Little Miss Murder — Michael Avallone

“Funny how a tall, cool dame with long, lithe legs and an incredible face can make the hard-boiled breed into so many two minute eggs." Ed Noon, Private Eye

It happened at Shea Stadium: the bases were loaded with disaster, and unless Ed Noon put something very extra on the ball, the game was up for himself and the whole Free World. The official Government credo: one man can always be sacrificed, innocent or guilty, as long as it saves the lives of many others. Will Ed Noon be that man?

The Adventures of Ed Noon, Private Eye, spanning over 30 novels written between 1953 and 1990. Noon starts out dirt poor with a tiny office in Midtown Manhattan (his “Mouse Auditorium”) but success moves him to better digs, a lovely secretary (Melissa Mercer) and, eventually, the most important client of all: the President of the United States. The series concludes with a daring turn towards science fiction in the last two novels. Through it all, the wisecracking Noon is consistent: a movie and baseball-obsessed romantic who always fights the good fight.