What do you think?
Rate this book
Three Strikes
PRAISE FOR THE PICKER MYSTERIESAnother Great Book By december_Amazon reviewI love the Picker books. The blend of mystery and antiquing is fantastic, especially with such a colourful cast of characters. This short story takes place after #37, though it's not necessary to have read the previous book to understand this one.A short read, but still a wonderful mystery, I recommend this novella.Quick fun read with tons of stuff By teddygoogs_Amazon reviewWow this is a fast paced 41 pages with a to of stuff.Picker and his super dog Kato is an antique dealer. He has a Robin Hood wanna be brother who picks locks and sweet talks cops. A girlfriend named Penny Lane (but dont call her Penny) and friend named Chucky Cheese, Googie and Crystal Ball. His buddy Hari henderson is Murdered and a 1909 Honus Wagner card worth 1 million plus is missing. Picker, his brother and Kato look to solve the crime. Fun read.Cracking read By Chris.healey_Amazon reviewwell written, cohesive short story with plenty of character and an event filled setting. surprisingly complex for a short and i would welcome a collection.BOOK DESCRIPTIONAntique dealer extraordinaire Picker receives a phone call from an old friend. Amy Henderson's husband, Hari 'Bigfoot' Henderson has been murdered.Hari has unearthed a collection of vintage baseball cards, but apparently not valuable enough to be a motive for murder.In between buying and selling high priced antiques and collectibles, Picker hunts for the guilty culprit and investigates the motivation behind the crime.Picker is relentless as he tries to stay alive while being bushwhacked by bad guys, sharing an espresso with a Mafia Don and uncomfortable close encounters with law enforcement. Colorful characters assist Picker in his adventure the beautiful Kelly Lane; his Irish Uncle Moe; previously unknown half brother and master con man, Connor Jones and his German Shepherd, Kato.This Picker Mystery is fast moving, great fun and filled with antique lore. Join Picker and his criminal mastermind brother Connor by reading "Three Strikes" today.
67 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2012
78 people want to read
About the author
Scott Soloff
16 books19 followersMr. Soloff is an antique dealer, accomplished story teller and is married to a beautiful woman. He claims to never use foul language, smoke, drink or stretch the truth. Charming to a fault, he is moderately well liked by small children and dogs.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 18, 2014
Setting up at the flea markets as he did each week, antiques dealer Picker (“just Picker”) was accompanied by his faithful, and uncannily instinctive german shepherd, Kato. Checking everyone out, seeing what was on offer was just a part of it, but it was a routine they all performed. But when he received a phone call later in the week from the wife of a friend, he was shocked to hear that her husband, the big and seemingly invincible Hari (Bigfoot) Henderson, had been murdered.
As Picker began his investigation into the murder, he discovered the root of it all seemed to be baseball cards. But surely that wasn’t a motive for murder? There had to be more to it, much more; Picker would find out one way or another. When Kato saved him from a violent attack by two criminals, Picker decided to talk to Uncle Carmine, the local Mafia Don. Would that help? He had to stay on the right side of Uncle Carmine!
But the most assistance he received came from his half-brother Connor; a master conman as well as being a gentleman, Connor came out in front of everyone, even the local police. He was a handy man to have on his side. With long-time girlfriend Kelly, his Uncle Moe and T.J., Picker and Connor were determined to find the killer – but with another body turning up, they realized the clock was ticking…
This is a great short story which is light and entertaining. My favourite character was Kato, Picker’s german shepherd – his devotion and amazing ability was great, and I’m sure they are (mostly) that intelligent. The humour is mild and dotted throughout, with the mystery keeping the pages turning. An easy to read cosy mystery.
As Picker began his investigation into the murder, he discovered the root of it all seemed to be baseball cards. But surely that wasn’t a motive for murder? There had to be more to it, much more; Picker would find out one way or another. When Kato saved him from a violent attack by two criminals, Picker decided to talk to Uncle Carmine, the local Mafia Don. Would that help? He had to stay on the right side of Uncle Carmine!
But the most assistance he received came from his half-brother Connor; a master conman as well as being a gentleman, Connor came out in front of everyone, even the local police. He was a handy man to have on his side. With long-time girlfriend Kelly, his Uncle Moe and T.J., Picker and Connor were determined to find the killer – but with another body turning up, they realized the clock was ticking…
This is a great short story which is light and entertaining. My favourite character was Kato, Picker’s german shepherd – his devotion and amazing ability was great, and I’m sure they are (mostly) that intelligent. The humour is mild and dotted throughout, with the mystery keeping the pages turning. An easy to read cosy mystery.
Read
August 24, 2012Three Strikes is an entertaining short story. The cast of characters appear in a series of Scott Soloff's books. I found the voice of the narrator, the eponymous Picker, a little off-putting at first, but I got used to it and soon found that it conveyed much about his character.
The story is self-contained and you do not (I have not) need to read any of the full length books in the series to appreciate and enjoy Three Strikes. Scott manages to explain all the essentials without slowing down the plot progression or bogging the reader down in long descriptive passages. Full marks for style.
There were quite a few spelling mistakes/typos...at first I wondered if some of them were there to help portray Picker's voice - some unconventional spellings definitely were there to convey accent - however, the two misplaced apostrophes (both on the same page) were not. "Two Rotweiller's and a Shepherd. It is not uncommon for ones' defenses...". I have my grammar police hat on today!
There was one howling great factual error. A six-week old GSD does not weigh 40 lbs!! It won't reach that until around four months (16 weeks). Nor would a six week old GSD be tall enough to put paws on one's chest. GSDs are a similar sized dog to Golden Retrievers; when I was 9 yo, we had a litter of GRs and when they left at 8 weeks old, I could still carry them (one at a time!).
The rest of the descriptions of Kato (aka the monster) seem plausible ... and yes, I'd love a dog like that!
All in all Three Strikes is a great short read and I'll be looking out for more of Scott Soloff's work.
Thanks Scott for highlighting on Goodreads your 24 hour Amazon giveaway of this great introduction to your work.
The story is self-contained and you do not (I have not) need to read any of the full length books in the series to appreciate and enjoy Three Strikes. Scott manages to explain all the essentials without slowing down the plot progression or bogging the reader down in long descriptive passages. Full marks for style.
There were quite a few spelling mistakes/typos...at first I wondered if some of them were there to help portray Picker's voice - some unconventional spellings definitely were there to convey accent - however, the two misplaced apostrophes (both on the same page) were not. "Two Rotweiller's and a Shepherd. It is not uncommon for ones' defenses...". I have my grammar police hat on today!
There was one howling great factual error. A six-week old GSD does not weigh 40 lbs!! It won't reach that until around four months (16 weeks). Nor would a six week old GSD be tall enough to put paws on one's chest. GSDs are a similar sized dog to Golden Retrievers; when I was 9 yo, we had a litter of GRs and when they left at 8 weeks old, I could still carry them (one at a time!).
The rest of the descriptions of Kato (aka the monster) seem plausible ... and yes, I'd love a dog like that!
All in all Three Strikes is a great short read and I'll be looking out for more of Scott Soloff's work.
Thanks Scott for highlighting on Goodreads your 24 hour Amazon giveaway of this great introduction to your work.
August 24, 2012
Wow this is a fast paced 41 pages with a to of stuff.
Picker and his super dog Kato is an antique dealer. He has a Robin Hood wanna be brother who picks locks and sweet talks cops. A girlfriend named Penny Lane (but dont call her Penny) and friend named Chucky Cheese, Googie and Crystal Ball. His buddy Hari henderson is Murdered and a 1909 Honus Wagner card worth 1 million plus is missing. Picker, his brother and Kato look to solve the crime. Fun read.
Picker and his super dog Kato is an antique dealer. He has a Robin Hood wanna be brother who picks locks and sweet talks cops. A girlfriend named Penny Lane (but dont call her Penny) and friend named Chucky Cheese, Googie and Crystal Ball. His buddy Hari henderson is Murdered and a 1909 Honus Wagner card worth 1 million plus is missing. Picker, his brother and Kato look to solve the crime. Fun read.
Want to read
August 14, 2012I love dogs, mysteries, Irish culture, and mafia stories, so _Three Strikes_ was a no-brainer for me when I saw it on First Reads. Fingers crossed!
Update: The first chapter promises the book will be a quick, fun read. Check it out for free on the author's website: http://scottsoloff.net/three-strikes-...
(You can also enter to win a free mug!)
Update: The first chapter promises the book will be a quick, fun read. Check it out for free on the author's website: http://scottsoloff.net/three-strikes-...
(You can also enter to win a free mug!)
January 10, 2015
I love the Picker books. The blend of mystery and antiquing is fantastic, especially with such a colourful cast of characters. This short story takes place after #37, though it's not necessary to have read the previous book to understand this one.
A short read, but still a wonderful mystery, I recommend this novella.
A short read, but still a wonderful mystery, I recommend this novella.
July 18, 2012
A very interesting and fast pace read.Picker seems like quite the fellow. Enjoyed his adventure with the valuable baseball card. I also loved how the chapters were labeled by baseball terms. Kato is an amazing dog. Looking forward to the next adventure.
June 5, 2013
Short but really enjoyed this book. I rarely give 5 stars but this one deserves them. Will look for more by this author.
March 3, 2023
Excellent book!!!
December 20, 2012
Great short story. Leading up to the next book. I learned about this author when I won the first picker novel through first reads giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews