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ARIZONA GUY: PLAYING WITH FIRE
Great second book in
your mystery series of the Arizona Guy. I loved reading Playing With Fire so much that I had a hard time putting it down to do other stuff. I am now finished and I can say YES! All of you need to buy this book, tell your friends and neighbors to buy this book
and I hope Ray is busy working on Book #3. Its fast paced, lots of mystery and action to keep you interested. It keeps you guessing right down to the last line of the book. Sign me up for the "Ted White Tour" I want to meet all his friends and neighbors in
the fictional Ajo, AZ. Great book, Ray! - Evelyn
I normally don't review books, but this one is just too good! I found it hard to put down even for a moment, wanting to see what happened next. I read it in a few hours, but then I'm a fast reader.
The characters are well written, the plot well defined. Everything about it was just wonderfully done. As an Ajo native, I have to say the author hit the nail right on the head. The descriptions of he places are right on. The townsfolk, just like in the book,
are a friendly bunch with everyone they meet. Anyone who loves mysteries will love this one. Even hardcore detectives will find it to their liking. I recommend it for as low as 6th grade, as there's nothing really too scary or inappropriate in the book. All
in all, a great book. I just hope the next one comes out quickly! - Ajo-ite
ARIZONA GUY
This was an excellent mystery. Having been a teacher, and having been at one time married to a band director, there were a lot of things that resonated with me in this story. I thought the writing was really good and the plot had just
the right amount of twists and turns to make it a page-turner. I will definitely be reading any sequels that come along. - Nancy H.
I just finished reading and loved it. What
a pleasure to read a book that was a puzzle throughout. I immediately went to Amazon to buy more of your work to discover this was your first. Other authors with many more published books are not as good as you. I looked for a newsletter to be notified when
you next book is published or will be published soon. Please keep me posted so I can buy it. Thanks, Val
Spitzer weaves mystery, music and Mormons in his entertaining yarn set in the isolated desert mining town of Ajo. Anyone who has wandered
through Arizona's searing Sonoran desert will relate to Spitzer's description of the rocky, forsaken terrain and marvel anew at how a town as vibrant as Ajo ever survived—let alone thrived. – Crismon Lewis
This is a different
kind of regional mystery-- one with a young guy as the protagonist rather than an elderly lady or a young hip woman-- and that added to my enjoyment of it. Ted White comes from California to house sit for his aunt and uncle in Ajo, Arizona. Problem is, they're
missing, and no one in this small, close-knit border town seems to know where they are. As Ted traipses all over town, dealing with a very confused neighbor lady and an angry teen who seems to want him out of the way at all costs, we get acquainted with Ajo
right along with Ted. In fact, Ajo is like a character in its own right.
I enjoyed this book, especially the characters and how they related to one another. My favorite scene is where Ted is waiting
outside his relative's house, locked out, in the heat of the desert sun and watches ants moving along the rocks where he's sitting. Any writer who can make someone watching ants fascinating will have my attention for the entire book!
Now I really want to go visit Ajo, Arizona! – Karen Gowen
Arizona Guy is a great book! It’s a fast read and is so good that you just can't put it down. I found myself reading into the next chapter a few pages just to
see what happened after the cliff hanger of the previous chapter. I found I wasn't getting anything else done, as I wanted to know what happened next in the small Arizona town of Ajo. Being an Arizona native, I found that I could relate to everything
he put in his book. I am a retired Teacher and it’s great to find a mystery book that appeals to a wide audience from young adults to 100+ in years. The author, Raymond Spitzer, manages to include some very current border issues into a slick
mystery narrative that will keep you guessing until the very end. What happens next? I really want to know! I think this book would make a great ongoing series of mysteries set in Arizona and the surrounding areas of the southwestern United
States. It’s nice to have a great new author on the mystery scene. – Evelyn
Raymond Spitzer's debut novel, "Arizona Guy", is a charming, suspenseful mystery. Spitzer delightfully depicts the wonderful friendships and
occasional dangers of small town life along the border between the United States and Mexico. With its snappy dialogue and captivating hints of potential romance between "Arizona Guy" Ted White & detective Blanca "Sandy" Sandino, Spitzer's novel earns a
well deserved place alongside other classics of the genre such as Robert Parker's Jesse Stone series. - Rich Radford
This is a good small town story. An easy read. Would make for a good summer library book for small towns in
the southwest. Hopefully a second installment is on the way. – Anonymous
Arizona Guy is a terrific book. The mystery kept me guessing until the end, and the characters were well developed and interesting. This is a great book
to read on the elliptical machine as it totally kept my attention (therefore not thinking about the exercise effort!) I couldn't wait to turn the page to see what was going to happen next. I hope the author comes out with another mystery soon. – Ms Julie
M. Bucknam
A really good book. I love the characters and I would read it again. – Jan Achey
I love this book and would tell people to read it. It was an easy read and enjoyable. Teens or adults would
like this book. – Susan Ashworth
I got this mystery when it was free for Kindle, and found myself appreciating the simple life of Ajo, Arizona and sympathizing with the main character. Looking forward to Mr. Spitzer's next story
in the series. – Nina Sala-Gault
This was a fun read. I know the author and grew up in the town that makes the setting for this book. I don't read mysteries too much, but I enjoyed it. – Jera Gunther
This
book was recommended to me by a very good friend who knows how much I love to read mysteries. Once I started, I could not put it down and in fact, used the book as a way to get reluctant readers in my language arts classes to get interested in reading. Since
I also live in a small town, my students could relate to the setting and were very familiar with the way the characters interacted because they are used to seeing it in our town. We got into some very interesting discussions - such as how Ted could get felled
by the heat when he was drinking copious amounts of water. This book is highly recommended by me, my students and various friends that I have shared it with. It is well worth your time to read it. Mr. Spitzer, I hope there are more Ted White Mysteries to come!
– Mystery Fan
Good selection for a book club, school library, and for anyone interested in a mystery set in small town Arizona. Realistic characters developed in such a way as to make me feel I should know them. Each chapter ending
piqued my curiosity for the next. Humorous and serious moments abound. The movie should cast Michael Clark Duncan as "T.J." – Eric
Ted White, a music teacher, is on the rebound after being dumped by his fiancée
when he agrees to house-sit for his aunt and uncle in a small town near the Arizona-Mexico border. He arrives to find his aunt and uncle inexplicably missing and the house vandalized. In his search for his missing relatives he meets the local police,
local music students, neighbors, a talented handyman, a deaf trumpet player/gardener and a host of others. All become involved in efforts to set things right, creating an intimate, caring small-town atmosphere where people reach out to others across races,
religions and the whims of nature. The book is well-written, the characters rounded and credible, the plot fast-paced and logical and the reading experience enjoyable! A question for author Raymond Spitzer: Got any more books coming soon? – Patricia
Austin
Good book. My mom got me an autographed copy. I have good memories of Ajo as a kid.
– Tyrone
This book is really good. I once lived in Southern Arizona and when I read this book, I could not
put it down. It reminded me of my childhood years of growing up in the desert. The author really knows his southern Arizona environment and Ajo area geography. He writes a mystery that kept me on edge. Why are the relatives missing? Was it murder? The amount
of detail and variety of characters is great. Since I am a school teacher, I recognized at once that the author knows modern youth and how they think. The adults featured in the book are interesting and real. All the characters are easily kept track of too,
so there is no confusion. What happens next? Raymond Spitzer, please write what happens next. – Ron
Easy read. Interesting from the beginning. – Anita