Synopsis

In a bind, Bud Palmer finds himself at the crossroads when just about everything was on the verge.

Like most people, Bud Palmer felt this was just another day. Though the era was drawing to a close, he assumed his life as a sports columnist in the subtropics, in keeping with the benign fifties itself, would go on as predictable as ever. But that particular autumn morning he was thrust into a caper that was totally beyond him, forced him to leave Miami and take the train to Manhattan, and suddenly found everything in this restless “Big Apple” was up for grabs, on the brink, at a dicey turning point.

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Praise for Shelly Frome

“This is a great mystery that had me guessing at what was really happening. I was sucked in and held tight until the reveal. A couple great twists and turns had me thrown off balance and guessing the whole time.” (Moon Games by Shelly From)-JBrounder Reviews

“It is full of action, adventure, mystery and suspense. It is not one that I could easily predict. The twists and turns kept on the edge of my seat. I never knew what would happen next.” (Moon Games by Shelly Frome)-AmyBooksy, Locks, Hooks, and Books

“The cover of this book shows what looks like a beautiful and peaceful place to live, but looks can be deceiving. Lies, bribery, and deceit are running rampant in this little town. Twists and turns are around every corner. Well written mystery”(Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome)- Lisa’s Writopia

“An entertaining story that has enough quirky characters, intrigue, suspense, humor, and drama that easily draws the reader into Emily’s amateur sleuth adventure. This cozy mystery is full of devious plot twists and turns that will easily keep you guessing. The Secluded Village Murders is an intriguing whodunit tale that cozy mystery fans will want to add to their reading list.” (Secluded Village Murders by Shelly Frome)- Kathleen Higgins-Anderson, Jersey Girl Book Reviews 

Excerpt

Even when Bud caught up to Katie, she did one of her I’m-mad-and-not-listening pouts and climbed a branch higher on the mango tree until she was almost camouflaged by the big leaves and hanging fruit.

Reaching out to her, Bud said, “Katie, I’m trying to tell you it couldn’t be helped. And if you’d think about the example I just gave you, you could be grown up about it, understand and come down from there.”

“Well I don’t care,” Katie said, poking her narrow face out through the foliage. “You promised. You always keep your promises. And when a person doesn’t all of a sudden keep their promise, they shouldn’t be listened to. And I especially don’t care about some dumb girl named Scout in some dumb town in Alabama, wherever that is.”

“Don’t,” Bud said, as she plucked a plump, reddish Haydon mango, tore into the thick skin, and took a big bite out of the juicy orange pulp. “Come on, Katie. You’ll get it all over your blouse, it’ll dribble onto your overalls and—will you stop this and listen for a second?”

“Why should I?”

“The point, Katie. You’re missing the point. No matter how hard you try, sometimes something comes up and you’ve got to make a choice. Are you going to take the easy way out and be tomboy Scout? Or are you going to go out of your way and be sensible Jean Louise Finch?”

Wiping some of the orange glop off her face, Katie peered down and said, “She’s got two names. How come? I don’t have two names.”

Trying harder, Bud said, “‘Cause Scout was her nickname. ‘Cause the writer was trying to tell us that under pressure—look, she marched straight over to the jailhouse steps and looked this mob right in the eye. Did it before they could storm the jailhouse and harm an innocent prisoner. Dropped her nickname and reminded them who she was and who they were. And said,  ‘Hey, Mister Cunningham. I’m Jean Louise Finch, remember? I play with your boy Walter and you brought my dad and me some hickory nuts.’”

“So?”

“So she made them ashamed. Stood up to them.”

“And that’s why you were late? And that’s what you did?”

“Not exactly. But I wound up at a Miami Beach hotel to keep them from doing harm to your grandmother’s kid brother Uncle Rick. It took some doing, called your mom and made my apologies. And, by the time I was through, it was too late to take you to the parrot jungle. And that’s just for openers.”

“So it’s not over?”

“It could get even worse until I go to New York and—”

“Golly.” Katie said, cutting in. “Then you got to tell me how you stood up to them and saved the day.” She scrambled down and took off through the grove. Before he could catch up to her she raced past Jill, the freckled faced baby sitter, grabbed her mother’s hand and pointed to Bud as he was catching up to her. “Hey, mom, guess what? Uncle Bud is taking on the mob!”

Guest Review by Nora

I honestly was not expecting such an engrossing read going into this! I do appreciate a good historical mystery, but I’m not that familiar with the 1950s, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started ‘Fast Times, Big City.’

Boy, was I surprised to find this would soon become one of my favorite reads of the year so far! This is an electric story about crime, passion and one man’s quest to protect his own family, all set in the buzzing world of New York City in the 1950s.

Bud Palmer is a sports reporter for the Miami Herald. Family means a lot to Bud, especially his sister and his feisty tom-boy of a niece, but when Bud’s mother asks him to check on his uncle while she is on a cruise, Bud is immediately reluctant.

Uncle Rick has a bit of a reputation for being a screw-up. As a private detective, Rick hasn’t had much success and now he’s gotten himself into something that may even get himself killed.

After meeting with Rick, Bud soon learns that his uncle has angered a mobster named Al Escobar who believes that Rick set him up. Something happened during a high-stakes poker game that left a woman that Rick arrived with—a beautiful Marilyn Monroe lookalike—walking away with a briefcase that belongs to Escobar.

Now, Bud has been roped in to traveling to New York to find the blonde and retrieve the briefcase. Of course, he has no idea where to find her, so things get hazardous quickly. Luckily, Bud is a natural investigator, who makes friends quickly even in the mean streets of New York.

‘Fast Times, Big City,’ is a book that you’re going to have to read to believe, I know I had to! This is a top-notch novel that totally transports the reader to another era.

Five stars! (or Paws in the case of this blog!)

About the Author

Award winning author, Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at UConn, a former professional actor, and a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He also is a features writer for Gannett Publications.

His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, Murder Run, Moon Games, The Secluded Village Murders and Miranda and the D-Day Caper. Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio: A History, a guide to playwriting and one on screenwriting, Shadow of the Gypsy is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth.

He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

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