Talk about a winning hand! Four Aces – in the form of four hard-boiled (but “wonderfully wryâ€) adventures of ex-cop Jake Samson--in one handy box set. Easy ante: $7.99!
“Breathtaking action is offset by the wise-cracking Jake and Rosie. The tension will keep you reading all night long. Compelling characterization by Singer makes this series a must-read, with authentic details and witty dialogue.â€Â -Mystery Time
Ex-Chicago-cop Jake Samson’s likely to lead with his easy-going Columbo style, but he’s earned a reputation for being a tough guy who occasionally “handles discreet matters.†He takes in stride the parade of Berzerkeley types, intense student activists, and harmless doomsday preppers, and can hold his own in a barroom full of neo-Nazis. He’s just too much of a mensch to let evil triumph without giving it a good fight.
Jake has an iron-clad rule about his unlicensed PI business in the edgy East Bay: “I don’t mind working for crazies, as long as they’re not bad crazies.†But just beneath the sunny California surface simmer the usual urban tensions, along with revolutions of every stripe and hue, and the desperation of people who have pursued their dreams or fled their pasts to the farthest point of a highway that leads to a coastline of steep and jagged jumping-off places. Readers will enjoy the breezy banter between Jake and his tenant and sometime co-investigator, Rosie Vicente, a carpenter who wields a mean two-by-four
Library Journal said: “Great bar scenes, a wonderfully wry narrative, and the obvious affection between Jake and Rosie will have readers clamoring for more.â€Â .
WHO WILL LIKE IT: Fans of Thomas Perry,  Harlan Coben, Stephen Dobyns, CJ Box, Timothy Hallinan, Lawrence Block, Steve Hamilton and Tony Dunbar; as well as lovers of San Francisco mysteries like Bill Pronzini's "Nameless" Detective series, Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone series, Susan Dunlap's Jill Smith series, and Julie Smith's Rebecca Schwartz series.
Vol. 3: FULL HOUSE
An ark in the middle of suburban Oakland is interesting but not strange by California standards. Even one built by peaceful cultists preparing for the coming flood. Until sometime private eye Jake Samson is hired to find Noah, their leader, who has disappeared with a lovely devotee and a quarter million in cash. The cult suspects foul play, but the police aren’t convinced.Â
Vol. 4: SPIT IN THE OCEAN
The North Coast Sperm Bank in tiny Wheeler, California has been knocked over, and the perp’s tossed its assets in the ocean, leaving a religious-nut note of explanation. Just a prank, says Wheeler law enforcement. But the bank hires Jake Samson and his ever-sharp Watson, Rosie Vicente, to find out who made the unauthorized withdrawal. As a storm brutalizes Wheeler, a bank employee slips in the mud and falls to her death.Â
Vol. 5: SUICIDE KING
Jake's never been a big fan of politics, but Rosie invites him to a posh California fundraiser for an energetic gubernatorial candidate of the liberal underdog Vivo party, and Jake can't resist. It's all fun and political games until the candidate’s aide finds her boss in her backyard, hanging naked from an acacia tree. The police rule the death a suicide, but Jake and the aide suspect foul play, and she hires Jake to find the culprit.Â
Vol. 6: ROYAL FLUSH
Laid-back, unlicensed PI Jake Samson is understandably nervous about infiltrating a local Marin County neo-Nazi group called the Aryan Command. After all, he is Jewish. But when the doe-eyed teenage goddaughter of his oldest friend begs him to help her boyfriend nice-guy Jake just can't "just say no."
