Cool Deal: a Trucker Deal mystery (Trucker Deal Mysteries) [Paperback]

James Littlefield (Author)

Book Description

Series: Trucker Deal Mysteries | Publication Date: May 6, 2001

Think everyone has it easy in Silicon Valley? Try being a fledgling P.I. in politically-correct Palo Alto! When the very incorrect murder of a rising-star lawyer horrifies the public, fascinates the media, and throws the police into an investigative frenzy, the obvious suspect is part-time pool-cleaner Trucker James Deal.Suspected by the public, hounded by the press, and targeted by a killer, Deal hangs tough when the hunt turns nasty and doggedly tracks an opportunistic murderer through the upscale streets and backyards of well-heeled suburbia. Finding whodunit is only self defense, and with friends and enemies slugging it out, the San Francisco Peninsula's headed for a shake-up that ain't no earthquake! See, Deal's a trouble magnet--a righteous dude who's impulsive under pressure, hot for truth, and cool when it counts. Drop by, hang on, and check out New Deal Investigations, where results count more than P.C. procedures, and pool cleaning's dangerous work.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in Alabama, raised in Virginia and California, James Henry Littlefield has been a project inspector, small business owner, arborist, equipment operator, supervisor, free-lance writer, and property manager. Outdoor work and leisure activities have encouraged his strong interests in environmental conservation and preservation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (May 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595164617
• ISBN-13: 978-0595164615
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,593,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!!!, March 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cool Deal: a Trucker Deal mystery (Trucker Deal Mysteries) (Paperback)

Great book!!! A real page turner. Littlefield shows amazing aptitude for action, exposition, and character... hard to believe it's only his second novel! I look forward to many great things for this bright and skilled author. If you're a fan of mysteries, it doesn't get any better than this! Peninsula locals will especially appreciate his expert painting of the area, and the colorful characters that inhabit it. I read it twice! A+!!!!

4.0 out of 5 stars Newbie P.I. hangs tough!, July 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cool Deal: a Trucker Deal mystery (Trucker Deal Mysteries) (Paperback)

Cool Deal is a violent whodunit, set in, of all places, proud-to-be-safe-and-politically-correct Palo Alto, California. Believe me, the attitude is real, because I worked there for five years and also know many people who were raised in town. Crimes like these are not supposed to happen in places like this--the bloody murder of a hot-shot attorney-- and the law, the media, and the citizens are quick to demand a solution and to suspect Trucker James Deal, a newbie Private Eye who makes ends meet by cleaning swimming pools with his freind and sorta-mentor Jason. Being an ex-sheriff's deputy, Trucker's natural reaction is to clear his name, and he immediately stirs it up sufficiently to upset the deceased man's wife, his law-partner, this partner's spouse, and several media personalities, not to mention the killer. Consequently, both Deal and his lover are soon attacked, adding revenge to his motivation, and Deal has to enlist the help of Jason, his ex-partner (a Sheriff's Sergeant), Kim Lockwood, a family-law attorney and former lover, an apologetic P.I., and Jason's grandson, Grinder. Soon it's unclear who's hunting who, and an explosive shoot-out in a public park shatters the city's calm, yet again!
The action starts in a beautiful Palo Alto backyard and moves up and down the San Francisco Peninsula before ending in the San Jose International Airport's parking structure, and Peninsula sights and energy help the writing feel realistic and the characters real. Whether you approve of violent solutions or not, you'll feel sympathy for Deal and his friends: real folks with emotional needs and hard choices every day.
If you've ever lived or worked in Palo Alto or around the San Francisco Bay Area or even visited, you'll recognize familiar locations, weather, traffic, and attitude. I thought it was a kick to read, so give Cool Deal a try.