Sayonaraville (Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery) - Softcover

Colbert, Curt

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0972441212 ISBN 13: 9780972441216

Publisher: Uglytown Productions, 2003

Synopsis

Who chopped off insurance agent Henry Jamison's head with a Samurai sword, and why? While trying to figure this out, Seattle private detective Jake Rossiter also has to deal with his recently promoted junior partner, Miss Jenkins, who is about to take on the Hashimoto family as clients for her first official case. Rossiter, an ex-marine who finished out World War II in the Pacific just a few years ago, couldn't care less about the Hashimotos -- Japanese Americans who were interned during the war and subsequently lost their Seattle dimestore in a suspicious fire. A Jap's a Jap as far as he's concerned. He tells Miss Jenkins that if she wants to waste her time trying to help a bunch of lousy Nips, fine, but she's on her own, she'll get absolutely no assistance from him. He's got more pressing business, especially considering that Eddie Valhalla, a notorious free-lance hit man, has just blown into town with his Hungarian bombshell of a gun-moll, ZaZu Pinske, who once used her seductive ways to doublecross Rossiter on Eddie's behalf.

Meanwhile, Captain Blevins, an old nemesis from the South Precinct, takes an inordinate interest in Henry Jamison's murder. And Jamison's widow, a big, overweight woman, becomes infatuated with Rossiter.

Then, Rossiter intercepts a death threat warning Miss Jenkins to back off the Hashimoto case, and Rossiter takes over the case to protect Miss Jenkins. But she doesn't believe he'll do enough work on it, and goes down to Chinatown to investiage, until she's ambushed and shot. Luckily, the bullet only grazes her, and Rossiter assigns one of his best operatives, Manny Velcker, to keep her out of trouble. Despite this, Miss Jenkins keeps dogging the case.

Bodies start piling up all over the place, including the shooter who tried to rub out Miss Jenkins, and a stripper named Bubbles LaFlamme, who, our detectives learn, was cozy with Henry Jamison. It seems that the bald, milquetoast Henry was quite the ladies' man. Rossiter discovers a cache of snapshots showing the mousy little Joe with bevies of scantily clad bimbos that would make even Errol Flynn green with envy. As the clues and danger mount, Rossiter and Miss Jenkins take more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, while struggling to help the Hashimotos. Jake still doesn't like Japs, but he develops a grudging respect for Frank Hashimoto, a bitter, decorated veteran who served with the famed 442d Regimental Combat Division in Europe.

In the end, Miss Jenkins forces a climactic confrontation at a gambling den in Seattle's Chinatown, which includes gun-play, flashing stilettos; a battle royale between the tall, tough ZaZu Pinske, and the pert, diminutive Miss Jenkins; and a tense showdown between Eddie Valhalla, Rossiter, and his old enemy, Captain Blevens. When the dust settles, the unexpected solutions to the tangled web of cases shock even a seasoned private dick like Rossiter.

About this title

About the Author

A Seattle native, Curt Colbert is a history buff and Vietnam veteran who lives with his wife, Stephanie, and two bob-tailed cats, Bill and Al. He enjoys boxing and good cigar, and is a poet who reads regularly in the Seattle area. He is currently working on the third book in the series, Queer Street.

From Booklist

Insurance agent Henry Jamison was doing fine in post-World War II Seattle. Too bad someone had to chop his head off with a rusty samurai sword. But at least his office was on the same floor as private investigator Jake Rossiter, whose Gal Friday, Miss Jenkins, discovered the body. Determined to find his neighbor's killer, Rossiter must dodge his archenemy, crooked cop Harvey Blevens, who heads the police investigation. Blevens is focused on the Hashimotos, but Jake suspects the Japanese family may be convenient scapegoats. Colbert's first Rossiter caper, Rat City (2001), was nominated for a Shamus. The second builds on the late 1940s noir atmosphere of corruption, profiteering, and ambition. Rossiter, the cynical realist, does his best to navigate these murky waters with wisecracks, quick fists, and a Chandlerian determination to impose his moral vision on the world. Colbert populates Rossiter's world with a quirky melange of secondary characters, led by the always unpredictable Miss Jenkins. Readers who enjoy Max Allan Collins' Nate Heller mysteries will find a kindred soul in Colbert and Rossiter. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Uglytown Productions
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0972441212
• ISBN 13: 9780972441216
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288