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Aaron Tucker Mysteries #1
For Whom the Minivan Rolls
Aaron Tucker isn't a detective. An aspiring screenwriter, freelance reporter, stay-at-home dad, and expert on consumer electronics, Aaron actually defies all traditional characteristics of a detective. He's 5'4," and weighs less than Robert B. Parker's leather jacket. And he doesn't have any investigative training. But he's funny, down-to-earth, lovable, and resourceful. He has good and loyal friends, like Jeff Mahoney, the huge rental car mechanic who helps him out of tight situations, and Abigail Stein, his sexy wife, who happens to be a successful criminal lawyer, and whose advice comes in handy a time or two. So he's baffled when the richest guy in his New Jersey town, Gary Beckwirth, insists that Aaron, and Aaron alone, investigate the disappearance of his wife, Mary Beckwirth. Aaron refuses Gary's desperate pleas, but once the editor of the town newspaper offers Aaron $1000 to write the story on Mary's disappearance, Aaron finds himself agreeing to investigate, despite his lack of investigative reporting experience. When the disappearance becomes a murder, he has no choice but to keep investigating, no matter how unqualified he may be.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2002
23 people are currently reading
534 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Cohen
48 books70 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Author of the Double Feature Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime, starting with Some Like It Hot-Buttered, and continuing in July 2008 with It Happened One Knife. Also author of the Aaron Tucker Mystery series: For Whom the Minivan Rolls, A Farewell to Legs, and As Dog Is My Witness. Wrote two books on raising a child with Asperger's Syndrome."
Author of the Double Feature Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime, starting with Some Like It Hot-Buttered, and continuing in July 2008 with It Happened One Knife. Also author of the Aaron Tucker Mystery series: For Whom the Minivan Rolls, A Farewell to Legs, and As Dog Is My Witness. Wrote two books on raising a child with Asperger's Syndrome."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
April 21, 2014
This is a fun book. It is the first in a series. While it appears on one level to be a simple, run-of-the mill mystery, there is a little more depth. The main character, Aaron Tucker is a freelance writer who finds himself in the middle of hunt for a missing woman. While Jeffrey Cohen has crafted a good mystery. I appreciate the fact that the has complicated the situation by making Aaron the father of two children, one with Aspergers Syndrome. In addition he usually works from home and is responsible for much of the childcare. So, while the book has all of the normal trappings of a book in the mystery genre, it has a good dose of realism thrown in. I am looking forward to reading the next in this series!
May 10, 2024
Sad to say, I didn't enjoy this as much as the books the author has written as E J Copperman. I just didn't like the MC.
March 13, 2014
Aaron is surprised when he is asked to find a missing housewife. He gets frustrated when everyone seems to block his attempts to get answers. But when he stumbles on a dead body, things really get interesting.
I loved this book. Great characters and funny humor kept me turning pages until the end.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I loved this book. Great characters and funny humor kept me turning pages until the end.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
May 24, 2017
I read a later one before this first one, which does have its charm as the first and maybe is actually a little less heavy-handed than the other ... however I do find myself wishing for quips and self-deprecating humor to come at a rather less furious pace. But, enjoyable, and good if in the mood for a mystery but not a dark one.
May 4, 2025
This novel centers around freelance writer/amateur screenplay writer/one-time (for 6 months, 20 years ago) investigative reporter/stay-at-home dad who, completely unexpectedly, is asked by the town's rich man to investigate the sudden (2am) disappearance. Not being a private detective, or even an investigative reporter anymore, says no. So then he gets called up by the paper he occasionally does work for - and they offer him money to do exactly that (swayed by the rich man, of course). And that is how our protagonist, Aaron Tucker, finds himself looking into the disappearance of a man's wife (and a boy's mother) - a story that quickly (okay, somewhat quickly) turns into something much more than that. At the same time, he's also handling some troubles at home - though, not the typical type of things we see in private detective stories: his marriage is fine, but his son with Asperger's syndrome has recently become the target of something, with someone writing "F*** Ethan" in barbecue sauce on their walkway, giving him another mystery to solve as well.
And right when he finally (it takes a while, not being a detective and all that) has things sort of figured out (okay, not really, but he has the end in sight), things take a drastic turn. Because now, unlike before, there's a body. And the question goes from "where is she?" to "who did this?" And the suspect list grows to include the husband, of course; but also, the man she was rumored to have an affair with; the wife of said man, who is running for town mayor; the rich man's lawyer, whose name was on the hotel suite she was found in; amongst others. Meanwhile, Aaron is still dealing with a threatening phone call he received early on (from a phone number registered to a random plant seller in Pennsylvania), and a minivan that had been following him before, and, most confusingly, a phone call he had received from the murder victim just before he found her, telling him he could stop investigating because she wasn't missing.
There's a lot of self-deprecating humor and other one-line quips thrown in (just look at the title), which I'm completely here for (though I can see some folks thinking its a bit too much, because there is a lot of it). His not being a proper private detective also is handled well - both with his initial attempts to reject being pulled in and, once that fails, the relatively slow pace at which things unfold initially. Because, well, he's not a detective. He's essentially stuck at a dead end for a bit, though he's eventually able to piece things together as he marries his skills as a reporter with his prior experience as an investigative reporter (and his ongoing friendship with the police chief).
The aforementioned opening misdirection is obviously a common trope to get things started, but it feels unnecessary to me. As too does the mid-point "aside" (I don't think that's what it was called, but that's what it was) - a 1 chapter bit from another character's point of view to confirm to us, I guess, that we weren't being entirely lied to. But also, honestly, probably not necessary. The only other issue I had was with the audiobook itself - there was a couple chapters (3 or 4, I think; not many) where there was almost an entire minute (or more) of silence before the next chapter started. It felt like we had just hit the end of one of those chapters that ends at the first sentence of the new page, and our narrator decide to "read" all that blank space as well. It jarred me the first time ("oh crap, is something wrong with the book?") but I skipped ahead at 10-15 second spurts and eventually it just started with the next chapter. Lesson learned, so the next couple of times I just skipped ahead from the start - but still, odd.
Beyond that, though, I really enjoyed this story. Our main character's 'amateur' detective skills are kept real enough that you won't mistake him for Sherlock. He does notice things, yes, but it takes a while. He does pull the typical amateur move of not calling the professionals for backup (always a pet peeve of mine) when he's gone and accused everyone and is expecting someone to show up that night to kill him (but at least he's smart enough, probably because his wife made him, to not be completely backup less), but aside from that, he's not our full-blown amateur detective-level idiot.
I typically reserve audiobooks for my commutes to work (or, on weekends, wherever I'm going) and home, but this is one that I would always find myself listening to a bit longer once I got to my destination because I was really enjoying the story and was interested to know how it was going to play out. Which, well - that fully explained 'why' is completely bonkers!; I guess you had to be there - re: 70s - to get it? Or, I guess, maybe this is just typical of New Jersey suburbanites.
It's nice to see this type of story where our characters have a normal/happy relationship - there's been a stretch of media I've recently consumed (this; Tommy & Tuppence; The Thin Man's Nick & Norah) where, for all the shit going on, the relationship of our lead(s) is solid and happy and very different from so much of everything else out there right now, and it's fun to see. There's so much shit out there going on, and you don't really need to make your characters completely useless in their personal life too t0 drive home the point that they're (amateur) detectives. We get it - but, yes, you can be an amateur something while still being in a healthy relationship. In fact, one of the best parts here is that even if things are hidden from us, it is made clear that things are discussed with his wife (especially after, the one time that made he acted too rashly, she brought it up and he immediately made it a point to discuss further decisions and actions with her).
My search for combination humor/mystery audiobooks (and, for personal preference - not stories that are parts of series I've already started, because I'm looking for something different) for my commute has generally worked out pretty well (few definite exceptions aside), but this one has currently moved to the top of that list. It does both the humor and the mystery (though, warning: not really a whodunnit) well, and moves along at a decent enough pace that you're never really stuck in a lull - even when his initial investigation seems to be moving next-to-nowhere. I really enjoyed this one.
And right when he finally (it takes a while, not being a detective and all that) has things sort of figured out (okay, not really, but he has the end in sight), things take a drastic turn. Because now, unlike before, there's a body. And the question goes from "where is she?" to "who did this?" And the suspect list grows to include the husband, of course; but also, the man she was rumored to have an affair with; the wife of said man, who is running for town mayor; the rich man's lawyer, whose name was on the hotel suite she was found in; amongst others. Meanwhile, Aaron is still dealing with a threatening phone call he received early on (from a phone number registered to a random plant seller in Pennsylvania), and a minivan that had been following him before, and, most confusingly, a phone call he had received from the murder victim just before he found her, telling him he could stop investigating because she wasn't missing.
There's a lot of self-deprecating humor and other one-line quips thrown in (just look at the title), which I'm completely here for (though I can see some folks thinking its a bit too much, because there is a lot of it). His not being a proper private detective also is handled well - both with his initial attempts to reject being pulled in and, once that fails, the relatively slow pace at which things unfold initially. Because, well, he's not a detective. He's essentially stuck at a dead end for a bit, though he's eventually able to piece things together as he marries his skills as a reporter with his prior experience as an investigative reporter (and his ongoing friendship with the police chief).
The aforementioned opening misdirection is obviously a common trope to get things started, but it feels unnecessary to me. As too does the mid-point "aside" (I don't think that's what it was called, but that's what it was) - a 1 chapter bit from another character's point of view to confirm to us, I guess, that we weren't being entirely lied to. But also, honestly, probably not necessary. The only other issue I had was with the audiobook itself - there was a couple chapters (3 or 4, I think; not many) where there was almost an entire minute (or more) of silence before the next chapter started. It felt like we had just hit the end of one of those chapters that ends at the first sentence of the new page, and our narrator decide to "read" all that blank space as well. It jarred me the first time ("oh crap, is something wrong with the book?") but I skipped ahead at 10-15 second spurts and eventually it just started with the next chapter. Lesson learned, so the next couple of times I just skipped ahead from the start - but still, odd.
Beyond that, though, I really enjoyed this story. Our main character's 'amateur' detective skills are kept real enough that you won't mistake him for Sherlock. He does notice things, yes, but it takes a while. He does pull the typical amateur move of not calling the professionals for backup (always a pet peeve of mine) when he's gone and accused everyone and is expecting someone to show up that night to kill him (but at least he's smart enough, probably because his wife made him, to not be completely backup less), but aside from that, he's not our full-blown amateur detective-level idiot.
I typically reserve audiobooks for my commutes to work (or, on weekends, wherever I'm going) and home, but this is one that I would always find myself listening to a bit longer once I got to my destination because I was really enjoying the story and was interested to know how it was going to play out. Which, well - that fully explained 'why' is completely bonkers!; I guess you had to be there - re: 70s - to get it? Or, I guess, maybe this is just typical of New Jersey suburbanites.
It's nice to see this type of story where our characters have a normal/happy relationship - there's been a stretch of media I've recently consumed (this; Tommy & Tuppence; The Thin Man's Nick & Norah) where, for all the shit going on, the relationship of our lead(s) is solid and happy and very different from so much of everything else out there right now, and it's fun to see. There's so much shit out there going on, and you don't really need to make your characters completely useless in their personal life too t0 drive home the point that they're (amateur) detectives. We get it - but, yes, you can be an amateur something while still being in a healthy relationship. In fact, one of the best parts here is that even if things are hidden from us, it is made clear that things are discussed with his wife (especially after, the one time that made he acted too rashly, she brought it up and he immediately made it a point to discuss further decisions and actions with her).
My search for combination humor/mystery audiobooks (and, for personal preference - not stories that are parts of series I've already started, because I'm looking for something different) for my commute has generally worked out pretty well (few definite exceptions aside), but this one has currently moved to the top of that list. It does both the humor and the mystery (though, warning: not really a whodunnit) well, and moves along at a decent enough pace that you're never really stuck in a lull - even when his initial investigation seems to be moving next-to-nowhere. I really enjoyed this one.
August 19, 2007
FOR WHOM THE MINIVAN ROLLS (Unlicensed Investigator/Writer-New Jersey-Cont) – G+
Cohen, Jeffrey – 1st in series
Bancroft Press, 2002- Hardcover
Aaron Tucker is a husband, father, ever-hopeful screenwriter and freelance reporter. Madlyn Beckwirth, wife of the town’s wealthy resident, disappears in the middle of the night. Gary Beckwirth insists that Aaron is hired to find her, but then refuses to cooperate with the investigation. After Aaron is threatened, he is determined to find out what happened.
*** I did not find it as funny as some and become tired of being reminded that Aaron is short. I enjoyed his references to music and to other authors and fictional PIs, even through he missed by stating that Kat Colorado is an LA PI, when the character was set in Sacramento, California. What I did like was strong dialogue, a good sense of place, Aaron’s relationship with his family and, when he realized he was being used, his determination to find the answers to the mystery. It had an interesting plot with unexpected twists along the way. Cohen has written an enjoyable, entertaining book that I would classify this as a solid traditional mystery.
Cohen, Jeffrey – 1st in series
Bancroft Press, 2002- Hardcover
Aaron Tucker is a husband, father, ever-hopeful screenwriter and freelance reporter. Madlyn Beckwirth, wife of the town’s wealthy resident, disappears in the middle of the night. Gary Beckwirth insists that Aaron is hired to find her, but then refuses to cooperate with the investigation. After Aaron is threatened, he is determined to find out what happened.
*** I did not find it as funny as some and become tired of being reminded that Aaron is short. I enjoyed his references to music and to other authors and fictional PIs, even through he missed by stating that Kat Colorado is an LA PI, when the character was set in Sacramento, California. What I did like was strong dialogue, a good sense of place, Aaron’s relationship with his family and, when he realized he was being used, his determination to find the answers to the mystery. It had an interesting plot with unexpected twists along the way. Cohen has written an enjoyable, entertaining book that I would classify this as a solid traditional mystery.
February 29, 2016
Highly enjoyable first installment in the Aaron Tucker series. Aaron, a free-lance reporter, is pressured to investigate the disappearance of Madlyn Beckwirth by Milt Ladowski, a high-powered lawyer who also has a part-time gig with the local government. Milt insists that Gary Beckwirth has called for him personally. Aaron protests, but resistance proves useless, and he finds himself investigating the increasingly convoluted life and loss of the elusive Madlyn, while simultaneously dealing with his Asperger's son and the mysterious incident of the bbq sauce message left on his family's step.
I very much enjoy Cohen's mysteries. Some of the wisecracking in this earliest novel is not as well-paced as his later efforts, but it'd be hard not to like the dedicated a husband, father, and amateur detective that is Aaron Tucker.
If you guess the answer to Madlyn's disappearances in the early chapters, then my hat is off to you. I've never read a plot like this one!
I very much enjoy Cohen's mysteries. Some of the wisecracking in this earliest novel is not as well-paced as his later efforts, but it'd be hard not to like the dedicated a husband, father, and amateur detective that is Aaron Tucker.
If you guess the answer to Madlyn's disappearances in the early chapters, then my hat is off to you. I've never read a plot like this one!
May 3, 2017
They mystery isn't bad - and there's no sex or swearing. The characters are ok. The thing that bugs me is the whole feeling of "dad" having such a hard time keeping the house and kids together - it's so stereotypical for the guy to have SUCH a hard time with the house/kid thing. The stereotype of the stay at home dad keeping a messy house and not being able to cook annoys me too.
The thing that bugs me the most about this book, though, is the blanket stereotype of "kids with Asperger Syndrome". First of all, the term is now outdated, but more importantly, all of the stereotypes for behavior the author uses for the 11 year old boy - it's just labeling. I know most people love labeling, but it's such a cop out to me. The constant - constant! - comments about 'how an Asperger kid acts' - bugged the snot out of me through the whole book. Plus, the 'woe is me' attitude the guy has through the whole book, how difficult it is for his daily life, is just really, really over the top.
The thing that bugs me the most about this book, though, is the blanket stereotype of "kids with Asperger Syndrome". First of all, the term is now outdated, but more importantly, all of the stereotypes for behavior the author uses for the 11 year old boy - it's just labeling. I know most people love labeling, but it's such a cop out to me. The constant - constant! - comments about 'how an Asperger kid acts' - bugged the snot out of me through the whole book. Plus, the 'woe is me' attitude the guy has through the whole book, how difficult it is for his daily life, is just really, really over the top.
September 13, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I liked Aaron Tucker, how much he's in love with his lawyer wife, how he works with his Aspberger's Syndrome older child, and how much Aaron enjoys being a family man. Aaron is a stay-at-home dad, working as a freelance journalist, author and screenwriter. He is brought into the ugly world of small-town politics and the wealthy when a local woman goes missing, and her husband decides that Aaron would be the perfect person to look for her as he once was an investigative reporter--and the mystery unrolls from there (no pun intended--sorry!).
I liked Aaron's references to fictional detectives, and best of all, the fact that he was smart enough to always have back-up when he thinks he might get into a tough situation.
I liked Aaron's references to fictional detectives, and best of all, the fact that he was smart enough to always have back-up when he thinks he might get into a tough situation.
September 22, 2015
This book was so funny! Almost fell off the treadmill laughing. So, be careful what you're doing while listening to the audio version.
May 30, 2025
3.5
11yo autistic son
11yo autistic son
November 30, 2020
I struggle to write a review of this book because it's great in some ways and just unbelievable in others. First what I enjoyed. Great writing, fun characters, and a wonderful dose of New Jersey humor. There was an amazing dire disruption at the midpoint which I didn't know how the author was going to handle, but I liked the way that part of the plot proceeded. There were good clue drops, revisiting of the clues, and expansion of the clues. I like his relationship with his wife and his personal story.
But I was disappointed in the mystery for a few reasons. The victim was TSTL which is I guess a good reason to end her. There were some truly implausible details. A person fires a gun twice in an Atlantic City hotel and no one reports it? And then the amateur detective (or any detective that I recall) doesn't request access to the security video. And then, (and this isn't the first debut I've read that does this), we hang it on the kid? Really? And that doesn't even address the marital machinations that were part of this whodunit.
I'd read the next in the series just to see if the mystery aspect of the writing improved because I did enjoy the author's voice and the characters.
But I was disappointed in the mystery for a few reasons. The victim was TSTL which is I guess a good reason to end her. There were some truly implausible details. A person fires a gun twice in an Atlantic City hotel and no one reports it? And then the amateur detective (or any detective that I recall) doesn't request access to the security video. And then, (and this isn't the first debut I've read that does this), we hang it on the kid? Really? And that doesn't even address the marital machinations that were part of this whodunit.
I'd read the next in the series just to see if the mystery aspect of the writing improved because I did enjoy the author's voice and the characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2020
This is the first in another series of very amusing cozy mysteries by Jeffrey Cohen. I liked his "Double Feature" mysteries, but I find this series(at least this first one) much funnier. Readers of both series will note Barry Dutton is a character in both series. Anyway, the main character in this series(Aaron Tucker) is a freelance writer(not a detective, as he amusingly keeps reminding the other characters when things go awry)who is asked to investigate the disappearance of the campaign manager for the mayoral hopeful. But is she really lost? If so, how will Aaron find her as he isn't a detective and all? Who wrote on Aaron's sidewalk in barbecue sauce? These questions, and many more, will be solved by the undetective Aaron Tucker. As is the "Double Feature" series, this mystery is very well-written. Highly recommended.
January 3, 2023
This was an entertaining and hilarious who done it, though dated by 20 years. It features former investigative reporter turned freelance writer and full time dad, Aaron Tucker. He lives in Suburban New Jersey with lawyer wife Abigail, and two kids. One of them ,Ethan, has Asperger's. Through some turn of luck, the British guy in town Gary Beckwith asks for Aaron personally to look into the disappearance of his wife, Madelyn. The mystery didn't disappoint in the characters were great, including the autism representation in Ethan and the best sidekick in Jeff Mahoney.
October 4, 2024
The audiobook production isn't the best. The narrator makes some choices that I would describe as "broad", especially at the start of the book. The tone was just a bit goofy at the beginning. Maybe it stayed goofy and I just adjusted to it. There were also some issues with the audiobook. On several occasions chapters would end with a minute or 2 of dead air... It wasn't the sharpest murder mystery I've ever read, but ultimately I enjoyed it.
April 13, 2024
I enjoyed this, especially the way this father dealt with his ASD son as he investigated the murder. This character, though, is becoming cliche — the sardonic self-deprecating loser who finds himself in untenable situations.
October 22, 2017
Entertaining
December 12, 2017
Aaron Tucker is a great character, funny, the end is a bit convoluted.
December 21, 2017
The murderer was a total surprise
July 8, 2018
Really 3.5. Fast, easy to read mystery.
January 25, 2019
The mystery story was good, but the main character was snarky, rather than humorous. I also didn't like the narrator, who mispronounced many words that are in common usage.
June 23, 2020
A fun, light-hearted mystery set in suburban New Jersey. I found this while searching for another book and was hooked by the title. A perfect summer read!
July 3, 2020
I couldn’t resist this from the tongue in cheek title and it delivered. Amusing and an interesting plot. I will likely read another in series if I can find it.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
July 23, 2020
I needed some fluff after the last bloody time I read. This did the trick — a male Stephanie Plum.
Read
February 25, 2021Read 2011
Read
April 18, 2021when you need a light mystery. I enjoyed the characters.
October 19, 2022
Audiobook, not a lot of options from the online library. It was kind of dumb, but eh.
July 6, 2025
Fun who-done it on audio!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews