by Rich Leder
A deep debt of thanks to my first circle of Linda readers: Dorothy, Lee, Lauren, Linc, Lulu, Rob, and Alexandra.
And thank you Brenda Errichiello and Shannon A. Thompson, my editors, and Rob and Amy and everyone at 52 Novels, my formatter, and Derek Murphy, my cover artist.
Gratitude in abundance…
AUTHOR’S NOTE
If you’ve already read Let There Be Linda, that’s awesome! Thank you so much for reading my book. If you snuck back here to see what I had to say before reading Linda, that’s awesome too. Thank you for getting ready to read me.
I write funny books because I like to laugh and because I like to make you laugh. Let There Be Linda is a black comedy caper/thriller with a silly psychotic twist. (If you’ve already read it, you know this is an understatement the size of Vermont. If you’re about it read it, strap in.) If you had fun with the book, then I would love for you to read Juggler, Porn Star, Monkey Wrench, my outrageous, romantic Hollywood sex comedy, and also the first two books in my McCall & Company series— Workman’s Complication and Swollen Identity. McCall is a funny PI series set in New York City. All of my books are available at reputable online outlets everywhere.
As I’ve said before, I benefit immensely from your feedback, and so I encourage you to write me directly at [email protected]. I’ll write you back.
Also as I’ve said before, I’m an undiscovered indie author—except now you’ve discovered me. And so I hope you’ll leave an upbeat review wherever you found and purchased Let There Be Linda. Your review could change my life—I’m not kidding—and I will be profoundly grateful to you for your time and effort.
Thanks again for reading Let There Be Linda,
Rich
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MCCALL & COMPANY: WORKMAN’S COMPLICATION
WAY-OFF BROADWAY ACTRESS.
MURDERED PI FATHER.
NEW DAY JOB.
Off-off-off-off Broadway actress Kate McCall inherits her father’s New York private investigation business after he’s a whole lot of murdered in a life insurance company elevator.
A concrete-carrying, ballroom-dancing construction mule says he fell off the scaffolding and can never work—or dance—again, and then sues the contractor for a whole lot of money.
Kate assembles the eccentric tenants of her brownstone and her histrionic acting troupe to help her crack the cases, and they stir up a whole lot of trouble.
But not as much trouble as Kate, who sticks her nose in the middle of the multi-million-dollar life-insurance scam her father was investigating and gets a whole lot of arrested for murdering a medical examiner.
Will Kate bust the insurance scam, prove who really killed the examiner—and her father—and get out of jail in time to pull off the ballroom sting of the decade? She might, but it’s going to be a whole lot of hilarious.
ONE OF SELF-PUBLISHING REVIEW’S FAVORITE INDIE BOOKS OF 2015!
“‘Page turning’ might be overused, but I couldn’t wait to get back to this book when I put it down. It’s funny, exciting, insightful, and inventive: the kind of book where you forget you’re reading…an honest-to-goodness charmer about a reluctant female detective trying to solve her father’s murder…Workman’s Complication is a gratifying and clever mystery that would be riveting even in the hands of a conventional writer. But the fact that Leder is such an exceptional humorist makes it required reading…In the seven years I’ve been reading and reviewing books for SPR, I’d put Workman’s Complication in the top five…You’ll fall in love with the whimsical, scrappy PI at the heart of this hilarious mystery…In Kate McCall, Leder has created one of the most original PIs we’ve read in years…Highly recommended, especially for fans of Janet Evanovich…Get this one.”
Henry Baum, Founder of Self-Publishing Review
Leder has crafted an over-the-top detective story, including flamboyant actors, hard-boiled New York City cops, and a mysterious tenant named Fu…Kate is a wonderfully appealing character: a tough-as-nails woman who’s open to romance but perfectly able to take care of herself…Readers won’t be surprised to see that she comes out on top, but they’ll rejoice in the humor of her journey… gloriously self-aware…quite funny.”
Kirkus Reviews
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McCall & Company: Swollen Identity
BEAUTIFUL BILLIONAIRE SOCIALITE.
COLD-BLOODED CORPORATE ASSASSIN.
MCCALL & COMPANY BACK IN BUSINESS.
Way-off Broadway actress and NYC PI Kate McCall had promised the police and the Assistant DA—her son—that she was all done investigating any damn thing in New York…
Meaning beautiful billionaire socialite Brooke Barrington says someone has stolen her identity and the corporate assassin who murdered Kate’s father has shot the eyes out of the CEO of Superior Press…
Meaning McCall & Company is back in business…
Meaning Kate enlists the help of the eccentric tenants of her brownstone—the House of Emotional Tics—and her melodramatic acting troupe, the Schmidt and Parker Players…
Meaning things spiral hilariously and dangerously out of control…
Meaning she is confronted by Brooke’s demonic identical twin, Bailey, accosted by international counterfeiters, and arrested for impersonating a hooker.
Meaning will Kate stop Bailey from murdering Brooke? Or will she stop Brooke from murdering Bailey? Or will she figure out how to tell one from the other in time to survive the wrath of the Bulgarian mob men hired to protect the counterfeit cash?
And will she finally find her father’s killer?
She might, but it’s going to be a fast, fun, and furious ride.
Praise for McCall & Company: Swollen Identity
“I really enjoy Rich Leder’s style of writing…the perfect blend of mystery, humor, action, and quick-witted comments…This is a definite must-read series.”
Chris, Goodreads Review
“What a ride!…easy to follow and fun to read. Swollen Identity was very funny. This is a good book for anyone who likes mysteries and likes to laugh.”
Dawn, Goodreads Review
“Leder’s brilliant style shines through here again…easily a step up from the first, in a way that seems both natural and chaotic simultaneously…You thought the first book was crazy? Then book two will blow your mind! More complex, more humour, crazier story…it seems Leder has indeed found his calling.”
Cheyanne, Goodreads Review
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Juggler, Porn Star, Monkey Wrench
My name is Mark Manilow. I’m a LA screenwriter. Here’s my recipe for a cocktail called “Romantic Hollywood Sex Comedy.”
Start with my estranged wife, who left me two years ago to become a juggler.
Pour in my ensuing emotional tailspin.
Blend with a brutal case of writer’s block.
Mix with my last-gasp writing job, a ridiculous porn flick called Broken Boner.
Add in the Broken Boner porn star, who seduces me into an ill-fated partnership.
Throw in the gun-toting producer and eccentric Montecito billionaire, who
hire me to adapt the phone book into a movie.
Combine with the return of my headaches and a trip to an ancient Chinese healer, where I meet the healer’s beguiling granddaughter—my monkey wrench.
Serve with wonderment as to whether or not I’ll find a way to settle things with the juggler, break it off with the porn star, and fall in love with the monkey wrench…or if anyone will stop laughing long enough to notice.
Praise for Juggler, Porn Star, Monkey Wrench
“This book, from one unlikely turn to the next, kept me laughing harder and harder all the way to an unbelievably bombastic script-reading climax. Each ridiculous element is handled with tact and dry humor: you like and root for Mark Manilow (who may or may not be related to Barry), whose suburban Jersey upbringing hadn’t quite prepared him for a Hollywood jungle including a porn star who won’t leave his house, a man with a death wish and his beloved murderous wife, a New Age neurologist with a penchant for ridiculous clothing, and, of course, a snowballing project to turn the phone book into a movie.
But underneath the bombastic humor and gut-laugh worthy situations, this is a story about a man who needs to straighten out his life if he wants it to move forward. The funny stuff augments Mark’s struggle, and the conclusion, in addition to being hilarious, is also heartwarming and moving.
A great read if you’re looking for humor with truth and heart inside it, and, honestly, a great read if you want pretty much anything else as well. Well-drawn characters and beautiful sense of place. Excellent. Five stars.”
Emily, Amazon Review
“After the holidays and a string of sub par books I was in a funk but brought this book into work with me to read while during breaks. I’ve had to explain the awesomeness of this book to most of my coworkers so they know I’m not dying of laughter at my desk like I’ve completely lost it. It was fresh and fun. Easy to read and enjoyable! Mark is the friend everyone has….if they didn’t have bad luck, they’d have no luck at all. But the same friend you always have a blast with and can’t wait to hang out with again.”
Jennifer, Amazon Review
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rich Leder
Screenwriter—Novelist—Publisher
Hi there! I’ve been a working writer for more than two decades. My screen credits include 18 produced television films for CBS, NBC, Lifetime, and Hallmark and feature films for Paramount Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures, and Left Bank Films.
I’ve written four funny novels published by Laugh Riot Press : McCall & Company: Workman’s Complication; McCall & Company: Swollen Identity; Juggler, Porn Star, Monkey Wrench; and Let There Be Linda. Workman’s Complication was a “Best Book of the Year” finalist for Self Publishing Review.
I’ve been the lead singer in a Detroit rock band, a restaurateur, a Little League coach, an indie film director, a literacy tutor, a magazine editor, a screenwriting coach, a commercial real estate agent, and a visiting artist for the University of North Carolina Wilmington Film Studies Department, among other things, all of which, it turns out, were grist for the mill. I live on the North Carolina coast with my awesome wife, Lulu, and I’m sustained by the visits home of our three children.
I love to hear from readers and writers. Please don’t be shy.
You can write me directly at [email protected]
Or you can visit me at www.laughriotpress.com