Audible Release Date: May 4, 2018
Brett Cornell is called to action when someone with absolutely no morals or limits is needed. In this case, Tammy and Andy Rankin’s father has died and their stepmother stands to inherit the estate. Tammy and Andy need to pin the death on their stepmother – doesn’t matter if she had anything to do with it or not – and there’s no better man for the job than Brett Cornell.
Brett gets Hammered is the sixth book in the Brett Cornell series.
I received a copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review. I then did not review this book for a few years and for that I deeply apologize to this author.
Brett is back and brash as ever. The self-acclaimed unscrupulous bastard is ready to break heads and bed ladies. Brett has standards though an old hag of 40 may have a shot (Brett is 36) but Tammy Rankin is right in his lane. She’s a woman he’d spend a few fun times with but the contentious bruiser at her side is a fly in the ointment so Brett is ready to focus on what he likes best – the money. Tammy’s wealthy father has died and left all of his money to his young wife cutting Tammy and her brother completely out so Tammy needs someone to dig up – or make up – dirt on the young widow. Is there anyone more fitting for the job than Brett?
It’s been a while since I last read a Brett book but his signature verbal effluence self aggrandizing in Brett gets Hammered brought it all back. Brett is always going to be the ultimate unreliable narrator. As smooth as he thinks he is and as easily as he plays it off, we see the discomfort of the people in his environment when he sits down with Tammy, stares at her chest and orders a “pair of Heinekens.” His retelling to us has him pulling off his explanation but he manages to relate the awkwardness of his audience which he attributes to anything other than his charm.
Brett gets Hammered is a very linear read and the story is very structured. There’s a feeling that D’Aguanno knows Brett very well now (and perhaps always has). We also get the sense of the narration that Carter is quite comfortable in his role. Brett gets Hammered is the 5th books he’s narrated for this author (subsequent to this release, he narrated Beach Bum Brett). When Carter is in character, Brett is someone we all knew in the 70’s or perhaps who was a throwback to that time. Brett is a man who wants to be a caricature and as much as he tries to pull it off, as the story goes on, we see right through him. He mentions his childhood when dealing with cops later in the book and questioning why he should continue to pretend things don’t bother him. There is real growth in this character.
Brett’s macho man throwback is going to be a lot for some readers. If you observe the people around the narrator and observe his few honest moments we are led to a potential understanding of why he’s a jackass in much of the narrative. As per usual, reality meets Brett and in this story it seems especially poignant. Got to say, once I started listening to the characterizations presented by Carter, I got a bit swept away and this was one audiobook that I wasn’t rewinding because I felt I missed something.
Well produced and well written, Brett gets Hammered is just a really solidly good story. Brett’s malapropisms are engaging. Was “said the spider to the cucumber” in a previous book because that was one that I just had to stop the book. Is that part of my vocabulary now? It remains to be seen.
It’s a holiday weekend here in Canada. Pick this one up today. Its a great listen for sunning outside or puttering around the house.
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