ARC Review: Peter Key #1

Killer Vibes by Jack Friday

Publication Date: July 14, 2026

Summary from Netgalley:

Meet Peter Key: self-proclaimed “laziest private investigator in Texas” (it’s harder than it looks), unapologetic bisexual, dedicated stoner, and the surprised recipient of a windfall inheritance from an uncle he barely knew. Peter’s life was a mess before, but now— as the owner of a dilapidated house in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Austin—he has a mountain of debt to deal with and pressure to sell from every side.

But Peter doesn’t like to be pushed around. And when he discovers a bag full of cash, he starts to suspect his uncle’s death wasn’t an accident. He soon finds himself pulled into a lethal game where not everybody plays by the rules.

Fortunately, Peter’s never been good at following rules.

Sexy, suspenseful, and packed with Austin’s quirks, Killer Vibes is a wild and wickedly funny romp that introduces us to the irresistible and irrepressible PI, Peter Key.

ARC provided by St Martin Press via Netgalley for an honest review.

Confession:

When I first started this novel, I was a bit dubious about whether or not I would like the main character. Peter is a bit too laid back and such a slacker that I was immediately turned off by him. But as I pushed on into the next chapters, it didn’t take long for me to end up really liking him. The strong mystery thriller storyline helped a lot with that, as did the secondary characters who helped the story shine.

Peter isn’t your typical mystery thriller amateur detective. He is someone who would rather sit around smoking weed than running around catching killers. But he is surprisingly good a the detective part. His stubbornness and the fact that he is unwilling to let his uncle’s suspicious death go, make him the perfect person to solve the case. I loved his sarcasm and wit, and the way the author used the first person narrative gave the whole book a sort of noir feel.

The secondary characters were great, even the ones that were out to get Peter. Hopefully the helpful ones will be sticking around for the next books. Grady, the private detective that eventually helps Peter, is your typical gruff detective, but has some backstory of his own that hopefully we will learn more about in future books. Aunt Sylvia was also a fun character that we didn’t see a lot of, but she added a lot to the story when she did show up. I also really liked Carlos, the first friend Peter makes in Austin. He is turning out to be the best thing that happened to Peter and I hope he sticks around for more books.

The story was such a fun and entertaining cozyish mystery. There is perhaps to much violence and gore to fully make it cozy, but for most of the book it does have that vibe. The book is the first in a series and it does spend a lot of time setting up Peter’s backstory as to why he becomes a detective, but that doesn’t take away from the storyline. It is woven throughout the story even up to the end. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, having the first person narrative helps give the story a laid back yet a noir feel to it. The contemporary setting of Austin, Texas was also a nice touch and complemented the story and the characters nicely.

This is a great debut that I ended up enjoying much more than I thought I would. If you are looking for an unconventional amateur detective novel, this is one you don’t want to miss.