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The Flaming Critic

The Flaming Critic Reviews:

Billibub Baddings
(and the Case of the Singing Sword)
by Tee Morris

Welcome! I am Maxima Flamius, philosopher and book critic—and dragon extraordinaire. Let me tell you, BILLIBUB BADDINGS and THE CASE OF THE SINGING SWORD is one of the best books I've read since Plato let me sneak a look at his notes on Atlantis.

"Chicago, 1929. There are a thousand stories in the naked city. And when you're a dwarf at four-foot-one, they all look that much taller."

With these three sentences, Tee Morris comes back with his first solo novel, BILLIBUB BADDINGS and THE CASE of THE SINGING SWORD. This time, he moves from the lush forests of Morevi to the concrete jungle of gangland Chicago, held tight in the grip of Al Capone. It's not what I expected at all – while I knew Morris could spin a good story, I never expected to hear Bogart muttering Billi's words as I read the novel. If you like the film noir detective films Bogey was famous for, you'll love this book.

"Fierona Draconus here, you're so right, Maxima! When I read the book, I heard Bogart as well. The story jumped off the pages and it felt like I was watching one of those wonderful old gangster movies."

Billi Baddings is a dwarf in uncharted territory, in a big way. Sucked into a Portal of Oblivion from his native homeland, he has found a new niche in a Chicago still recovering from the St. Valentine's Day Massacre—he's become a private detective. Into his office comes one of the golden girls of Chicago's social class—Julia Lesinger, who wants him to find out why her mob boyfriend got himself whacked by the Big Boss.

That's just the beginning of Billi's problems. Hints abound that his past (yeah, from beyond the Portal) has turned up to haunt him.

The story is a true page-turner, giving just enough clues to help the smart reader figure out the mystery along with Billi. The characters are full and vibrant. From Billi and his secretary Miranda to Al Capone himself, they jump off the page and haul the reader into their world. Morris has really done his homework allowing the readers to experience Chicago in the Roaring Twenties along with Billi, as well as the magic of his homeland.

Even the language is right on target, bringing the flavor of the times to a deeper level. So go and order your copy, ya mooks, or I'll hafta order my own hit.

Capisce?

(See? The language really is addictive! Pardon me while I go and find out when the second book will be coming out—I may be a dragon, but even we have limits to our patience.)

"Just let me know if you need any help tying Tee Morris to his keyboard, Maxima. I'm ready for the next story now! What do you say we give this one a five bonfire rating?"

Definitely.  Now, where did his publisher say he was?

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