Clutching at Straws (Jake Diamond, Private Investigator) (Hardcover)

by J. L. Abramo (Author) "LEFTY WRIGHT SLIPPED THE RUSTY blade of his trusty paint scraper between the frame and sill of the kitchen window and finessed the latch open..." (more)
Key Phrases: Freddie Cash, Lefty Wright, Vic Vigoda (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A worthy successor to Catching Water in a Net (2000), Abramo's second in the San Francisco-based Jake Diamond PI series is a clever and well-crafted detective novel, gritty enough to satisfy hard-boiled readers but not so dark that it will put off more traditional mystery fans. Hired to break into a local judge's house and extract money and papers from a wall safe, Lefty Wright, a small-time thief, stumbles over the judge's corpse and is immediately surrounded by policemen. Wright later calls Diamond from prison, where he awaits trial for murder, and convinces the PI of his innocence. As Diamond proceeds with his investigation, the police, the governor and especially prosecuting attorney and DA candidate Lowell Ryder all make it very clear that they don't want him involved. When Wright is killed "trying to escape" en route to court, things get really interesting. Scrambling to make a case, Diamond trails crooked cops and even resurrects his dormant acting career to appear in a bit part in a movie to get close to a key suspect. Throughout the book, Diamond is reading Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo, which parallels his current case.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
This workmanlike second entry in the Jake Diamond series finds the San Francisco PI searching for the real killer of an unpopular local judge after one of Diamond's clients, an accomplished burglar having a very bad night, is fingered for the murder. The deeper Diamond digs, the more folks end up dead--starting with his client and continuing with a low-level mobster, a misguided rich kid, and a couple of cops. The clues point to a rising-star prosecutor running for district attorney, but Diamond has a rough time making his case. The hard-boiled detective with a soft-boiled heart provides most of the book's low-key charms. Diamond is refreshingly direct with his questioning, listens to his conscience whenever possible, and has a knack for tying classic novels into the action at hand. His football-groupie assistant, Darlene, heads an appealing supporting cast that includes flaky flunky Vinnie "Strings" Stradivarius and Mob-connected confidant Joey Russo. Although the story is light on action and suspense, it's comfort food for PI fans. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur; 1st edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312308493
• ISBN-13: 978-0312308490
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,801,966 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Abramo Scores Again, March 26, 2003

By	T. E. Grant (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Clutching at Straws, J. L. Abramos follow up to Catching Water in a Net, takes Jake Diamond into new territories, geographically and emotionally, the returning reader learning more about Diamond as Jake learns more about himself. Jakes client, Lefty Wright, is a small-time burglar charged with murder. Only an idiot would fail to recognize Leftys innocence, so why are the San Francisco police and District Attorney behaving like idiots? The question becomes as important to Jakes investigation as his attempt to clear his client. Diamonds search for answers takes him across California and across the Rocky Mountains, running up against a wall of puzzles, dark secrets, cover-ups, blind ambitions, revenge and the gray areas regarding degree of guilt and appropriate punishment. Returning to help in the cause are Joey Russo, Vinnie Strings, Sonny the Chin and Jakes irrepressible associate, Darlene Roman. Abramos blend of pulp, noir and smart humor proves once again that a mystery novel can be a tribute to the classic Private Eye yarn without taking it all too seriously. Clutching at Straws is a fast-moving, entertaining ride, while at the same time a heartfelt examination of the responsibilities of parents and their children. The reader could hardly hope for more, beyond the wish for the speedy arrival of the next Jake Diamond installment.

4.0 out of 5 stars Really good mystery, Abramo hits his stride here., November 1, 2005

By	Peter LaPrade (worcester ma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Abramo's second novel "Clutching at Straws", we witness a story and a mystery better than the first. A prominent judge is found murdered and a well-spoken burgler is arrested for murder. The twist: he didn't do it, and he hires hard-drinking, "Monte Cristo" reading P.I Jake Diamond to find out who the real killer is. Diamond starts to uncover the feud the late judge had with the leading candidate for the District Attorney's office, but then the bodies start to pile up as someone doesn't want Jake is get to the truth about what the judge had on Lowell Ryder, the D.A candidate. Eventually with the help of Chance Folsom aka Chance Ryder and a woman in hiding, Jake discovers the truth. Great quotes and parallels with Monte Cristo. "Until God deigns to reveal the future to mankind, the best words of wisdom are wait and hope". I think that's the quote from Monte Cristo.

4.0 out of 5 stars action-packed murder mystery, April 12, 2003

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Vic Vigoda hires Lefty Wright to steal a package from the safe of Judge Chancellor. Lefty grabs the job as the pay is great, $15K for under fifteen minutes to perform an easy heist. However when Lefty enters the bedroom with the safe, the murdered body of the judge greets him. Almost immediately two cops charge into the house and arrest Lefty for killing Chancellor.

Lefty knows he is already in deep trouble, but adding to his woes is that the DA is running for office and sees this case as an easy media victory to further his ambitions. Lefty asks San Francisco private investigator Jake Diamond to learn why Vic would set him up to take the fall. Jake makes inquiries, but mostly concentrates on who owned a valuable Rolex found near the body. As he tries to learn the identity of the owner, he wonders about the motive. As he digs deeper into the case, bodies pile up as someone is bumping off anyone remotely related and potentially able to provide information that could free Lefty.

Though readers will need a calculator to keep score of the corpses, fans of action-packed murder mysteries will enjoy this tale. The story line is loaded with non-stop hyper energy, as the audience will compute the correlation between alcohol drinking and homicides. Fans of mass homicide investigative tales will want to follow Diamond as he steps over bodies while making the rounds of the streets of San Francisco.

Harriet Klausner