Reduced Circumstances

by Henry V. O'Neil and Vincent H. O'Neil

Book Overview

Fact-checker Frank Cole is moonlighting as the evening dispatcher for the Midnight Taxi Service. It is a quiet spring break in the Florida Panhandle until a nervous teenage boy flags down a Midnight cab near a parking lot full of flashing police lights. The next evening, suspicious strangers start appearing at the taxi stand, asking Frank about the boy and where he was headed. The ride speeds up shortly after. The driver who took the fare disappears,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312369662
• ISBN13: 9780312369668
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 211 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Even better than the first in the series!

Vincent H. O'Neil's inimitable beach bum/amateur sleuth Frank Cole is back in Reduced Circumstances (2007), his followup to Murder in Exile (2006). Things have quieted down for Frank since solving the Eddie Gonzalez case in Exile. In fact as fast as fact checking is concerned, business is just about non-existent. Although Frank's peculiar bankruptcy case prevents him from earning too much money, he does still have living expenses. So, to deal with the light times as a fact checker, Frank finds himself working as a night dispatcher for the Midnight Taxi Service near his home in Exile, Florida. The taxi stand is where Frank first hears about the kid. The young man was seen hailing a Midnight cab near a drug bust the night before--interesting but not exactly big news. Of course that's before a parade of visitors drop by the cab stand trying to find the kid and the MIA driver who picked him up the night before. First there's the private investigator from Atlanta, then the possible bounty hunters from Mobile, and finally the kid's girlfriend--a blond femme fatale of sorts who never seems to leave a fingerprint in her wake. Suddenly Frank finds himself a person of interest on all side of the investigation despite having little in the way of information to share. Urged on by equal parts curiosity and necessity, Frank begins to investigate the kid and his mysterious disappearance trying to figure out why exactly so many people want to find him. And who, if any of them, want to find him alive. Murder in Exile was a lot of fun. Amazingly, and happily, this installment in the series is even more enjoyable. The narrative also provides ample yet brief recaps of Frank's adventures in the first book for anyone who might be fuzzy on those early details. Reduced Circumstances is an interesting blend of character study and mystery. The elements for both are here and used well to create a breezy read that leaves readers with a satisfying investigation and more insight into Frank's personality and life. Because Frank comes to the world of investigation from a fact checker's side of things, the novel also provides a unique look at the world of online research and a commentary on just how much information can be found online. O'Neil keeps these segments just the right length to stay interesting for the typical readers and any information professionals who should happen to pick up the book. While the investigation wraps up nicely, the novel does still end with a slight cliff hanger that will leave readers eager for the next installment in the series Exile Trust (2008).

An Excellent Sequel

On the advice of his attorney, former software company owner Frank Cole is once again working at near subsistence level in order to prevent the bankruptcy court from taking any additional assets. This time Frank is employed as a taxi dispatcher, a job which allows him to quietly contemplate his future even as his coworkers continually haze him. The quiet is shattered when he is approached first by a private detective and then by two thugs, all searching for the taxi customer who fled the scene of a drug bust. Spurred on by his own curiosity and encouraged by the P.I. Curtis Winslow, Frank begins hunting for the young man whose multiple identities lead back to his incarcerated grifter parents. Throw in a femme fatale, a drug lord, and the discovery that everyone lies, Frank soon finds himself up to his armpits in con artists and danger. The sequel to the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery, Murder in Exile, Reduced Circumstances continues the adventures of a reluctant hero who uncovers a surprising talent for investigation while under the tutelage of experienced detectives. While the case may again be less than riveting, Frank and Winslow prove to be an engaging new team. A character-driven novel, it stumbles only in the neglect of Frank's girlfriend Beth Ann, previously a strong woman who in this outing appears only to (reasonably) nag Frank and his attorney for their slacker and unmotivated plan that keeps Frank barely working and living on rice and pasta. This 211 page novel moves swiftly and the likable characters beg for better cases that will force Frank to step up his investigation skills. This engaging second novel by O'Neil reveals his growing talent and hopefully we can look forward to additional appearances by the witty, laid-back hero.

O'Neil and Frank Cole x 2 Success!

Vincent O'Neil has written another fine novel in this second of a (I hope) long series. If you missed the first book, go read it, but if not you can easily get up to speed in this one. What I like about this series is that the hero is not a super cop on steroids or a private eye who solves the world's problems in 100 pages. Frank Cole is a believable character who uses logic, judgment, and some smarts to solve at least most of the mystery. I don't want to give the plot away but it is a very good read and a worthy second novel. Similar in style to Sue Grafton and Robert Parker, O'Neil is a great writer on the way up. Waiting for the third in the series, hopefully not waiting another year.

the cabbie underworld?

I really enjoyed the second book in this series. Frank Cole's description of being the night dispatcher for cab company is realistic and funny. Frank's self-imposed poverty and interactions with Florida cops is great. The whole fact-grid thing is very interesting and a neat tie-in to a book one favorite character. The new characters and plot twists make this a fun book to read. A wonderful book for fans of modern southern murder mysteries! Butch M. Sarma Richmond, Virginia

A little humor, a little mystery, a little detective work makes for a good read

Frank Cole is a bankrupt businessman trying to keep a low profile. He has relocated to Exile, Florida. Frank is currently working as a dispatcher at Midnight Taxi Service. This is a piece of cake for Frank. He has been advised to keep his income low so his creditors can't come after him, and the dispatcher job takes care of that quite adequately. Living on a tight budget has also caused Frank to lose a lot of weight. Beth Ann Thiebedault is Frank's girlfriend since moving to Exile. Beth Ann is encouraging Frank to take up something besides dispatching. Frank has done some fact checking for local firms and seems to have a special talent for it. Beth Ann is trying to encourage Frank in that direction. Frank enjoys the Midnight Taxi Service. Most of the guys are hard working and fun loving. When Billy Lee, one of the drivers, picks up a kid leaving the Seaview Motel just as the police are making a drug bust, things start livening up around the Midnight Taxi headquarters. Soon Frank has some strange characters showing up and asking questions about the boy who may be older than he appears and may have more than one name. When Frank learns that the kid Billy Lee picked up at The Seaview has been murdered, he becomes more deeply involved in the case than would be expected for a taxi dispatcher. Curtis Winslow, a private investigator, shows up and states he is working for the victim's family. Curtis and Frank hit it off and Curtis begins to pay Frank for his assistance in the case. After several wrong turns Frank finally gets to the bottom of what really happened the night the kid jumped in the Midnight Taxi Service cab as he left The Seaview Motel. Armchair Interviews says: Reduced Circumstances is an interesting story, not lacking in humor, with a surprise ending in store for the reader.