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I am pleased to report that, despite my initial trepidation at reading a title in this genre (private detective), I was pleasantly surprised to find "Batteries Not Included," by Tony McFadden, fairly entertaining. I am grateful to Beech Nut Press for providing me with an ARC for prepublication review. The story revolves around the murder of an Australian prodigy who founds an electric car company (this premise initially drew me in to the story). The protagonist is a down on his luck private detective (can you say cliche) who has a background in forensic accounting, which is why the wealthy widow of the dead prodigy hires him since her husband was convinced that his very successful company was being drained of substantial cash. After a series of misadventures which call to mind any number of television scripts familiar to anyone who tunes into prime time, our somewhat reluctant sleuth discovers the truth of what is going on and who is responsible. For me, the charm of the tail resides in both the accounting tricks at the root of the crimes being perpetrated and the unique products (electric cars) that provide a somewhat disappointing backdrop to the whole situation. While anything but heavy reading, the narrative is engaging and its Australian setting, concern with venture capitalism and entrepreneurial endeavors and engaging if rather shallow characters, provides for a pleasant diversion from the workaday world much like one finds on the earlier mentioned primetime detective shows.

Nick Harding is a private investigator. With a background of working with the Australian Federal Police in Financial Crimes, Dvorak Kars reaches out to him. He's interested in hiring Nick to find the fraud that's being perpetrated on his company.. to the tune of $5 million a month over this past year.

When Nick shows up for his interview, he finds the address he's looking for surrounded by cops. Mr. Kars' badly beaten body has been found on the premises.

Much to his surprise, the man's widow wants Nick to investigate the same fraud .. she doesn't seem to be too concerned with the death of her husband.

Offered a hefty pay, Nick takes on the job and finds much more than he bargained for.

BOOK BLURB: With suspects to spare -- the wife, the head of security, the corporate CFO -- will he figure out how millions of dollars are disappearing before he runs out of time?

Nick is a great series character. He's charming, when he wants to be, diligent especially when he's looking at a fat paycheck, and a bit of a dog with a bone ... and very likable. This is a short, fast read, but with lots of action, a few twists and turns, and several suspects to follow. What he finds leads to a surprising conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Beach Nut Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Beach Nut Press for the eARC.
PI Nick Harding is asked by the owner of the only electric car manufacturer in Australia to look into the leaking of money from his firm's coffers, but before their first meeting, he died. His widow takes over the company and Nick agrees to look into the matter for her...the money is good!
This is a fun read that features two appealing characters as the heroes, Nick and his partner Davie. plus a clever plot. All in all it's a short, but interesting book, I would call it a beach read...
Recommended.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Beech Nut Press for an advance copy of Batteries not Included, the first novel to feature Sydney based PI Nick Harding.

Andy Goh, head of Dvorak Kars, the only electric car manufacturer in Australia, wants to hire Nick to look into money disappearing from his company but he is killed just before their first meeting. His widow, Kirra, asks Nick to take the job. He is reluctant but the generous daily allowance wins him over.

I thoroughly enjoyed Batteries not Included, which is a short, fun read, more novella than novel length. The plot revolves around trying to find out how the money is disappearing when the books don’t show a loss or an obvious theft. This requires hands on attention rather than computer work, so Nick and his sidekick, Davie, see the inside of the hospital more than they would like. The theft is sophisticated enough to fool the average reader, but I suspect that business people wouldn’t be fooled, so that ends up baked into the plot. It’s clever.

Yes, there is violence and a certain amount of bad language but this is a warm, amusing novel that lit up my boring day. Much of that is due to Nick and Davie and their genuine friendship and down to earth dialogue.

Batteries not Included is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

This story is readable. But when everything is based on logical errors and stupidity, the plot will be horrible, and the story loses its entertainment value.