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Red Jade
Los Angeles, November 1926. The city’s new Chief of Police has all but gutted the Vice Squad; the mayor is widely believed to be in the pocket of the local crime syndicate; and the county District Attorney is curiously reluctant to prosecute wealthy and influential criminals.
War veteran Avery Shepard has been restless since the Armistice, drifting around from job to job, estranged from his wife and unable to settle down to any one thing. He arrives in L.A. to search for his sister Kit, who vanished seemingly without a trace. After his only potential clue to Kit’s whereabouts slips through his fingers, he turns to legendary private eye Harry Price, who gives him an apprenticeship in the art of detection. Their inquiries lead to the sordid world of the dime-a-dance halls where Shepard meets the beautiful Helen Sing and soon finds himself questioning what he once thought were black and white lines between good and evil. With a widening circle of friends and allies, Shepard considers putting down roots in the Angel City. But will Harry’s methods lead him to Kit, or should he turn to a charismatic clairvoyant who claims powers of second sight?
War veteran Avery Shepard has been restless since the Armistice, drifting around from job to job, estranged from his wife and unable to settle down to any one thing. He arrives in L.A. to search for his sister Kit, who vanished seemingly without a trace. After his only potential clue to Kit’s whereabouts slips through his fingers, he turns to legendary private eye Harry Price, who gives him an apprenticeship in the art of detection. Their inquiries lead to the sordid world of the dime-a-dance halls where Shepard meets the beautiful Helen Sing and soon finds himself questioning what he once thought were black and white lines between good and evil. With a widening circle of friends and allies, Shepard considers putting down roots in the Angel City. But will Harry’s methods lead him to Kit, or should he turn to a charismatic clairvoyant who claims powers of second sight?
268 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2015
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9 people want to read
About the author
J.H. Graham
2 books4 followersJ.H. Graham is a third generation Los Angeles native. She has an M.A. in History from California State University and worked as an architectural historian, researcher and professor of history before starting to write fiction. She now lives in Northern California. RED JADE is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 1, 2017
It’s not often a first novel by an author is this good, and even more rare that a genre-specific novel is this good. Set firmly in the middle of the 1920s, this is a low-key, involving novel with a soft noir tone, and so much atmosphere you really feel like you are in another era while reading Red Jade. The way this author blended the crime aspects of the narrative with more traditional mystery elements, and the period novel, had me comparing her to Barbara Elizabeth Linington, known better to readers of a certain age and background as Dell Shannon, or perhaps Lesley Egan. And yes, it really is that good. There are some technical issues which need to be addressed, which I’ll get to eventually, but the narrative itself is awesome.
The protagonist is Avery Shepard, arriving in Los Angeles to look at a body, to see if it is his half-sister, Kit. It turns out it isn’t her, and that’s when this really takes off. From the moment the narrative mentions the Aimee McPherson case, I was sold. The historical research of the time period is amazing, and what is more amazing is the unobtrusive manner in which it is worked naturally into the narrative. As Avery searches for his sister, he becomes more and more connected to people. First there’s Buster, a fifteen-year-old newsboy who just needs a helping hand to make something of himself. There’s Harry, an aging but legendary Los Angeles private dick with an adorable daughter. There is Harry’s secretary, Edith, a taxi dancer named Gladys, and there is Helen Sing.
The author lets all these relationships develop gradually within the mystery, as she shows us a Los Angeles full of corruption. While it has movement, it isn’t quick — this is no whiz-bang pulp — but it is steady, and involving. There is some rough stuff, and some tawdry allusions, but nothing so gritty as to put any reader off. Again, this reminded me of Dell Shannon, who could skirt the edge of something tawdry and unpleasant, while not allowing the reader to become mired in it. The relationships feel real, as is the romance between the separated Avery, and Helen Sing. And always, at the edge of everything is the mystery of what happened to Kit. Even the ending feels like a Dell Shannon novel, quiet and satisfying rather than explosive. That’s not to say there isn’t any action, because there is, but the emotions and the relationships have become as important by the end of the narrative to the reader as the solving of the mystery.
This is a niche read, of course, something I’m familiar with myself. But for those who don’t like their noir rough and ugly, but involving and humanized, this is wonderful. If you like this genre set in a unique time period, nearly dripping with atmosphere, this is your baby, right here. It is almost startling that this is a first novel. Even more startling is that it hasn’t yet received any attention. It certainly deserves it, even with the caveat I’ll get to in a moment. There is supposed to be a second Avery Shepard at some point, and I fully intend to pick it up the day it is released. That being said, I think this one needs to be promoted, perhaps given a new cover, and certainly another proofing.
This brings me to the caveat. I wish I could say this had four or five minor typos, because that’s normal. Even Hillerman, Donald Hamilton and others have some in their work all these decades later. But that’s not the case at all. In fact, this is tremendously well written, so much so, that it makes the caveat very odd. When someone is speaking, and there is a “he said” or “she said” — or something similar — after the dialog, a comma is not used, but rather a period. It might read: “She’s a dance hall girl.” He said. It isn’t once or twice, it is throughout the entire book. Your eyes see the quotation mark, the dot, and just assumes it is a comma. It wasn’t until I was perhaps 20% into the narrative that I realized it was punctuated incorrectly. It is the only real problem that exists worth mentioning. Because everything else is so well written and punctuated, I speculated that perhaps a handwritten manuscript, written in all caps, became a problem when a second person typed it out. But I actually have no idea. It’s there, it doesn’t affect the reading, but it is consistent all the way through the narrative.
This is a terrific first novel, and an author with a load of talent. Red Jade deserves a second edition, and a more thorough proofing. This is an excellent period mystery, with warm and engaging characters, and an attention to detail you don’t often see in a first novel. It’s great stuff, and it deserves some buzz. I do, however, suggest the caveat be addressed, because a book this good, deserves it!
The protagonist is Avery Shepard, arriving in Los Angeles to look at a body, to see if it is his half-sister, Kit. It turns out it isn’t her, and that’s when this really takes off. From the moment the narrative mentions the Aimee McPherson case, I was sold. The historical research of the time period is amazing, and what is more amazing is the unobtrusive manner in which it is worked naturally into the narrative. As Avery searches for his sister, he becomes more and more connected to people. First there’s Buster, a fifteen-year-old newsboy who just needs a helping hand to make something of himself. There’s Harry, an aging but legendary Los Angeles private dick with an adorable daughter. There is Harry’s secretary, Edith, a taxi dancer named Gladys, and there is Helen Sing.
The author lets all these relationships develop gradually within the mystery, as she shows us a Los Angeles full of corruption. While it has movement, it isn’t quick — this is no whiz-bang pulp — but it is steady, and involving. There is some rough stuff, and some tawdry allusions, but nothing so gritty as to put any reader off. Again, this reminded me of Dell Shannon, who could skirt the edge of something tawdry and unpleasant, while not allowing the reader to become mired in it. The relationships feel real, as is the romance between the separated Avery, and Helen Sing. And always, at the edge of everything is the mystery of what happened to Kit. Even the ending feels like a Dell Shannon novel, quiet and satisfying rather than explosive. That’s not to say there isn’t any action, because there is, but the emotions and the relationships have become as important by the end of the narrative to the reader as the solving of the mystery.
This is a niche read, of course, something I’m familiar with myself. But for those who don’t like their noir rough and ugly, but involving and humanized, this is wonderful. If you like this genre set in a unique time period, nearly dripping with atmosphere, this is your baby, right here. It is almost startling that this is a first novel. Even more startling is that it hasn’t yet received any attention. It certainly deserves it, even with the caveat I’ll get to in a moment. There is supposed to be a second Avery Shepard at some point, and I fully intend to pick it up the day it is released. That being said, I think this one needs to be promoted, perhaps given a new cover, and certainly another proofing.
This brings me to the caveat. I wish I could say this had four or five minor typos, because that’s normal. Even Hillerman, Donald Hamilton and others have some in their work all these decades later. But that’s not the case at all. In fact, this is tremendously well written, so much so, that it makes the caveat very odd. When someone is speaking, and there is a “he said” or “she said” — or something similar — after the dialog, a comma is not used, but rather a period. It might read: “She’s a dance hall girl.” He said. It isn’t once or twice, it is throughout the entire book. Your eyes see the quotation mark, the dot, and just assumes it is a comma. It wasn’t until I was perhaps 20% into the narrative that I realized it was punctuated incorrectly. It is the only real problem that exists worth mentioning. Because everything else is so well written and punctuated, I speculated that perhaps a handwritten manuscript, written in all caps, became a problem when a second person typed it out. But I actually have no idea. It’s there, it doesn’t affect the reading, but it is consistent all the way through the narrative.
This is a terrific first novel, and an author with a load of talent. Red Jade deserves a second edition, and a more thorough proofing. This is an excellent period mystery, with warm and engaging characters, and an attention to detail you don’t often see in a first novel. It’s great stuff, and it deserves some buzz. I do, however, suggest the caveat be addressed, because a book this good, deserves it!
January 16, 2024
It's stunning how unnoticed this author and this novel are. I see just one Goodreads review (now, two!) and of course, repeated on sister property Amazon. I am loathe to read, much less purchase, novels by complete unknowns. However, I stumbled on Graham's blog and was impressed by her insanely detailed research, and that led me to look at her two novels.
Ultimately, what drew me in was Graham's prose. You just kinda...know...how good or stinky a novel will be based on how the prose feels. It's a kind of spidey sense. It rarely fails.
Simply put, Red Jade is spot-on writing. Graham perfectly evokes the period and rarely, if ever, gets a detail wrong. That might be my only minor complaint: that we tend to lose the storyline of Shepard searching for Kit in favor of period details and atmosphere.
Like the Underwood review mentions, it's odd how the dialogue doesn't have commas. It might just be a Kindle thing or maybe that's how Graham writes. I found that I didn't notice it after a while.
I'll be checking out Graham's second Shepard novel after this one. And if Graham is reading this: Have faith and get behind the typewriter again.
Ultimately, what drew me in was Graham's prose. You just kinda...know...how good or stinky a novel will be based on how the prose feels. It's a kind of spidey sense. It rarely fails.
Simply put, Red Jade is spot-on writing. Graham perfectly evokes the period and rarely, if ever, gets a detail wrong. That might be my only minor complaint: that we tend to lose the storyline of Shepard searching for Kit in favor of period details and atmosphere.
Like the Underwood review mentions, it's odd how the dialogue doesn't have commas. It might just be a Kindle thing or maybe that's how Graham writes. I found that I didn't notice it after a while.
I'll be checking out Graham's second Shepard novel after this one. And if Graham is reading this: Have faith and get behind the typewriter again.
April 15, 2024
Solid noir mystery set in Prohibition-era Los Angeles.
“Red Jade” by J.H. Graham is a solid noir mystery set in 1926 Los Angeles. This first novel in “The Avery Shepard Detective Mystery” series is sure to satisfy fans of classic noir. Avery Shepard finds himself in the mean streets of downtown Los Angeles after his sister Kit, an aspiring dancer, goes missing. With the help of hard-boiled PI Harry Price, Shepard dives into the underbelly of LA in search of Kit: taxi dance clubs, rooming houses, back streets, greasy spoons. The landscape is populated by the desperate, the down-and-out, the charlatans, and the rich high rollers. As Shepard works to unravel the twisted threads of the mystery, he wonders, with justice for sale to the highest bidder, can anything be done? The story is brought to life by the author’s detailed research into this era of Prohibition and corruption. A well written and crafted mystery with the gritty edge that noir lovers crave.
“Red Jade” by J.H. Graham is a solid noir mystery set in 1926 Los Angeles. This first novel in “The Avery Shepard Detective Mystery” series is sure to satisfy fans of classic noir. Avery Shepard finds himself in the mean streets of downtown Los Angeles after his sister Kit, an aspiring dancer, goes missing. With the help of hard-boiled PI Harry Price, Shepard dives into the underbelly of LA in search of Kit: taxi dance clubs, rooming houses, back streets, greasy spoons. The landscape is populated by the desperate, the down-and-out, the charlatans, and the rich high rollers. As Shepard works to unravel the twisted threads of the mystery, he wonders, with justice for sale to the highest bidder, can anything be done? The story is brought to life by the author’s detailed research into this era of Prohibition and corruption. A well written and crafted mystery with the gritty edge that noir lovers crave.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews