"Mayo spins several clever yarns off this premise as the quick-witted Jimmy hustles to keep one step ahead of the crowd." -- Publishers Weekly "The second Quinn novel follows the template of the first ( Jimmy the Stick , 2012): multiple plot complications combined with Jimmy's fascinating tales of real crimes and criminals during the 1920s and '30s." -- Booklist "[Mayo] persuasively portrays such real-life mobsters as Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano in a tale sure to appeal to fans of Max Allan Collins's gangster historicals." -- Publishers Weekly on Jimmy the Stick "Imagine an Agatha Christie country-house murder mystery soaked in booze and violence, with the detective played as a cold, pragmatic street fighter instead of some effete Belgian fop. The expected traditional shenanigans unfold (there's even a hidden room!), albeit in a rather hardboiled and occasionally bloody fashion, but the solution is clever and fair. What really sticks, however, is the film critic and first-time novelist's muscular way with character and plot, and particularly Jimmy's way with words." -- Mystery Scene on Jimmy the Stick.