Rat City (A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery) [Paperback]

Curt Colbert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Rat City's the sort of town where a man can't even be sure of a good breakfast. At least that's what detective Jake Rossiter learns when the homicide-minded Big Ed drops by Rossiter's office one morning to punch his ticket. Rossiter's not one to go out easy, though, and he manages, reluctantly, to send Big Ed to the floor with a bullet in his chest. But who is Big Ed, anyway? And why does he want Rossiter pushing up daisies?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

2001 Shamus Award Nominee for "Best First P.I. Novel"

About the Author

A Seattle native, Curt Colbert served in Vietnam and has worked as an actor/director as well as a consultant in the food industry. He is a poet who regularly reads in the greater Seattle area, loves to fish, and has an abiding interest in the study of history. He enjoys boxing, a good cigar, and the occasional tussle with his bob-tailed cal Al. Rat City is his first detective novel. He is currently working on the second novel in the series Sayonaraville.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Ugly Town; 1st edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966347358
• ISBN-13: 978-0966347357
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,753,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gumshoe resurrection, September 19, 2001

By 

Norm Harris "Writer" (Kent, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rat City (A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery) (Paperback)

With the mere stroke of a his pen Curt Colbert has resurrected the late Sam Spade in the form of one Jake Rossiter. Back is the hardboiled gumshoe. Back is the gum snappin' dame. Back is the big Buick Roadmaster. Someone wants Jake dead. To learn why the tough talkin' hard smokin' Private Dick, along with his blonde bombshell assistant, Miss Jenkins, take to the mean streets of the town they call 'the big sleazy', post World War II Seattle.
Colbert has done a masterful job at bringing his late 1940's tale of mystery and suspense to life. With rich and accurate descriptions of post war Seattle and truly memorable characters Colbert's story slinks its way through the back rooms and the back alleys of Seattle's creepiest neighborhood known simply as, Rat City. As a Seattle native I had the pleasure of growing up in the part of Seattle that was known as "Rat City". Curt had described the setting perfectly. For me, Rat City, was a trip back in time and an enjoyable read. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good gumshoe/detective story. Two gumshoes up to Curt Colbert.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jake takes on the cops, June 5, 2003

By 

Barbara A. & J. Glenn Evans (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rat City (A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery) (Paperback)

Rat City, with a Seattle setting, is a marvelous read. We rarely read a mystery although we've been big fans of Morse, the British detective of TV. We read Rat City because a fellow poet wrote it. Holy Socrates! What suspense, dialogue and movement. On page one Jake Rossiter takes out (kills) a guy who came into his office to plug him. He didn't even know why the guy was coming after him. "You won't make it," I told him. "You're checking out. Who are you, and why did you try to kill me?" He focused on my ceiling fan and whispered, "Gloria." It was the last thing he ever said. Jake Rossiter undertakes a search to find out why a well-known gangster wanted his head, but he is led into many blind alleys before he comes up with the answers. The story, somewhat reminiscent of Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade series, captures the dialogue and mood of the time of Seattle's corrupt underbelly. You love Rossiter's girl Friday, Miss Jenkins. With this first novel Curt Colbert, a Vietnam veteran, has created a many-faceted character that warrants many more stories. Colbert's writing style and voice keep you turning the pages of this well-written book, which is a real page-turner. (Barb read the book in two days. Couldn't put it down.) We recommend Rat City as a must-read book, even if, like us, you don't usually read mysteries.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pulp Fiction Seattle Style, December 11, 2002

By 

Christopher J. Jarmick "Word Lover" (Seattle, Wa. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rat City (A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery) (Paperback)

Rat City author. Curt Colbert, must have been a voracious reader of late 40's and 50's pulp detective fiction. The hard-boiled slightly tawdry Spillane style of book is given an expert make-over-- improved too.

Set in Seattle circa late 1940's, Rat City is part Spillane,
and part transplanted Chandler (yeah, at times Colbert writes that good). This isn't yet another attempted tribute to hard boiled pulps of yester-year however, it's got a unique setting, interesting characters, a leave you breathless pacing and an all out make no appology style. Private dick Jake Rossiter is part Hammer, part Marlow with a bit of Jim Rockford thrown in. The parts gel together well and create an original character you'll have some empathy and respect for.

There's also some excellent well researched historical detail in Rat City, but don't worry, it doesn't slow things down a bit. Oh and you can forget about this one being politically correct or indulging in a big helping of revisionism--not going to happen. What does happen is that Curt Colbert creates some dimension to his female and minority characters which makes the novel feel fresh and vibrantly alive. Rossiter's gal Friday Miss Jenkins is full of surprises as well. Colbert's not going to soft soap how things could have been back in the late 40's, but he can give his characters the kind of dimension in one novel, it took some pulp detective fiction authors many books to partially accomplish.

If you're looking for the kind of tough and tawdry pulpy detective novel no one writes anymore..well this one's for you.
You'll be hooked within 5 pages. Some of the tough as a three day growth of stubble rat-a-tat tough guy lines are memorable and few fall flat.

I wouldn't have thought it possible to write a novel like this without having the whole thing crash and burn avoiding a jay-walking copy-cat at the intersection of Cliche Avenue and Self Parody Boulevard.

I enjoy being pleasantly surprised. This is a splendid genre book and I'm grateful that Curt Colbert created it. I look forward to the next adventures of Jake Rossiter and Miss Jenkins.
I hope there are several more to come.

Oh yeah I should mention that this isn't a book to start right before your bed-time... you'll find yourself staying up much too late with the thing as it's truly difficult to put it down once you start reading it.

-- Writer, Poet, Critic, Christopher J. Jarmick is the author of the critically acclaimed mystery suspense thriller, The Glass Cocoon (with Serena F. Holder).