Toot's Book Reviews: Spotlight, Review, Author Interview & Giveaway: Murphy Murphy: And The Case of Serious Crisis by Keith Hirshland

Book Blurb & Info

Murphy Murphy comes from a long line of male Murphys. All were named Murphy and all were cops. This Murphy heads the Department of Redundancy Department and his superior officer, Captain David “Dud” Hill has found him a case. The Captain’s niece is in a rock ‘n roll band called Serious Crisis, and it seems items belonging to members of the band have started to disappear.

Were these items stolen? Were they simply lost? As Murphy Murphy works the case, he must chase down the clues all the while dealing with grammatical anomalies that drive him crazy. As Murphy gets closer to the answers he seeks, one more “thing” goes missing; the Captain’s niece. Suddenly, in an instant, the stakes in the case of Serious Crisis become a lot more dire.

Part Jasper Fforde, part Michael Connelly; Murphy Murphy and the Case of Serious Crisis combines humor, mystery, and grammar goofs as the detective pursues clues and suspects from coast to coast. It’s an entertaining and educational read for all ages.

Buy Links

Amazon / Barnes&Noble / IndieBound

Toot's Review by Betty Bee

‘Murphy Murphy and the Case of the Serious Crisis' was a whirlwind read for me. Which means that I read it very quickly and enjoyed it a lot! Murphy Murphy, the double-named detective is not only the most recent addition to a long line of men named Murphy Murphy, but a long line of cops, and all of them have high expectations for him. See, Murphy works with the 'Department of Redundancy Department,' a sector within the police force that focuses on finding and eliminating redundancies in things like paperwork and....eh, it wasn't very clear. But I imagine there are lots of places to find redundancies in this world. And Murphy definitely hates them. In fact, his icy relationship with his boss, Captain David 'Dud' Hill is predicated upon the latter man's need to needle and tease Murphy with redundancies in their conversations, a detail that leads to a lot of great wordplay and puns within the book.

The case of the Serious Crisis refers to a band of the same name (Serious Crisis, that is) who discover that things have been going missing from their hotels rooms and tour bus. Little things, odd's and ends....until it's suddenly a person that goes missing. The case rapidly heats up as Murphy struggles to tie it together and not lose his own life in the process.

Like I said, I enjoyed this book. Is it for everyone? Probably not. If you are a fan of Jasper Fforde you would probably like this. If puns irritate you, you would probably not. There were definitely some parts that I got a bit lost while reading. But overall, I thought it was a funny and lighthearted romp through a different world from our own and I would love to read more from Keith Hirshland in the future. I give it 4 stars.

Author Interview with Keith Hirshland by Betty Bee

Hi Betty,

Thanks so much for being part of this Teddy Rose Book Tour for Murphy Murphy and the Case of Serious Crisis. I’m excited about answering your questions.

What’s your favorite genre and why?

I’m an avid reader and right now I’m devouring mysteries. I’ve recently ripped through Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series and am now enjoying David Baldacci’s newest release. I also never miss an opportunity to read Michael Connelly as soon as one of his books come out. They’re my favorite authors and that’s my favorite genre. But I love Christopher Moore, Eoin Colfer, and Jasper Fforde and I’d like to think Murphy Murphy is a bit of an homage to them all.

Describe a typical writing day. Are you a morning, afternoon, or night-owl writer?

Definitely NOT a “night-owl” writer although I do keep my phone by my bed and have awakened in the middle of the night with an idea or a thought. I used to keep a pen and notepad there but found more often than not I couldn’t read my own writing in the morning. I write during the day (but not every day) with a view of Cheyenne Mountain out my office window and usually with a dog under my desk. There are days when I write very little and other days when I’ll start at 8 in the morning and look up at 6 o’clock in the evening realizing I haven’t eaten or showered. Those are fun days.

What inspires you when you’re writing?

I guess it’s the hope of being able to tell a good story and then the challenge of using both a narrative and dialogue to accomplish that. There are days when I just stare at the lines in the notebook ( I handwrite everything first before I transfer it to the computer) and other days when the seed of an idea flowers into pages and pages of the story. From where that inspiration comes on those days is still a bit of a mystery.

What’s your favorite item on your writing desk?

Two things. A picture of my wife and kids taken on the front porch of the New Jersey house in which we lived. Our kids are scattered across the world (LA, Chicago and Tokyo) so we all don’t get together very often. The other thing is a giant hour glass (it actually takes the sand an hour to go from one end to the other. It’s a great reminder to stop and get a glass of water, stretch, or take a walk.

Who or what inspired you to become a writer?

Thinking back, I always enjoyed storytelling and my career in broadcast television allowed me to do a lot of that. But I never seriously entertained the thought of writing a book. Then my parents passed away in the span of a little more than a year and my wife and I were tasked with going through their belongings. We came across several boxes of memorabilia which included pictures, letters, awards and commendations (he was a television broadcast pioneer and started a tv station in Reno, NV). My wife, Sarah, look at me and said “Don’t let this be your kids, looking into a box when you’re gone and saying ‘I had no idea Dad helped start 2 television networks, knew Tiger Woods, and won an EMMY’. She suggested I write some stories done in a journal to leave to them. That turned into my first book, Cover Me Boys, I’m Going In (Tales of the Tube from a Broadcast Brat).

What was it like to go from sports correspondent to author?

Surreal. Thanks to my career I thought I had some fun stories to tell. I was at ESPN2 when it had just started to broadcast and then at The Golf Channel even before that network launched so I had some “inside stuff” on both places. They were both amazing places and I was fortunate to work with creative, talented, colleagues and, especially at The Golf Channel, we helped build something from the ground up. Luckily, I guess, I was a note taker and saved most of them so when it came to writing Cover Me Boys I just related what I thought were the most interesting ones. I enjoyed that process so much that I tried my hand at fiction. It was so much harder to make things up than to tell about things that actually happened!

How long have you been writing? How long as a published writer?

Again, looking back I would say I have been writing seriously since college. I was a Journalism major at The University of Nevada and wrote for the school paper. Then I had jobs at various TV stations and wrote my own scripts and stories there. As I said at various times throughout my career I was writing features, teases (the 30 second intros to a sports broadcast) and bumpers (the informative tidbits about a place that we used going to commercials) on a daily basis. The first book came in 2013 more than 30 years after I started working in TV.

We self-published the first three starting in 2013 with my memoir and then in 2018 the folks at Beacon Publishing Group approached me with an offer to re-issue Cover Me Boys, I’m Going In and sign me to a contract. As you can imagine, I was thrilled. They rereleased it under their banner in 2019. Last year I came to them with the manuscript for Murphy Murphy and the Case of Serious Crisis and they liked it so here we are. So self-published from 2013 to 2018 and then a proud part of the Beacon Publishing stable since.

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

Just a heartfelt thank you for any consideration given to reading my work. I know there a millions of choices when it comes to a reader investing his or her time in a book and just the thought that some of your great readers might choose Murphy Murphy (or anything else I’ve written) is a bit overwhelming.

When you’re not writing, how do you spend your time?

I still work a couple of sports broadcasting jobs during the year on a freelance basis if I’m lucky enough to be called. My main job is to support me wife in her career and be there for her when she needs me. I play golf, walk the dogs, and enjoy outdoor life here in Colorado. I also like to cook.

What are your favorite parts of Murphy Murphy?

Gosh that’s a tough question to answer. I just had so darn much fun writing this book that I like it all! Is that a cop out? When the idea of writing a book that incorporated and revolves around redundant phrases came to me I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. So I look at the book with a sense of accomplishment. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 redundant phrases in the manuscript and I’ll wear that as a badge of honor.

Just for fun:

Do you have any pets?

Two. We have a six-year-old female Bernese Mountain Dog named Raleigh and a one-year-old male Pyredoodle (Great Pyrenees Standard Poodle mix) named Mac. We like big dogs.

Who’s your favorite musician/band?

As a 64 year old man I’ve, as you can imagine gone through phases. Still a big fan of The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen but my go to genre is country. Pat Green is a Texas singer/songwriter and has been at the top of my list of favorites since I first heard him play in 2003. Our youngest, Jake, is in a psyche-rock band out of Chicago called Post Animal so I have to give a shoutout to them too.

What’s your favorite vacation spot?

Just about any place with a golf course. I grew up in Reno so Lake Tahoe would have to be on that list. Internationally I would say I really enjoyed Lake Geneva and Evian and japan is amazing and interesting.

Did you go to college? If so, what was your major?

The University of Nevada in Reno. Journalism

Author Info

Keith Hirshland is an Emmy Award–winning sports television producer with more than three decades of experience producing live and pre-recorded programs that aired on ESPN and ESPN2. Among the first forty people to be hired by the Golf Channel in 1994, Hirshland was in the middle of the action when that network debuted in 1995. He provided his talents for Golf Channel, as its live tournament producer, for two decades.

Cover Me Boys, I’m Going In: Tales of the Tube from a Broadcast Brat is a memoir about his experiences in the television industry. Published by Beacon Publishing Group, Cover Me Boys was recognized as the Book Talk Radio Club Memoir of the Year. Hirshland’s second book, and first work of fiction, Big Flies, was published in 2016 and is the recipient of the New Apple Awards “Solo Medalist” in the True Crime Category. Hirshland followed that success with his third book, The Flower Girl Murder. In 2020 Beacon Publishing Group will release Murphy Murphy and the Case of Serious Crisis, Hirshland’s third mystery novel. All four books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other bookstores.

Keith Hirshland lives in Colorado with his wife and two dogs.

Author Links
Website: https://www.keithhirshland.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/khhauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KeithHirshlandAuthor/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/khhauthor/?hl=en

~Giveaway~

This giveaway is for 3 print copies open to the U.S. only. There will be 3 winners. This giveaway ends August 1, 2020,midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

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Tour Info