The Esmeralda Goodbye
“Murders, mobsters, intelligence agency intrigue, and a touch of old-Hollywood glamor power this accomplished crime noir novel.”
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1955. In the sleepy seaside town of La Jolla, CA, rookie cop Jake Stirling saves the life of infamous crime writer Raymond Chandler, earning the respect of his hard-nosed captain, Wade Lennox, who served with Jake’s father, a police detective whose suicide two years earlier shocked the town and shattered Jake’s family.
Jake gets called to the Hotel Del Charro, a luxury hideaway for the rich and famous. Budding starlet Zsa Zsa Gabor’s diamond necklace has been stolen. She and other hotel guests—FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, political wheeler-dealer Artie Corcoran, and mob boss Meyer Lansky press their own cryptic agendas, while Raymond Chandler provokes outrage with drunken allegations of police corruption. When a local hoodlum is murdered Captain Lennox takes Jake into his confidence, demanding loyalty.
More killings follow as Jake finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that could change the course of American history. Can he clear his father’s name and save those he loves from the cold-blooded brutality of desperate and powerful men?
A finely crafted coming of age story featuring a Who’s Who of 20th century historical figures who find meanness and mayhem aplenty in paradise.
ALAN RUSSELL, number one bestselling author of Burning Man
A startling and shocking snapshot of an era, with gritty prose that grabs you by the throat.
DAVID PUTNAM, author of the bestselling Bruno Johnson series
The Esmeralda Goodbye is a masterpiece with excellent character development. Its remarkable tale and charming hero revel in the excess of 1950s Southern California atmospheres.
CHANTICLEER BOOK REVIEWS (5 Star Review)
Deftly balances a noir whodunnit with a keen portrayal of the social and political environment of the 1950s. Worthy of Raymond Chandler.
ONA RUSSELL, Award-winning author of the Sarah Kaufman historical mysteries and host of Lithub’s Authors in the Tent.