David D. D'Aguanno

Not many people have gotten the best of private detective Brett Cornell. After all he is one unscrupulous bastard who is smarter, tougher and better looking then everyone around him and he always gets the ladies. There is one man who did get the best of him and his name is Gil Bailey. Along with his buddy “Big Bull” Sean O’ Rourke, they scarred Brett for life. Brett wants revenge and gets his chance when Gil challenges him to a charity boxing match. Can Brett keep up with the younger and stronger Gil or will he be left with psychological scars that will never heal?

To make things a little more complicated, Brett also gets hired by Melanie Foster to find Stacey Ashton. Melanie believes Stacey stole her husband and ran off to Florida and Melanie wants her brought back so she can teach Stacey a lesson. As Brett researches the case he finds out that Stacey may have been murdered and her body may be hidden close by.

Brett Enters The Square Circle by David D’Aguanno is the fifth book in the Brett Cornell mystery series. All the books in this series are stand alone stories and you don’t have to read the others to enjoy it. This book has some funny lines from Brett but there is also a good story and some great characters.

A couple of reviews I saw for Brett Enters The Square Circle called it a “light read” and another one said that “Brett is annoying and he overshadows the other characters.” I couldn’t disagree with these statements more. I felt the story was deep and all the characters came across as interesting including the minor characters. For instance you hear about Melanie Foster’s husband from her point of view but then you really get to know her husband and feel sympathy for him. He isn’t in the story for long but I liked seeing how different he was from Melanie’s description.

Another character in the story that is more than he appears is Brett himself. He comes across as dumb and egotistical but if you pay attention you see that there is more to him then meets the eye. As the story moves along you see why he is the way he is, you also see that he’s a good detective he is and cares for his girlfriend even though he can’t show it.

The characters are the best part of the book but I also like how the mystery unfolds. The mystery gets deeper and more intriguing as it moves along and I was surprised at the conclusion. The boxing match story was great as well because it was more than just a match, it was about Brett dealing with the fact that he may not be top dog anymore.

Brett Enters The Square Circle works on a lot of levels, probably the best part is the humor in it. Like when Brett gets his way on an airplane and when he takes a five dollar bill from a cop, his dialogue also makes this book worth buying. I love how the Brett Cornell series of books seems to get better as they go on. I could not put this book down and I’m looking forward to seeing what is in store for Brett in his next four books.… (más)

Make no mistake about it, Brett Cornell is one unscrupulous bastard. If you ask him he will tell you he has a perfect mustache, Sexy blonde curly hair and his chest and abs are what women dream about. In addition to being god's gift to women he also works as a private detective in Rhode Island in the late 1980's. Business has been slow lately but they are about to pick up as Brett's latest conquest calls wanting to know if Brett got the package she sent and states that someone is about to kill her.

Brett doesn't take the call to seriously but when two goons meet him at his car, he ends up having to get involved in a murder mystery that only he can solve. This is only a small part of what happen's in David D' Aguanno's Brett Always Wins. This is the third book in the Brett Cornell Mystery series but it is a self-contained story and you don't have to read the first three to enjoy it.

Brett Always Wins is told in the first person from Brett's point of view and is a fun read that moves along quickly. Brett is the kind of guy that you love to hate, he has a huge ego and things always seem to go his way. He has a girlfriend plus a few others on the side, he's also a tough guy that doesn't like it when you tell him what to do. This is a very entertaining book that will have you laughing and rooting for Brett even though he is a jerk.

There is a lot going on here, you have a jealous wife who has been drugged and wants to keep her husband away from other blond blue-eyed women, you have two hitmen who get more than they bargained for, a husband who wants to make the perfect son and 4 women who can't keep their hands off of Brett. What really makes this story stand out though is hearing what Brett thinks of everything. Brett thinks he is the smartest detective there is and he proves it by saying "frankly Scarlett I don't give a Damn, like Clark Kent in that old movie or asking if his girlfriend wants to go out to dinner and when she says yes tells her not to forget her credit card, I have a date with someone else. Brett does stuff like this throughout the book. I also liked how he went into a suspect's home,stole his cigars and spit wherever he liked. He may be unscrupulous but its hard not to find him entertaining.

To hear Brett talk you may think he is not that smart but then he shows his intelligence by how he manipulates a hitman to turn on his boss and he makes a lot of money from his clients without really doing anything. I loved when Brett tells his girlfriend the real reason she can't stay away from him and I also like when he looks at the mirror and notices how he seems to get even better looking with age while other people his age are getting uglier. There are probably lots of guys who think like Brett and it was fun getting inside his head. If you would like a good detective novel that is funny and a little different then your normal mystery, check this one out.… (más)