Our Friend Jimmie [Paperback]

James D. Sweat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 8, 2007

The adventures of a group with two things in common: Jimmie Collins and the pub he owns in midtown Manhattan. After his death, the group comes to Jimmie's rescue in reclaiming money that he had hidden to support his ailing wife and daughter. Each friend brings a unique blend of humor and haphazardness to this comical, action-packed mystery.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Our Friend Jimmie' by James D. Sweat is an intelligent mixture of hardboiled mystery and humor. Mark Twain once said, "A friend is someone who stays in when the rest of the world has gone out." Our Friend Jimmie (ISBN-10: 1419651951 ) by James D. Sweat is about true friendship. Our Friend Jimmie is a literary gem. I rank this book as one of the best in it s genre for 2007. This is a great book that would make a wonderful Hollywood film. If your looking for an inspiring and amusing book. --PageOneLit.com

Set during the tragic times of September 11, 2001 and the fall of the World Trade Center s twin towers, Our Friend Jimmie is a surprisingly rich and atmospheric whodunit. Part mystery, part comedy, and part action-adventure, the novel rises above its somber setting and chronicles in sparkling style the lives of a diverse group who frequent Jimmie Collins bar, fall in and out of love, and come together to help their good friend. Our Friend Jimmie is sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic as the hapless friends rally their forces to do what any good friends would: Save the day. Written in lean, hardboiled prose reminiscent of Damon Runyon, Our Friend Jimmie also brims with humor and savvy revelations on the complicated mating dances of today. The first work in a series, readers can bet that this is also the first for a long and accomplished career of a gifted new writer, Jim Sweat. --New York Times

The adventures of a group with two things in common: Jimmie Collins and the pub he owns in midtown Manhattan. After his death, the group comes to Jimmie's rescue in reclaiming money that he had hidden to support his ailing wife and daughter. Each friend brings a unique blend of humor and haphazardness to this comical, action-packed mystery. --Florida Times-Union

From the Publisher

DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, FLORIDA - James Sweat offers a refreshing perspective on crime drama in his novel Our Friend Jimmie. With a full cast of colorful Jimmie Collins does not have the luck of the Irish. His wife and child are not in good health, but he takes good care of them and figures he always will. He does have the gift of the gab and with the help of his Mafia connections, Sal and Petey, he makes the big score and buys the bar he has always dreamed of owning in midtown Manhattan. Life is good. Far from being a saint, Jimmie has amassed a small fortune fencing things that `fall off the back of trucks'. Happens a lot in Manhattan. Life takes an unexpected turn when he receives the news he has cancer and is forced to prepare for the inevitable. To take care of his family financially, Jimmie has to find someone to go overseas and bring back his laundered fortune. He turns not to his friends but to a bookie who assures him that he has "just the right guy for the job." The money never comes though and it isn't until Jimmie is dead that his friends realize something is amiss. Who took Jimmie's money and why? Can Jimmie's friends find the culprit and right this terrible wrong? You bet and when his buddies come to the rescue, the adventure begins.

Set during the tragic times of September 11, 2001 and the fall of the World Trade Center's twin towers, Our Friend Jimmie is a surprisingly rich and atmospheric whodunit. Part mystery, part comedy, and part action-adventure, the novel rises above its somber setting and chronicles in sparkling style the lives of a diverse group who frequent Jimmie Collins' bar, fall in and out of love, and come together to help their good friend. Our Friend Jimmie is sometimes hilarious, sometimes tragic as the hapless friends rally their forces to do what any good friends would: Save the day.

Written in lean, hardboiled prose reminiscent of Damon Runyon, Our Friend Jimmie also brims with humor and savvy revelations on the complicated mating dances of today. The first work in a series, readers can bet that this is also the first for a long and accomplished career of a gifted new writer, Jim Sweat.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing; hardcover edition (January 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419651951
• ISBN-13: 978-1419651953
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,785,037 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great first novel, January 21, 2008

By 

Matthew R. Colver "Matt Colver" (Castle Rock, Co) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Our Friend Jimmie (Paperback)

I ordered this book because it came up as a recommended read by Amazon. I enjoyed it. Some of the predicaments this group of friends got involved in was a little far-fetched. But hey that's what stories are about. I like how the author mixes in jokes told in a bar into the story. I was part of a bar gang of friends at one time and this story is similar to the way we all looked out for each other. I'm looking forward to James Sweat's next book.

I have recently read in James Sweat's blog that he has spent his life as a con man and done terrible things mostly to women. He has spent time in prison for his scams. The stories of the damage he's done to people is heartbreaking. I assume there will be no sequels. Here's an article from St Louis.

The former chief executive of Community CarePlus, James Sweat, was sentenced to 21 months in prison for a scheme to defraud the St. Louis-based health maintenance organization. He also was ordered to repay $53,660 by a federal judge in St . Louis. Sweat had pleaded guilty on Nov. 10 to felony mail fraud and embezzlement. He admitted defrauding the HMO of more than $65,000 during 1996 and 1997.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cheers meets the Sopranos, October 9, 2007

By 

wildcats96 (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our Friend Jimmie (Paperback)

The cast of characters in Our Friend Jimmie are refreshingly raw - diverse personalities, backgrounds, and morals. Yet, they all converge almost every night at their mutual friend, Jimmie's, bar. When Jimmie's cancer gets the best of him, his loyal friends feel an overwhelming loss. But when they realize he has been swindeled by a so-called acquaintence out of the life savings that were meant to take care of his wife and daughter, his friends ban together. With one of Jimmie's closest friends, Nathan, leading the charge, they devise a plan to get Jimmie's money back which result in some of the best one-liners and laugh outloud scenes.

I think it's a great read for any Cheers/Sopranos fan.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Our Friend Jimmie, January 29, 2007

By 

L. B. Lovell (La Porte, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Our Friend Jimmie (Paperback)

Part comedy, part mystery this is a delightful book about love and friendship. In some parts I laughed out loud, and in some parts I wept openly, and then I laughed some more. I got to know and love these engaging characters, and their dialogue rang true. I hope to see them again in another book...soon.