Sparkle

by David Reichart

Runaway teen Linda Heller, known on the road as Sparkle to her fellow train hoppers, witnesses a murder aboard a freight car rolling south to the Gulf.Her dream of freedom and adventure on the rails had withered and died before the murder, but now, with the lowlife who did it after her, she’s not going to be hopping any more boxcars.She makes a run for it in Mobile and is picked up by homeless Army vet Johnny Egan. Egan promises her refuge at his camp in a drifters’ tent city he calls the Hobo Hilton, and Sparkle thinks she finally caught a break. But before the night’s over, cowering in the bushes, she watches as police raid the camp and haul Egan off on a murder charge. Could her luck get any worse?But it’s Johnny Egan’s luck that Jesse Yates is worried about. Yates, who has been hired by Egan’s public defender, needs to find the girl Egan claims can provide an alibi.In fending off both a corrupt big name attorney and the thugs making headway on putting Sparkle out of commission, Yates has his work cut out for him. But he is certain that his fellow warrior is innocent, and he's determined to prove it.Jesse Yates and Sparkling Linda Heller make quite the pair.This is Book Four in the Jesse Yates/Palm Court Detectives series.

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2019

About the author

My writing career included several years in the newspaper business as a reporter, copy editor and managing editor and five years as a freelance copywriter. While trying to make a living in the traditional sense, I managed to do a lot of writing in my spare time--work I wanted to do, things I wanted to write, things I never got paid for.

Eventually, my spare-time creative writing began to pay off. I signed with an agent in Los Angeles and later one in New York, and I managed to option my screenplay, Big Sandy, to a Hollywood producer and make some money.

I mention those close calls and moral victories because I think there are thousands of people with those kinds of experiences--writers who have studied their craft and paid their dues and who will now provide material for the exploding digital publishing revolution. I’m talking about writers who didn’t have the time, contacts, opportunity (okay, maybe talent) to succeed in the world of traditional publishing, but who, given the opportunity, just might find a market for their fiction.

I’ve enlisted in the Independent Publishing Revolution, and I’m a gung-ho soldier. There’s no doubt in my military mind that the best is yet to come, and I'm still dreaming about the day I'm finally proclaimed an overnight success.

Reviews

[Don Gerstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

{http://bit.ly/WoW_Sparkle <-- 60 second review, recorded live}

David Reichart’s newest book “Sparkle” is another in the Palm Court Detectives series, though there are a few spins that the author has inserted that makes this storytelling a bit different.

Mr. Reichart’s view of detective work is on the mark, and while there is not a barrage of action, there is plenty of basic interviewing and searching for clues, sorting and ruminating over these clues as Jesse Yates and others at the Palm Court attempt to ferret out the truth. The author is able to generate tension through the introduction of Sparkle, a teenager with a checkered past who is the only witness for the defense. Jesse Yates has been hired by the defense attorney to dig up the truth, facts that will allow a credible case to be presented.

Other Palm Court stories have been told entirely in third person Point of View, so I was a bit surprised when this story moved from one POV to another. Jesse Yates tells the story in first person, but others are in third person. Jesse did not share anything earthshattering that couldn’t be told in third person, and the switch from first to third and back again did not hurt the story, but didn’t help it either. I have recently noticed other authors follow this same path, but frankly, I haven’t yet seen where it positively impacts the telling of the tale.

For “Sparkle,” it seemed to be a wedge that removed some of the camaraderie of the Palm Court group that was more evident in previous books. For those who have not read the other books in the series, you will probably not notice the difference. This book can be read as a standalone, and if you like it, will not seriously impact your enjoyment of previous books. I encourage you to return to those books if you like this one.

Overall, a good read. Not recommended for the adrenaline junkies, but definitely geared for those who prefer reality and police procedural stories. Four stars.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is very entertaining, but at the same time it addresses some very real subjects, such as homeless youngsters and a military veteran who suffer from PTSD.
Jesse Yates is a very capable detective who is hired to defend the veteran when he is accused of murder, he discovers that the only witness who can prove that the ex-soldier is innocent is a young homeless girl, called 'Sparkle'.
The story evolves as as classic detective story, with lots of very believable investigation work carried out in a realistic manner, but it does build to quite a dramatic conclusion.
There is a feel good back story of the Palm Court detective agency which is a rather unique organisation, run on almost family lines at an old motel and overseen by a patriarchal ex-preacher.
Overall a very readable and enjoyable book, in some ways a classic detective story, but with some original extra touches.
I received an advance copy of the book but have voluntarily written this honest review.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing first book from this fabulous writer. Action, suspense all in one story to keep you intrigued.