
In search of something ugly…
All Brady Conrad wants to do is earn a few merit points with his artist girlfriend, so he volunteers to cover her gallery when she leaves town. What should be an easy day of sales goes belly up when he mistakenly sells a cherished painting.
With the clock ticking toward Vanessa’s return, Brady has less than a day to track McDoogal down. He coerces his friend Declan to tag along for moral support. How difficult can it be for an investigator and the director of a renowned institute to find a single painting in a town the size of a postage stamp?
Neither Brady nor Declan counted on a suspicious sheriff, rival baseball teams with a longstanding grudge, or a clueless kid trying to win his girlfriend with all the wrong gifts.
McDoogal is smack in the middle. But Brady’s biggest dilemma isn’t the disastrous hunt. It’s confessing to Vanessa her painting is the ugliest thing he’s ever seen.

Biography
A member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers, Mae Clair is also a founding member and contributor to the award-winning writing blog, Story Empire. She has achieved bestseller status on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with several of her novels chosen as book club selections.
Mae writes primarily in the mystery/suspense genre, flavoring her plots with elements of urban legend and folklore. Married to her high school sweetheart, she lives in Pennsylvania and is passionate about cryptozoology, old photographs, a good Maine lobster tail, and cats.
Discover more about Mae on her website and blog at MaeClair.com

My Review
The things we do for love…
When Brady Conrad inadvertently sells his girlfriend’s prized painting of her beloved feline, he talks friend Declan into helping in its recovery.
They follow a vague trail of clues leading them to a small town with a suspicious sheriff and a calamity of events that make for entertaining reading. Brady and Declan act more like brothers with their witty dialogue and unending support and the supporting characters are a hoot!
The more we learn of this painting, the curiouser it gets and was a highlight of the story for me.
If you’re looking for a little lighthearted relief from the current world crisis, this book fits the bill!

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I too loved this book and is exactly what we need right now. Thanks for the great review.
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Thanks so much, Darlene. I jsut love hearing that others have enjoyed my silly little story, LOL!
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How are you holding up, Darlene? I see you’re on lockdown now {{hugs}}
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Yup, we can only walk our dog in our neighbourhood and go to the grocery store. But only one of us. I’m working on another story and starting a big fat book. HUgs back.
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Be safe!
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This book was a surprise, and I thought my eyes were playing tricks when I saw Mae Clair’s name on the cover!
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Jaye, this one is really different for me. A short 90-minute read, and a comedy of errors, buddy fic. I had fun with it, LOL!
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Should be a fun read then!
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I thoroughly enjoyed it! She has a knack for comedy 🙂
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Looking forward to this one. Nice to see it getting some action today.
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Thanks so much, Craig! I’m glad you’re looking forward to the story!
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It’s a fun one, Craig 🙂
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This was such a cute story. And a fast read. Glad to see it here today.
Love your bitmojis, btw. 🙂
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Thanks, Staci. It’s so good to know McDoogal brought smiles.
And I agree with you about Jacquie and her bitmojis. They’re always so entertaining!
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Thanks, Staci. It’s the perfect size for a just-before-bed read. And a nice way to fall asleep as a bonus 🙂
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This is a lovely review. And I adore those emojis at the bottom! I’m looking forward to this book. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jacquie 🙂
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Glad to hear you’re looking forward to the story, Harmony. I definitely had fun writing this one.
And Jacquie makes me want to create my own bitmoji! 🙂
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They’re cute, aren’t they? 🙂
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Thank you, Harmony. A little laughter is welcome these days.
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Again I love your avatar Jacquie! And you have the knack to summariez your review and give us all that’s needed in few words! I admire this gift as I am more of the oral diarrhea type LOL. The cover is also great as it reminds me of these small towns we drove through while in the US.
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Thank you for checking out the review, Sophiie. The story is set in a tiny town, which gave me the idea for the cover. And I agree that Jacquie always writes excellent reviews!
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I envy your diarrhea, Sophie (wait, that came out wrong, lol), I tend to write on the lean side.
This is a fun little story, I’m sure you’d love it 🙂
Be safe, my friend.
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I think we could all use some light-hearted relief, Jacquie – have this one waiting on my Kindle.
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So nice to hear, Teri. Hopefully it will bring a few smiles among all the craziness of the world right now!
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I’m trying to remain positive, but the news reports make that hard. Mae’s book was just what I needed!
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I’ve read and enjoyed most of Mae’s previous shivery, spooky books, especially her wonderfully creepy Hode’s Hill series, so I had to see how she handled something as lighthearted as McDoogal sounded. I found out. She handled it to perfection! I really love Buddy/Brother stories, and the relationship between Brady and Declan was wonderfully done. The dialogue was excellent, and made me laugh throughout. And the story was a fun romp, too! Thoroughly enjoyed every moment, and can’t wait for the next tale in this series. BTW, I read it in a bit over an hour, so it’s a perfect evening’s read, especially after a long day of bad news. Great review, Jacquie! Sharing! 🙂 ❤
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Wonderful recommendation, Marcia. Mae has a fan in both of us 🙂
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🙂 Aww, thanks, Jacquie!
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What a great, glowing review. Thank you, Marcia! I was a wee bit nervous hitting the publish button on this one since it’s so different than what I normally write. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it. I’ve always loved buddy/brother stories, too. Now I just have to start planning more adventures for Brady, Declan and assorted oddballs, LOL!
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I have this on my Kindle, can’t wait to read it!
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You’ll love it!
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So glad you’re looking forward to it, Jacqui. It’s short and silly, and hopefully brings a few smiles! 🙂
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Looking forward to reading this story as soon as I can get to it. Glad you hosting Mae today, Jacqui.
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It’s great fun. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the chase, lol
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I’m sure I will.
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Thank, P.H. I’m glad you’re looking forward to it, and hope you enjoy the tale when it surfaces on your TBR!
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You’re welcome. It may get there soon.
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You’ll enjoy it, P. H. Impossible not to! 😀
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I’m sure I will!
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I read this, and it was the perfect lift-me-up for a long day. I’m looking forward to the next one.
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I loved everyone’s interpretation of the painting 🤣
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Great review! This was a fun read!
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I thoroughly enjoyed it!
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Great review, Jacquie:) I agree this is the perfect read right now. I throughly enjoyed it.
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It’s so funny 😊
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This sounds like such a fun book Jacquie. Great review.
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Just what the doctor ordered, Carla, light-hearted entertainment 😀😊😀
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