Rushmore McKenzie, a retired St. Paul policeman and unexpected millionaire, often works as an unlicensed P.I., doing favors as it suits him. When graduate students Ivy Flynn and Josh Berglund show up with a story about $8 million in missing stolen gold from the ‘30s, McKenzie is intrigued. In the early 20th century, St. Paul, Minnesota was an open city —a place where gangsters could come and stay unmolested by the local authorities. Frank “Jelly” Nash was suspected of masterminding a daring robbery of gold bars in 1933, but, before he could unload it, he was killed in the Kansas City Massacre. His gold, they believe, is still somewhere in St. Paul. But they aren’t the only ones looking. So are a couple of two-bit thugs, a woman named Heavenly, a local big-wig, and others. When Berglund is shot dead outside of Ivy’s apartment, the treasure hunt turns unexpectedly deadly. McKenzie is looking for more than a legendary stash from seventy-five years ago, he’s looking for a killer and the long hidden truth behind Jelly’s gold.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In Edgar-winner Housewright's enjoyable sixth novel to feature PI Rushmore Mac McKenzie (after 2008's Madman on a Drum), graduate student Ivy Flynn, last seen in 2005's Tin City, and her new boyfriend believe gold from a 1933 bank robbery engineered by Frank Jelly Nash is still hidden somewhere in St. Paul, Minn. When Mac agrees to investigate, it becomes apparent others are after the same pot of gold, now worth at least $8 million. The searchers consult historical archives and private letters, interview descendants of crooks and bigwigs, and even manage to locate one ancient ex-con who knew Nash. Readers get a dual treat as the likable Mac deals with a parade of present-day sharpies and gold hunters, while Housewright retells the story of the wholesale corruption that for decades made St. Paul a playground for a who's who of gangsters, including John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and others who hobnobbed with St. Paul's upper crust. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* St. Paul, Minnesota, was a haven for Prohibition-era gangsters—authorities at that time gave all kinds of bootleggers, safecrackers, and thugs protection and privileges. As long as they refrained from committing crimes within the city limits, they could travel across the Mississippi to Minneapolis for their high jinks. In his sixth McKenzie mystery, Housewright brings alive this era by focusing on one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of the time: the theft of 32 bars of gold bullion by 1930s bank robber Frank “Jelly” Nash from a bank in Huron, South Dakota, before he was killed in the Kansas City Massacre. McKenzie, a St. Paul cop who retired after winning a $3-million insurance reward for catching an embezzler, is freelancing as a private eye when a case intrigues him. Two University of Minnesota grad students in history contact McKenzie, saying they have proof that Nash’s missing bullion, now worth more than $8 million, is buried in St. Paul. Housewright not only writes a compelling historical mystery here but also engages in reconstructive history, using contemporary accounts to trace Nash’s movements in 1933. He also employs a nifty device to bring the history into the novel, careening between McKenzie and other seekers of the prize and Nash’s own words cast into fictional form. Readers will learn a great deal of fascinating information, including the fact that Nash’s nickname “Jelly” stands for his favorite safecracking device, nitroglycerin. Top notch. --Connie Fletcher
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More About the Author
A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man, Housewright's book "Penance" (Foul Play Press) earned the 1996 Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for a Shamus in the same category by the Private Eye Writers of America. "Practice to Deceive" won the 1998 Minnesota Book Award (it is currently being developed as a feature film) and "Jelly's Gold" won the same prize in 2010. His 11th novel -- "Highway 61" -- will be published in June 2011 (St. Martin's Press Minotaur). Housewright's short stories have appeared in several anthologies including "Silence of the Loons," "Twin Cities Noir," "Resort to Murder," and "Once Upon A Crime" and publications as diverse as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and True Romance. Website: www.davidhousewright.com as well as Facebook.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Terrific Housewright Novel,
By
This review is from: Jelly's Gold: A McKenzie Novel (Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie Novels) (Hardcover)
I am at a loss as to why this author does not get more press than he gets. I have read all of his novels and they contain everything a good mystery could possibly contain. In this novel, he gives us a delightful history of the Twin Cities along with a story that holds your focus until the end. There must be something his publisher or book stores could do to enlighten the public about this terrific author (no, I'm not a relative.)
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Creative Effort That Links McKenzie With Historical Gangsters,
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This review is from: Jelly's Gold: A McKenzie Novel (Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie Novels) (Hardcover)
"Jelly's Gold" is David Housewright's 6th Rushmore McKenzie novel, a series that I have followed with relish. McKenzie is the flawed former police officer who once resigned from the force to collect several million dollars in reward money and has used that money to become an unlicensed PI who does "favors" for friends in trouble.
In this outing, McKenzie is intrigued when old acquaintance, Ivy Flynn (see Tin City, now a grad student, enlists his aid in helping her and her boyfriend, Josh Berglund, find $8 million dollars in hidden gold bullion. The gold was the result of a bank robbery by real time gangster, Frank "Jelly" Nash, in 1933 and was never located after Nash was killed in the infamous Kansas City Massacre. Soon, McKenzie is competing with others for the gold including assorted thugs representing different interests, dignitaries whose ancestors associated with Nash, a fascinating woman named "Heavenly" and former paramours and lovers of the college students (Ivy and Josh), all of whom want a share of the fortune. McKenzie becomes mired in double crosses, triple crosses, history lessons, death and violence, and even brief confrontations with his PD friends, including Lieutenant Bobby Dunston. Housewright employs a risky literary device to tell a story within a story about the St. Paul, Minnesota of the 1920's-30's. In those years, St. Paul was a wide open city that welcomed infamous criminals as long as they obeyed the local rules of the "O'Connor System" named for a local "fixer." Many recognizable names from Alvin Karpis to Verne Miller to John Dillinger to the Barker brothers are mentioned in historical "flashbacks" that are necessary to link the St. Paul of the '30's and the disappearance of "Jelly's Gold" to the St. Paul of today and the search for that gold. I have written before how well I feel I know the Twin Cities from the wonderful descriptions Housewright employs as his novels unfold. His characterizations are also spot on as he builds character and dialogue that are believable and real to the reader. McKenzie is a protagonist who has limitless potential. He has a conscience yet also a temper that can get him into trouble. He cares deeply about others yet has no problem resorting to violence when appropriate. He is a cool thinker who uses well thought out police work to find answers and even when he makes mistakes, he recovers in time to restore your faith in him. I did feel that this effort was not as gripping or engrossing as previous installments in the McKenzie series. I was never deeply invested in the characters or the plot, perhaps because there were so many minor characters and the plot jumped frequently between the 1930's and today. I can, however, recommend Housewright to any reader of noir and thriller genres. His efforts include humor, violence, strong love interests, double crosses, heady doses of the Twin Cities and environs, and good old fashioned enjoyable plotting. Rushmore McKenzie is an outstanding character in a great series and "Jelly's Gold" is a good stand alone for the new reader to explore.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
fabulous investigation thriller,
This review is from: Jelly's Gold: A McKenzie Novel (Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie Novels) (Hardcover)
Rushmore "Mac" McKenzie retired from the St. Paul police department, but unexpected wealth allows him not to work to supplement his pension. He does investigative jobs as a private investigator for friends or if a case sounds interesting.
Graduate students Ivy Flynn (see TIN CITY) and her boyfriend Josh Berglund peak Mac's interest with the information they found on a 1933 bank heist of gold bars perpetuated by Frank "Jelly" Nash, who died soon afterward in the infamous Kansas City Massacre; the loot was never recovered and thought to be hidden somewhere in the Twin Cities. As the two students and Mac follow clues, they are aware others seek the gold too; some dishonest and some lethal. The latest Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie investigation (see DEAD BOYFRIENDS and MADMAN ON A DRUM) is a fabulous thriller with a super historical subplot that interweaves with the present Mac adventure. The Depression Era comes alive through a rogue's gallery of infamous criminals including Frank "Jelly" Nash, a real person, as David Housewright paints a picture of corrupt city encouraging the notorious to "vacation" in town. Mac's present day inquiry holds up quite well as he and his two youthful partners follow clues uncovered in archives and interviews while dodging some modern era goons. JELLY'S GOLD is an excellent Twin Cities investigation. Harriet Klausner
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