Crossing the Chicken: A Jake Diamond Mystery: 5

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 citys most influential businessmen. Anyone who knows Vinnie knew he wouldnt hurt a fly. But the District Attorney and the San Francisco Police Department brass dont know him--and they dont care. Pressure from the Mayors 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 Abramos 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 its 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