Chris Birdy The Girl in Black Pajamas Review

Several months ago I started this series with Book 1 The Girl in White Pajamas. I enjoyed it so much that I just read the next book The Girl in Black Pajamas. I enjoyed this one even more.

My review of The Girl in White Pajamas



My Review:

The Girl in the Black Pajamas is the second book in the series. Bogie and Bailey are married, living in South Florida when Bogie’s partner in Boston is shot. He goes to Boston to investigate and brings precocious Isabella with him. Bailey, at home, holds down the fort with baby Hankster and Amanda. The drama goes back and forth keeping the reader on cue.

I enjoyed the first book enough to read the second which I enjoyed even more. Bailey seems to have matured. In the first bookshe was whiny and annoying in this book she’s a two time mommy and down to earth and take charge. I loved that side of her. Isabella is just as much a handful and I won’t lie at times a little scary. She’s far too smart for her age and very manipulative. At the same time she’s a four year old girl. Bogie is Bogie.


Birdy’s writing in this book seemed more plot focused and was easy to follow along. The story has a good flow and the suspense factor kept me turning pages. This is a really great off-beat murder mystery. 

I highly recommend it!

There is one more book in the series The Girl in Red Pajamas and yes I'll be reading it!

Chris Birdy's Amazon Page

Brain to Books Chris Birdy

START POST

Brain to Books Blog Tour

Fast Facts

Author: Chris Birdy

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Books: The Girl In Black Pajamas

Official Site

Bio

I am the award winning author of the Pajama series. The Girl in Black Pajamas is the second book in the series.

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, I did a four year stint in the Middle East. When I returned to the States, I settled down in the Boston area and became a true Bostonian by collecting college degrees while raising my family.

For more than twenty years, I did investigative work for Boston law firms. Being an avid mystery fan made me either fearless or foolhardy while working in rough neighborhoods and housing projects. I know how it feels to have a gun stuck to the back of my head…and that was in a courtroom. I know how it feels to have an angry client walk in my office and point a small gun at me saying, “I want my money!” That was when I opened my desk drawer, removed a large gun and drew back the slide while aiming it at him. “Have a seat!” I said.

There is no substitute for experience.

I live outside of Boston with my husband. We also have a place in Palm Beach where we escape to hide from the snow.

Accomplishments

For the past 10 years, I have assisted my daughter in her work with the homeless.   I cook from Friday night throughSaturday morning producing the now famous hot bean soup for the Boston homeless.

Blurb

Bogie McGruder and his daughter return to Boston when his company comes under attack.   An employee is shot in the back, and some hacker is trying to compromise their secure network. While Bogie is in Boston, his extended family in Palm Beach becomes enmeshed in a sex scandal that threatens to ruin lives and careers in the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office.

Feeling like a wishbone about to snap, Bogie tries to handle problems in both cities while little Isabella continues her quest for someone to teach her the Five-Point-Palm-Exploding-Heart technique as seen in Kill Bill Volume 2.

This tale of murder, revenge and greed takes the reader on a whirlwind trip from Boston to Palm Beach and back.

Read the reviews

Sep 30, 2014 by E. Stenhjem

First of all, get your hands on the first book in the series, THE GIRL IN WHITE PAJAMAS. You will want to begin at the beginning as to not miss a bit of this authors characters, who are rough and ready, endearing, flawed and fabulous, and very realistic.
But, how does one characterize a four year old who is a genius, as well as just a little girl, who at times is more like a 40 year old intellectual with a penchant for raunchy Tarantino movies and "blood spill acrobatics"? The character of "Isabella", that's how. She is a perfectly cuddly red haired ball of steel, who we all would love to know, but definitely not have to deal with on a daily basis or be responsible for.
Makes one wonder about the author's own kids!
If you are a woman reading this book you will, no doubt, form a crush on Bogie...a man who pulls no punches but is a softy...to only a very few. In other words, a real man.
If you are a man reading thus book you will ,no doubt, have wonderful indecent thoughts about Rose. Enjoy them...she'd be okay with that.
The second book, THE GIRL IN BLACK PAJAMAS continues to hold you captive as it speeds along to the wild crescendo that you know is coming....and still you will be shocked at where this author takes you!
So, boys and girls, get the cookies and the chips and lock the bedroom door so that you can be undisturbed as you dwell in the far reaches of Chris Birdy's sometimes brutal ,always entertaining mind.
C.S

 

 

 

 

Read an Excerpt

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE

BOSTON

A gigantic man lumbered down the street. The strong wind blew his straight platinum hair away from his head, but he was too distracted to notice. At eight-thirty on Sundaymorning, Tommie Jurgenson approached a storefront building on Lincoln Street. Businesses in the downtown area were closed as was the one with the blackened windows sporting “R&B Investigations” in gold lettering. Tommie gripped his laptop firmly in his left hand, punching in numbers on a keypad panel with his right. Just as he was about to press the last key, a car pulled up to the curb. Tommie glanced over his shoulder and saw a man wearing a George Bush Halloween mask and a cowboy hat get out of the car. Before Tommie could react, George Bush took a gun from his pocket and shot the big man four times in the back.

Tommie dropped to his knees, then fell face down on the ground.

“You friggin hacker! Now that other shithead will crawl out of his hole,” the gunman muttered.

Tommie lay on the stoop bleeding while the would-be-assassin tried to roll him over. The gunman pushed him, but Tommie’s three hundred and fifty pound bulk wouldn’t budge. When the shooter looked up, he saw the alarm lights blinking. “Damn you! You elephant!” George Bush yelled before he ran back to his car.

*****

SOUTH FLORIDA

Over a thousand miles away, a slim blonde with a three hundred dollar, chopped haircut and large breasts stood next to the green and white sedan with “Sheriff Palm Beach County” emblazoned on the door. Zoe’s wrists were cuffed in front, and her red painted lips curled slightly, showing off her pearly white teeth. She batted her false eyelashes and pleaded, “Oh, Officer, isn’t there something I can do so you won’t arrest me?”

A dark haired man, wearing a blue police uniform, moved his hat at a rakish angle and leered at the blonde while he unzipped his fly.

Hands free, Zoe Ziegler was on her knees as she performed oral sex on the cop. The sucking sounds were accompanied by a close-up shot of the distended penis sporting red lipstick marks all over the shaft. After the policeman ejaculated over her face and chest, Zoe smiled, pretending to enjoy it.

Sarah Thomas, a buxom brunette holding a Canon Vixia HF G10 camcorder, watched the small screen intently then yelled, “That’s a wrap! In the next shot JJ will walk in, then you’ll both do her.” As Sarah bent her head, blood poured from her nose. She placed her index finger across her nostrils and muttered, “Oh, shit!” then put down the camera and dashed away.

Bored, Zoe Ziegler sat on the hood of the cruiser, cleaning cum off her face and chest with Johnson’s baby wipes while the two men set up the next scene. Zoe called out to another blonde sitting in a folding lawn chair. Zoe raised and wiggled two fingers indicating that she wanted a cigarette. Tiffany Gallagher, wearing a school girl’s uniform with a micro mini pleated skirt and no underwear brought over a pack of Marlboro 100’s and a BIC lighter. Tiff’s long blonde hair was braided into two pigtails. The women relaxed and smoked, enjoying the peace and quiet of an early Sunday morning in Palm Beach.

Connect with Chris Birdy

Email

Official Site

Twitter

Facebook 

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads Profile Page

 

Buy the Book

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

 

 

See the Brain to Books Blog Tour Giveaways with Lu!

 

A Brain to Books Production

Chris Birdy The Girl in White Pajamas

On my reading list for 2015 is both The Girl in White Pajamas and the sequel The Girl in Black Pajamas. I have had these books on my reader for a few months and was so happy to final have the chance to get started reading the series.

I wasn't disappointed and recommend this book for anyone who loves mystery, suspense, and crazy family drama. Coming in May to Amazon the audiobook!

My Review:

The Girl in White Pajamas got my attention from the start. The scene a blistery cold night in Boston, a man in a parked car without the heat on, and a lady walking out of an office building. The man exits his car when he sees the woman leave the building and walks up to her. Few words are exchanged before he is shot in the head. The next chapter the reader is introduced to Bogie MacGruder who grew up with his illegitimate father in a house that offered him little love. His half siblings can barely function on their own and his father’s wife hates him. The MacGruder family is beyond dysfunctional. Bogie has a 3 year old precocious daughter, Izzy, which he meets for the first time.  She is sure to win over reader’s hearts as she becomes the hit of the book. 

The story focuses on introducing the reader to the family along with all their history. Towards the end the small clues Birdy drops throughout the novel come together and the mystery is solved. The ending leaves new doors opened for the sequel, already on my book shelf!

The author does a remarkable job bringing each character to life forcing me to love, loathe, and like them. The story is believable and far-fetched at the same time giving it a taste of humor. As a visual reader the story plays like a movie and the action doesn’t stop until the last page is turned.


Interesting and suspenseful!

Where to find The Girl in White Pajamas  

Amazon-The Girl in White Pajamas
Amazon.uk
Barnes and Noble
Add to Goodreads Bookshelf

Where to find Chris Birdy
Website
Twitter

Chris Birdy Blog Tour-The Girl in White Pajamas

Chris Birdy's The Girl in White Pajamas Blog Tour brought to you by Ashley's Addictive Book Promotions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK DESCRIPTION

 Bogie McGruder, a private investigator and Florida real estate investor, learns that his cop brother is gunned down on the streets of Boston. When Bogie and his teenage daughter return to Boston for the funeral. he finds his family reeling out of control, fueled by alcohol and mired in scandals.

While home for his brother's services, Bogie is contacted by his old flame, a young Boston attorney named Bailey Hampfield, who is seeking protection from a dangerous and unknown stalker. Bailey also has yet to tell Bogie that he is the father of her three year old daughter.

What begins as a short condolence trip to Boston for Bogie, soon turns into a deepening investigation into a twisted tale of murder, deceit and family lies.

Witty and dark, The Girl In White Pajamas is an entertaining read, filled with gritty characters and broken morals.

Book Excerpt 

She looked up, took in a quick breath and gasped before she said, “God dammit, Bud!  What do you want from me!?”  She yelled over the wind not expecting an answer to her question.  Bailey shouted, “Stop stalking me!”
“I want you to give me a chance.  Don’t want you to do anything...”  Bud stopped speaking.  His heart raced, and his eyes opened wide as he heard a familiar metallic click behind him.  As the trigger was engaged, he dived toward her, knocking Bailey to the ground.  The bullet entered the back of his head and exited the

front, taking brain and bone fragments with it.  Bailey lay motionless where she had fallen with Bud’s body slumped on top of hers.



“That’s the beauty of the ‘Bogie Man’.  He decides when your time is up, and you’re gone, history.”


Author Bio 

For almost twenty-five years, I did investigative work for small law firms conducting business in rough housing projects and crack house neighborhoods. I met with clients in every jail in the area even the now defunct Charles Street Jail and Deer Island House of Corrections. On good days, I got to take the .25 caliber handgun out of my pocket and the 9mm out of my purse and go to court. Then the real show began!
Several years ago, while sitting in a courtroom with a client, I

watched as a police officer was lambasted by an attorney. The attorney was defending a young woman who crashed her car into two other vehicles before she passed out drunk behind the wheel. The occupants of the other cars were seriously hurt and the cop, a former EMT, tried to assist the injured while waiting for ambulances to arrive. The attorney questioned the cop's every move, shredded his testimony and made him seem inept.
Embarrassed, the cop returned to his seat beside me and muttered, "Everybody lies. The judges lie, the lawyers lie, the witnesses lie.." I wanted to tell him not to worry that in about five years he'd be just as good a liar as they were.

The seeds for The Girl in White Pajamas were planted in that courtroom.

Author Interview 

What would you like to tell people:

What would I like to tell people.  I lived in the areas I write about and have witnessed and/or survived most of the things I write about. 

Latest news.. 

 The second book in the series, The Girl in Black Pajamas is coming out in the fall. 

When were you first bitten by writing bug?  

I’ve always written in one form or another.  Easily bored, I drew pictures or wrote letters to imaginary friends when I was a student.

When did you consider yourself a writer?

 I believe I’ve always considered myself a writer.  That is my way of expressing myself and helped me make a living.  Although my primary job was investigations, I also assisted attorneys in writing settlement briefs from the raw data.  That was fiction writing at its finest.

What inspired you to write your first book?  

A few years ago, while sitting in a courtroom with a client, I watched as a police officer was lambasted by an attorney.  The attorney was defending a woman who crashed her car into two other vehicles before she passed out drunk at the wheel.  The other drivers were seriously hurt and the cop, a former EMT, tried to assist the injured while waiting for ambulances to arrive.  The attorney questioned the cop’s every move, shredded his testimony and made him seem inept.
Embarrassed, the cop returned to his seat beside me and muttered, “Everybody lies.  The judges lie, the lawyers lie, the witnesses lie...”  I wanted to tell him not to worry that in about five years he’d be just as good a liar as they were.
That day I realized that many of those who are entrusted with upholding and enforcing the law have the least regard for it.  The seeds for the “The Girl in White Pajamas” were planted in that courtroom.
Specific writing style:  I write like I speak, profanity, vulgarity and all.  That’s me.

The title grew from the story.  It started as a love story wrapped up in a murder mystery, but the child’s role became pivotal and she became the object of the story.

What do you want readers to get out of your novels?  

I want them to be entertained.  When I read a book, I want to be entertained and feel that I’ve had a positive experience.  I have no secret message or platform other than the belief that people are what they are – take them or leave them but don’t try to change them.

Is the book mostly fantasy? 

 NO!  Sadly most of the things I write about have happened.

Music:  Bogie’s old school and macho.  He like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Michael Buble.  Bailey’s father was a country/western singer to she likes country music, being a Francophile she also listens to French music.

The experiences in my writing are definitely fact based.

What books influenced your life the most?  

Gone with the Wind, Angela’s Ashes and, strangely, Forever Amber, which I read when I was ten years old.

Authors with the most influence:  John Sandford, Joseph Wambaugh, Susan Isaacs

What book are you reading now?  

Just started Concealed in Death, the J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) futuristic detective stories.  I think I’ve read all of them.

Have any authors interested you by their writing style…
Frank McCort.  He told a tragic story in Angela’s Ashes with hope and humor.  He even threw in some verses and songs.

What are your current projects?  

Working on the edits on the second book while going through the first draft of the third novel. 

Do you see writing as a career?  

I do now.  I believe that all my previous jobs were done to get life experiences.  At times, when I was in a dangerous situation, I’d think to myself, “This is going to make one hell of a story!”

Change anything in your latest book.  No, I don’t think so.

Current work:  In the second book one of Bogie’s employees in his Boston security firm is shot in the back and a hacker is trying to break through his computer network.  Meanwhile, in Florida, deputy sheriffs are making porn movies and selling them on the internet.

Three favorite authors:  John Sandford, Michael Connelly and Joseph Wambaugh.

The covers:  The cover for the first book was designed by Erica Baert – she’s a graphic artist.  I told her what I wanted and provided her with snapshots of my granddaughter at three years old.  Yes, my granddaughter was the model for Isabella.
I don’t find writing a book hard.  I have a vague outline in my head when I begin and then start writing.  I’m amazed how a story turns out when it’s finally over.  Because I’m a newbie in the publishing world, I don’t have the pressure of contracts and deadlines.  The book is ready when I’m comfortable with it.

What did I learn from writing the book?  

I learned more after I wrote the book and that is that there’s no silver bullet or fast track to the top.  There’s a lot of steady, hard work and marketing to get noticed.  And that’s a job in itself.


Advice to other writers? 

 Unless you love what you do and feel compelled and driven, stop!  Writing is not a group activity.  It’s a solitary business that allows you sit and wonder why the hell you chose this path.

Which comes first – For me it’s the characters and then how they react to different situations?


Published writer:  Advice:  Unless you’re a celebrity, don’t sit around and wait for an agent or publisher to notice you.  If you think your work is good, self-publish.  You’ll learn the business by the seat of your pants the others before you have.

Where to find Chris Birdy
 Email
Website
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads

Buy Links

The Girl in White Pajamas Amazon U.S.
Barnes and Noble
Alibris