Pay or play by Howard Michael Gould.
 A Charlie Waldo novel Book 3.
Paying a harsh self-imposed penance for a terrible misstep on a case, former LAPD superstar detective Charlie Waldo lives a life of punishing minimalism deep within the woods, making a near religion of his commitment to owning no more than One Hundred Things.
A very good read with good characters. Likeable story. 4*.

From the blurb: 'Blackmail, sexual harassment, murder . . . and a missing dog: eccentric, eco-obsessed L.A. private eye Charlie Waldo is on the case in this quirky, fast-paced mystery.'

All Charlie really wants is to go back to his minimalist life deep in the woods. Mostly. He also wants to spend time with his P.I. girlfriend which means staying within the boundaries of "civilization" for the time being. What he absolutely does not want is to work on a case... and especially not two of them. But you can't always get what you want.

This is the third book in the Charlie Waldo mystery series, it's the first one I've read so I feel secure in saying that it works well as a stand-alone. Charlie Waldo, the disgraced former LAPD detective who has chosen to pay a self-imposed penance with his hermit-like existence, is one of the more interesting and unique characters to come along in awhile. This story is not just going through the motions with the tried and true tropes of the genre, it's creating a completely different narrative that stays true to the past but is very much a part of the present. That's a pretty neat trick.

I've been aware of this book series since the first, there was a lot of good buzz among early reviewers, but I hesitated because I feared it would either be some preachy, heavy-handed social message tripe or, just as bad, an over-the-top farce aimed at putting environmentalists in their place. My fears were unwarranted. This is a great book! It takes gentle jabs at both sides and makes it all entertaining in the process. I'll definitely be reading more books in the series.

As a point of reference, if Carl Hiassen were to write a Skink novel that was less slapstick and more serious it might turn out something like Pay or Play by Howard Michael Gould. I might even go so far as to describe this book as the midway point between Hiassen and John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee book series).

This is a strangely frustrating read because I found the protagonist- Charlie Waldo- more interesting than the cases he's working. As a sort of penance for bad acts as a law enforcement officer, he's restricted himself to owning only 100 things and reducing his carbon footprint which means he refuses the cash offered him by the narco who wants him to do some detective work. Not because he doesn't want drug money but it would put him over the top on things. He's hired to find out the identity of a homeless man found dead in a fountain and then his love interest Lorena involves him in a case that dredges up a very old hazing case. There's too much going on, I think for the relatively slim novel. I'd not read the earlier books- this worked fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

An author I have not read before but definitely one I will seek out. A TV and Film writer, director and producer. This is the third book featuring Charlie Waldo.
He was a Los Angeles detective who realised that he had an innocent man convicted. He made himself unpopular with his colleagues as he went public with his mistake, he was ultimately unsuccesful as the young black man was murdered in prison.
Charlie then decided he wanted to save the planet. He refuses to have more than a hundred possessions and refuses to buy packaged items. He has purchased a remote property in Idyllwild in the San Jacinto mountains. He also tries to keep a relationship with the long suffering Lorena Nascimento.who is trying to establish an L. A. private investigator business with Charlie as a reluctant partner!
Lorena gets Charlie involved in a case featuring T.V. star Judge Ida Mudge. Charlie also has to help a local villain out when he has a problem over a man found dead in a water fountain.
These problems and having to fly as part of the investigation cause Charlie distress and the Californian fires threatening his hidaway don't help!
I intend to read the previous books in this series and thoroughly recommend this one. A very different main character, you have to feel for Lorena trying to cope with Charlie's planet saving foibles.