Tag Archives: William Baer

Murder in Times Square (Deirdre Mystery 1) by William Baer-review

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Murder in Times Square ( A Deirdre Mystery 1) by William Baer-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 3, 2023

When a young woman in a red designer dress falls twenty-five stories from the roof of Times Square One, the well-known New York fashion model known as Deirdre resolves to unravel the mystery. Capable and determined, Deirdre is relentless in her drive to unravel the mystery and find justice for the victim, while protecting those she loves from looming threats.

Baer, who has worked in the New York City’s fashion district, showcases not only his depth of knowledge of the fashion industry, but also of New York City and its landmarks and history. He weaves an intricate, fast-paced, and spellbinding narrative that takes us through New York City, Atlantic City, the Jersey Shore, and the Caribbean. In Murder in Times Square, Baer once again proves he is a master of suspense and intrigue.

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REVIEW: MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE is the first instalment in William Baer’s contemporary, adult A DEIRDRE MYSTERY murder, mystery, thriller series focusing on nineteen year old Deirdre Flanagan.

Told from first person perspective using present day and memories from the past MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE follows in the wake of the murder of a senator’s son, and the death of his ‘date’ from atop a high rise building in NYC. Deirdre Flanagan, known only as Dierdre in the world of supermodel fashion, is the nineteen year old daughter of former super middleweight boxing champion Sean Flanagan, and the niece of NYPD captain Pat Flanagan. At eleven years of age, having spent most of her time alongside her uncle as he investigates the crime riddled city of New York, Deirdre was licensed as a NY investigator, and eventually registered as a legal gun owner. Fast forward to present day Deirdre is caught in a vicious cycle of endless murders and gun fights all seemingly connected to the murder of the senator’s son but clues and evidence begin to reveal a path that leads back to our story line heroine, a path mired in betrayal and vengeance, madness and murder.

Deirdre Flanagan is a nineteen year old super model, at the top of her profession, and everyone and everybody is in love with our story line heroine. From Detective Rick Dempsey, to body guard Carlos Menendez, there are no limits to the number of men and women who want to be a part of the world that belongs to Deirdre Flanagan but Deirdre has always been led to believe she is different, and it is this belief that has controlled a large part of our heroine’s life. An atypical life, with an unconventional upbringing, Deirdre is much older and wiser than most people twice her age.

We are introduced to Deirdre’s father former super middleweight boxing champion Sean Flanagan, and his brother/her uncle NYPD captain Pat Flanagan; ‘bodyguard’ Carlos Menendez, and Detective Rick Dempsey. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and questionable secondary and supporting characters many of whom will be caught in a web of murder and vengeance.

MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE is awash in the name dropping of the famous and infamous; fashion brands and models; sports icons and NY landmarks, as well as the history surrounding many of the important monuments and benchmarks that may or may not have affected the history of one of the busiest and most populace cities in the world.

MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE is a detailed, complex and intricate story of betrayal, obsession, vengeance and murder. The premise is intriguing and thorough but I question the reality of a young child endorsed to own a gun and authorized to investigate some of the most heinous crimes but this is fiction, and meant to entertain. The characters are colorful, energetic, and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books, and his various plays have been produced at over thirty American theaters.  He grew up in the Bronx and Wayne, New Jersey, where his family was actively involved in “little theater.”  A graduate of Rutgers (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.), he completed his dissertation in creative writing at the University of South Carolina under the direction of James Dickey.  After attending the Johns Hopkins’ Writing Seminars (M.A.), he served as a Fulbright at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.  He then attended the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Cinema (M.A.), where he received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award.  The recipient of a Creative Writing Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he currently lives in North Jersey.

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New Jersey Noir: Barnegat Light by William Baer-a review

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New Jersey Noir: Barnegat (Jack Colt Murder Mysteries) Light by William Baer-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 2, 2022

After Jack Colt is hired by a pretty FBI agent to solve a horrific murder case in Barnegat Light, he finds himself called upon by the daughter of a distinguished judge to another murder scene. Although Colt remembers that his uncle once warned him that “Only an idiot takes two cases at the same time,” he nonetheless takes up the challenge. Along the way, there is yet another case involving the family of the powerful state governor, which he turns down, and yet cannot resist casually working on in the background. The result is fast-paced, suspenseful action that propels Colt through the Garden State, New York City, and all the way to California and Arizona.

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REVIEW:  BARNEGAT LIGHT is the third instalment in William Baer’s contemporary, adult NEW JERSEY NOIR murder mystery series focusing on thirty-two year old, New Jersey private investigator and descendant of the inventor of the Colt revolver Jack Colt.

Told from third person perspective (Jack Colt) BARNEGAT LIGHT follows several paths as our hero, Jack Colt PI is tasked with investigating two unconnected local murders yet involving himself in a third, the victim our hero knew only too well. The first case involves the murder of a local judge, a case that takes a dark and ominous turn with a secret room and cell hidden in the basement where more bodies are found. The second murder finds our hero investigating the mutilation and murder of a young woman whose identical twin sister works the cybercrimes division of the FBI, and thirdly, the newly elected mayor is killed, the daughter of the state’s governor, a woman whose reputation in all things, is otherwise questionable including her connection to another series of disappearances and murders. As Jack Colt and FBI Special Agent Zoe Hathaway begin amassing the clues, our hero finds himself falling for a young woman who may be the next target of a serial killer.

BARNEGAT LIGHT: New Jersey Noir is a detailed, complex, and multi-layered story line of murder, mystery, obsession and revenge. Once again, with the help of his late uncle’s receptionist, Mrs. Doris Solerno aka Nonna, aka best friend and Detective Luca Solerno’s grandmother, and IT hacker Xander, the interpretive and analytical Jack Colt begins to unravel trails of deceit, madness, delusion and vengeance; dysfunctional family preoccupation, and a mob connected secret that demands to remain hidden behind the scenes. The premise is intricate but often meanders in other directions making it difficult to stay on track-some of the conflict resolution is off-page; the characters are numerous, energetic, and deceptive.

With reference to the intricacy and complexity of the story, I found myself having to take notes in an effort to keep track of the relationships, connections and the who, what, why and hows. There was an overwhelming and inordinate but entertaining amount of detail and information to digest.

Reading Order and Previous reviews
New Jersey Noir
New Jersey Noir: Cape May

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter

William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books, and his various plays have been produced at over thirty American theaters.  He grew up in the Bronx and Wayne, New Jersey, where his family was actively involved in “little theater.”  A graduate of Rutgers (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.), he completed his dissertation in creative writing at the University of South Carolina under the direction of James Dickey.  After attending the Johns Hopkins’ Writing Seminars (M.A.), he served as a Fulbright at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.  He then attended the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Cinema (M.A.), where he received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award.  The recipient of a Creative Writing Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he currently lives in North Jersey.

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New Jersey Noir: Cape May by William Baer-review & excerpt

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New Jersey Noir: Cape May (Jack Colt Murder Mystery 2) by William Baer-review & excerpt

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: ReleAse Date January 15, 2021

After solving the assassination case of his beloved uncle, Colt finds himself truly alone, ditched by his girlfriend. However, there’s not much respite or time for introspection for him: he’s called on again to solve a new murder case, along with a suspiciously related cold case. What follows is another gripping tale in the backdrop of the Garden State’s sights and scenes, including its picturesque beaches, casinos, and the rural Pine Barrens. In New Jersey Noir: Cape May—Book Two of his Jack Colt Murder Mystery Novels series—William Baer continues to enchant and spellbind.

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REVIEW:NEW JERSEY NOIR: CAPE MAY is the second instalment in William Baer’s contemporary, adult JACK COLT MURDER MYSTERY series focusing on thirty-two year old, New Jersey private investigator and descendant of the inventor of the Colt revolver Jack Colt.

Told from several first person perspectives including Jack Colt, NEW JERSEY NOIR: CAPE MAY fast forwards the series but a few weeks wherein we find our hero Jack Colt approached by Cape May, New Jersey Judge Richard O’Brien, a fifty-something single father, regarding a cold case involving the murder of his seventeen year old, daughter Nikki, one half of twin sisters Nikki and Rikki, ten years earlier. Days earlier, the judge hired private investigator, Edward Colt (no relation), but the man was murdered the night before, leaving instructions and money (along with a list of suspects) to contact our story line hero. With the help of his late uncle’s receptionist, Mrs. Doris Solerno aka Nonna, aka best friend and Detective Luca Solerno’s grandmother, Jack Colt begins an investigation into both murders (present and past), only to discover that long buried secrets are not as buried or secret as once thought, and everyone is suspect until proven wrong.

William Baer pulls the reader into a captivating, thought provoking, and multi-layered story of jealousy and rivalry, resentment and hatred; adultery, friendship and love. Jack Colt traverses a world of murder and obsession, betrayal and vengeance in an effort to find a killer who has now targeted our story line hero, and the woman who has opted to go along for the ride.

Click HERE for Sandy’s review on book one NEW JERSEY NOIR

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

My daughter was murdered ten years ago. She was seventeen at the time.”
“Tell me about it.”
“She was out with some friends, vanished for a day, then someone saw her car driving across the beach into the ocean near the Cove Beach jetty. They found her dead in the trunk of the car.”
I remembered it. Some of it. It got a lot of press.
Naturally, the water and the trunk made me think of The Killing. That “Who Killed Rosie Larson?” television series that I’d watched when it first aired on AMC.
I wondered if one inspired the other.
“She had a twin, right?”
“Yes, but her sister wasn’t there that night.”
I was intrigued.
Definitely.

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter

William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books, and his various plays have been produced at over thirty American theaters.  He grew up in the Bronx and Wayne, New Jersey, where his family was actively involved in “little theater.”  A graduate of Rutgers (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.), he completed his dissertation in creative writing at the University of South Carolina under the direction of James Dickey.  After attending the Johns Hopkins’ Writing Seminars (M.A.), he served as a Fulbright at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.  He then attended the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Cinema (M.A.), where he received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award.  The recipient of a Creative Writing Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he currently lives in North Jersey.

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