Categories
Novels

Tune Up

Qigiq and Kandy are once again embroiled in high-tech, high-stakes crime, taking readers on a thrill ride through the streets of San Francisco.

—Tune Up : The Secrets of Mylin – Book I

On their second case, Qigiq and Kandy are loaned to the Traffic Division to investigate an early morning accident. Hit and run. By a motorcycle. The victim is an elderly Asian woman. A young witness in a nearby dry cleaner and a truck driver suggest all “accidents” aren’t created equal. Then the Captain drops a new assignment on their desk: an affluent Bay Area lawyer is missing. The man’s wife stomps into their office screaming about a contract she found hidden in the backups of their home computer. A contract with a seven-figure payout, and an incriminating Exhibit A.

Following the trail of both the motorcycle rider and the lawyer with Kandy complaining, “We’re homicide detectives, there should be a body,” leads to a vintage motorcycle club called the Ton Up where lips are sealed, a yacht harbor on the coast where riddles run deep, and a midnight roadside confrontation that ends with a splash. As the trails twist they soon find that these people and places have one thing in common: a violist named Mylin, who plays in an all-female orchestra called The Girls of the Orient. And, unbeknownst to her, is the subject of a fine-art photographer’s latest collection.

From San Francisco to Mexico, the treacherous cliffs of the Pacific coast to the desolation of Nevada’s high desert, Tune Up moves like Kandy’s turbocharged Mini through a foggy landscape of false identities, fake romance, and frenzied chases, as Qigiq realizes one picture really can reveal more than 1,000 words.

“Tune Up reads like 40s noir in its build-up of suspense in each chapter. The pining of the artist for his muse and his desire to save her recalls the work of James Ellroy. The denouement is worth the wait at every step. Suspenseful mastery in its best form. A book not to be missed!”

—Seattle Book Review (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

“Once again the author succeeds in spinning his story so well that readers can’t help but keep turning the pages to see its spectacular climax. Let’s hope book two arrives soon.”

—Kirkus Review

“Full of plenty of twists, turns, and dynamic characters, Tune Up is a thrilling and satisfying read.”

—Foreword Reviews (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

“A fascinating multiple-perspective thriller following a host of characters including Klingler’s Detectives Qigiq and Dreeson. The plot is fast-paced and engaging…it was a struggle to put the book down. The characters are well-developed and fully dimensional. Klingler is also a master at description. Wonderfully trippy climax to the action. For fans of crime thrillers, it will be a highly enjoyable read.”

—Manhattan Book Review (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

“I absolutely devoured this book! The Secrets of Mylin is an intense mystery set in modern day California and Nevada. I enjoyed both storylines, finding Qigiq and Kandy’s humor and working relationship to be quite amusing, while finding Mylin and Joe to be rather endearing. Highly recommended!”

—San Francisco Book Review (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
  • Winner NY City Big Book Awards—Best Multi-cultural Fiction
  • Book Excellence Awards Finalist—New Fiction
  • New York Book Festival Honorable Mention—General Fiction
  • Hollywood Book Festival Honorable Mention—Genre Fiction