Streeter's been around too long for much to surprise him, but he is surprised when a woman he has just nailed on a "somewhat less than totally candid" insurance claim turns around and hires him for another job. Blessed with a body to die for, a gift for euphemism, and the unlikely handle of Story Moffatt, she runs her own ad agency and wants Streeter to help locate the inheritance left when her estranged boyfriend totalled his red Porsche, said inheritance probably consisting of cash well into six figures.
A former newspaper reporter and current private detective, Stone has created a pair of repellently fascinating lowlifes, worthy of Elmore Leonard, to give Streeter a run for his money: Leo Soyko (sort of sounds like -- and definitely acts like -- "psycho") and his even more out-of-control partner, Jacky Romp. Nominally in the employ of a sleazy ambulance chaser named Thomas Hardy Cooper, they have an unfortunate tendency to exceed their mandate... with fatal results.
With all that cash at stake, it isn't long before this decidedly loose coalition of thieves falls out "like a bunch of inbred rats turning on each other." Throw in a crooked cop with bad digestion who likes to shake down more overt criminals, a sharp and sexy paralegal who does her best work on top of a desk, a protagonist who is equal parts Philip Marlowe and Travis McGee, a dash of Rocky Mountain ratiocination and a dollop of local color, mix well, and you've got THE LOW END OF NOWHERE, a mile-high mystery that marks a funny, fast moving, and gritty debut for Michael Stone.
THE LOW END OF NOWHERE
by Michael Stone
Publication Date: February 11, 1997
ISBN: 0-14-024694-0
Price: $5.95
Told with a finely balanced blend of humor and grit, the plot deftly twists and turns in unexpected directions, as Stone puts Streeter through his paces while the Denver sleuth tries to solve and survive his latest dangerous case. Perhaps the greatest strength of A LONG REACH is the memorable cast of characters, including Carol, the former love of Streeter's life who hides dark and painful secrets beneath her attractive exterior; Terry Blue Nathan, the steady and dependable ally Streeter recruits as a partner; and Kevin Swallow, the daring and deranged psychotic who slowly tightens the circle of death around Carol and Streeter.
A LONG REACH showcases the authenticity and richness of detail that Michael Stone, a former newspaper reporter and current private investigator, draws from his own experience. In this second Streeter mystery, Stone continues to bring the lead character, a six foot plus, 210 pound, ex- linebacker, ex-accountant, and ex-bouncer, to life. A LONG REACH is filled with the dark humor and thrilling action characteristic of the tough guy known simply as Streeter.
A LONG REACH
by Michael Stone
Publication Date: February 12, 1997
ISBN: 0-670-86166-9
Price: $20.95
Michael Stone is the author of "A Long Reach" and "The Low End Of Nowhere", the first two books in his Streeter mystery series. He has been a private investigator since 1985, and is a former reporter and correspondent for such newspapers as The Rocky Mountain News, The Dallas Morning News, The San Francisco Examiner, Long Island Newsday, The Boulder Daily Camera, and The Capital Times. Mike has lived in Denver for the past nineteen years.