I read A Lot but The Girl with the Lollypop Eyes took me on a ride I wasn’t expecting—and I loved every minute of it. Fast paced, twisty and peopled by excellently drawn characters. I’ve lost track of the times I’ve quoted a funny line or described a crazy situation from this book. Well worth a read, but don’t expect a familiar plot line because this one gives the finger to familiar.

Although I did thoroughly enjoy this book, I must say that I am giving it a lower rating than I would because some of the writing didn't sit well with me. I loved the entire premise of the book as well as the twists and turns but some of the characters dialogue just felt as though it was a little bit half-hazard and could have been condensed it all a bit. One particular instance in when the author writes out "sheeeet" I do not know what this meant and if this is supposed to be an accent or a stylistic choice but it just made me a little upset each time I had to read it and didn't understand why

This book did what it set out to do, but I think I just didn't really vibe with what it was going for. The main character Thor was fairly likable, but it also made me feel insane when it was eventually revealed that he was only 46 despite sounding like he was about 63 - but a 63 year old living in 1998. I'm a 40 year old femme as of this writing and was just totally unable to reconcile this character with the reality that he would be a city-bred Gen X-er, no matter how rough the neighborhood. And I think we were supposed to find it quirky that he continually stole his roommate's kitchen appliances to use as weapons (???), but mostly it just felt gross and weird, like the actions of a terrible roommate but also just a bad person. He didn't have any of his own stuff to destroy? He had to ruin the property of his one female roommate?

Also, and this is so nitpicky, but with a character so out-of-his-time that he continually uses the word "interwebs" it made no sense that at one point he makes a reference to The Room (Oh hi, Mark). I think that's one for, if not the terminally online, at least the ones online enough to not say interwebs. This book was an interesting look into a life experience completely foreign to me, and a good spin on modern noir, it just had a few too many rough edges for me.

My thanks to Blood Bound Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

I was expecting a fun little noir mystery, but I ended up really loving the author's writing style. It's funny, too, because Thor, the main character/detective, is just a big guy who can take a punch and solves the mystery by barreling through situations. Then he starts talking! The language is very humorous, and I especially love when he compares and describes people. I hope the author is this funny all the time, because I'll be reading more by her.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

detective-fiction, noir, situational-humor, snarky, verbal-humor, Pittsburgh, private-investigators, investigation, missing-persons****

Thor Cole, PI, and the missing Pittsburgh bartender is a howling laugh riot of a short novel.
I requested and received an EARC from Blood Bound Books via NetGalley.

I received a free ARC, and this review is voluntary.

I'm from Pittsburgh, and this just hurt my soul to read

There's a lot of stereotype present, especially about the pride we yinzers have for our City, which was portrayed less as pride in our neighborhoods, but more akin to NIMBYism, and a distrust of outsiders. Although the description of the South Side was more or less accurate, the fact that beers local to the State or the region weren't mentioned - like Yuengling, Iron City or Penn Brewery - rather, Busch Light, was just odd. You're more likely to find folks drinking Busch Light at a frat party, or as a drinking loophole for those at Duquesne University wanting to avoid Catholic guilt.

Tidbits like calling someone a hippie, or thinking that women of the region view Cosmo magazine as their Bible, was just odd. We used the term hipster, but even then it fell out of fashion quick, and turned into a meme instead. And sure, I knew like, ONE PERSON who read Cosmo. The portrayal of the characters fell under this stereotype mentioned prior, and folks like that are so far and few between that the author wrote it like it was the norm of the populace. Transplants come to this city for jobs, but they're nonetheless welcomed with open arms. Sure, the Steelers were mentioned, which is a given, but not once was Primanti's mentioned, which is a slap in the face to a Pittsburgh institution, coming from a story about the area.

Thank you to the author for the time taken to write this, but you could have done better.

The Girl With the Lollipop Eyes is a standalone modern Noir PI novel by Lucy Leitner. Released 19th Dec 2023 by Blood Bound Books, it's 244 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a very high octane chaotic PI romp set in the mean streets of Pittsburgh's Southside. Self employed former bouncer turned PI Thor is trying to keep his seedy neighborhood free of drunk vandals and serial public urinators when an actual case walks through his door and wants him to find her missing boyfriend, a bartender who's gone awol.

It's full of rapid fire (often crude) dialogue and the kind of eccentric violent characters who would be right at home in a Joe Lansdale (Hap & Leonard) novel. It's -full- of cursing and violence, but not used egregiously, and with a surprising amount of solid muscle under the hood. The mystery is well crafted and the prose is spare and fully engaged. The author isn't on most mainstream bookish radars, and she *should* be. Very gifted storyteller and wordsmith, and this story is so redolent of Pittsburgh's south side that it should also feature as a main character.

Four and a half stars. Really really well written, violent, and funny. Not child friendly, strong dialogue (after the 100th "f*ck" you sort of stop noticing), violence (obviously). One for the fans of modern PI noir.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

A mix of detective work and humor. Felt very original which is always good.
Overall good tone throughout. A quick read that really grabs you and keeps you interested.
Recommended.

Set in the South Side of Philadelphia, the author paints a picture worthy of a graphic novel. With just enough grunge to make you feel the dirt under your shoes and the cracks in the sidewalks, you can picture the old working-class neighborhood being terrorized by the evil demon that is gentrification.

Our hero, Thor (a.k.a. Thornton), is a colorful giant of a man that you both want to punch in the face and hug at the same time. He probably wouldn’t care either way, and would more than likely take it as an act of affection for them both. Some of his personality quirks are cliche. Indeed, his personality is fun and over the top, but at times, he is also too “badass.” The overuse of “sheeet” becomes more of an annoyance than a catchphrase.

Brittannie and Stacks stand out as the primary influence and support—Brittannie because she is always somewhere in the background, either directly or indirectly. She keeps Thor connected to reality and the present. Stacks because he is the Robin to Thor’s Batman. Stacks is the connection to the past and his sound voice of reason. However, other minor characters had the potential to be fleshed out a bit more because there are definite connections that Thor could have made to strengthen the plotline.

In this amusing and oft-time laughable journey of a man’s love for his neighborhood as a “badass” P.I. and one-man-vigilante-neighborhood watch, Thor explores what makes and bonds a community, despite the “freaks.” Thor’s pride and overreaching stubbornness get in the way of his drive to preserve his community. The story exaggerates the issues small urban neighborhoods face when dealing with commercial real estate gentrification, all the while playing on the technology-ignorant man who one would assume is in his 40s, and while it is conceivable that he may not have the most recent gadgets and perhaps isn’t as well versed in internet searches, one would expect him to be a bit more tech-savvy.

Written in the style of a pulp fiction-*cum*-graphic novel sans the illustrations, the details of the characters and location are spot on for what one would imagine a working-class neighborhood in New England to encompass. Though, I’m sorry to say that, as much as this is a well-written book, it doesn’t begin to cover the disconnect I began to feel with Thor as his investigation evolved.

I have to admit, this book had me laughing from the very first sentence. The humor is what makes Thor so lovable. Additionally, it is humor that saved this book. There are many times I wanted to put it down and not pick it up, but a one-liner or some off-the-wall interaction between characters would keep me going. While this is not an issue for me personally, I can see how some of the references and quips may not resonate across multiple generations.

Anyone who wants mystery fiction that is not laden with psychological thriller, horror, or erotica and just wants a good laugh while figuring out “who done it.” This is a refreshing detective story that keeps you laughing and rooting for the home team. However, If you don’t enjoy colloquial vernacular and odd references to retro eras, I would not suggest this book. Or if you are looking for some underlying romance or rom-com chick-lit fic, this is not for you.

A solid three stars are the best I can offer—it’s not a favorite I’ll come back to, but I would definitely recommend it to my fellow book club members who are looking to branch out.

The Girl with the Lollipop eyes follows Thor, a private detective who tasks himself with protecting his beloved South Side neighborhood in Pittsburgh from changes that could pose a threat to its residents. When strange things start happening in the South Side, Thor begins to wonder if they’re all connected. Although his methods are unconventional, they seem to be effective.
This book was fast-paced and held my attention all the way through. I really enjoyed the characters and found the story both thrilling and light-hearted and funny. I would definitely recommend this book!

I enjoyed the ride this book took me on. I can’t say it’s often that a mystery is good fun on the pages, but this kept me engaged and intrigued to see what would happen next. I would recommend this for my readers who want a unique mystery novel.

The title is also something else, kudos!

The Girl with the Lollipop Eyes by Lucy Leitner.
Thor Cole, ex-bouncer turned private eye and self-proclaimed guardian of Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood, is looking for a bartender.
Not that there’s any shortage of them in this part of town, but he’s looking for the one that’s gone missing after stowing $15K in his girlfriend’s ceiling. Yeah, the case is a big step up from tracking down public urination scofflaws, but the $10K reward the bartender’s girlfriend is offering is enough to make Thor’s brakeless car stop again and replace his flip phone.
As Thor's missing person's case becomes entwined with maniacs in Mustangs and nefarious plots to destroy his favorite dives, this P.I. will need more than a Foreman grill to defend himself and the beloved seedy underbelly he calls home.
Crack a beer. Crank the tunes. And buckle up for an adventure in slacker noir!
I really enjoyed this book. Read in one sitting. I loved Thilor and how he was. A gripping read. 5*.