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Jake Abraham Mysteries #2
Bad Memory: A Jake Abraham Mystery Novella
She kept the secret for 23 years. Now she needs the truth.Chicago private eye Jake Abraham has a cold case to solve when a client comes to him with details of a decades old murder. Jake's investigation uncovers a past that some would rather stay buried, and they'll go to dangerous lengths to protect their secret.
With limited physical evidence, a slew of unreliable witnesses, and a seemingly impossible suspect, can Jake find the proof he needs before it's too late?
Also the opening chapters of the first full length Jake Abraham novel, The Shoulders of Giants.
With limited physical evidence, a slew of unreliable witnesses, and a seemingly impossible suspect, can Jake find the proof he needs before it's too late?
Also the opening chapters of the first full length Jake Abraham novel, The Shoulders of Giants.
104 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 2, 2017
7 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
Jim Cliff
9 books26 followersJim Cliff lives in Hertfordshire, England, with his beautiful wife, two brilliant children and an aardvark. OK, so there isn't actually an aardvark.
He does, however, run a video production company by the name of Aardvark Corporate Films. His next writing venture is a series of non-fiction books to help people make better web videos to promote their businesses.
The Shoulders of Giants (A Jake Abraham Mystery)
He does, however, run a video production company by the name of Aardvark Corporate Films. His next writing venture is a series of non-fiction books to help people make better web videos to promote their businesses.
The Shoulders of Giants (A Jake Abraham Mystery)
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 2, 2017
I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I found myself immersed into the storyline immediately and the well developed plot evolved at a steady pace. Some of the revelations throughout the storyline were predictable and some took a turn I wasn't quite expecting.
I enjoyed the main character, Jake's, sense of humor which added to the investigators personality. The author's writing style was very easy to follow and I enjoyed the story very much. As I read the story I felt like it had the feel of one of the older P.I. stories I loved reading when I was younger. I look forward to reading more from Jim Cliff. Can't wait to read one of his full length novels.
I found myself immersed into the storyline immediately and the well developed plot evolved at a steady pace. Some of the revelations throughout the storyline were predictable and some took a turn I wasn't quite expecting.
I enjoyed the main character, Jake's, sense of humor which added to the investigators personality. The author's writing style was very easy to follow and I enjoyed the story very much. As I read the story I felt like it had the feel of one of the older P.I. stories I loved reading when I was younger. I look forward to reading more from Jim Cliff. Can't wait to read one of his full length novels.
February 15, 2023
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S BAD MEMORY ABOUT?
Jake Abraham's a P.I. who probably should've gone into another line of work, all things considered. But he didn't, and it turns out that he has a knack for this kind of thing (see The Shoulders of Giants ).
Jake's approached by a client* who wants to him to look into a twenty-three old suicide. She was nearby, she says, when the woman died, and what she remembers hearing makes her certain it wasn't a suicide. She was pressured into staying silent back then, but the reasons for that have disappeared and now she wants to unburden her conscience.
* I'm pretty sure she was a character in the earlier novel, but after 6+ years, I don't remember—and I'm too lazy to check
Jake starts looking into this—talking to his detective friend, coworkers of the deceased, and the man who pressured his client into staying quiet. What he discovers doesn't add up to a tidy suicide like the police had determined—but it doesn't rule it out either.
Well, except for the people who aren't doing an incredibly subtle tailing job on him all of the sudden. He's not doing anything else that should draw anyone's attention.
CLIFF'S VOICE
Like with The Shoulders of Giants, Cliff's voice—the snappy PI patter in both the first-person narration and Jake's dialogue—wins me over. It's like Stout enjoying himself, early Crais, or Parker at his lightest. It just sings.
I really don't need a good story to make me enjoy reading something told with this (or a similar) voice. Thankfully, Cliff delivers a good story, too—making it all the more enjoyable.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BAD MEMORY?
This novella is precisely what I needed—I'd just finished two long-ish reads that were pretty heavy and taken a lot out of me emotionally. This was quick, satisfying, and filled with some snappy writing. It was a nice change of pace and tone, giving me the chance to catch my breath before diving into another full novel.
Even if it didn't serve that purpose for me, I'd have been glad to read this—it scratches that P.I. itch in just the right way.
There was a moment when I thought that the book was trying too hard to convince me that Suspect X was guilty, and so I started to wonder who else it could've been. But then I remembered that this was a novella and Cliff didn't have space to be that clever—so I shifted to trying to figure out why X was guilty. If he'd had another 100+ pages in the book and X was still guilty, I'd likely have complained about it. But given the space restraints, I have no problem with X.
Short, sweet, and to the point. This novella got the job done and makes me wish that Cliff wrote faster.
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"I need you to find out what happened to her. I need to know who killed her.”
“The paper says suicide,” I helpfully pointed out. Case closed. That was easy.
“They’re wrong.”
“You seem pretty sure about that.”
“I was there when she died.”
WHAT'S BAD MEMORY ABOUT?
Jake Abraham's a P.I. who probably should've gone into another line of work, all things considered. But he didn't, and it turns out that he has a knack for this kind of thing (see The Shoulders of Giants ).
Jake's approached by a client* who wants to him to look into a twenty-three old suicide. She was nearby, she says, when the woman died, and what she remembers hearing makes her certain it wasn't a suicide. She was pressured into staying silent back then, but the reasons for that have disappeared and now she wants to unburden her conscience.
* I'm pretty sure she was a character in the earlier novel, but after 6+ years, I don't remember—and I'm too lazy to check
Jake starts looking into this—talking to his detective friend, coworkers of the deceased, and the man who pressured his client into staying quiet. What he discovers doesn't add up to a tidy suicide like the police had determined—but it doesn't rule it out either.
Well, except for the people who aren't doing an incredibly subtle tailing job on him all of the sudden. He's not doing anything else that should draw anyone's attention.
CLIFF'S VOICE
It wasn’t the first time I’d had a gun pointed at me, but it doesn’t get any more fun.
Like with The Shoulders of Giants, Cliff's voice—the snappy PI patter in both the first-person narration and Jake's dialogue—wins me over. It's like Stout enjoying himself, early Crais, or Parker at his lightest. It just sings.
I really don't need a good story to make me enjoy reading something told with this (or a similar) voice. Thankfully, Cliff delivers a good story, too—making it all the more enjoyable.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT BAD MEMORY?
There aren't many perks to being a licensed private investigator. We can’t arrest people, we can’t tap people’s phones, we can’t even go through people’s mail. We’re basically private citizens with tenacious personalities.
This novella is precisely what I needed—I'd just finished two long-ish reads that were pretty heavy and taken a lot out of me emotionally. This was quick, satisfying, and filled with some snappy writing. It was a nice change of pace and tone, giving me the chance to catch my breath before diving into another full novel.
Even if it didn't serve that purpose for me, I'd have been glad to read this—it scratches that P.I. itch in just the right way.
There was a moment when I thought that the book was trying too hard to convince me that Suspect X was guilty, and so I started to wonder who else it could've been. But then I remembered that this was a novella and Cliff didn't have space to be that clever—so I shifted to trying to figure out why X was guilty. If he'd had another 100+ pages in the book and X was still guilty, I'd likely have complained about it. But given the space restraints, I have no problem with X.
Short, sweet, and to the point. This novella got the job done and makes me wish that Cliff wrote faster.
February 21, 2018
I too received this ebook free in exchange for an honest review.
I began this book while waiting at an orthodontist visit with my daughter and completed it within a few hours. The book is easy to read and has short chapters which reminded me of any James Patterson book. While reading the book I could visualize the story like a well written detective show. While one could determine what was coming next throughout, for the most part, there were enough twists and turns to keep it original and memorable.
I did not know that this was Book 2 and look forward to reading Book 1 and any future Jim Cliff books.
I began this book while waiting at an orthodontist visit with my daughter and completed it within a few hours. The book is easy to read and has short chapters which reminded me of any James Patterson book. While reading the book I could visualize the story like a well written detective show. While one could determine what was coming next throughout, for the most part, there were enough twists and turns to keep it original and memorable.
I did not know that this was Book 2 and look forward to reading Book 1 and any future Jim Cliff books.
February 20, 2018
I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed the story. While it does not have non stop action the story line was good enough to hold my interest. The main character, Jake Abraham, has a pleasant, humorous personality. This was a shorter story and took only a couple of evenings reading. I look forward to reading more works from author Jim Cliff and specifically this particular character, PI Jake Abraham.
July 17, 2017
Loved it!
The book is easy to read, I finished it in one day. The story is interesting and the characters are well developed. Jake Abraham is likeable and with good sense of humor. Now I want to read the first book.
The book is easy to read, I finished it in one day. The story is interesting and the characters are well developed. Jake Abraham is likeable and with good sense of humor. Now I want to read the first book.
February 11, 2018
I enjoyed the voice and style in this book, especially the secondary characters. The poker group is just awesome.
February 24, 2018
This was a good and quick read with a bit of mystery that the private PI solves in a matter of time.
October 5, 2022
2.5 stars
April 14, 2017
Read this because the author asked people to do some beta reading for him. Really enjoyed the book and it had some funny moments thrown in. Jake Abraham is a great character and I now want to read the first book in this series.
April 15, 2017
Jake Abraham is a private investigator in Chicago. 23 years ago a woman died of a gunshot wound and the police classed it a suicide and the case was closed. Now a woman has come to Jake and asked him to look at the case again as she claims she was in the vicinity the night of the woman's death and she heard a man's voice and a scream before the gunshot. Jake's investigation leads him into real estate fraud and puts his life in danger but was the woman a victim of murder or killed by her own hand? Great read - thanks to Jim Cliff for the opportunity to read this novella in return for feedback. Look forward to reading more about Jake Abraham.
April 16, 2017
I loved this fast paced novella which brings Jake Abraham back to us with a few good twists. Cliff packed a lot of information and characters into a short novella and yet it was all easy to follow, which is pretty impressive. Definitely a good taster for anyone looking to read more of Cliff's work, and a really good standalone story as well.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews