The Sterling Inheritance [Mass Market Paperback]

Michael Siverling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2007

Private investigator Jason Wilder has the toughest boss in River City: It's his mother. She and her husband were legendary police detectives when Jason was growing up. Wild Bill Wilder has since died, and Mom is running the detective agency they had founded with a loving but definitely iron hand.

Working under Mom (also known by her staff as "Queen Victoria" and "Her Highness") is adventurous, no denying that. Jason's present assignment, to locate a missing businessman, leads to some unexpected surprises. He locates the man in a dreary motel, with orders to return him to his worried wife. Instead, the man shoots at him. Before he can recover from the attempt, he is surrounded by police, who punch him, handcuff him, and inform him that his subject is wanted for homicide. From there the case expands, plunging Jason into some twisted bypaths. Why are the members of the suspect's family (including his enchanting sister) fighting tooth and nail over a dilapidated movie house the sister is restoring? Why was the dead man's body found just outside it? Is there something hidden there---and what? With Jason doing the footwork and Mom supplying the know-how, they get dangerously close, and Mom is going to have to take a hand herself.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Siverling's day job is with the Sacramento County, Calif., District Attorney's office abduction team that recovers kidnapped children, but the engaging first mystery for which he won a St. Martin's/Private Eye Writers of America award has nothing to do with abducted children. What it does have is an interesting mother and son team of PIs, Victoria and Jason Wilder. Mom is a formidable former police detective who keeps a one-eyed German shepherd named Beowulf and runs the Midnight Investigation Agency. She provides employment for some retired cop colleagues and her 20-something son, a would-be rock guitarist, who has trouble getting enough work in their hometown of River City and who, despite his grumbling, likes and is quite good at being a private dick. (His late father was also a cop, so it's in his blood.) Mother and son have a brisk though affectionate relationship: when she says "I love you son," he replies, "I'm moderately fond of you, too, lady." The plot, like the title, has Raymond Chandler overtones, including a wealthy family, a soft son accused of murder and a tough, disillusioned older sister. But Siverling adds enough clever modern touches, especially in the relationship between Victoria and Jason, to make this look like the start of a promising series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Michael Siverling is a detective in real life. His real-life expertise, his brilliant characterization of Mom and her crew, and the low-key humor that spices the action make it clear why this debut mystery won the Best Private Eye Novel Contest. He lives in Sacramento, CA.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 321 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (December 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843960027
• ISBN-13: 978-0843960020
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,243,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong urban Noir, June 30, 2004

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sterling Inheritance (Hardcover)

Russian expatriate Katerina Sterling hires the Midnight Detective Agency to find her missing husband, financial investor Anthony. His mom Victoria, owner of the private sleuth company, assigns the search to her son part-time investigator Jason Wilder. The relatively easy job turns ugly when Anthony pulls out a gun on Jason, who disarms the man. The River City police arrive almost immediately and quickly handcuff Jason until he is able to clear things up.

Anthony, insisting someone wants to kill him, is accused of murder until he too is found dead. Jason makes inquiries into the deaths thinking in terms of the Russian connection or the wealthy Sterling link as best bets. As Jason checks into the ties to the deceased, he is attracted to Anthony's sister Janice and starts thinking with his wrong head. Thank goodness Mommy Dearest would never let any harm come to her boy as she would not want to think she wasted nine hours in labor, but will Queen Victoria be able to get Anthony to look at the gig a bit differently.

Readers will enjoy this urban Noir starring a host of delightful characters. The relationships that Jason has fostered including the one with his dynamic mother are off beat, quirky and it is fun to observe the give and take. In many ways, Victoria steals the show with her cynical love for her son. The case is well written and clever, but it is the cast that explains why Mike Siverling won the St. Martin's 2002 Best First Private Eye Mystery contest.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong writing and interesting mother/son relationship, November 20, 2004

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sterling Inheritance (Hardcover)

It's an ordinary missing person case--a woman reported her husband missing--and private detective Jason Wilder could have solved it in his sleep. But when the missing man tries to shoot him, complains that 'they' were going to kill him, and then turns up to be the lead suspect in a murder case, Wilder figures that this might be more than a run-of-the-mill missing person case after all.

Working with the other members of the Midnight Investigative Agency (headed by his mother), Wilder uncovers hints of attempted arson, booby-traps, the Russian mafia, and a beautiful woman who just might be the real killer after all.

Author Michael Silverling's strong writing kept me involved with the plot. The hint of romance and strange relationship between Wilder and his mother added to the character and deepened the mystery plot. I thought there were a few holes in the mystery (the biggest being the motive for the first murder victim), and it was a bit too easy to guess the killer's identity, but the overall this was a fully enjoyable read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars - A delightful debut., May 4, 2005

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sterling Inheritance (Hardcover)

This book works because of the characters and the dialogue. The plot is a bit weak and way too much attention was spent on telling us where Jason parked his car. But the relationship between Jason and his mother, who owns the detective agency, is delightful and characterized by quips reminiscent of the 20s. It's a delightful first book and I am looking forward to the next one.