Crossing the Chicken — J.L. Abramo

San Francisco. Late September, 2004.

The Giants are hanging on to the slim hope of a spot in the Major League baseball playoffs.

The Forty-Niners are hoping for their first win of the season after three losses.

Vinnie “Strings” Stradivarius is in the intensive care ward at St. Francis Memorial Hospital -- and Jake Diamond is hoping Vinnie will both survive and avoid a homicide indictment if he pulls through.

Vinnie has been double-crossed, shot and left for dead at a crime scene, and he is the chief suspect in the murder of one of the city's most influential businessmen.

Anyone who knows Vinnie knew he wouldn't hurt a fly.

But the District Attorney and the San Francisco Police Department brass don't know him -- and they don't care. Pressure from the Mayor's Office and the public is calling for a quick indictment and conviction -- and Vinnie is handy.

Jake Diamond has a strong dislike of the double-cross. If asked why the chicken crossed the road, Jake would suggest the road had crossed the chicken.

In a race against time -- with the help of Darlene Roman, Detective Sergeant Roxton Johnson of the SFPD, Sonny “The Chin” Badalamenti, bookmaker William “Big Bill” Conway, and Mob Underboss Tony Carlucci -- Jake frantically scrambles to find answers before the case is closed with Vinnie taking the fall.

In Abramo's first Jake Diamond mystery since the Shamus Award-winning Circling the Runway, Jake is determined to prove that you cross the chicken at your own risk.

Praise for the Jake Diamond mysteries:

“One of my all-time favorite PI series.” -- Steve Hamilton, Edgar Award-winning author of The Lock Artist

“Think it's impossible to find a new take on the wise-cracking San Francisco PI? Meet Jake Diamond and think again…sharp and smart, convincing and complex.” -- S.J. Rozan, Edgar Award-winning author of Absent Friends

“With Catching Water in a Net, Abramo shows a clear flair for the private eye genre and wisely keeps the twists coming fast enough that readers have no choice but to keep turning pages.” -- San Francisco Chronicle

“J.L. Abramo's Circling the Runway takes up where Black Mask boys like Hammett, Gardner, and Carroll John Daly left off. It's loaded with tough guys and hard-boiled action -- emphasis on the hard.” -- David Housewright, Edgar Award-winning author of Unidentified Woman #15