If I Had a Nickel

Roy Ballard Mysteries, Book 3

By: Ben Rehder

Narrated by: Johnny Peppers

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's Summary

Alex Dunn owned one of the most valuable collections of hobo nickels in the world, and it appears somebody killed him for it. Now Roy Ballard and Mia Madison are hired by the insurance company to track the collection down, which means they might reveal the identity of the killer in the course of their investigation. But the more they dig, the more suspects they uncover, including Dunn's children, his ex-wife, and a buxom masseuse who takes a hands-off approach to the services she offers.

©2015 Ben Rehder (P)2016 Ben Rehder

It's mostly about hobo nickels!

It is also about a murder. The real strengths of If I Had a Nickel by Ben Rehder are the vivid characters and the offbeat story. This is Book 3 in the Ray Ballard series. Ballard and his partner Mia Madison are supposedly PI's, but they are not licensed. The story is set in Austin Texas. The duo are hired by an insurance company to find out what happened to one of the most valuable collections of hobo nickels in the world after the old man who owned them died. There is no shortage of potential thieves. It is a fun story which I enjoyed. Johnny Peppers narrates very well.

Great Texas Story

l love Ben Rehder stories about Texas characters. Roy Ballard is one of my favorites and is a charming reluctant hero. His description of the locale in Austin is so realistic I can visualize the buildings. I am looking forward to the next book.

awesome listen!

If I Had a Nickle pulled me in immediately. Ben Rehder has created some great characters in Roy Ballard and Mia. The twists and turns in this boom we were great. I love his details in the stories. The descriptions of Austin and the hill country are spot on. Johnny Peppers is great bringing the characters to life with his voice. This book is both part of a series and a standalone listen.

gold digger

I wanted to kick Mia's butt! So blind and dense with rose colored glasses where Garland is concerned. She can't see what (Roy) is right in front of her, and falls for lying loser Garland's BS!!! Seeing red. I did enjoy following all the parts of the mystery. What a weasel the gold digger was at the end. Roy's carnal needs could have been fatal for him. Smh. I didn't see ut coming. I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this and am giving an honest review. The narrator did a great job with voices and expressions.

Another solid Roy Ballard novel

In this solid Ballard novel, the strength of Rehder's interplay between his protagonists steals the show from the actual featured case within the novel. I'm not normally one for a will-they/won't-they setup, but the charming dialogue sells it well. The narration in this novel is also more even-keeled than it was with the previous in the series. I liked it quite a bit.

IF I HAD A NICKEL

Really like this series, lots of action and twists and turns. Try it but start with the first for small details that pop up in the next.

no thanks

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

no clue

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Johnny Peppers?

narrator was ok

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from If I Had a Nickel?

chapter one begins with a big boobed prostitute smacking men with her breasts - that was enough of this book for me

Any additional comments?

I won't read any more of this author. A good mystery is a fun thing, but I don't enjoy raunchy.

The price of wealth

I did like this book but somehow it didn't grab me as much as the previous books and it took me a lot longer to listen to. No fault of the book, I guess I wanted something a bit more funny or light like the authors other series but I had started this book so had to carry on. There is a lot going on with house hunting, break ups, drug overdose and other investigations so there is plenty to keep it interesting. The author has done a lot of research on the subject and this shows in the story but to be honest to much was going on and with too many people involved. The characters Roy and Mia are what kept my listening and will keep me continuing on with the series.
Roy and Mia are hired to find a valuable hobo nickel collection when the owner is found dead and then missing. Not sure if the death was natural or to cover up the theft they start with the people closest to the deceased and the people who had access to the house, his ex wife and own children. The police are looking hard at his 'masseuse' who might have killed him during a very physical rub down but that doesn't explain how she could walk out of the house with the coins. To find the coins Roy might just have to break some laws, buy a house and catch a killer.
I liked the narrator he used his voice well to create each character.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Rare Nickels

Book 3 in the RoyBallard series and they Roy and Mia have been tasked to track down a collection of Hobo Nickels, apparently quite rare, the more they investigate the more suspects they seem to have now I have never heard of Hobo Nickels but with Roy and Mia on the case, I'm sure they will get their man/woman you can never tell these days.
These 2 fighting duo's do a wonderful job it makes you wonder if they might make a go of it, a good storyline and as always great narration by Johnny Peppers

Great book

Roy & Mia are back with their cheek & chat & case to get their & your teeth into.
I knew nothing about Hobo nickels when I listened to this, I do now! Really interesting snippet of info inside this story.
I really enjoy these stories and these two and the dynamics amuse me big time.
The narrator is great too, a chilled out voice to keep you listening
Worth a read or listen.

enjoyed

I enjoy listening to Johnny Peppers

A great thriller, I loved the interaction between Mia and Roy. Humour and very entertaining . Looking forward to listening to the next Ballard Mystery.

Great audio book

The 3rd in the Roy Ballard series and this time Roy and Mia are on the hunt for some missing hobo nickels. As with the previous books the story is more than just a hunt for missing items, with a bit of murder and suspense thrown in, along with development of their personal stories. With a narrator that really suits the characters the story moves along at a fast pace, keeps your attention and you want Roy and Mia to find out the truth.

The series that keeps on giving

I don't believe I would find anyone who didn't love this series if they were lucky enough to listen to it. Roy Ballard is a great creation. I love his banter and sarcastic one liners, his dialogue really makes me chuckle. The partnership between him and Mia seems to work well. It's a clever and unusual idea, casting them as legal videographers. It frees them from having to follow police procedure or the like and, being their own bosses, they can pretty much spend their time as they see fit. This latitude provides the opportunity for them to get themselves in all manner of bizarre and dangerous situations. Luckily, they always get their man and go on to fight another day. This series is consistently high quality and I'm loving every single minute. Johnny Peppers narration is top notch and add to the pleasure.

If I had a Nickle

This is the third book in the Roy Ballard series and once again I found the story interesting with so many twists and turns in it!
Yes these books are an enjoyable read - nothing too complicated but totally interesting - so all in all a relaxing read.
If you go through the books in the series in one go, it might bug you that you keep getting the main character’s back-ground story in every book, so maybe it would be better to try and read other books in between books.
However I will not be following that piece of advice... book 4 here I come!

Entertaining and intriguing

Really enjoying this fantastic series which features investigators Roy and Mia. This book is sharp, fast paced and with enough twists and turns to keep you really guessing. Lots of suspects, lots of intrigue and again, hard to guess the culprit. Great read.

Book 3: It's even better than Book 2

Someomes series lose their way, and start dropping off at the 3rd book, but not this time.
The legal viideographer and his partner are going from strength to strength. The case(s) are interesting and the characters great. The banter and wit is both extremely irritating and charmingly endearing.
Mia has a boyfirend, something that Roy is not too keen on, and then his own love life picks up. This doesn't stop the fireworks between Him and Mia though!
The narration is great and the style really suits the writing and feel of these books.
I am really enjoying this series and totally recommend it.

Hello old friends

Book three in the series shows Roy and Mia attempting to get to the bottom of a priceless hobo nickel collection which has gone missing after the death of its owner. Is something specious going on? As Roy and Mia investigate personal lives start to interfere, is Roy right to not trust Mias new man or are his personal feelings getting in the way? This is another exciting audio and a big shout out to Johnny Peppers as I love his narration. These two investigators feel like
Old friends and these books never disappoint.