Herman Jackson has chosen St. Paul as his place of permanent exile from Detroit, where his former life as a bookie got too hot to hold. Now he leads a respectable life as a bail bondsman, while looking over his shoulder.
When a young woman leaves him an antique violin as security for her brother’s bail bond, it’s really the beginning of an elaborate con game. The game is barely underway when the young woman is murdered and, for reasons that make no sense, the police say Herman is the prime suspect—that is, unless he gives them the violin “as evidence.”
Jackson can’t afford to be a suspect even for jaywalking, but neither is he going to give in to extortion. Soon he’s on the run, trying to solve the murder while pursued by cops and a band of Gypsies. Suddenly, life back in Detroit doesn’t look so bad after all.
Thompson's convoluted story tells of a troubled bookie who is trying to avoid his shady past, only to fall straight into an elaborate and deadly con game. Trying to make sense of this plot is narrator Robertson Dean, who assumes the role of protagonist Herman Jackson. Dean's voice, rich with character and mystery, gives the sense of a man with his fair share of secrets to tell. In this underplayed performance, Dean offers little in the way of improvisation and acting, opting instead to read the story in one gritty voice that tends to grate on the ears of the listener. As Jackson, Dean is perfect in his delivery, but his lack of variation for the supporting characters slows the story. L.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
ForeWord Magazine...
“Like music, author Richard A. Thompson has layered beautiful language, charismatic characters, and witty dialogue to create a symphony of a mystery….the spin become a trilling flourish; the long notes, the climactic finale of a virtuoso.”
About the Author
RICHARD A. THOMPSON, a registered professional engineer, recently retired from a forty-five-year career in construction, including twelve years as senior building inspector for the city of St. Paul, Minnesota. He has also been a folksinger and part-time maker of stringed instruments. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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