Murder In The Garbage

by Jerry A Greenberg

Hank Boucher, after 35 years of service being a U.S. Navy Seal, is beginning to feel the cumulative effects of the action on his body. He loves what he does, but realizes he needs to surrender the job to a younger guy. Not wanting a desk job, and still wanting to use his training as a man of action, he becomes a CIA agent. His assignments take him all over the world tracking down criminals whose crimes will affect America.
In this first book, he is assigned to go to San Antonio, Texas to stop the theft of high-tech military equipment from the U.S. airforce. This adventure brings him into the middle of a complicated scheme involving a large garbage disposal company, the Mafia, and Hispanic gangs. The perpetrators are the executives of the company, the daughter of a Mafia chief, and airforce personnel in need of money.

188 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2022

Reviews

[Honey · Rating 2 out of 5]

In reading this book, I found that the way in which the story was written was not entirely up to par in which you see from other authors and novels. If I’m being completely honest, it was formatted in the way in which you would expect from a high school student writing a creative writing piece. But none the less, the story was to some extent engaging but I do not see many people wanting to actually finish reading this book. I think that if the author had maybe approach the story in a different way this may help to better engage the reader so they are feeling all of the aspects of the book and really feel the thrill of the changes in Hank’s jobs and actually showing interest in his background story and developmental arc.

[maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Murder in the Garbage by Jerry A Greenberg we follow Raoul Martez, a young man that has served as a police military and now wants to settle down. So, he starts working for a big garbage collection company in San Antonio, Texas, the Trinity Waste Management, that ends up being run by criminals. And Hank Boucher, a 36-year-old, who retired from the US Navy SEAL, but wants to continue working in something that gives him action. So, he later joins the CIA and is assigned to an investigation about stolen materials from the Air Force that have shown up in Mexico. He then meets Raoul, who found a dead body in a trash container while working. It seems that this body is from an important CEO, that may be connected to the ongoing investigation held by Hank.

Some positive aspects about the book are that it is entertaining, and keeps you absorbed. It reads as if you were watching a movie, so it is pretty much fast-paced. It is full of intrigue and action. The short chapters help to keep the fast pace and make you want to continue reading to see what happens next.

On the other hand, I thought that there were too many points of view, most of them unnecessary. It would just be good with Raoul and Hank’s perspective. Another thing I did not like was that there were a lot of characters introduced throughout the story but most of them were not relevant, which I found confusing and hard to keep track of all the names. One more thing I personally did not enjoy was that everyone would open up to the investigators so easily and tell them all the essential information, which I did not find realistic at all.

I gave it 3 out of 5 stars because I think even though it is not a really original story, and it is something that has been done a million times before, it is okay. I was still invested and wanted to know where the story was going and how it was going to end.

Furthermore, I recommend this book if you want a short, fast-paced story, with an intriguing plot that keeps you until the end, and it is action packed. If you like having a lot of different points of view from everyone involved. Also, if you enjoy reading about police investigations, corruption, mafia, and gangs.

[Redmakesmyheartsing · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder in the Garbage by Jerry A. Greenberg begins by introducing us to Raoul Martez. Raoul has just retired from a career in the army, where he had become a shooting instructor. He is now looking for a job to support him while he returns to night school to get qualifications and better career prospects. Raoul becomes a garbage collector joining Trinity Waste Management, the biggest waste management company in the town. The work is backbreaking, and often the trucks go out with a two-person crew when they are supposed to be manned by three men.

Mr. Samuels, the vice president of operations, is always angry. He thinks nothing of yelling at his staff or beating them up. Then the CEO of Trinity is found murdered, stuffed into a large garbage bin. Enter Hank Boucher, an ex-U.S. Navy Seal for fifteen years who decided to retire at thirty-six. Having had six months of intensive training, Hank is now a Central Intelligence Agency agent, and investigating the murder is his first assignment. Why has the FBI not been assigned to the case? How are Raoul Martinez and his driver Hubert Manton involved? Moreover, is Mr. Samuels the murderer? Read Murder in the Garbage by Jerry A. Greenberg to find out the answers to these questions.

The only thing I liked about Murder in the Garbage was the deference and respect with which Greenberg portrays the job of garbage collection. Greenberg makes some essential points about our throw-away society; he makes one of Raoul Martinez's hobbies, upcycling. He also includes a conversation with Martinez and his partner about the different types of rubbish thrown away in rich and poor areas. This made me reassess my efforts to recycle and reuse.

I am disappointed that there was little else to like about Murder in the Garbage by Jerry A. Greenberg. The book has yet to be edited or proofread; there are a lot of grammar and spelling errors. I was not impressed that the author changed his mind about the name of the waste disposal company partway through the book. For example, on page eight, "Hello, Triangle Waste Management, Linda Bailey speaking, may I help you?" but by page ten, it is being called Trinity Waste Management example "What you said is true. Might I ask why you picked Trinity to apply to?". Moreover, many long-winded conversations lead nowhere, and every new character, no matter how small their part, is described in great detail, including their height and weight. This makes the book boring!

I rate this book 2 out of 5 stars as it needs proofreading and editing, there needs to be clarity over the company's name, and Greenberg uses unnecessary descriptions to make the story appear a lot more interesting than it is!

I would recommend this book to adults who like gentle murder mysteries which have mild swearing but no sex. There is some stereotyping of Mexican people. Moreover, no man can walk past a woman in this book without fancying her. So if you find these attributes offensive, then Murder in the Garbage by Jerry A. Greenberg is probably not for you.

I want to thank Jerry A. Greenberg for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. You can read more of my reviews here: http://onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-... or on my blog https://redmakesmyheartsing.blogspot.com

[Victoria Ho · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book, Murder in the Garage by Jerry A. Greenberg, he brings a fun read to readers with a fast-paced crime thriller filled with action, keeping readers hooked. In this book, he focuses on two characters, Hank and Raoul, who will eventually meet in the storyline to bring down the antagonists in their plot of criminal actions. There are reports of smuggling military weapons from an Air Force base into Mexico, using the Trinity Waste Management company as their transportation and cover-up. As the two protagonists work together to unfold the truth, readers are hooked to find the culprit and the actors.

Overall, this book was a fun read. Although it was a fast-paced book, it does not compare to other crime thrillers, focusing on its plot. Predictability was a factor, but some characters lacked character development. I did, however, enjoy how the author presented each character’s strengths to be used later to tie into the end, with characters working together to solve the murder mystery. I would rate this book 3/5 stars. This book parallels crime shows, such as NCIS, CIS, etc.

[Shna Srosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a really good book with a lot of interesting things that keeps happening. But the language is destroying it for me. When I read it it's like reading a book written by a teenager, which is good. But, could have been better. I still like the book as it is, but it needs little more work on to make it more professional.

[Kenyatta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good, Interesting Who Done It Read

Although not as sophisticated as other murder-mystery novels, I quite enjoyed Murder in the Garbage, just the same. The story brings together Hank Boucher, whose retired after 35 years of service being a U.S. Navy Seal and Raoul Martez, recently out of the army. It seems both guys are at turning points, looking for a fresh start, or kind of, what to do next in their lives? Neither of them expected to land "in the garbage." LOL!

I found Hank and Raoul to be manly men, protective, and gritty. A good combination! They, along with the other characters, made the story interesting, upbeat, and me wanting to know how it was all going to play out! There's a little something for all murder mystery enthusiasts, from the Mafia, to gangs, to corporate corruption, an affair, and a cover up!! It was an easy read with some unexpected twists and turns. It held my attention and I found it quite enjoyable.

[Grace Krzycki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each chapter was narrated by a different character and I don’t love books like that. The ending felt very blah like it was rushed to finish.