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Sayonaraville: A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery
 
 
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Sayonaraville: A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery [Paperback]

Curt Colbert (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)


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Book Description

Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery July 1, 2003
Who chopped off insurance agent Henry Jamison's head with a Samurai sword, and why? While trying to figure this out, Seattle private detective Jake Rossiter also has to deal with his recently promoted junior partner, Miss Jenkins, who is about to take on the Hashimoto family as clients for her first official case. Rossiter, an ex-marine who finished out World War II in the Pacific just a few years ago, couldn't care less about the Hashimotos -- Japanese Americans who were interned during the war and subsequently lost their Seattle dimestore in a suspicious fire. A Jap's a Jap as far as he's concerned. He tells Miss Jenkins that if she wants to waste her time trying to help a bunch of lousy Nips, fine, but she's on her own, she'll get absolutely no assistance from him. He's got more pressing business, especially considering that Eddie Valhalla, a notorious free-lance hit man, has just blown into town with his Hungarian bombshell of a gun-moll, ZaZu Pinske, who once used her seductive ways to doublecross Rossiter on Eddie's behalf.

Meanwhile, Captain Blevins, an old nemesis from the South Precinct, takes an inordinate interest in Henry Jamison's murder. And Jamison's widow, a big, overweight woman, becomes infatuated with Rossiter.

Then, Rossiter intercepts a death threat warning Miss Jenkins to back off the Hashimoto case, and Rossiter takes over the case to protect Miss Jenkins. But she doesn't believe he'll do enough work on it, and goes down to Chinatown to investiage, until she's ambushed and shot. Luckily, the bullet only grazes her, and Rossiter assigns one of his best operatives, Manny Velcker, to keep her out of trouble. Despite this, Miss Jenkins keeps dogging the case.

Bodies start piling up all over the place, including the shooter who tried to rub out Miss Jenkins, and a stripper named Bubbles LaFlamme, who, our detectives learn, was cozy with Henry Jamison. It seems that the bald, milquetoast Henry was quite the ladies' man. Rossiter discovers a cache of snapshots showing the mousy little Joe with bevies of scantily clad bimbos that would make even Errol Flynn green with envy. As the clues and danger mount, Rossiter and Miss Jenkins take more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, while struggling to help the Hashimotos. Jake still doesn't like Japs, but he develops a grudging respect for Frank Hashimoto, a bitter, decorated veteran who served with the famed 442d Regimental Combat Division in Europe.

In the end, Miss Jenkins forces a climactic confrontation at a gambling den in Seattle's Chinatown, which includes gun-play, flashing stilettos; a battle royale between the tall, tough ZaZu Pinske, and the pert, diminutive Miss Jenkins; and a tense showdown between Eddie Valhalla, Rossiter, and his old enemy, Captain Blevens. When the dust settles, the unexpected solutions to the tangled web of cases shock even a seasoned private dick like Rossiter.


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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Insurance agent Henry Jamison was doing fine in post-World War II Seattle. Too bad someone had to chop his head off with a rusty samurai sword. But at least his office was on the same floor as private investigator Jake Rossiter, whose Gal Friday, Miss Jenkins, discovered the body. Determined to find his neighbor's killer, Rossiter must dodge his archenemy, crooked cop Harvey Blevens, who heads the police investigation. Blevens is focused on the Hashimotos, but Jake suspects the Japanese family may be convenient scapegoats. Colbert's first Rossiter caper, Rat City (2001), was nominated for a Shamus. The second builds on the late 1940s noir atmosphere of corruption, profiteering, and ambition. Rossiter, the cynical realist, does his best to navigate these murky waters with wisecracks, quick fists, and a Chandlerian determination to impose his moral vision on the world. Colbert populates Rossiter's world with a quirky melange of secondary characters, led by the always unpredictable Miss Jenkins. Readers who enjoy Max Allan Collins' Nate Heller mysteries will find a kindred soul in Colbert and Rossiter. Wes Lukowsky
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

A Seattle native, Curt Colbert is a history buff and Vietnam veteran who lives with his wife, Stephanie, and two bob-tailed cats, Bill and Al. He enjoys boxing and good cigar, and is a poet who reads regularly in the Seattle area. He is currently working on the third book in the series, Queer Street.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Uglytown Productions; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0972441212
  • ISBN-13: 978-0972441216
  • Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun!, August 7, 2003
By 
woodstock_ap "woodstock_ap" (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sayonaraville: A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery (Paperback)
This Colbert's second entry in a very entertaining series set in Seattle in the late 1940's, following the debut novel "Rat City." Part screwball comedy, part private eye, part loving homage to the early days of crime fiction, part word play - I could go on and on listing the features of the book which pleased me.

Jake Rossiter and Miss Jenkins return. Miss Jenkins has recently been promoted by Jake to junior partner, and is anxious to do a good job on her first case - locating the criminal behind the destruction by arson of a store owned by a Japanese American businessman. In the meantime, the insurance agent who works in an office near Rossiter's detective agency has been beheaded in his office, and Jake is hired by his widow to find the killer.

This is a quick, delightful read, filled with the slang of the late 40's and atmospheric trips to strip joints, dark alleys where danger lurks, suspicious cinnamon rolls, an overly amorous client, and the bitter memories of WWII veterans who fought in Europe and the Pacific, learning rather grudgingly to trust again.

Colbert is on a roll here - and I hope it lasts. The book jacket reports he is working on a third entry.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Curt Colbert vs Jake Rossiter, July 5, 2003
By 
Donald D. Thompson (Mountlake Terrace, Wa. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Sayonaraville: A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery (Paperback)
Curt Colbert displays a very unique writing style. Even though his principle character, Jake Rossiter often speaks with short cliches - he thinks vividly with a much higher language. It is apparent that Jake is a highly self-educated man but is more comfortable while dealing with people in the language of his youth.
Sayonaraville is an outstanding tale that transcends the story line. It displays a softness in Rossiter's character that was not evident in "Rat City". Jake Rossiter has grown. He even manages to put aside the prejudice developed while fighting in the Pacific at the end.
One has to wonder about the influence on him from Miss Jenkins. Curt Colbert teases us with a developing relationship between Miss Jenkins and Jake. She has gone from his girl "Friday" to his partner. And was that just a hint of jealosy that I detected when other men paid attention to her? It will be very interesting to see where this relationship is going to go. In her own way, Miss Jenkins is every bit as tough as Jake.
Sayonaraville is an excellent novel in its own right and it is more than just adequate in backing up Curt's Shamus award nominee "Rat City". I am already waiting to see where Curt takes me next. Curt - don't make me wait so long for your next installment. I need more - now!

Donald D. Thompson

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars It's all in the head., December 2, 2003
This review is from: Sayonaraville: A Jake Rossiter & Miss Jenkins Mystery (Paperback)
It's all here!! A riveting tale of murder, racketeering, money-laundering, corrupt cops, hit men, and strippers all told against the backdrop of the post-World War II period in Seattle's Chinatown with its dark alleys, secret passageways and secret ways. Colbert has us jump right in with the story when Rossiter is confronted by the headless body of his insurance agent. Rossiter, coolheaded as always, hopes the dead man thought to write a policy on himself. Why did Rossiter's insurance agent lose his head (literally) to a rusted samurai sword? Why would anyone kill his insurance agent, especially one who is bald, middle-aged, and kindly? The lingering bitterness of the war feeds the suspicions of Rossiter, private eye and veteran of the war in the Pacific. He wants nothing to do with the Harry Hashimoto case taken by Miss Jenkins, now his junior partner. She can sink or swim on her own. Rossiter has a more important case to solve. In this world you can't afford to lose your insurance agent. Tension builds when Rossiter butts heads with his old nemesis, hit man Eddie Valhalla and his gun moll, Zazu. Speaking of heads, just how many more hits to the head can Rossiter take? Between shady cops and shifting antagonists, maybe he should take to wearing a helmet. When Harry Hashimoto's brother, Frank, an embittered, decorated war hero of the famed all-Nisei 442nd Regiment, takes the bullets intended for Rossiter, saving the life of the private eye, Rossiter feels his own prejudices slip away. Armchair sleuths will have a field day with this one. Sayonaraville is a must-read book and a real page-turner. Makes a great gift for mystery-lovers!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I'D JUST PUT CREAM IN MY COFFEE, WHEN Miss Jenkins ran into the office screaming that our insurance agent down the hall just had his head chopped off with a Samurai sword. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
arson investigator, makeup table
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Jenkins, Henry Jamison, Ming Palace, Frank Hashimoto, Eddie Valhalla, Captain Blevens, Club Rialto, Ben Paris, Bunny Sunday, Jake Rossiter, Lieutenant Baker, Manny Velcker, Seattle General, Cutty Sark, Fat Floyd, Honeymoon Suite, Silver Star, Miss Bubbles, Seattle Life, Beacon Hill, Fire Department, Harry Hashimoto, Pearl Harbor, Vic Croce, World War
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Rat City by Curt Colbert
 

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