“What a ride! A good book for anyone who likes mysteries and likes to laugh.”

“Humor, mystery, and the quintessential ‘Rich Leder’ style of writing that stays with you long after you’re done with the book.”

“Since this is the second in the McCall & Company series, it should come as no surprise that I read it second. Truth be told, it could have stood up independent of the previous read because the history, characters, etc. are all nicely re-established. Fans of deductive reasoning will have already determined that I enjoyed the first, Workman's Complication, or I would not have read the second. Elementary.

However, I did not read the books back-to-back. It wasn't because I needed a break from the style or story; it was because Leder's books ARE a break! As I learned from his final words in my Kindle edition, this is by design. Leder doesn't really want me to think too hard while I'm reading him. He wants me to snack on the trim chapters like kernels of popcorn or swig them like a bottle of beer. To that end, he never gets heavy, never gets preachy, never seems to be hiding a deeper meaning in a metaphor or trying to pass me a subliminal message. Instead he’s trying to feed me an amuse bouche; a palate cleanser; refreshing and tasty without requiring the eyebrow furrowing concentration of, say, tasting a complex wine.

If we think about the way a chef might choose to put a palate cleanser between the tomato tartar and the sea bass, we can compare the McCall & Company books to sorbet. Maybe instead of going right from a Delillo to, whatever, a biography, I want to lighten it up? I want an intelligent read with a page turning storyline and imaginatively hewn characters that won’t weigh me down. I want a book I can grab when I’ve got a little time, or maybe a lot of time (Fu doctor’s waiting room! [McCall in joke]), that allows me to just scoop out a few frosty spoonfuls! This is where Leder’s ’tude fits perfectly into my life.

The book itself is powered by a fun plot - actually a pair of fun plots, running in harmonic-humming unison like the propellors that flank a small airplane’s fuselage - both of which are strong enough to command my interest. The lead character’s various quirks (boxing), hobbies (sort of; she fancies herself a professional actress, but her work seems restricted to a so-bad-they’re-good theater group, love life (hard to explain but in this book it’s a guy too much her junior and a woman or women too beautiful to resist even if one is straight), and neighbors, maintain the reader’s interest like a gardener would a millionaire’s lawn. I honestly don’t see any reason to reveal anything about the plot itself, because in a way, you don’t really read a McCall book because you’re intrigued by the plot line. This isn’t sci fi; this is playtime.

So, I am wholeheartedly recommending this book and its predecessor, but not as, I don’t know... a destination book. It is a vacation book in every sense of the word because not only is it a great book for that lodge/airplane/poolside read, it is a great vacation between more serious books.”

“Dare I say that Kate McCall is an actress; not a ‘real’ private investigator at all?

McCall, who held a PI license only because she helped her father, Jimmy, at times with his PI business, found herself in possession of that business after her father’s bizarre murder. Feeling the need to avenge Jimmy and angry at his assassin, she is using her acting abilities and her PI business to find Jimmy’s killer. Her decidedly odd group of friends and neighbors from her building and her theater company help her to escape a humdrum existence, make a few bucks, and occasionally, out of true concern for Kate’s well-being.

Now, she is facing her second case as a private investigator; one that will totally tax her skills of observation, manipulation and her ability to think logically…how can she tell two perfectly identical twins apart when both are free spirits and have unlimited resources at their disposal? What happens when one twin wants the other dead, McCall has no idea which twin hired her, and the twins both play reversible roles to the hilt? The twins’ father is ninety-two, ill and subject to die leaving a 10 billion dollar estate divided between the twins and both of them are determined the other will have none of it.

Into this mix, throw a business executive murdered in same manner as Jimmy leading McCall in a second direction chasing the killer. Complicate the murder with a pugnacious business partner everyone loves to hate as the prime murder conspiracy suspect, a second business partner whom no one suspects but who has a foreign agenda of his own, a pissed off Manhattan Assistant District Attorney who happens to be McCall’s son, a pissed off NYPD detective who wants to solve cases and keep McCall alive at the same time, and a crooked Weehawken, NJ, homicide detective and all hell breaks loose in the Bronx.

Swollen Identity is a rousing romp and entertaining read for mystery action readers of any age. McCall is a complex character and in Swollen Identity she may be shown to be much more complicated than originally suspected…or at least even more confused. Fu, her friend and ex-Chinese mob assassin, acquires new parrot, Jerusalem Joe; Jerusalem Joe is McCall’s payment to him for saving her life five times. Fu, however, still speaks in three to five word sentences. The reader is introduced to Warren’s ten-year-old Toyota Corollas, each of which Warren has lovingly named, and to Al as the ruthless manager of his illegal car rental company. They are just one more cog in the gear of oddball personalities that make up McCall’s associates and ensure that she survives her PI business.

In all, a fun and challenging (for McCall) plot neatly tied up in dry humor and presented through unlikely scenarios guaranteed to make it a fun read.”

“I still love these characters, the antics, the humor, and the action.”

“Mysterious, sexy and laugh-out-loud funny. Among female sleuths, Kate McCall is near the top … We highly recommend that you read Swollen Identity.”

“I really enjoy Rich Leder’s style of writing: It is the perfect blend of mystery, humor, action, and quick-witted comments. Rich Leder does a wonderful job at keeping the tone light. The humor comes from the writing—the subtle way the sentences are crafted—and from the characters themselves.

For Kate McCall what starts as a small stolen-identity mystery grows into something larger and more deadly at every turn. When reading the novel, I could envision this as a film or a television series. Hmm . . . Let’s go with television series so that Leder will have to write many more adventures with McCall & Company each year. I think 22 stories a year sounds about right.

Kate McCall is a wonderfully complex character. I believe that it is Leder’s understanding of the human condition—of the many contradictions that make up an individual—that make her so relatable. Not everyone in the world can envision being a private detective or an actress, but it is easy to relate to Kate’s family situations, her friendships, and her desire to find her father’s killer. It is also easy to understand why she needs to resolve the case rather than depending upon the police or her son, who is a district attorney, to do the job.

The chapter for me that really reveals the essence of Kate’s character is “Don’t Call Me a Crazy Bitch, You Crazy Bitch.” In it Kate’s “eye-for-an-eye” philosophy really comes to the forefront, as do her acting and detective skills. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but she gets to throw a haymaker punch that would have made her father proud as well as outsmart two smarmy idiots. This is a definite must-read series.

Swollen Identity by Rich Leder is a novel I would recommend to any adult reader who likes a good mystery with a touch of dry wit.”

“Swollen Identity and Workman’s Complication (the first book in this series) are such a fun and enjoyable read that will keep you laughing with every turn of a page. Rich will take you on a roller coaster ride that will have you guessing at the next twist in the plot. The cast of characters from Kate’s apartment (the House of Emotional Tics) and her fellow actors (the Schmidt and Parker Players) are quirky, eccentric but a lot of fun and are always ready (but not always willing) to help Kate on her crazy schemes to uncover information about her PI cases.

Just as the other reviewers here I read Workman’s Complication first and couldn’t wait for Swollen Identity to be published, now I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Any fan of Robert B Parker and the Spenser novels will love Rich's McCall & Company series, the style of humor used by these two authors is very similar and thoroughly enjoyable.”

“Quirky characters and hilariously crazy situations that will have you laughing out loud … I was definitely entertained!”

“I love these characters, the antics, and the action. If you like your mysteries with smart humor and an eclectic cast, these books are for you. Five stars!”

“You know a book is great when you can't stand to leave it to go on social outings and you rush back to find out what's next. Rich Leder is definitely going places with his writing. He's THAT good! I'm anxiously awaiting his next book featuring P.I. Katie McCall. Swollen Identity is a well written book that is laugh out loud funny!”

“Swollen Identity is a hilarious story filled with quirky characters, near impossible comedic situations, and a mysterious case of stolen identity. Swollen Identity is the second book in the McCall & Company series and this story picks up directly after the end of the first book, Workman’s Complication. This is not a series that has to be read in series order to enjoy because there is a mystery that is started and finished with each book but there is also an overarching plot that extends throughout the series regarding Kate’s investigation into who killed her father. In order to fully understand that plot you would want to read this series in order.

Kate McCall was called to be one thing in life and that was to be an actor! That was a dream that although realized did not pay very well for an off, off, off Broadway actor. After inheriting her father’s private investigation business, Kate has grudgingly decided that she can be an actor and a private investigator too, at least until her career takes off. Despite not being fully committed to the idea of being a private investigator, her late father’s attorney keeps sending cases her way and being a private investigator is better than her last job of a dog walker.

When a case of identity fraud comes her way, Kate decides that she is going to commit to the idea and be a private investigator. She accepts the case but little did she know that she was being swept up into a high stakes game of life and death pitted between two twins who were out to kill one another for not just millions but billions of dollars. Not only does Kate have to solve the mystery, of which twin is which, but she also has to stay alive in the process. Not only that but one of the twins keeps kissing her and Kate begins to question where her love life has gone and fields allegations that she kisses like a man.

In addition to a full-time case, an acting career, and wanting to please her son who is insisting that she give up her fledgling career as a private investigator, Kate was haunted by the idea that her father’s killer got away. She had vowed to catch the killer no matter what it took and when she learned of a killing that was committed that had all the markings of being the same person that murdered her own father, she pulls out all the stops to hunt him down. Kate was determined that he was not going to escape her and that he would be brought to justice for the murder of her father. Although this was easier said than done as Kate and the assassin enter into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

With the help of her unusual neighbors and her acting troupe, Kate will get in and out of crazy situations while she is both solving the case of identity fraud as well as following the clues to find the killer of her father. I am talking hilariously crazy situations that will have you laughing out loud as you read what Kate manages to land herself in. I also love the supporting characters in this series because they each fill the perfect role that helps to carry this story along at its fast pace! I was definitely entertained by Swollen Identity and I am looking forward to the next book in this story and wondering if and when Kate will catch her father’s killer.”