Auburn Ride: A Johnny Delarosa Thriller - Softcover

Stever, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0998337102 ISBN 13: 9780998337104

Publisher: Cinder Path Press, LLC, 2016

Synopsis

Winner! 2017 Mystery/Thriller of the Year ~ Maryland Writer's Association "Noir for the 21st Century"(Note: A second edition of this book was released under the title, Scarlet Fever, and is no longer available.)Welcome to Port City...Private investigator Johnny Delarosa has seen it all. First as a cop, and now as a private eye. Cheating spouses, embezzlements, and insurance scams are routine. But he meets his match when the alluring, auburn-haired, Claire Dixon, walks into his bar/office and drops a $20,000 retainer in his lap. She wants the hard-drinking Johnny to find $2 million that was stolen from her mobster family thirty years earlier. But $2 million can be motivating. Old mobsters come out of witness protection to claim their share, and when bodies begin to pile up, and his sexy, enigmatic client disappears, Johnny is taken on the ride of his life—an Auburn Ride. With a wink and a nod to the hard-boiled private eyes of the pulp noir past, the gritty streets of Port City set the stage for author David Stever’s first thriller in the Delarosa series.

About this title

About the Author

David Stever is a novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. He is a member of the International Thriller Writers and the Maryland Writer’s Association. He lives in Columbia, Maryland with his wife and family. www.davidstever.com

Review

Auburn Ride: A Johnny Delarosa Thriller is an iconic mystery/thriller story reminiscent of Mickey Spillane and Sam Spade. A beautiful woman, Claire, enters the PI office of Johnny Delarosa and slaps down $20,000 for him to take her case. Johnny cannot refuse and the suspense and excitement never end. Claire wants Johnny to find $2 million that has been missing for thirty years. Johnny is put in one dangerous situation after another. His investigation leads him to old mobster bad guys; some who are trying to live normal lives; one who is willing to commit suicide; some who are still bad and another who is willing to come out of protective custody to claim the $2 million. The plot twists and turns and it is impossible to be sure who is good and who is bad, but Johnny and his team work all of the angles and follow all of the clues until the surprising conclusion.

I found it impossible to put down Auburn Ride because the thrills never stopped. It was impossible not to root for Johnny, fall in love with his new assistant Katie, and wonder if Claire was good or bad. David Stever certainly knows how to write a mystery with all of the elements needed to keep me on the edge of my chair, ignoring my chores. Auburn Ride is a retro read, a relic of 'days gone by' private eyes, and yet it is modern and up to date too. I am anxiously awaiting the next Johnny Delarosa book. This is a must-read for all mystery readers, young, old, and in between. Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers' Favorite

When a good-looking dame with striking red hair tosses $20,000 on your desk, any self-respecting P.I. would pay attention to what comes next. Johnny Delarosa is no exception.
Former cop, Delarosa and his partner, Mike, smell a big payday if they can just complete
the mission--find two million in missing dollars. It's a mystery with very few clues. Did I
mention the money was stolen from the mob?
With little to go on, and a client, Clair, who perhaps is not what she seems, the two P.I.'s,
and a new green but gung-ho secretary, Katie, take on the Port City Cosa Nostra. Seems like every scum-bag, wanna-be gangster (and a few made men) are scurrying around like rats, all wanting to put a claim on the money, should it be found. Stever's latest offering is a wink and a nod to the hard-boiled detective of a Chandleresque style and offers up a great adventure yarn and a stay-ahead-of-the-competition thriller. Mark P. Sadler for Suspense Magazine

Edition details

• Publisher: Cinder Path Press, LLC
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0998337102
• ISBN 13: 9780998337104
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 367