Head Games

by Thomas B. Cavanagh

"I have a tumor in my head. I call it Bob . . ." With two ex-wives, a fifteen-year-old daughter who hates him, and a soon-to-be-fatal brain tumor nicknamed Bob, retired police detective Mike Garrity... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312361327
• ISBN13: 9780312361327
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 294 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Florida Crime and a Tumor

A while ago, I was in the library, picking up a copy of Hammerhead Ranch Motel. As I was perusing the new novels, I saw one set in . . . Orlando. Okay, so that one goes home with me, too. Head Games, by Thomas B. Cavanagh, centers on Michael Garrity, a retired cop with a "friend," Bob. Bob is Mike's brain tumor, at least that is how Garrity refers to it throughout the novel. Dark sense of humor from the main character. Garrity has a lot of baggage; two ex-wives, a fifteen year old daughter, and the knowledge that his time on Earth is extremely limited. He really doesn't care about much, living alone in a small, cramped apartment. He is basically waiting to die. And then the phone rings, and one of his ex-cop friends offers him a seemingly easy job: Find a missing member of the latest boy band. Figuring that he really doesn't have a lot to do, and an offer of $125,000US to complete the job, it seems like a way to fill some empty days. All he has to do is find the lead singer/star of the boy band and deliver him in time for the world tour. Simple. Things start to change, quickly. As an ex-cop, Garrity is aware of things that "normal" people don't see, like the car that is tailing him, people that seem out of place in a crowd, that sort of thing. And then there are the phone calls from "a friend of a friend." It doesn't take him long to figure out that there is more going on here than a simple missing person case. Especially when one of his contacts ends up with his body and head in two different places. As he gets closer to the deadline, the pressure starts to mount - from the management company of the band, from the "friend of a friend," from his ex-wives and daughter, and from Bob. This novel was a very nice change from the chaos of the Dorsey novel. Cavanagh writes about a guy that you really care about. The fact that he has a brain tumor lends a sense of urgency to the job, to his relationships with his family, to the people with which he interacts. People may threaten him, but Garrity always has a trump card, "who cares, I am going to die any way." But Cavanagh writes in a style that makes you want Garrity to care, to tie up the loose ends of his life, to find the boy, to save the day. And he does so at a very nice pace. Very well drawn characters, people that you care about with an unseen force that lends a lot of suspense. These are characters that I would love see again, with or without "Bob." The effects of a brain tumor are handled well and, according to Cavahagh's resources, well researched. It isn't often that you have a main character with a death sentence, at least one that wasn't the result of interactions with another human being. An unusual but extremely good premise. And what about the behind-the-scenes machine that keeps spitting out those Backstreet Boys, N-Sync, O-Town bands? You will have a front-row-center-seat look at that business; where they find the members, what is expected of them, the marketing, the tie-ins. How di

Carl Hiaasen, watch your back!

Cavanagh's second work is splendid. Set in Orlando, he weaves a fictional tale but it is often hard to determine where the reality ends and the fiction begins. One problem - when is the next book to be published?

Head Games is a Must Read

This is the first novel I have read by Mr. Cavanagh and I am recommending it to all my friends. The story presents a unique look into the mind of a man who has a brain tumor that he has come to lovingly call "Bob". It is a serious novel which Mr. Cavanaugh manages to portray with witty humor and at times, deep emotion. It brings the reader from the traditional tourist attractions of Orlando into the real life world of downtown Orlando. The novel is enjoyable to those who know the city and would be an eye opener for those who don't. I am hooked on Mr. Cavanaugh's style and am now going to order his previous novel "Murderland".

More fun than a real visit to Orlando

"Head Games" wins high praise from me on two counts. As much as I will miss Bob (the tumor), I am praying for hero Mike Garrity's speedy recovery and reappearance. I'm also delighted that Cavanagh looks past the theme parks and tourist infestations to show readers my adopted hometown of Orlando. The book is a fun read, with a few emotional jolts along the way - not as harrowing as most drives down I-4, but it definitely moves faster. Orlando can now claim a local boy who has made good on his attempt to capture a place where impersonating vermin is a coveted job; boy bands are a local export; and it gets so hot and wet you expect the concrete to rot so the swamp can reclaim its own. Let Tom Cavanagh be your tour guide to the real City Beautiful through the eyes of characters you will enjoy knowing.

fresh private investigative tale

Bob his brain tumor controls retired cop Mike Garrity. Though he has a teenage daughter Jennifer, two former wives, and friends from the force, Mikey expects to die in the next few months with Bob as his only companion. Neither family, former family, friends, or strangers knows how to deal with Mikey's new roommate sharing his brain space, Bob. Another ex-cop George Neuheisel works as bodyguard to the superstar pop group Boyz Klub. However, when their lead singer TJ vanishes, he asks Mike to quietly investigate. With nothing else to do and a chance perhaps through the musical group to get closer to Jennifer though he hides the case from her and others, he begins making inquiries starting with other band members and the mother of the missing singer. No one offers any real information or any concern except for George. As Bob tells him to forget the case as he has little time left to live, Mike keeps digging. He argues with Global Talent CEO Eli Elizondo who demands he drop the investigation and with band member Miguel who may or may not have had a relationship with TJ. If Bob allows him enough time, Mike will uncover whether TJ fled the pressure of fame or is the victim of a homicide. HEAD GAMES is a unique fresh private investigative tale that grips readers from its opening line introducing the audience to Bob the tumor roommate and never slows down until the final confrontations. Readers will wonder if Mike will have the time to complete the case and reconcile with Jennifer even as Bob takes on a personality of his own. Mystery fans who want something different in their novels will enjoy Thomas B. Cavanagh as he plays HEAD GAMES with his protagonist (and the audience). Harriet Klausner