@Asphalt_Warrior @JKSLitPublicity #Book #Review "Doctor Lovebeads" by Gary Reilly

Doctor Lovebeads review
Author: Gary Reilly
5 out of 5 stars

See also my book feature here.

Book Info: Genre: Literary Fiction/humorous
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Anyone

My Thoughts: I'm running out of adjectives to describe how awesome these books are. In this one, Murph runs across a hippie commune in the mountains past Boulder and, as usual, breaks his vow to not become involved in his passengers' personal lives, leading him into a labyrinthine plan involving passing himself off as a hippie. It's pretty funny. As always, Murph is full of advice on many things. I don't want this review to be all quotes like a couple of my earlier ones, but I will give you this.

Murph on Fashion:

“The big house... reminded me of the types of structures you can still see in places like Center City: gingerbread houses, two-story affairs built back in the nineteenth century when people didn't have televisions and were forced to build interesting things out of wood. I have a theory that the outrageous fashions you see in pre-twentieth century culture came about as a result of the lack of television. I'm talking wild hats on women with lots of feathers, pelts, sequined dresses with long trains, as well as top hats on the men, with long-tailed coats. I figure that life in those days was so dull that people themselves became televisions. I'm still working on the theory. I include European royalty in this construct, but let's move on.”

I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like this book, honestly. It's funny and thought-provoking. Check it out.

Series Information: The Asphalt Warrior series, a proposed eleven-book series each featuring Murph, but which can be read as stand-alones.
Book 1 The Asphalt Warrior. review linked here
Book 2: Ticket to Hollywood. review linked here
Book 3: The Heart of Darkness Club. review linked here
Book 4: Home for the Holidays, review linked here
Book 5: Doctor Lovebeads

Disclosure: I received a copy from JKS Communications/NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: In Doctor Lovebeads, the fifth in novelist Gary Reilly's Asphalt Warrior series, Murph must go undercover to accomplish his mission. He lets his hair go untamed, dresses in muslin and sandals and arrives on the scene in a beat-up VW van called the Cosmic Wonderbus and Mobile Mercantile.

Murph tries to pass himself off as an old love child in his confrontation with Brother Chakra. As the good Brother might say, It's a mind-blowing trip.

@Asphalt_Warrior @JKSLitPublicity #Books Feature: The Asphalt Warrior Series by Gary Reilly

Today I'm featuring Gary Reilly's books; mostly the two that just came out November 15, Home for the Holidays and Doctor Lovebeads. My reviews will be posted over the next two days. These are books 4 and 5 in a proposed 10-book series by the late Gary Reilly, a true genius, and a true loss to the world of literature. They are funny, philosophical, and most importantly, absolutely amazing reads. For your information, here is the series as it stands so far:

Series Information: The Asphalt Warrior series, a proposed eleven-book series each featuring Murph, but which can be read as stand-alones.
Book 1 The Asphalt Warrior. review linked here
Book 2: Ticket to Hollywood. review linked here
Book 3: The Heart of Darkness Club. review linked here
Book 4: Home for the Holidays
Book 5: Doctor Lovebeads

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        

CONTACT: Marissa Curnutte 347.574.3136

 marissa@jkscommunications.com  

BEST-SELLING WRITER’S LEGACY LIVES ON THROUGH COMEDIC ‘ASPHALT WARRIOR’ SERIES ‘Home for the Holidays’ and ‘Doctor Lovebeads’ by Gary Reilly hit bookstores Nov. 21

DENVER, Colo. – Back in the driver’s seat again, the cabbie who made readers laugh out loud in the first three installments of the posthumously published “Asphalt Warrior” series has returned for two more books written by best-selling author Gary Reilly.

Winner of the 1979 Pushcart Prize, Reilly passed away in 2011 after a two-year battle with colon cancer, trusting a pair of friends to publish an 11-book series after his death. Since then, the “Asphalt Warrior” series has been in the hands of Mike Keefe, a retired political cartoonist and Pulitzer Prize winner, and Mark Stevens, a former journalist and acclaimed author in Colorado. Following the successful release of the first three books – “The Asphalt Warrior,” “Ticket to Hollywood,” and “The Heart of Darkness Club,” which hit No. 1 on the Denver area bestsellers list – the two friends will publish two more books Nov. 21, 2013 in honor of Reilly through Running Meter Press.

Denver taxi driver Brendan Murphy, aka Murph, returns in Reilly’s fourth book, “Home for the Holidays.” It’s Christmastime, and Murph leaves his cab behind to visit his family in Wichita where he finds himself reluctantly reconnecting with his siblings. Meanwhile, Murph takes it upon himself to save an old friend from making the biggest mistake of his life – accepting a job where suits and ties are everyday attire.

In “Doctor Lovebeads,” Murph ignores the little voice in the back of his head that says to stay out of the lives of his passengers. Instead, he goes undercover as a hippie – muslin, sandals, VW van and all – to rescue two girls he believes have been brainwashed by a cult leader.

“Reilly is a master wordsmith,” Denver Post reviewer Mike McClanahan raved about “The Asphalt Warrior.”

“A sardonic, well-read, authority-bucking character who cites Fellini and Dobie Gillis in the same passage, Murph…has a clear, winning voice,” Denver Post reviewer Tucker Shaw said in a story about “Ticket to Hollywood” being named as a finalist for the 2013 Colorado Book Award.   Reilly was born in Arkansas City, Kan., and moved with his family of seven brothers and sisters to Denver. He served two years in the army, including a tour in Vietnam as a military policeman, and later majored in English at Colorado State University with continued studies at the Denver campus of the University of Colorado. After publishing his short story “The Biography Man” and writing as an AOL comic advice columnist in the ‘90s, Reilly turned to novels. His dedication to writing did not include self-promotion. Instead of seeking agents and publishers, he focused on his craft, writing and rewriting, polishing to perfection. Proceeds from his book sales benefit Reilly’s longtime partner, Sherry.