he's a minimalist who tries to leave as small a carbon footprint as possible. (ie. using public transportation, biking, buying fresh food, etc.)
It can get annoying at times but he's a smart, likable character anyway.
the mystery in this one was complex. I didn't figure it out as there were a lot of leads to follow.
Some humor.
Lorena wasn't as likable but i read this 2nd one b/c after the 1st, i was curious to see how reconciling w/Lorena would effect Charlie. could he still maintain his lifestyle or would he give it up & go back to how he was before embracing "minimalism". It becomes his personal struggle thruout the narrative. It came across as realistic b/c how do u sustain a relationship with a person who has a different way of living from you.
I look forward to another book in this series.
November 11, 2019
Book 2 in the series. There is again a lot of violence here. And Waldo's lifestyle -- his 100 "things", extreme environmentalism, etc. -- is still annoying. The addition in this book is the nightly discussion about where he and his girlfriend Lorena will spend the night, because he also has rules about where he sleeps and whether hotels/motels are eco-friendly.
There are so many characters that if I put the book down for more than a day, I had to remind myself, when I picked it back up, of who everyone was. Still, it was a good story, and moved along at a good pace.
There are so many characters that if I put the book down for more than a day, I had to remind myself, when I picked it back up, of who everyone was. Still, it was a good story, and moved along at a good pace.
June 9, 2019
Loved this book about a quirky ex police officer and his on and off again lady friend who is a PI and wants to team up to solve cases. I just never knew what kinda jam he going to get into and how he would get out. Trying to solve the case they were on and I found out eventually I was way off. Kept me wanting more. This was the second book about the famous LAPD Charlie Waldo and I now will have to get the first one where he is introduced. Highly recommend this book who likes suspense crime thrillers.
October 28, 2019
I really enjoyed Last Looks when I read it and was excited for the return of Charlie Waldo. For me this second book was not as good as the first one. I still think Charlie is a likeable character and I enjoy the minimalist quirks he struggles with as he pursues his investigation but I did not think Lorena was a particularly likable character and she is a large part of this story.
November 5, 2019
Good, but never quite grabs the reader. I like Charlie, but the romantic side of the book doesn't quite work.
June 28, 2025
Charlie Waldo is a pretty interesting character, and that's the most appealing part of this book. The plot gets rather convoluted but I'll try another one in the series.
September 5, 2020
Grabbed up the second book and was very dissapointed. Started out the same with a smile on my face but then 'been there done that' . Was looking for the character growth as our hero realized he had some work to do on himself. But no, it was a one trick pony I guess. I read on and it dawned on me this guy's an idiot. He's an eco-obsessed non-sustainable human and I compost. The tale's ending is a mess. If you like to try and figure out what's going on in the mystery it has some entertainment value I just don't buy the characters. Everyone has to set themselves apart with a new charater this was not for me.
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October 28, 2021I just have to say it: Lorena is a horrible character and I don't know how much more of her I can bear. If she was as prominently featured in the first book as she is in this one, I would never have finished it. I don't know if she gets less manipulative and bitchy and more understanding and sympathetic as the story moves along, but right now she doesn't seem capable of being either. And that's not a good look, no matter how beautiful she is.
September 1, 2019
Howard Michael Gould introduced ex-LAPD cop Charlie Waldo in 2018’s critically acclaimed LAST LOOKS. Waldo is so unusual a character to take the place of honor in a detective novel that any fan of the genre owes it to themselves to at least take a look at that worthy book and BELOW THE LINE, Gould’s sophomore effort.
It must be said that Waldo takes the minimalist lifestyle to an extreme, limiting himself to the ownership of a hundred items at any one time. There is a reason for this that is explained to some degree in the previous book, but it makes for a nice contrast with the hedonistic, ultra-materialistic backdrop of southern California. His lifestyle, of course, gets in the way of his work as a private investigator (he travels only by public transportation or bicycle) and his relationship with Lorena Nascimento, his on-again/off-again professional and personal partner. Lorena, in all probability, has difficulty limiting herself to a hundred pairs of shoes, let alone anything else. As is demonstrated repeatedly in BELOW THE LINE, it is also challenging for a couple to successfully hook up while on the road when only an extremely ecologically correct hotel will do and the girlfriend of the piece keeps hiding the “don’t change the sheets” card.
All of the above, though, is part of the (sometimes) irritating fun of this book. While Waldo’s schtick gets a bit old here, Gould’s mystery writing is honed to a razor-sharp finish, with a striking cast of characters who seem to leap off the page. Front and center of those would be Stevie Rose, a spoiled, hot-to-trot teenager who retains Waldo and Lorena to find her brother, who she says is missing. It is evident almost from her first point of introduction that Stevie is trouble, and the only time that she isn’t lying is when her lips aren’t moving.
Things quickly move from a missing person assignment to an entirely different area when Stevie claims to have been seduced by a teacher from her exclusive private high school. When said teacher turns up as a murder victim, the LAPD considers Stevie to be the prime suspect. “Big Jim” Cuppy, who was and is Waldo’s prime nemesis on the force, is leading the investigation, which means that Waldo and Lorena are hindered officially by the police, as well as unofficially by their own client. The problem that develops is that basically everybody is lying to Waldo when they aren’t trying to beat him very badly or otherwise dissuade him from discovering the truth about Stevie and a number of other things. Everyone has too much to lose, including Waldo, strange as that may seem.
BELOW THE LINE is very much a character-driven novel, and as irritating as Waldo is at times, Gould fills his creation with enough positive qualities to make him somewhat endearing, even as Waldo’s rabid anti-consumerism almost gets in the way of the story on occasion. Lorena provides an interesting, if excessive, balance to the team and to the story. As a result, it isn’t until the very end of the book that the reader discovers how everything turns out. Maybe. Read it and see.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
It must be said that Waldo takes the minimalist lifestyle to an extreme, limiting himself to the ownership of a hundred items at any one time. There is a reason for this that is explained to some degree in the previous book, but it makes for a nice contrast with the hedonistic, ultra-materialistic backdrop of southern California. His lifestyle, of course, gets in the way of his work as a private investigator (he travels only by public transportation or bicycle) and his relationship with Lorena Nascimento, his on-again/off-again professional and personal partner. Lorena, in all probability, has difficulty limiting herself to a hundred pairs of shoes, let alone anything else. As is demonstrated repeatedly in BELOW THE LINE, it is also challenging for a couple to successfully hook up while on the road when only an extremely ecologically correct hotel will do and the girlfriend of the piece keeps hiding the “don’t change the sheets” card.
All of the above, though, is part of the (sometimes) irritating fun of this book. While Waldo’s schtick gets a bit old here, Gould’s mystery writing is honed to a razor-sharp finish, with a striking cast of characters who seem to leap off the page. Front and center of those would be Stevie Rose, a spoiled, hot-to-trot teenager who retains Waldo and Lorena to find her brother, who she says is missing. It is evident almost from her first point of introduction that Stevie is trouble, and the only time that she isn’t lying is when her lips aren’t moving.
Things quickly move from a missing person assignment to an entirely different area when Stevie claims to have been seduced by a teacher from her exclusive private high school. When said teacher turns up as a murder victim, the LAPD considers Stevie to be the prime suspect. “Big Jim” Cuppy, who was and is Waldo’s prime nemesis on the force, is leading the investigation, which means that Waldo and Lorena are hindered officially by the police, as well as unofficially by their own client. The problem that develops is that basically everybody is lying to Waldo when they aren’t trying to beat him very badly or otherwise dissuade him from discovering the truth about Stevie and a number of other things. Everyone has too much to lose, including Waldo, strange as that may seem.
BELOW THE LINE is very much a character-driven novel, and as irritating as Waldo is at times, Gould fills his creation with enough positive qualities to make him somewhat endearing, even as Waldo’s rabid anti-consumerism almost gets in the way of the story on occasion. Lorena provides an interesting, if excessive, balance to the team and to the story. As a result, it isn’t until the very end of the book that the reader discovers how everything turns out. Maybe. Read it and see.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
August 5, 2019
A note: while "Below the Line" can stand alone, ideally you should read "Last Looks" first, to learn more about Waldo & Lorena's backstory.
In his debut novel, "Last Looks," Howard Michael Gould introduced Charlie Waldo, a former policeman atoning for a dreadful mistake he made when he was on the L.A. force. Living the life of a hermit miles from civilization, Waldo was persuaded to return to L.A. by his former girlfriend, Lorena, a private eye who needed his help with a high-profile case. As "Below the Line" opens, Waldo and Lorena have been back together for a month, and she is urging him to join her P.I. business.
Lorena’s bread and butter is routine marital investigations, but she’s convinced Waldo’s notoriety could bring in a celebrity clientele. Their newest client, though, discovered Lorena on Yelp. Stevie Rose, a 15-year-old girl who claims to be an orphan, needs help finding her missing older brother.
Lorena and Waldo soon discover that Stevie is a practiced liar despite her young age, and in fact, her parents are alive and well and producing a soapy teen TV drama called “Malibu Malice.” When Stevie disappears, her parents hire Lorena and Waldo. A teacher at Stevie’s school, who had been rumored to be dealing drugs, is murdered, and the girl becomes the prime suspect.
Waldo’s rules for living—he refuses to own more than 100 things total, and he constantly frets about his ecological footprint—play an important role in "Below the Line" as they did in "Last Looks," but even more so than in the first book, he constantly finds himself having to make compromises. For one thing, Lorena refuses to respect his rules, and for another, the case winds up taking them all over Orange County, difficult terrain to cover when you limit yourself to getting around via public transit or bicycle. Their relationship is tested over and over again in a myriad of ways, and Waldo finds that there’s still a lot he doesn’t know about his lover.
Waldo is a wonderfully complex and quirky protagonist, and the mystery is fast-paced and twisty, but my main gripe about Last Looks continues to apply: Waldo is always getting physically pummeled, and still manages to jump right back into the investigation despite grievous injuries that would confine a normal person to bed for a week. He does pop quite a few Percocets; will he wind up hooked on pills if he continues having to deal with rough characters in L.A.’s criminal underworld? Maybe Waldo will eventually solve a case while he’s in rehab. (It seems fitting that Charlie Hunnam, whose character Jax was both victim and perpetrator of heinous acts of violence on the TV show “Sons of Anarchy,” has been cast as Waldo in an upcoming feature film adaptation of "Last Looks.")
In his debut novel, "Last Looks," Howard Michael Gould introduced Charlie Waldo, a former policeman atoning for a dreadful mistake he made when he was on the L.A. force. Living the life of a hermit miles from civilization, Waldo was persuaded to return to L.A. by his former girlfriend, Lorena, a private eye who needed his help with a high-profile case. As "Below the Line" opens, Waldo and Lorena have been back together for a month, and she is urging him to join her P.I. business.
Lorena’s bread and butter is routine marital investigations, but she’s convinced Waldo’s notoriety could bring in a celebrity clientele. Their newest client, though, discovered Lorena on Yelp. Stevie Rose, a 15-year-old girl who claims to be an orphan, needs help finding her missing older brother.
Lorena and Waldo soon discover that Stevie is a practiced liar despite her young age, and in fact, her parents are alive and well and producing a soapy teen TV drama called “Malibu Malice.” When Stevie disappears, her parents hire Lorena and Waldo. A teacher at Stevie’s school, who had been rumored to be dealing drugs, is murdered, and the girl becomes the prime suspect.
Waldo’s rules for living—he refuses to own more than 100 things total, and he constantly frets about his ecological footprint—play an important role in "Below the Line" as they did in "Last Looks," but even more so than in the first book, he constantly finds himself having to make compromises. For one thing, Lorena refuses to respect his rules, and for another, the case winds up taking them all over Orange County, difficult terrain to cover when you limit yourself to getting around via public transit or bicycle. Their relationship is tested over and over again in a myriad of ways, and Waldo finds that there’s still a lot he doesn’t know about his lover.
Waldo is a wonderfully complex and quirky protagonist, and the mystery is fast-paced and twisty, but my main gripe about Last Looks continues to apply: Waldo is always getting physically pummeled, and still manages to jump right back into the investigation despite grievous injuries that would confine a normal person to bed for a week. He does pop quite a few Percocets; will he wind up hooked on pills if he continues having to deal with rough characters in L.A.’s criminal underworld? Maybe Waldo will eventually solve a case while he’s in rehab. (It seems fitting that Charlie Hunnam, whose character Jax was both victim and perpetrator of heinous acts of violence on the TV show “Sons of Anarchy,” has been cast as Waldo in an upcoming feature film adaptation of "Last Looks.")
August 13, 2019
This delightful book is for people who like their crime-fighting laced with understated humor. Think Lee Goldberg and Robert Crais, but for millennials,
Howard Michael Gould, the author of Last Looks and Below the Line, matches Goldberg and Crais puzzle for puzzle and with laugh for laugh, and he throws in the eco-conscious sensibility of an ex-cop who wants to keep his carbon footprint so small that he purges himself of all but 100 possessions.
There are also a lot of boy-girl questions in this story (not all of them resolved by book's end) and an abundance of potshots at the shallow So-Cal lifestyle.
Charlie Waldo, the main character, seems to have history with most of the book's other characters, especially Lorena, a private eye who seeks his assistance on a case and invites him back into her bed (past breakups notwithstanding).
There are characters from the movie business and bad guys who indulge in a little human trafficking on the side, and most notably a very messed-up teenage girl who seems to have toyed with most of the depravities available to prosperous Angelenos.
I liked Charlie Waldo a lot. My inner jury is still deliberating on Lorena (maybe a little too volatile and capricious to be believable??)
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.
Howard Michael Gould, the author of Last Looks and Below the Line, matches Goldberg and Crais puzzle for puzzle and with laugh for laugh, and he throws in the eco-conscious sensibility of an ex-cop who wants to keep his carbon footprint so small that he purges himself of all but 100 possessions.
There are also a lot of boy-girl questions in this story (not all of them resolved by book's end) and an abundance of potshots at the shallow So-Cal lifestyle.
Charlie Waldo, the main character, seems to have history with most of the book's other characters, especially Lorena, a private eye who seeks his assistance on a case and invites him back into her bed (past breakups notwithstanding).
There are characters from the movie business and bad guys who indulge in a little human trafficking on the side, and most notably a very messed-up teenage girl who seems to have toyed with most of the depravities available to prosperous Angelenos.
I liked Charlie Waldo a lot. My inner jury is still deliberating on Lorena (maybe a little too volatile and capricious to be believable??)
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy.
April 15, 2022
As an LAPD cop, Charlie Waldo arrests a young man. After learning of the man's innocence, Waldo tries and fails to get him out of jail, where the man dies. Waldo is racked with guilt and retreats to a life of isolation in a remote cabin in the woods in California. Three years later, Waldo is lured out of exile by his former lover, Lorena, the owner of a struggling private detective service. The case of a philandering husband leads to murder, drugs, human trafficking, and more murder. The best part of the book is watching Charlie wrestle with the complicate choices he faces living and working in LA while minimizing his possessions to 100 "things" and minimizing his impact on the environment. His relationship with Lorena is a struggle, but never gets too dark. The dialogue is fine and the story moves at a nice pace, with lots of false steps as new evidence appears. A gang leader with whom Charlie has history forces him to appear at the school attended by the gang leader's daughter. The problem with this book is the ending, in which some normal people abruptly transform into pathological killers, doing this so quickly that I found it jarring and unbelievable.
November 19, 2021
Piece of garbage. Save your money
Only reason I bought this book was because some book review said Gould was as funny as Carl Hiassen and Tim Dorsey. Gould isn't in the same league with either of them; the reviewer must have owed Gould a favor. The story and supporting characters are fine. The main protagonist is an annoying OCD ecology warrior who's a flaming asshole who allows himself just one hundred "things". Gould wastes a whole Kindle page describing why his protagonist won't eat Burger King. Not because the food is crap but because of all the flourocarbons created by the making and packaging of the food. Save your money. If you want hysterically funny go to library and get something by Hiassen or Dorsey. If you belong to Kindle Unlimited get anything by an Irish novelist name Caimh McDonnell. Whatever you do don't waste your money on anything by Gould where the protagonist is named Charlie Waldo
Only reason I bought this book was because some book review said Gould was as funny as Carl Hiassen and Tim Dorsey. Gould isn't in the same league with either of them; the reviewer must have owed Gould a favor. The story and supporting characters are fine. The main protagonist is an annoying OCD ecology warrior who's a flaming asshole who allows himself just one hundred "things". Gould wastes a whole Kindle page describing why his protagonist won't eat Burger King. Not because the food is crap but because of all the flourocarbons created by the making and packaging of the food. Save your money. If you want hysterically funny go to library and get something by Hiassen or Dorsey. If you belong to Kindle Unlimited get anything by an Irish novelist name Caimh McDonnell. Whatever you do don't waste your money on anything by Gould where the protagonist is named Charlie Waldo
October 15, 2019
I just finished this book up today and really enjoyed it! I didn’t end up getting a chance to read the first novel in this series, but still enjoyed this one and would still recommend it! It starts off a little slow, introducing readers to Former Police officer turned Private Investigator, who’s obsessively green/earth conscious quirks are both annoying and endearing. He’s called into a case with his PI girlfriend, which complicates their already rocky relationship substantially. Things start to get increasingly more complicated with the case and what seems like an easy case closed, turns out to be a much more insidious mystery. This book was a quick read and really hooked me about half way through. The ending also was something I never saw coming, which is what I love in a good mystery. All in all, I give it 3 stars; I enjoyed it! Thanks to Dutton Books for my free review copy!
December 17, 2020
The second in the series about an ex-cop trying to expiate his guilt after a huge mistake sent the wrong man to prison for years. Charlie Waldo cleared the man, becoming anathema to his police colleagues, and decided to simplify his life, moving to a tiny cabin in the woods and ridding himself of all possessions except for "100 things". In this mystery, Charlie looks for a missing teen, then investigates a couple of murders, as a "tryout" partner with his ex-girlfriend Lorena Nascimiento. The whodunit is carefully plotted, the characters well drawn, and there is some humor in the ways that Charlie tries to stay "green", even while in Los Angeles- he actually shudders when he thinks about auto emissions, foam takeout containers, processed food, tiny bottles of shampoo at hotels, etc. Gotta love the guy.
May 27, 2022
I like Waldo, but this story was a little lack luster and the characters weren’t as vivid or engaging as they were in Last Looks. Stevie drove me up the wall, but Lorena was little over the top with her vehement loathing of Stevie. Admittedly I don’t know Lorena as well as Gould does, but it came off as forced. I somehow see Lorena as being above the taunting of a crazy as an out house rat teen. It was admittedly very hard to drudge up any sympathy for Stevie or anyone else for that matter, save Waldo and his constant injuries. The nod to the 2016 election ripping families apart was uncomfortably true, and Don Q shined as a loving a devoted daddy, and hopefully a future friend to Waldo.
October 31, 2019
Charlie Waldo is back for a second adventure -- and it's a good one.
He is still battling to own only One Hundred Things. But that gets difficult when you have a luxury-lifestyle girl friend and when you need to keep getting bandages and splints for your various injuries.
Howard Michael Gould's writing savages California and Hollywood, where he still has his day job.
It's satirical and biting. And Waldo's minimalist lifestyle is a distinctive character trait that could make this a long-running, funny, enjoyable series.
He is still battling to own only One Hundred Things. But that gets difficult when you have a luxury-lifestyle girl friend and when you need to keep getting bandages and splints for your various injuries.
Howard Michael Gould's writing savages California and Hollywood, where he still has his day job.
It's satirical and biting. And Waldo's minimalist lifestyle is a distinctive character trait that could make this a long-running, funny, enjoyable series.
November 29, 2021
I totally get why people would critique this book (and maybe this series) because of the way that mysteries play out because yeah, the mysteries are kind of... like not the best? Like in terms of how they unfold/what makes the most sense? But I don't really care because I really love the characters. Like the way that Charlie and Lorena interact is just ~chef's kiss~. Usually, I am a plot-focused person, and I care more about the mystery than the people, but Gould has managed to change that for me in this series.
September 17, 2023
This book was so good. I like the aspect of trying to figure out who the murderer is with the detective. It’s like watching a crime show on TV… but better! The twist, the drama, were so good!
I’ve got to be honest. I did read this series out of order. When I bought the book I didn’t realize that it was the second book in the series. I just bought it because it was a murder mystery. I actually didn’t realize that it was a series till the end of the book. So, I will be going back and reading the first and third book haha.
I’ve got to be honest. I did read this series out of order. When I bought the book I didn’t realize that it was the second book in the series. I just bought it because it was a murder mystery. I actually didn’t realize that it was a series till the end of the book. So, I will be going back and reading the first and third book haha.
January 29, 2022
A straight jump in from #1 in the series. I read them nearly back to back and still had difficulty with all the names and character intersections. The first one had a good mystery as well as the novelty of 100 Things/ house in the woods/ difficulty negotiating that in the city. This one was all about the new mystery and girlfriend issues/ misunderstandings/ secrets. Doubt I’ll go on in the series.
October 21, 2022
I’m not sure whether I love or hate this book and its characters. Waldo’s green-loving ways got annoying after a while, Lorena is so bitchy, and none of the other characters were particularly lovable.
I guess the story was twisty enough to get me to want to continue reading and find out what happened. But it felt like a chore to read too. Like there was nothing really progressing and there were plenty of red herrings.
Can’t decide if I want to continue the series.
I guess the story was twisty enough to get me to want to continue reading and find out what happened. But it felt like a chore to read too. Like there was nothing really progressing and there were plenty of red herrings.
Can’t decide if I want to continue the series.
May 23, 2021
Charlie Waldo is back again, led away from his wilderness home by a beautiful P.I. by the name of Lorena. Poor Waldo, still looking like a homeless person, is thrashed about quite a bit while trying to help solve a case involving a spoiled rich girl. He is still dedicated to a life owning 100 items or less and adhering to strict rules to solve the planet. Personally, he would drive me nuts!
October 3, 2021
Second installment of the Charlie Waldo series. Unfortunately, the characters are growing tedious, if not downright annoying. The chemistry between the protagonists is the dominant theme of this book. The fact that there are several murders along the way in need of solving seems almost irrelevant. What I thought was going to be a good series seems to have worn out its welcome with me.
August 21, 2023
3.5 stars bumped up.
This installation wasn't as fun as the previous one. I'm unsure if this is because I listened to the audiobook and maybe found the voice acting more enjoyable, or if this story was just a bit more dismal. (It was a little. Wasn't a fan of the relationship dynamic between Waldo and Lorena).
This installation wasn't as fun as the previous one. I'm unsure if this is because I listened to the audiobook and maybe found the voice acting more enjoyable, or if this story was just a bit more dismal. (It was a little. Wasn't a fan of the relationship dynamic between Waldo and Lorena).
May 9, 2026
Significantly better than the first book in the Charlie Waldo series. This one was funny and didn't refer too much to Waldo's lifestyle of 100 items and a low carbon foot print. It was more annoying in the first book. "Below the Line" also had a more interesting murder and the mystery was well done. There was plenty of action and the story moved along rapidly, I'm ready for book #3.
April 4, 2019
I won Below the Line by Howard Michael Gould on Goodreads. It was just not for me. I stopped on page 16. I couldn't stomach the hero, Charlie Waldo. His west coast "eco-ness," with his 100 items of ownership was unappealing, unfunny and now, unread.
August 25, 2019
While some of the characters' eccentricities are entertaining I found many of them to be affectations and as a result I couldn't quite believe in them or their motivations. Also the book is pretty grim which clashes with the author's attempts to create a light-hearted and animated atmosphere.
September 1, 2019
I think most of the story was pretty good and parts of the character were interesting. However, most of the off the grid stuff was more like filler because it was not really serious and just distracting to the story.
January 20, 2020
Just didn’t love this one - none of the characters or the subject matter were likable/interesting. Even the main characters in this particular story can get tiresome. Not sure I will continue this series (if it does continue).
August 26, 2021
More Charlie Waldo!
Charlie Waldo is such a complex, exasperating, hilarious, upright character that my only criticism is that I'm afraid I'm about to run out of stories featuring him.
Charlie Waldo is such a complex, exasperating, hilarious, upright character that my only criticism is that I'm afraid I'm about to run out of stories featuring him.
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