Two one act plays combine comedy, mystery and romance in fast paced detective stories. In Remedial Surveillance, would be private investigator Irene a buyer for Bloomingdales takes detecting lessons from hard luck P.I. Buzz. He wants her out of the class, but she perseveres and, in the process, uncovers Buzz's personal history and his dangerous liaison with a femme fatale. By Deja Rendez-vous, Buzz and Irene are partners in a new office next door to a Singing Bees telegram service, which drives Buzz crazy. The return of the femme fatale could prove fatal when she arrives to exact revenge on Buzz. Irene is intent on snagging a reward for turning in this lethal lady.
Ten-year LAPD sergeant, Walter Sunderland was about to cross off another item on his personal bucket list. He would soon be transferring out of uniform patrol and head downtown to the elite Robbery Homicide Division as an LAPD detective. Working RHD was his dream job and like most things in his life, whatever he set his mind to, he usually succeeded. Married to a beautiful woman who made twice the money he did selling million-dollar homes in the trendy upscale neighborhood of Porter Ranch in the northwest San Fernando Valley, where they now lived themselves, was just the frosting on the cake. It would only take one act of pure stupidity to rear its ugly head, that would bring his world crashing down around him. Now, fired from the police department, divorced from his wife, and after serving a short prison sentence, he was just a heartbeat away from becoming a down and out homeless street person himself. Living in a cheap downtown hotel that overlooked skid row, he was now working menial part-time jobs trying to keep his head above water to survive. It would be the very woman who accused him of rape under the color of authority that got him fired from the force and sent him to jail, who was now pleading for his help. She herself was now the number one suspect in the murder of her former husband and with limited funds, she had nowhere to turn. The two unlikely pair would join forces to spar with her former dead husband’s new wife along with the LAPD detectives investigating his murder and at the same time, deal with their own ongoing mistrust for one another. Without the use of any of the LAPD’s resources provided to regular sworn detectives on the job, Sunderland was now being measured by everyone around him as nothing more than a washed-up Gumshoe, a term he hated with contempt. Even so, he now would have to rely on his own wit and expertise as he follows up on his instincts, leads and scenarios to come up with answers he so desperately needed. Those answers wouldn’t come easy after hitting one roadblock after another as he tried to piece together the realities and assumptions that no one else was willing to tackle. Together, Walt Sunderland and Gretchen Quinn’s journey would take them to an unpredictable and shocking conclusion.
"Gridiron Gumshoe" My life in and out of the NFL Films' Vault" by Ace Cacchiotti is a Pro Football Fanatics' guide to my literal life working with the most accomplished producers who have lent their artistic values to all that follow the game and who live vicariously through one who contributed to the company by "Paying attention to detail and Finishing like a Pro". From young Steve Sabol's "They Called it Pro Football" produced in 1967, to "Joe and the Magic Bean" again written and produced by Steve in 1976, "75 Seasons"; "The Story of the National Football League" in 1994 to "America's Game" from 2005 and to the late NFL Films' President's tribute; Steve Sabol, "The Guts and Glory of Pro Football" on February 12th, 2013, the game of Pro Football is watched by hundred of millions through the camera eye of what is without a doubt the measuring stick for all others when it comes to capturing passion in and on any field. This author was given a wonderful opportunity to express himself and by doing so left a legacy with not only my peers but with my late loving boss; my friend Steve Sabol. I hope you will be able to experience through the "Gridiron Gumshoe" a most rewarding Pro Football Journey. Enjoy; Ace Cacchiotti
Chicago, 1947. Private investigator "Matt" McBride runs afoul of corrupt politicians, vicious mobsters and a trigger-happy Texan femme fatale to prove that the "suicide" of his best friend was murder. Matt's perilous journey to track down the killer nearly dead-ends in a motor home on collision course with a cargo plane.
In a near-future America on the verge of civil war, a gay detective investigates ritual killings, conspiracies, and what might be black magic. In the summer of 2045, Atlanta is a city on the verge of panic. A killer is stalking her people, leaving behind eerily beautiful crime scenes painted with occult symbols. Is he an insane artist, carving his work out of flesh and blood? A satanic sorcerer, hoping to bring about the end of days? Or a political operative, trying to terrify the electorate into voting for his party? A handful of people have the pieces to the puzzle, but they are scattered through the city’s subcultures: A wisecracking gay detective hunting for his kidnapped partner. A black cop, trying to use high-tech forensics to solve crimes that seem to be right out of the Middle Ages. A Wiccan journalist who employs search engines and scrying spells with equal skill. A televangelist with an eye on the White House, and the Christian rock star who wants to take him down. A transgender Cherokee shaman trying to right a wrong from the 1800s. And Benji, the fourteen-year-old boy at the center of it all. Who thinks that his biggest problem is what will happen when his strict Baptist parents find out that his new girlfriend is a witch. Together, they might be able to stop what’s coming. If they can stay alive long enough to find each other. - Winner of two Spectrum Awards for LGBT-themed science fiction. - - A double finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards in the Mystery and Speculative Fiction categories - "There's a great SF premise here...the writing is tight, the drama tense." -- Locus "Hartman's character's are smart. His world-building is broad, convincing, and exciting: his choice of detail is exquisite. Compelling and engrossing, this book grabbed me and didn't let me go until long after the end." -- Nina Kiriki Hoffman, winner of the Nebula and Bram Stoker Awards. "Like his hero, loved his plot, and envied his style." --Mike Resnick, five-time winner of the Hugo Award.
Male prostitutes, vampire wannabes, and a cloned movie star . . . 2045 is shaping up to be a rough year for detective Drew Parker. What started off as a simple case involving a deaf woman and her cheating boyfriend is getting complicated. It doesn’t help that the boyfriend is one of five identical actors cloned from the frozen corpse of a dead movie star. Or that he’s up to his neck in a convoluted blackmail plot. Or that the guy is being stalked by a secret agent, some dame in a clown mask with the combat skills of a ninja. And besides, Drew has his own problem to deal with. A personal matter involving a rent boy, a privatized version of the KGB, and a vampire sex cult. Well at least his Wiccan partner, Jen, is back to help him out. He may not believe in all her psychic mumbo-jumbo, but she sure gets results. And there’s no one he’d rather have at his back in a fight. The exciting sequel to The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse. "Like its predecessor, it employs the same irresistible zaniness and wit, multiple viewpoints, high sexual content (both gay and straight) and cheerfully chaotic narrative technique. The author has produced another engagingly weird novel of the near future, satirizing everything he can get his word processor on and doing most of it extremely well." -- Publishers Weekly
Savages, like wild animals, prey on the unsuspecting. Its been almost fourteen years since Ian Christian served his country during the Vietnam War and hes now living a tranquil life with a newfound love. He is working as a successful advertising executive when he receives a disturbing phone call from the widow of an old friend. Apparently, his friend, Roland The Snake Cummings has died under suspicious circumstances, thrusting Ian into a fight for survival. The more he investigates, the more he comes to believe Roland was killed by an old enemyan enemy they have in common. After a murderous three-week spree, this assassin surfaces in Ians hometown of Minneapolis, where he plans to kill the ex-army sergeant. Ian is one step ahead, though; he wins the first duel of wits, but hes nowhere near safe yet. Hell need the assistance of FBI Agent Ralph Yorkshire to stop this killer for good. Ian and Ralph lure the assassin to a small-town farm in Iowa, where they set a trap. It appears their trap has worked, but maybe not. Someone is still hunting Ian someone who wants to see him dead. In this prequel to File 871, Ian finds himself moving closer and closer to the truth. A deadly game of cat and mouse beginsand only time will tell who is the hunter and who is the hunted.
Why use boring old words when you can expand and build your vocabulary—and have fun doing it! A user-friendly, engaging book about the power of words—perfect for educators, parents, and future word nerds. Build confidence and become a stronger reader, writer, and communicator! This fun and hilarious vocabulary builder: Includes over 750 high-level, wondrous, and wacky words! With sample sentences and word history that help new words make sense! Bright and fun illustrations make learning new words fun! Allows to search by category so new word choices are easy to find! Kids with strong vocabularies are better readers, better writers, and even feel more confident tackling math and science. When a kid wants to learn a new word, we often send them to the dictionary or a thesaurus. But dictionaries only work if you know exactly the word you want. This dictionary-thesaurus hybrid is organized by theme and puts words in context with fun, engaging and hilarious sentences, pictures, and fun facts. You'll learn what words mean and then actually use them!
