THE ASPHALT WARRIOR, by Gary Reilly.

Gary Reilly's fictional alter ego, Brendan "Murph" Murphy, is an immediately engaging and likeable character. Like his creator, Murph is a Denver cabbie of Irish stock (he often quotes his dear, irreverent "Maw"), an ex-GI, and an unpublished novelist. I think what makes you like him is the way he continuously pokes fun at himself and his various failures, beginning with his college years.

"... I have a BA in English from the University of Colorado at Denver. I killed time in my youth reading classic literature before deciding to stick with cab driving instead of cranking out English majors like sausages, which is the only thing a BA in English is good for: making little BAs. Some of my friends went on to get their Ph.D.'s so they could teach English and they haven't been heard from since."

As a former English major myself, I had to wince, but I was laughing. Murph characterizes his time in the army as good training - in avoiding mops and work details, or work in general. He disparages his lack of ambition, his personal hygiene, his growing gut, and ... well, you get the idea. He's a guy. He lives alone. He avoids personal entanglements and anything that might involve hard work. In other words, he's the kind of guy most guys would like to be pals with. Only real 'guys' would understand this. And hey, as an added bonus, he loves Gilligan and Andy Griffith - most silly TV sitcoms, in fact. And one of his favorite Elvis movies was King Creole, based on Harold Robbins' novel A STONE FOR DANNY FISHER (mine too, Murph/Gary), although, as he notes, "I once checked into it and Elvis does not appear anywhere in the book. I suspect that there were massive rewrites in the screenplay ..." (There were, MASSIVE.)

THE ASPHALT WARRIOR is kind of a mystery, but not really very seriously. It's mostly just about Murph and his everyday life, and it's funny (chuckles AND belly laughs) and just engaging as all hell. It's also supposedly the first of TEN Asphalt Warrior books. I think there are five out so far. How do I know there are ten? Well, sadly, Gary Reilly died in 2011. I already told you he was an unpublished author, but only during his lifetime. He left behind a treasure of over two dozen unpublished manuscripts, entrusting them to two close friends, Mark Stevens and Mike Keefe. They are getting Gary posthumously published, one book at a time, on their own Running Meter Press. It's a big job, but, well, they obviously loved the guy, so now they're seeing that his writing finally gets an audience. And, so far, Reilly's stuff has been bestseller material around Denver. But it deserves to go beyond regional status. I live in Michigan, and that's a long way from Denver. And I enjoyed the hell out of THE ASPHALT WARRIOR. If you like subtle, low-key Vonnegut-type humor, you'll like Reilly's writing. Highly recommended. ( )

Book Info: Genre: Humorous mystery
Reading Level: Any that can read it
Recommended for: Those who enjoy a fun story that will make you laugh.

My Thoughts: “Money can't buy happiness—but it can buy beer.” That quote sort of encapsulates Murph. I was just tickled to receive this copy of the first book in the Asphalt Warrior series, so I could read Murph's first adventure.

Gary Reilly had a real gift. He could combine things in such a way as to create a humorous dichotomy. I think the following quote will give you the idea.
“There was a little optometrist shop on south Broadway tucked in between a pizza joint and what amounted to a head shop where you could buy glow-in-the-dark posters, bongs, and whatever else the hippies began marketing after they went commercial in the '70s... I had never visited the optometrist shop. The entrance had a 1930s look that I liked—art deco molded-tin awning over the doorway, and Bakelite tiles on the foyer walls. It looked like the kind of business that would be owned by an elderly optometrist who had serviced families for generations and personally ground lenses in his back room. I liked the look of the shop, but I drove right past it on my way to Sight City!!! where you could buy Two Pair for the Price of One!!! according to the billboards plastered all over Denver blocking every decent view of the Rocky Mountains.”

See what I mean? So, if you like a laugh, you should definitely check out these books. The world lost a real gem when Gary Reilly died in 2011, but we have ten of these books, and possibly ten other books, to look forward to thanks to his friends, who are bringing out these terrific tales. Highly recommended.

Series Information: Asphalt Warrior is the first book in the Asphalt Warrior series (out of a proposed total of 10).
Book 2: Ticket to Hollywood, review linked here where formatting allowed
Book 3: The Heart of Darkness Club, review linked here where formatting allowed
Book 4: Home for the Holidays, release TBA.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher. No review was requested, but I'm happy to provide an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Murph has two main goals in life. First, to earn no more from driving his cab than it takes to keep his bohemian lifestyle afloat. Second, never and under any circumstance get involved in the lives of his fares. He's not very good at the first and spectacularly bad at the second. ( )

This is the first in a ten book comic novel series based on the life of Murph, a Denver taxi driver who has two goals--to earn no more than what he needs to keep his lifestyle up and running (this includes at least one week of "Spring Break" every month, spent on a beach towel in his living room with a book or 3) AND to never, ever, ever get involved in the lives of any of his "fares". While he does a hand-to-mouth version of keeping the first goal, the second has been causing some difficulty as of late. I don't want to tell you anymore because following along with Murph as he goes down the slippery slope of caring about one of his fares is part of the fun of this book. That and the witty, colorful commentary about Denver and people in general that only a long time taxi driver, or a very observant writer, could have.

This series is being published posthumously (Reilly passed away in 2011 after a long battle with cancer) via Running Meter Press, a partnership of author Mark Stevens and Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Mike Keefe, both friends of Reilly. ( )