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Jackie Swaitkowski #1
Short Squeeze
The outside world thinks living in the Hamptons requires a Bentley, a face-lift, and a shingle-style home the size of Buckingham Palace. The truth is a lot more complicated than that. Dig a little deeper and you're as likely to find a saint--or a Mensa genius--as you are a deviant or certified nut job lurking right below the surface.I know this because these are my beloved clients.Meet Jackie Swaitkowski, a smart-aleck attorney whose legal turf is supposed to be the buzzing Hamptons real-estate market. But when a new client turns up dead, things take a sudden and decidedly dangerous turn. In a client's pocket is an envelope that contains a shocking piece of evidence that suggests that the death was anything but an accident.Jackie has bigger fish to fry--like her old flame Harry's surprise return to town--until a late-night car chase changes her priorities. Now she has every reason to believe that the next name on the killer's list is her own.Chris Knopf has been praised for his quick-witted writing and broad knowledge of the highs and lows of Hamptons life, and his books have been included on best-of-the-year lists complied by The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and others. Now, in Short Squeeze, he brings an irresistible new heroine to center stage.
287 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 19, 2010
24 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
April 19, 2010
I am not sure if it was the continuous use of the volunteer at a library being called a librarian or constant references to the main character smoking pot but this book got annoying and repetitive after awhile. I just wanted to say okay, we get it. You have created quirky pot smoking character. Let's move on already.
May 28, 2010
I bought this book because I had read and enjoyed all of Chris Knopf's "Sam Acquilo" mysteries up to this point. However, this isn't a Sam Acquillo mystery. The main character and narrator in this novel is Sam's brassy, pot-smoking lawyer friend, Jackie Swaitkowski. Sam has only a bit part. While Jackie was an interesting character in the early books, I didn't find her as interesting as a main character. I will probably still read Knopf's books in which Sam Acquillo is the main character, but I doubt that I'll get another Jackie Swaitkowski novel if he writes one.
July 30, 2018
I like Chris Knopf's Sam Aquillo mysteries, but I really like his spin off of Jackie Swaitkowski, the quirky spunky lawyer, quirky friends ,well written, and good murder mystery all set in Watermill ,the Hamptons and Montauk ,which I know well. She goes after the murder mystery like a dog with a bone, to the consternation of local police, and dragging in her friends Sam Acquillo and huge on again off again boyfriend Harry. Knopf's good writing and sense of humor make this a good read!
January 19, 2010
Fuzzy, inconsistent characters and a far-fetched mystery make Short Squeeze a puzzling read.
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
January 18, 2018
I wanted to ask a question about Chris Knopf's novel, Short Squeeze. It was too long. If anyone sees this review can they explain this to me?
page 94
"...Edna once said something about going through with it all, then changing their minds but not wanting to confuse things even more by getting married again. Standard-issue Edna."
That was a gigantic relief for me. There's nothing you can say that's okay to a kid who's lost a mother. Not that the husband would be a walk in the park, but at least he wouldn't be wearing fresh, new skin and the unsettling ignorance of adolescence.
***
What was a gigantic relief for Jackie? Was she relieved that a woman she never met "did not want to confuse things" and why would she be? Is she relieved because she does not have to say something to Edna's children or husband?
The passage made zero sense to me; felt like a paragraph was missing in between the two passages.
page 94
"...Edna once said something about going through with it all, then changing their minds but not wanting to confuse things even more by getting married again. Standard-issue Edna."
That was a gigantic relief for me. There's nothing you can say that's okay to a kid who's lost a mother. Not that the husband would be a walk in the park, but at least he wouldn't be wearing fresh, new skin and the unsettling ignorance of adolescence.
***
What was a gigantic relief for Jackie? Was she relieved that a woman she never met "did not want to confuse things" and why would she be? Is she relieved because she does not have to say something to Edna's children or husband?
The passage made zero sense to me; felt like a paragraph was missing in between the two passages.
August 21, 2021
This is the 1st book I've read by the author, and the first in the series about attorney
Jackie Swaitkowski.
A new client turns up dead and Jackie decides to investigate on her own.
It was battle tough for me to follow at times, but overall I did enjoy it.
Though this is the first book in the series, it felt like I came in at the middle of her story.
I will try the 2nd book, however.
Jackie Swaitkowski.
A new client turns up dead and Jackie decides to investigate on her own.
It was battle tough for me to follow at times, but overall I did enjoy it.
Though this is the first book in the series, it felt like I came in at the middle of her story.
I will try the 2nd book, however.
June 7, 2023
Not horrible but not terribly engaging. If I I had read it instead of listening I probably would have dropped it. I really liked the reader. In fact that’s why I picked the book. The story was only so so.
August 8, 2023
We have met Jackie Swaitkowski in the authors previous Sam Acquillo books...We got a taste of how she works.. Now the author brings a smart-aleck Southampton attorney to centerstage.
A wonderful tale.. funny, but serious.
A wonderful tale.. funny, but serious.
May 4, 2017
Humorous, good story line, and most importantly, left no questions unanswered.
April 29, 2021
My first time reading this author. I enjoyed Jackie, she's quite snarky and fun.
August 11, 2017
I like his writing style, but not always his subject matter. It can be gritty and also gruesome, and I’m not sure Jackie would ever be a friend or my lawyer.
But, there were several points where I chuckled out loud at the conversation or his wry sense of humor. “…wicker coffee tables holding bouquets of fall flowers and copies of Impossibly Wealthy and Obscenely Privileged Quarterly.” I also appreciated his reference to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.
I applaud his knowledge and skill at describing life on the east end of Long Island. “…a gilded suburb, where everyone had signed on to the fantasy that their expectations and anxieties could be left back in the City.”
He mentioned several times pronouncing Jackie’s name correctly but never made it clear, so I asked him -- it’s pronounced exactly as spelled (not with the v replacing the w as I was trying to make it). Also, I had to look up ‘short squeeze’ in relation to short selling and was Finally able to tie the title to the story – (spoiler alert) – Danny got caught in a short squeeze, hence he owed Fuzzy/Oscar, hence the car and body parts. Have to admit, I like a book that piques my interest enough to do a little work for it.
But, there were several points where I chuckled out loud at the conversation or his wry sense of humor. “…wicker coffee tables holding bouquets of fall flowers and copies of Impossibly Wealthy and Obscenely Privileged Quarterly.” I also appreciated his reference to Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.
I applaud his knowledge and skill at describing life on the east end of Long Island. “…a gilded suburb, where everyone had signed on to the fantasy that their expectations and anxieties could be left back in the City.”
He mentioned several times pronouncing Jackie’s name correctly but never made it clear, so I asked him -- it’s pronounced exactly as spelled (not with the v replacing the w as I was trying to make it). Also, I had to look up ‘short squeeze’ in relation to short selling and was Finally able to tie the title to the story – (spoiler alert) – Danny got caught in a short squeeze, hence he owed Fuzzy/Oscar, hence the car and body parts. Have to admit, I like a book that piques my interest enough to do a little work for it.
November 30, 2010
Chris Knopf is such a good writer he doesn't have to call attention to it, so some people don't notice. But he writes great loopy dialogue with intelligent--albeit vaguely sociopathic--characters who actually listen to each other and give off great witty repartee.
He also plots subtly, complexly, and well. The characters are so interesting that you don't notice his plotting at first, but this book highlights all his usual strengths.
Hamptons lawyer Jackie Swaitkowski, a supporting character in Knopf's Sam Acquillo novels, barely takes on Sergey Pontecello as a client before someone kills him and Jackie feels responsible. Digging into the case--much to the annoyance of local cop Joe Sullivan, who is a master of the slow burn and fast mouth--she finds lots of people who didn't take Sergey seriously, but nobody who seems to want him dead. She interviews a sister-in-law who is squatting in the house, a son who publishes regularly on every hate blog he can find, and the next thing she knows, someone tries to run her off the road.
By the time she gets a new car, she's found that Sergey, who has been described as destitute, actually has several million dollars, and even more may be missing. Sergey and his late wife were apparently doing very well at the Connecticut gambling casinos and may have also been manipulating stocks in ways that the SEC frowns upon. That's when Jackie calls in her former live-in lover, six-foot-eight Harry Oberlander, for back-up.
Jackie is a very bright, funny woman who admits to being fashion challenged and still smoking an occasional joint at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or whenever the mood hits. She also admits to hating neatness and rules. But once she's taken on a client, she'll stick with him through hell and high water until her vision of justice has been served. She's the kind of lawyer I'd want in my corner when things get really, really bad, and I hope to see more of her in Knopg's next book.
He also plots subtly, complexly, and well. The characters are so interesting that you don't notice his plotting at first, but this book highlights all his usual strengths.
Hamptons lawyer Jackie Swaitkowski, a supporting character in Knopf's Sam Acquillo novels, barely takes on Sergey Pontecello as a client before someone kills him and Jackie feels responsible. Digging into the case--much to the annoyance of local cop Joe Sullivan, who is a master of the slow burn and fast mouth--she finds lots of people who didn't take Sergey seriously, but nobody who seems to want him dead. She interviews a sister-in-law who is squatting in the house, a son who publishes regularly on every hate blog he can find, and the next thing she knows, someone tries to run her off the road.
By the time she gets a new car, she's found that Sergey, who has been described as destitute, actually has several million dollars, and even more may be missing. Sergey and his late wife were apparently doing very well at the Connecticut gambling casinos and may have also been manipulating stocks in ways that the SEC frowns upon. That's when Jackie calls in her former live-in lover, six-foot-eight Harry Oberlander, for back-up.
Jackie is a very bright, funny woman who admits to being fashion challenged and still smoking an occasional joint at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or whenever the mood hits. She also admits to hating neatness and rules. But once she's taken on a client, she'll stick with him through hell and high water until her vision of justice has been served. She's the kind of lawyer I'd want in my corner when things get really, really bad, and I hope to see more of her in Knopg's next book.
September 9, 2016
This is a spinoff from the author's Sam Aquino series, featuring his sidekick Jackie Swaitkowski, a lawyer in the Hamptons on Long Island. In this novel, a potential client of Jackie's is found dead in the road with a body part in his pocket after Jackie refuses to take his late-night call. Convoluted dynamics in the victim's really sick family do not give readers any clue as to the significance of various pieces of information. Lots of rabbits jump out of hats in the last few pages. Readers can't look back and say, "Oooh, now I see! How did I miss that?"
Rabbits are a no-no in CarolineFromConcord's book.
Rabbits are a no-no in CarolineFromConcord's book.
June 7, 2011
Chris Knopf is known for the Hamptons Mystery series featuring (and narrated by) ex-boxer, MIT grad, engineer, executive, beach bum Sam Aquillio.
Now Knopf gives us another terrific amateur detective, Jackie Swaitkoski. She's smart, tough (to a point), dogged. She likes retails therapy. Her legal practice in the exclusive enclave of the Hamptons mixes real estate, civil and criminal for decent losers and anything else she can scrape up.
Knopf is known for his humor, gained from compassionate observation of the human condition and he's in good form here. Here's Jackie on her new, fancy, office, "My office...was my favorite place on earth. First off, is was a real office I have to drive to like an adult, not stagger into wearing pajamas like I did when I worked out of my house." The touches, to me, put Knopf a notch above many writers.
Jackie is fun, the stakes are high, the plot is twisty. Get this book and enjoy.
Now Knopf gives us another terrific amateur detective, Jackie Swaitkoski. She's smart, tough (to a point), dogged. She likes retails therapy. Her legal practice in the exclusive enclave of the Hamptons mixes real estate, civil and criminal for decent losers and anything else she can scrape up.
Knopf is known for his humor, gained from compassionate observation of the human condition and he's in good form here. Here's Jackie on her new, fancy, office, "My office...was my favorite place on earth. First off, is was a real office I have to drive to like an adult, not stagger into wearing pajamas like I did when I worked out of my house." The touches, to me, put Knopf a notch above many writers.
Jackie is fun, the stakes are high, the plot is twisty. Get this book and enjoy.
November 20, 2014
Dedication -- None of my favorite female friends were spared in the making of this book. You know who you are.
Dorothy Parker -- The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.
Short Squeeze pg 49-- Not when you're caught in a short squeeze, he said. When you short a stock, you bet on it going own.
pg 190 -- Short sellers were a natural and legal cog in the financial machine, but it was hard to like them any more than you like carrion bird cleaning roadkill off the highway
pg 242 password SHRTSLR short seller
pg 142 -- There was a solid core of brillance in the law, embedded in thousands of years of experience... That everyone had a chance a shot at something akin to justice and fair play.
pg 198 Library books
biggest Drawback --smoking marijuana
Dorothy Parker -- The cure for boredom is curiosity.
There is no cure for curiosity.
Short Squeeze pg 49-- Not when you're caught in a short squeeze, he said. When you short a stock, you bet on it going own.
pg 190 -- Short sellers were a natural and legal cog in the financial machine, but it was hard to like them any more than you like carrion bird cleaning roadkill off the highway
pg 242 password SHRTSLR short seller
pg 142 -- There was a solid core of brillance in the law, embedded in thousands of years of experience... That everyone had a chance a shot at something akin to justice and fair play.
pg 198 Library books
biggest Drawback --smoking marijuana
September 3, 2015
Not much to say that other reviewers have not already covered. Knopf is a fine writer and a fun read, and this is for the most part no exception. I agree that Jackie is not somehow as effective a literary character as Sam Acquillo, though I have read a later "Jackie" which develops her more fully than this one does.
The plot is bizarre, a bit convoluted and decidedly grisly. Normally, I resist books characterized by the last two adjectives. But, hey!, this is one inventive plot, and the grisly stuff borders more on the absurd than the revolting (though I admit others might disagree).
Not a book of consequence, but I did not expect that, and I am hooked on Knopf so I enjoyed reading it.
The plot is bizarre, a bit convoluted and decidedly grisly. Normally, I resist books characterized by the last two adjectives. But, hey!, this is one inventive plot, and the grisly stuff borders more on the absurd than the revolting (though I admit others might disagree).
Not a book of consequence, but I did not expect that, and I am hooked on Knopf so I enjoyed reading it.
March 7, 2013
I liked Jackie more than I thought I might, though she does seem slightly different from the Sam Acquillo series to me, somewhat less ditzy. I had thought the book couldn't stand on its own, but I think it does, although it helps to read the second Sam book as her injuries were more serious than one might get from reading this one. Story got a bit convoluted towards the end, and I felt the gratuitous violence of the first Sam story creeping in, especially in Jackie's nasty tone. Still, I can recommend the book for the curious. Audio narrator seemed a great fit, although her "Sam voice" when he appears made me cringe; thankfully, that was rare.
June 2, 2011
Sort of a Stephanie Plum, except in a better neighborhood. My first book by this author. It's apparent that the author is a good writer. Generally the style is designed to keep the action moving but thrown in along the way are periodic descriptive narratives that are either funny or thoughtful. The protagonist is an underachiever pot smoking lawyer with apparently independent, albeit meager, means that allow her to spend a lot of time pursuing actions with little hope of renumeration. I could have done with fewer pot breaks but overall the book was funny and entertaining.
September 23, 2014
Not my favorite Chris Knopf, but I must admit I really like all of his work. Full disclosure growing up in Amagansett I have a certain soft spot for his asides about the east end. Also, he always does an excellent job of developing his characters and, if I may be trite, keeping you guessing. It was a good tale, but not his best work. Maybe it was that I did not connect with Jackie they way I have with Sam. Certainly worth reading, though not where i would start.
April 15, 2016
this is the woman lawyer from the series with sam and eddie the dog. she was the one that got her face partially blown off when the car exploded at the restaurant and sam saved her.
she gets involved with a woman who was killed in a hit and run. then another woman dies and pieces of the first woman show up . they were connected and the lawyer figured it out before the police. great start to this series , i have the next one ready to start reading!
she gets involved with a woman who was killed in a hit and run. then another woman dies and pieces of the first woman show up . they were connected and the lawyer figured it out before the police. great start to this series , i have the next one ready to start reading!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2012
This is a quick and fun read for those sweltering in the Summer heat, It takes place in the Hamptons, a group of towns in far eastern Long Island, which is supposed to be ultra posh. But there are plenty of non-fancy folks with a female lawyer snooping around at all hours and getting into all sorts of trouble.
October 28, 2010
Language. I enjoyed the story and would have a lot more except for the language. I like the main character, Jackie Swaitohski and her willingness to stick to the case even when she didn't have a client any more.
November 14, 2012
Lively protagonist. The story moved along at a good clip. The main character is well drawn but with some blank spaces. I am tempted to blame it on the author's gender. I never realized before that the Hamptons was cheek by jowl with strip mall towns.
March 19, 2010
Murder in the Hamptons takes several twists in the journey towards resolution. Is an inheritance at stake? And just what is it worth? And "Who's your daddy?" makes it even more interesting.
April 5, 2010
A fun, easy read. I was more interested in the characters than the actual mystery, but the twist at the end did surprise me.
April 24, 2010
2.5 stars - really wanted to like this - and may read next book in series as think characters could be developed really well - but for some reason this just wasn't as good as I expected.
May 22, 2010
The book was good. It was a little slow going and hard to get into. It was still good. I plan on reading more by Chris Knopf.
June 4, 2010
Never read this author before - would read something by him in future
June 9, 2010
A fun, short book.
July 23, 2010
I enjoyed the story but not the pace.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews