Stand Up For Bastards

by Caleb Mason

Marcus Heaton is an ex-cop working as an investigator for a high-end law firm. When a simple family-history case goes sideways and the bodies start to pile up, he learns that neither his employer nor his client are who they seem, that some wounds never heal, and that the law is no match for a cocktail of ambition, greed, and revenge, on the rocks.

Genres: Mystery

369 pages, Paperback

Published March 27, 2021

About the author

Caleb Mason is a lawyer in Los Angeles. Stand Up For Bastards (Amika Press) is his first novel.

Reviews

[Lauren]

Marcus Heaton is an ex-cop with questionable morality. His quest for the truth and determination not to be the fall guy creates for a complex and well woven storyline.

[Jay Amberg]

“Always intriguing, with just the right touches of gallows humor. This masterful novel features dirty cops, wily private investigators, and cunning prosecutors, using their wits to follow a trail from rural America to the lairs of the rich and powerful in New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC. Not only did this book remind me of some of the wild and exciting cases I’ve worked, it made me recall why crime fiction has always been my favorite genre. A captivating read from start to finish.” —Tom Cowley, Los Angeles private investigator and former FBI agent

[Sarah Koz]

“Stand Up For Bastards starts with fists flying and never lets up. Caleb Mason has created a modern Marlowe—sharp as a tack, at odds with the world, and unrelenting to the last word. An uppercut of a yarn!” —Nick Wootton, writer, NYPD Blue; showrunner, Scorpion, Golden Boy

[Liza Platonov]

This book was awesome!! Read the whole thing in one sitting because I couldn’t tear myself away. I learned so much about the legal behind the scenes of investigative work and corruption in law enforcement. Marcus Heaton was a great protagonist and I thought his emotional struggle with his relationship to violence was super interesting and unusual for a detective novel. I also would never have predicted almost any of the plot twists, and yet, they still felt completely plausible within the realm of the story. This book completely exceeded my expectations and I will be recommending it to everyone I know!

[Tanya Hansen]

Not exactly what I expected from the "blurb" that described the book for the giveaway or from the title. However, it was a well written book, with a decent storyline. A bit more editing and a bit more detail in some areas and this book would be 4-5 stars.

I also downgraded the number of stars because I was able to figure a lot of things out before they were revealed in the storyline. A definite great start, just needs a little more.

[Rick Molitor]

Good thriller

This a a good story with lots of interesting characters. It takes a bit to figure out where it is going . It back fills in a lot of info and leads you on a nice long trip. A realistic look at what goes on behind the scene from a lead character who developed a set of morals.

[Bob Boone]

Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers’ Favorite: “Stand Up For Bastards by Caleb Mason is a gripping tale for fans of sleuth and mystery fiction. It follows a tenacious investigator, Marcus Heaton, an ex-cop now working for a law firm. He likes to pick his own cases, but he doesn’t turn Eleanor Hausman’s offer down when she enlists him on a genealogy case. While working on the family’s history, everything goes utterly wrong when dead bodies start piling up. Marcus begins to realize that his client might not be who they claim to be, and his employer might be even worse. Embroiled in a complex plot of murder, ambition, and greed, can he unravel the truth without being swallowed up by the crime?

The story is told in a captivating first-person voice. The author writes with a strong point of view, allowing the protagonist’s unusual way of seeing life and people to come out brilliantly through the story, and his way of looking at the world is complemented by a rare sense of humor. The characters are complex, especially Eleanor Hausman, a woman with a sophisticated personality and hidden motives. Other interesting characters that I loved included J.C. and Duane. The novel features mature themes and explores family dynamics, intrigue, and murder. Caleb Mason’s novel is character-driven, and readers will be thrilled at how a simple case can be driven by pure greed. Stand Up For Bastards is fast-paced and well-written. As well as the ingenuity in the plot and the memorable characters, readers will enjoy the streams of consciousness and the internal dialogues that give depth to the story.”