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Jake Samson Mystery #5
Suicide King
Suicide King is the FIFTH cozy mystery in the Jake Samson and Rosie Vicente detective series.
"Political pundits will relish the fifth fast-paced whodunit ... another solid performance." -Publishers Weekly
Laid-back P.I. Jake Samson's never been a big fan of politics: fun and profitable if you understand the game, futile and frustrating if you don't. But his longtime friend and (unlicensed) sidekick Rosie Vicente invites him to a posh California fundraiser for the energetic gubernatorial candidate of the liberal underdog Vivo party. Hearing that Joe Richmond’s charisma rivals JFK's, Jake can't resist. And what's worse, Jake's actually impressed by Richmond's rhetoric and charm. It's all fun and political games until Pam Sutherland, Richmond's aide, finds her boss in her backyard, hanging naked from an acacia tree.
The police rule the death a suicide; Jake and Pam suspect foul play. Pam quickly hires Jake to find the culprit, leading him through an intriguing web of campaign shenanigans, backroom wheeling and dealing, affairs, a possible German mafia connection, and a fair amount more danger than our hero could possibly have imagined.
"Political pundits will relish the fifth fast-paced whodunit ... another solid performance." -Publishers Weekly
Laid-back P.I. Jake Samson's never been a big fan of politics: fun and profitable if you understand the game, futile and frustrating if you don't. But his longtime friend and (unlicensed) sidekick Rosie Vicente invites him to a posh California fundraiser for the energetic gubernatorial candidate of the liberal underdog Vivo party. Hearing that Joe Richmond’s charisma rivals JFK's, Jake can't resist. And what's worse, Jake's actually impressed by Richmond's rhetoric and charm. It's all fun and political games until Pam Sutherland, Richmond's aide, finds her boss in her backyard, hanging naked from an acacia tree.
The police rule the death a suicide; Jake and Pam suspect foul play. Pam quickly hires Jake to find the culprit, leading him through an intriguing web of campaign shenanigans, backroom wheeling and dealing, affairs, a possible German mafia connection, and a fair amount more danger than our hero could possibly have imagined.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Shelley Singer
32 books18 followersAka Lee Singer.
Shelley Singer is the author of a dozen published novels and many short stories. One of her mysteries was nominated for the prestigious Shamus Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. She has written mysteries, science fiction, and mainstream fiction. Singer began her working life as a reporter with UPI in Chicago. During a checkered and mercifully brief journalism career, she met such luminaries as Nikita Khrushchev, Jimmy Hoffa, Xavier Cugat, Mrs. Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a condemned killer on death row. She never met Joseph Stalin. She teaches fiction writing classes and does manuscript consulting.
Shelley Singer is the author of a dozen published novels and many short stories. One of her mysteries was nominated for the prestigious Shamus Award of the Private Eye Writers of America. She has written mysteries, science fiction, and mainstream fiction. Singer began her working life as a reporter with UPI in Chicago. During a checkered and mercifully brief journalism career, she met such luminaries as Nikita Khrushchev, Jimmy Hoffa, Xavier Cugat, Mrs. Billy Graham, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a condemned killer on death row. She never met Joseph Stalin. She teaches fiction writing classes and does manuscript consulting.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
September 10, 2018
Book 5: Suicide King — 30 chapters Shelley Singer (August 16-18, 2018) (Original copyright 1988)
Rosie gets Jake involved in a candidate’s election. When the candidate ends up dead, Jake is asked to looked into the apparent suicide.
A popular third-party candidate running in the election has quite a following, but not everyone likes him. Jake joins his campaign and shortly afterwards is found dead, with a suicide note nearby. However, not everyone is convinced it was suicide and a campaign worker asks Jake to step in and look into it.
This was a more political story and didn’t interest me as much. However, the writing is refined further from the last book, with more details about Jake and his philosophical beliefs. At the end of the book, there is a feeling that another story is imminent, but the next story doesn’t take place (and isn’t written) until many years later.
I have read the last book in the series, and as a forewarning, it is very different from this book. The next book in the series is like a completely different series, with the same characters. I would only recommend reading book 6 if you are one of those readers like I can be sometimes that absolutely must read the whole series (well, actually, I am reading these book as a omnibus set, so I felt had no choice.)
Overall, if you enjoyed earlier stories by this author about Jake and Rosie, and enjoy their friendship and idealogical beliefs (very much left of center,) with a character who feel legit (one time Jake worried about if he was offending someone with his speech.) then you’ll like this book. Personally, it dragged harder than the first four in the series. Still a decent read.
Three stars.
Rosie gets Jake involved in a candidate’s election. When the candidate ends up dead, Jake is asked to looked into the apparent suicide.
A popular third-party candidate running in the election has quite a following, but not everyone likes him. Jake joins his campaign and shortly afterwards is found dead, with a suicide note nearby. However, not everyone is convinced it was suicide and a campaign worker asks Jake to step in and look into it.
This was a more political story and didn’t interest me as much. However, the writing is refined further from the last book, with more details about Jake and his philosophical beliefs. At the end of the book, there is a feeling that another story is imminent, but the next story doesn’t take place (and isn’t written) until many years later.
I have read the last book in the series, and as a forewarning, it is very different from this book. The next book in the series is like a completely different series, with the same characters. I would only recommend reading book 6 if you are one of those readers like I can be sometimes that absolutely must read the whole series (well, actually, I am reading these book as a omnibus set, so I felt had no choice.)
Overall, if you enjoyed earlier stories by this author about Jake and Rosie, and enjoy their friendship and idealogical beliefs (very much left of center,) with a character who feel legit (one time Jake worried about if he was offending someone with his speech.) then you’ll like this book. Personally, it dragged harder than the first four in the series. Still a decent read.
Three stars.
December 31, 2019
Fifth in the series with East Bay unregistered P.I. Jake Samson (1980s) and his lesbian sidekick Rosie. This time around we deal with the politics of an emergent political party, an offshoot of the Greens. A favored candidate Jake and Rosie just met at a fundraiser has been found hanging dead, and though the police rule it a suicide, his mistress convinces Jake to discover what really happened and why. This includes research trips and time spent in both Minneapolis and Sacramento.
June 5, 2020
Enjoyed
I really enjoyed this latest book of yours and I am really looking forward to your next book in this series.
I really enjoyed this latest book of yours and I am really looking forward to your next book in this series.
August 17, 2021
Good crime book
April 28, 2026
Another great little murder mystery, the 5th in this series. Fast paced, easy reading with more suspects than you can keep track of. Always a surprise ending with Jake. Well worth reading.
March 17, 2016
Suicide King
The series is getting better with each new episode. This author s growing and learning new tricks. I do hope she makes Jake more manly, but that, I know is just my personal preference.
The series is getting better with each new episode. This author s growing and learning new tricks. I do hope she makes Jake more manly, but that, I know is just my personal preference.
July 28, 2014
If you want a good, old fashioned mystery, you'll love this. Very well written and you probably won't guess who did it until close to the end of the book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews