There were quite a few storylines in the story, but all were connected by the dead body in the Hilton and the missing money.
This wasn't a badly-written book but it was just one that couldn't quite seem to hold my attention for long enough to get immersed in the story.
The description of Emerald Coast was great but the characters were a bit flat to me. The "chase" scene near the end was brilliant but I didn't feel that the ending wrapped up all the loose ends for me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read the book.

Many laugh out loud moments in this book. There are a lot of strange characters - a quirky 'wanna be ' again singer-song writer ,a couple of small town detectives, along with a group of money laundering, scheming business men with mob ties. Some repetition and a few dull moments but overall a fun read. If you like dumb crooks and mob books that leave you wondering what happened,, you will probably enjoy this book.

If there was a half scale, would have to give it a 3.5 because it failed to keep me fully engaged.
Thanks to the author and publishers for an ARC.The opinions expressed are my own.

This book has a lot of words borrowed from others, and even the plot seems borrowed. The story is good, however, and quite amusing, along with great characters.

Emerald Coast: Free Money by Michael Guillebeau


An over-the-top spoof-like comedy of a story with the gruff older detective and his younger sidekick, a few rather eccentric characters, mobsters with nefarious intentions and a rock-star-working-as-a-maid who is the strongest character of all. Not necessarily keystone cops but but there was a feeling of the surreal to this story. I can almost see it as a graphic novel with at least one page with a guy in the water with big red reptilian eyes nearby and snakes in the trees. This was a fun quick easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Madison Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

Funny thing… small town corruption smells exactly like big city corruption… throw in murder along with the requisite money and you've got a story to tell. EMERALD COAST: FREE MONEY deals with corruption in the Florida panhandle, so there is a generous dose of old time religion thrown into the mix.

Michael Guillebeau likes to drop names. Lizzie Bordon, no, not that one. Blackbeard, no, not that one either. Terry? If you're old enough, you might remember "Terry and the Pirates" of funny paper fame. With names like these, it's easy to remember who's who as you delve into the tale.

There is something that every Mom knows; she knows she has to pick her battles because every kid, and by extension every adult, does stupid stuff. Yes, sometimes the stupid stuff is more or less criminal, but who decides? Using subtle satire, Guillebeau effectively shows both sides of the crooked coin. On the one hand, you have career criminals in three-piece suits; on the other, you have mostly honest folks that have been wronged. Small town politics is by its very nature corrupt. Everybody knows everybody and their business. The Mayor listens to the Chamber of Commerce. The Police Chief listens to the Mayor. The rank and file cops are left to sort out the criminality. They sometimes need to overlook a bit of dishonesty in favor of the greater good.

I discovered Michael Guillebeau when I read MAD LIBRARIAN. I learned a great deal about politics and corruption from that one. EMERALD COAST: FREE MONEY is a bit less in your face, but it did, nevertheless, add to my knowledge of boiler room tactics still being alive and well today. Perhaps, because I live in Florida, this book holds more than a little meaning for me. Well, that and the music which is what this book is really all about.

This was a very fun and engaging mystery from the author of one of my favorite darkly funny finds last year - MAD Librarian. In this latest book, we find ourselves in Gulf Coast Florida, where a long-time resident detective and his partner, a recent transplant from Chicago, find themselves embroiled in a mystery that is equal parts serious and seriously ridiculous. It's a great combination in the hands of a talented storyteller, and Guillebeau is that in spades. The characters are a delight and the setting is unusual (at least it was for me) and lent itself to a lot of hilarity and dark humor that played really well with the plot. Lizzie Borden is a very fun and funky character and her attempts to bring her musical career back on track offered just the right blend of "regular person who won't take it any more" sass that I loved about MAD Librarian.

This was a very fun and very quick read and the ending seemed to leave open the possibility for more books/stories in the future. I sincerely hope that's the case because this was a world that was too fun for only one visit!

NB: On that note, I did a little research, and Guillebeau has some short stories set in this world already - despite my not generally being a big fan of that format, I will definitely look for them though, because the characters in this Florida swamp of a world are intriguing and a great melange of personalities, quirks, and foibles. I actually think they'd lend themselves well to a short format; it would allow for a lot of character presentation and development in gator-bite-sized morsels, and when you couple that with Guillebeau's easygoing and engaging writing style, I can only imagine the result will be fun.

A fun, witty and engaging book. It's well written and a lot of fun to read.
I look forward to reading other books by this writer.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

This is the sort of fun action drama story that always entertains. You will root for the heroine in this story. It's a well rounded story with fun and engaging characters. A fast and easy read.

4.0☆
It was an enjoyable read from a standpoint of a job that gone wrong. A murder took place at the Hilton; however, 2 million dollars were left behind. A maid discovers the money and takes it. The two "thugs" spend considerable time searching for the missing money and eventually ends up manhandled by the maid/artist.

Overall I enjoyed the book and loved how there was no unnecessary fluff added in the main plot.

Lizzie is my kind of girl, I'm not talking about her taste or career in music but more about how she speaks her mind. It's growing up being honest that spells trouble for her when she acts on a whim and a trail of trouble follows her home, including law enforcement in the form of Terry.
I guess life along the beach has got it's share of tides and this book makes for a light and fun read. There's the back and forth between Terry and Blackbeard and the uncanny ability to quote some homicide characters in best selling novels.
This is the second book I've read that's written by Mr. Guillebeau and when he reached out to me telling me that he's got this book on Netgalley, I could not resist clicking the 'read now' button. It's fun, witty, quirky and I'd say one of the laid-back crime/mystery novels that I've read this year.
PS: Read this and please let me know if you have any clue as to who ended up with the money.

Fall foliage is beginning to transform into bare branches and blanketed snow, and the colder the weather gets, the more reason readers have for staying indoors with a cozy new read. Whether you're in the mood for a steamy romance, heart-pounding thriller, or riveting historical fiction, there's a book for everyone on this list. Check out our list of the best books winter 2018 has to offer, complete with publishers' descriptions.