Created by Dan Ames
Yet another series character from the House of Ames, this one follows South Florida private eye WADE CARVER.
Like many of the astoundingly prolific “USA Today Bestsellers” who have sprung up over the last decade or s0, this one comes with all the trimmings: Short books. Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Short chapters.
It’s like Ames’s entire career is aimed at Kindle Unlimited readers with short attention spans and a yen for fast-paced potboilers.
This one stars Carver, a high-priced Florida eye with an office in Delray Beach, a “mysterious past” and of course a penchant for kicking ass, pounding it out in a world of “sand, sun, blood, booze and…bullets.” Good thing, then, that he’s “big and ridiculously strong.” And dangerous.
Naturally, Carver (no relation to John Lutz‘s far superior Florida eye Carver), has his own way of doing things, while spitting out some sharp-tongued if not particularly original observations about the Sunshine State. He narrates his own adventures (except for the occasional obligatory third-person prologue), but don’t get too excited —this is not Chandler on Los Angeles.
There’s also a series hook: Carver’s a transplanted Michigander who moved to Delray Beach because it’s near the last place his big sister Jenny was seen alive years ago. He admits he’s spent “years and a small fortune” looking for her, and vows he’ll never give up the search.
So, much to my surprise (I thought Ames would milk it for much, much longer), Carver eventually finds her, in the third entry in the series, Angel (2018). But she wants to kill him…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“International bestselling novelist” Dan Ames continues to pump them out at a steady stream, averaging close to twenty or so short, fast-paced novellas a year. He’s the name behind numerous series “set in the Jack Reacher universe by permission of Lee Child,” as well as a mountain of other original series and occasional standalones, featuring private eyes such as , , Burr Ashland, and one private investigator/bounty hunter known simply as.
My only question? Is this Ames guy a real person, or a house pseudonym? Because the massive number of books cranked out, and the scarcity of biographic info anywhere, makes me wonder. Don’t it make you wonder?
UNDER OATH
- “Ames is a sensation among Kindle readers who love fast-paced thrillers.”
— MysteryTribune
NOVELLAS
- Molly (2018) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Sugar (2018) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Angel (2018) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- Crystal (2018) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- Freshly Squeezed
Florida Eyes
THE DICK OF THE DAY
- September 17, 2026
THE BOTTOM LINE: This “big and ridiculously strong” Florida eye has a “mysterious past” and a penchant for kicking ass, pounding it out in a world of “sand, sun, blood, booze and…bullets.” He’s the “hero” in four fast-paced novella-length potboilers by the suspiciously prolific “USA Bestselling” author.
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
What does “KDP” stand for? “Kevin’s Darned Paperbacks?”
D’oh! I meant “Kindle Unlimited.” KDP is Amazon’s self-publishing entity.
Crime writing’s become a mill where the millers are eclipsing the craftsmen. All I’ll say. For now. I’ll say a lot more shit tomorrow and after that, cause old and under-medicated.
If you want me, I’ll be in the bar. I’ll save a stool.