‘In Search of McDoogal‘ by Mae Clair is one heck of a hilarious ride. It reminded me of an episode of Fawlty Towers or Doc Martin in its zany antics and zinging back-and-forth dialogue.
‘McDoogal’ centers around hapless big-hearted Brady who accidently sells his girflfriend’s most treasured painting (of her deceased cat McDoogal) to an unknown customer who happens to live four hours away. Dragging best friend and comedy buddy Declan along for the ride, Brady hunts down the customer to retrieve ‘McDoogal’, only to find getting back the painting isn’t going to be quite as easy as he’d hoped.
A small-town Sherrif, brawling baseball teams, dolphin-loving college girl, and chilli-dog-eating hippy-wannabe stand in Brady’s way of claiming ‘McDoogal’, and you can feel his stress and tension rising as the situation gets more desperate with every turn of the page.
‘McDoogal’ is a wonderfully written short(ish) story, that gave me a good laugh and the ‘feel goods’ all the way through. The author’s acknowledgments at the end of the book sucker-punched me a little about the revelation of the actual McDoogal and his relationship with Arafel (I won’t say anymore here; go read it for yourself and see if you don’t come away with tears in your eyes).
An absolute gem of a book you need to read.
Get your copy HERE
Jessica Bakkers 
Aww! I am speechless after such a wonderful review…and the inclusion of my acknowledgement at the end. You made my day, Jess. This was wonderful. I am so glad you enjoyed my quirky little story with all those crazy characters. Thank you!
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I really did, Mae. It was so different from your mystery thrillers, but still written with the Mae Clair attention to detail, and thoughtfulness. A beautiful book 🤗
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Great review, Jessica.
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Thanks, John. I was thrilled by Jess’s review!
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She is excellent at reviews,
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Thanks John, it was an easy one to review because I enjoyed it so much 😁
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Always the best kind of review to write. 😁
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Good review! I’ve read this one too and smiled the whole way through.:-) It was so sweet and fun.
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Thanks, Priscilla. I really want to visit with these characters again soon and give them another adventure 🙂
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I’d love to read that!
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Exactly! Sweet and fun! What a great way to put it. Thanks, P 🤗
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Wonderful review, Jess! I loved McDoogal. Reading it was a light in this otherwise dark and crazy year.
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Aww, thanks, Joan! I’m so thrilled my silly little story brought smiles 🙂
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Absolutely, Joan. I’ve been gravitating to fun reads this year, and I think that’s exactly the reason why. To combat the gloom in the world this year. Well, McDougal sure did that!
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I’m so looking forward to this. I’m going to run out of Mae Clair books. This one is next. 🙂
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Oh you’ll love this one D. Right up your alley I reckon 🤗
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I really can’t wait. I need something lighthearted after killing off most of my planet. Lol.
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I know, right?
I’m all about light-hearted fiction at the moment as I figure out which unfortunate folks won’t survive upcoming books… gulp.
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LOL!
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I really enjoyed McDoogal and am happy to see it getting some love here today. It’s a deviation from Mae’s usual style and a happy addition to her portfolio.
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Agree wholeheartedly, Craig. It was such a breath of fresh air in the gloomy 2020 we’ve found ourselves in.
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I thoroughly enjoyed Finding McDoogal and it’s great to see it getting such a great review here. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jessica 🙂
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It was a great read, Harmony – so easy to review a great read 🤗
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Couldn’t agree more, Jess. McDoogal is a top-notch romp.
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Love that description ‘top-notch romp’ 🙂
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Terrific review, Jessica, and I am with you 100%!! Such a change for Mae! And while I don’t want her to stop writing her wonderfully creepy books, I would love to see more from the McDoogal gang! What a breath of fresh air! 🙂 Lovely post and well deserved. 🙂
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Yes, I agree, Marcia. I love Mae’s monsters and thrillers, but boy, she can write comedy!
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A wonderful review of this book, Jessica.
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It was a wonderful book, Robbie 🤗
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