These Junior Bender books can be a bit of a mixed bag, and I wasn't crazy about the last one. But *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery* is a solid hit for me, a 4.5-star read. Junior's back in form, trying to solve his mentor's murder while uncovering some seriously uncomfortable truths about both Herbie and himself. The biggest takeaway for me was the idea that we never truly know the people in our lives. Those we put on a pedestal can be the ones who hurt us the most, while the everyday p...

So much for best-laid plans, eh? I intended to take a breather after devouring the first three Junior Bender books in quick succession. But my wife, Nancy, had already downloaded *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery*, and the digital expiration date was looming, so here I am, four books deep. And honestly? I'm thrilled I kept going. I found this installment way more satisfying than the third, mostly because the balance between character development and plot felt much more my style. Junior's...

I'd almost forgotten I'd listened to a couple of earlier books in the Junior Bender series about three and a half years ago, until I dove into *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery*. While Junior Bender is usually cracking safes, in *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery* he's playing private eye, trying to figure out who offed his mentor and father figure, Herbie Mott, and more importantly, *why*. Junior's wonderfully weird life is populated by some truly kinky characters, which just add...

I really get a kick out of these books. There's always so much going on, with a whole cast of quirky criminals. If you're looking for a fun crime novel, definitely check out Timothy Hallinan's *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery*.

"I had all this grief-energy, Herbie would say, turn it into something useful, like fury. … If you can’t get closure, get even.” In case you haven't been an ardent follower of Junior Bender, and honestly, you should be, let me tell you he's one of the best burglars in Los Angeles. He's the go-to guy for crooks when they need crimes solved. He kind of fell into the business, but an honest crook is a rare find! Junior's known as a good egg, a dad, and a self-taught scholar. You'll always find ...

Consistently entertaining. Consistently interesting. Consistently a great listen. If you're looking for a fun audiobook, Timothy Hallinan's *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery* never disappoints.

I first became aware of Timothy Hallinan’s writing when I was asked to review the first Poke Rafferty thriller, *A Nail Through the Heart*, in 2008. The Rafferty books became staples of my reading; *The Queen of Patpong* is a book I’d love to see taught in schools. The Rafferty books are pretty dark, though Hallinan knows how to add touches of humor to provide patches of blue sky and hope. These bits of humor are genuinely funny, so I was happy to hear he’d decided to write something intended t...

Junior Bender is a burglar. That's a fact. What keeps it from being a hard, cold fact is Bender's heart. Bender has a set of codes he lives by and a set of rules given to him by his mentor, Herbie, by which he works. One of those rules "was to delay as long as possible the moment the mark realizes his stuff has been boosted." That means not taking everything, nor making a mess. Another rule is not to take anything the mark can't live without. When Bender finds himself holding a matching set of b...

You can read the long version here at my reading journal blog, or you can satisfy yourself with what little I've said here. Either way, what you'll find is that I get nothing but pure pleasure from reading these books, and I highly recommend them all. *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery* begins as our burglar hero Junior Bender is asked by a "contractor" named Wattles to retrieve some property of his that has been stolen. Wattles, whose memory is "not what it used to be," would "arrange...

I received a free copy of *Herbie's Legacy: A Junior Bender Mystery* from Firstreads in exchange for an honest review. Here it is.Is there honor among thieves and hitmen? Apparently, there is in Timothy Hallinan's series about Junior Bender. Junior's friend and mentor, Herbie, taught him everything he knows about breaking and entering and how to choose the choicest loot. Now, years later, Junior is also an investigator for crooks who, for obvious reasons, aren't keen on involving the cops.Waddle...