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Zero Tolerance: a Virgil Roy Proctor novel
A rich kid charged with his third cocaine offense skips bail, and his old man hires Oakland, Calif., PI Virgil Roy Proctor to find him.
The job pays well, real well. And the search turns into a job even more lucrative--and dangerous--when the death of a wealthy aunt turns it into a missing-heir case.
J.D. Knight skillfully entangles his story with offbeat and entertaining twists and odd characters, including a San Francisco palm reader and various skinheads, bikers and indoor marijuana farmers.
Virgil Proctor's the kind of PI with connections all over town, a man who once seemed to have it all together but didn't quite fit into the life he once shared with his ex-wife (the one who named their kid before he could get to the hospital).
No regrets. He likes where he is, although a little more economic independence would be just fine. He's a guy who appreciates the reality as well as the absurdity of his situation: "Only $110 a week for his studio apartment overlooking St. Mary's Cemetery. The best neighbors in the world next door, holding down the rent and the noise at the same time."
He's nothing if not pragmatic, and when he finally gets to the bottom of the case, after some heavy beatings and a stint in prison, he makes sure the villain will get what's coming to him. This first novel, like its PI, manages to get the job done.
--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The job pays well, real well. And the search turns into a job even more lucrative--and dangerous--when the death of a wealthy aunt turns it into a missing-heir case.
J.D. Knight skillfully entangles his story with offbeat and entertaining twists and odd characters, including a San Francisco palm reader and various skinheads, bikers and indoor marijuana farmers.
Virgil Proctor's the kind of PI with connections all over town, a man who once seemed to have it all together but didn't quite fit into the life he once shared with his ex-wife (the one who named their kid before he could get to the hospital).
No regrets. He likes where he is, although a little more economic independence would be just fine. He's a guy who appreciates the reality as well as the absurdity of his situation: "Only $110 a week for his studio apartment overlooking St. Mary's Cemetery. The best neighbors in the world next door, holding down the rent and the noise at the same time."
He's nothing if not pragmatic, and when he finally gets to the bottom of the case, after some heavy beatings and a stint in prison, he makes sure the villain will get what's coming to him. This first novel, like its PI, manages to get the job done.
--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 1995
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8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 9, 2017
I finished reading Zero Tolerance last night and it was a very good read.
Besides being a great story, I think it captured the pre-hipster, pre-Loma Prieta, pre-gentrified Oakland pretty well. I would recommend this series to anyone who wants to know what Oakland was like in the 80s and 90s.
Besides being a great story, I think it captured the pre-hipster, pre-Loma Prieta, pre-gentrified Oakland pretty well. I would recommend this series to anyone who wants to know what Oakland was like in the 80s and 90s.
April 18, 2018
RATING: 3.5
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December 12, 2019Synopsis: a rich kid is charged with his third cocaine offence and skips bail; PI Proctor sets out to find him. It soon becomes a missing heir case.
August 13, 2008
ZERO TOLERANCE - NR
Knight, J.D. - 1st book
A rich kid charged with his third cocaine offense skips bail, and his old man hires Oakland, Calif., PI Virgil Proctor to find him. The job pays well, real well. And the search turns into a job even more lucrative?and dangerous?when the death of a wealthy aunt turns it into a missing-heir case. Knight skillfully entangles his story with offbeat and entertaining twists and odd characters, including a San Francisco palm reader and various skinheads, bikers and indoor marijuana farmers. Proctor's the kind of PI with connections all over town, a man who once seemed to have it all together but didn't quite fit into the life he once shared with his ex-wife (the one who named their kid before he could get to the hospital). No regrets. He likes where he is, although a little more economic independence would be just fine. He's a guy who appreciates the reality as well as the absurdity of his situation: "Only $110 a week for his studio apartment overlooking St. Mary's Cemetery. The best neighbors in the world next door, holding down the rent and the noise at the same time." He's nothing if not pragmatic, and when he finally gets to the bottom of the case, after some heavy beatings and a stint in prison, he makes sure the villain will get what's coming to him.
This was a selection of the East Bay Mystery Readers' Group. I believe we decided this was the single worst book we'd read to this point. The protagonist was so unappealing, we kept hoping someone would kill him. We had Zero Tolerance for this book!
Knight, J.D. - 1st book
A rich kid charged with his third cocaine offense skips bail, and his old man hires Oakland, Calif., PI Virgil Proctor to find him. The job pays well, real well. And the search turns into a job even more lucrative?and dangerous?when the death of a wealthy aunt turns it into a missing-heir case. Knight skillfully entangles his story with offbeat and entertaining twists and odd characters, including a San Francisco palm reader and various skinheads, bikers and indoor marijuana farmers. Proctor's the kind of PI with connections all over town, a man who once seemed to have it all together but didn't quite fit into the life he once shared with his ex-wife (the one who named their kid before he could get to the hospital). No regrets. He likes where he is, although a little more economic independence would be just fine. He's a guy who appreciates the reality as well as the absurdity of his situation: "Only $110 a week for his studio apartment overlooking St. Mary's Cemetery. The best neighbors in the world next door, holding down the rent and the noise at the same time." He's nothing if not pragmatic, and when he finally gets to the bottom of the case, after some heavy beatings and a stint in prison, he makes sure the villain will get what's coming to him.
This was a selection of the East Bay Mystery Readers' Group. I believe we decided this was the single worst book we'd read to this point. The protagonist was so unappealing, we kept hoping someone would kill him. We had Zero Tolerance for this book!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews