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J. L. ABRAMO * THE JAKE DIAMOND NOVELS
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CATCHING WATER IN A NET
CLUTCHING AT STRAWS
COUNTING TO INFINITY
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"COUNTING TO INFINITY"
THE THIRD JAKE DIAMOND NOVEL
FROM ST. MARTIN'S MINOTAUR.
San Francisco private investigator Jake Diamond is known for his stained neckties and stash of sour-mash whiskey; but Jake is more likely to be toting a worn paperback Classic novel than a handgun. More over-easy than hard-boiled, Diamond can be beaten up and knocked around without taking it too personally; but when his friends and loved ones are threatened, it’s a different story.
When a Chicago thug known as Ralph Battle bursts into the office of Diamond Investigation waving a 44 magnum at Diamond and his trusty assistant, Jake has the distinct feeling that missing his lunch of fried calamari may not be the worst of his problems.
Jake accompanies Battle to Chicago at the mandatory request of Max Lansdale, a mob-connected attorney, who asks Jake to search for a pair of ghosts and will not take no for an answer. Pushed to the edge, Jake is ready to put his rusty .38 to use to get Lansdale off his back. Running between San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles, Diamond tries to stay one step ahead of the man who will have Jake killed with no remorse as soon as Diamond proves useless.
With the help of Joey Russo and a team of Jake’s familiar cohorts, including Vinnie “Strings” Stradivarius, Darlene Roman and Sonny “The Chin” Badalamenti, Jake may be saved from becoming a murderer himself. May be. Trying to escape the wildest ride of his life; Jake is counting on luck, counting on a group of unlikely heroes, and counting to infinity.
"CATCHING WATER IN A NET", ST. MARTIN'S PRESS/PRIVATE EYE WRITERS OF AMERICA AWARD BEST FIRST PRIVATE EYE NOVEL
Critical Praise for "CATCHING WATER IN A NET"
San Francisco private investigator Jake Diamond is so much in the mold of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, you can practically hear Hammett and Chandler muttering from the great beyond about copyright infringement. But author J.L. Abramo nevertheless serves up a refreshingly old-school treat with his debut novel, Catching Water in a Net. Abramo shows a clear flair for the genre, and wisely keeps the twists coming fast enough that readers have no choice but to keep turning pages.
-David Lazarus, San Francisco Chronicle
Abramo's prize-winning novel brings back the spirit of Raymond Chandler, Spillane and countless other tough-guy P.I. authors in a way that's original while paying tribute to its genre predecessors.
-William Starr, The State
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 | Critical praise for "CLUTCHING AT STRAWS", the second novel featuring Jake Diamond... A worthy successor to "Catching Water in a Net", Abramo's second in the San Francisco based Jake Diamond series is a clever and well-crafted detective novel, gritty enough to satisfy hard-boiled readers but not so dark that it will put off more traditional mystery fans. Hired to break into a local judge's house and extract money and papers from a wall safe, Lefty Wright, a small-time thief, stumbles over the judge's corpse and is immediately surrounded by policemen. Wright later calls Diamond from prison, where he awaits trial for murder, and convinces the PI of his innocence. As Diamond proceeds with his investigation, the police, the governor and especially prosecuting attorney and DA candidate Lowell Ryder all make it very clear that they don't want him involved. When Wright is killed "trying to escape" en route to court, things get really interesting. Scrambling to make a case, Diamond trails crooked cops and even resurrects his dormant acting career to appear in a bit part in a movie to get close to a key suspect. Throughout the book, Diamond is reading Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo", which parallels his current case.
-Publishers Weekly
Abramo keeps his readers guessing, and the good guys are not always what they seem in "Clutching at Straws." The author knows how to spin a good, punchy yarn, and his atmosphere-soaked tale moves along at a sprightly clip.
-The State
| | | ...AND MORE ON THE JAKE DIAMOND SERIES
Abramo echoes themes from some of the great crime writers past and present, adding a great deal of his own...handled with aplomb and wit.
- John Dantzler, Co-author Hiking South Carolina
Abramo has the hard-boiled private eye formula down pat, the novel is solidly written and captures the mood of the genre.
- Booklist
Fast-paced...ought to please pulp diehards.
- Kirkus Reviews
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For further information about completed projects and works-in-progress by J. L. Abramo please visit the author page through the link below.
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