Uncle and Ants

A Silicon Valley Mystery (Book 1)

Fiction - Mystery - Sleuth
309 Pages
Reviewed on 10/12/2018
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Marc Jedel writes humorous murder mysteries. In his high-tech marketing roles, he's also written fiction. These are just called emails, ads, and marketing collateral.

In his family, Marc was born first — a fact his sister never lets him forget, no matter what milestone age she hits. For most of Marc’s life, he’s been inventing stories. Some, especially when he was young, involved his sister as the villain. As his sister’s brother for her entire life, he feels highly qualified to tell tales of the evolving, quirky sibling relationship in the Silicon Valley Mystery series.

Family and friends would tell you that the protagonist in his stories, Marty Golden, isn't much of a stretch of the imagination for Marc, but he proudly resembles that remark.

Like Marty, Marc lives in San Jose, the heart of Silicon Valley, where he writes within earshot of the doppler effect of the local ice cream truck. Unlike Marty, Marc has a wonderful wife and a neurotic but sweet, small dog, who much prefers the walks resulting from writer’s block than his writing.

Visit his website, marcjedel.com, for free chapters of upcoming novels, news and more.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite

Malfunctioning automated vehicles keep a software engineer looking for answers to his sister's freak accident involving high-tech equipment in the entertaining sleuth mystery, Uncle and Ants (A Silicon Valley Mystery) by Marc Jedel. Marty Golden is a software engineer for an autonomous automobile company. His sister, Laney, is injured in a freak drone accident, and Marty believes someone is trying to kill her. Going through the list of people Laney was supposed to have conferences with on the day of her mishap, Marty decides to meet with them himself.

However, Marty wasn't anticipating confronting drug lords, CEOs with political ambitions, or sexist entrepreneurs with the hots for his sister. By just winging it, his noble and heroic intentions place Marty in some precarious and uncomfortable situations that his personal career path hadn't prepared him for. In the meantime, Marty is trying to convince the police that Laney is in danger and needs protection. The police aren't taking him seriously, and Marty has ticked off some influential people since he started investigating. Can Marty find the person who intends to harm Laney and at the same time avoid becoming a victim himself?

Uncle and Ants (A Silicon Valley Mystery) by Marc Jedel is an amusing sleuth murder mystery involving sophisticated transportation that isn't too far-fetched in our present era and an unexpectedly uncommon hero. Marty is a clumsy, likable protagonist whose easy-going, self-deprecating attitude makes him approachable and relatable. Filled with suspense, the story's appealing characters and humorous situations create an exceptional and entertaining plot which ensnares the reader. The author's relaxed writing style is engaging, and once you start reading the book, you can't put it down. The story's suspense slowly builds, keeping the reader guessing as to who the "bad guy" is until the end. This is a delightful cozy mystery, and I recommend it to everyone who loves a regular guy playing the part of a private eye.