The Spies in Jimmy's Place: (6 Jimmy Quinn Suspense Novels)

September, 1934-All of New York is riveted by the surprise capture of Bruno Hauptmann, no one more than Jimmy Quinn whose violent life was changed by the Lindbergh kidnapping. At the same time, American Nazis march through Jewish neighborhoods, and a German spy network operates out of a midtown hotel. The murder of one of Jimmy's employees brings him to the attention of a rogue Federal agent, while Jimmy's beautiful and larcenous girlfriend Connie helps a young blonde who suspects that her Sugar Daddy is setting her up to take a fall. All of them meet in an explosive finish high atop Rockefeller Center in the Rainbow Room.

About the Author :
Michael Mayo has written about film for numerous publications, including The Washington Post. He has worked extensively in radio and was co-host of the nationally syndicated Movie Show on Radio and Max and Mike on the Movies. Among his books are American Murder, Videohound's Horror Show, War Movies and the Jimmy Quinn suspense novels.

Review :
In this novel, the sixth in a series of Jimmy Quinn mysteries, bar owner Jimmy Quinn, who makes deliveries and runs errands for Jewish mobster Meyer Lansky, settles a score with American Nazis seven years before the U.S. entry into World War II. The action is triggered by the arrest of Bruno Hauptmann, later convicted of the kidnap and murder of the 20-month son of Charles Lindbergh. Nazis wanted to recruit the baby's father, aviator Charles Lindbergh, to their cause and figured Hauptmann's German origins might dissuade Lindbergh from becoming a pro-German, America-First spokesperson who'd argue against American support for Great Britain and its Allies. (Lindbergh later filled that role.) American Nazis figured the heinous murder might anger ordinary Americans as well. So, in an effort to blame the Jews, they plotted a crime that would divert attention from Hauptmann. Fat Joe was a bouncer at Jimmy's Place whom no one really liked, but when Nazis dumped his body at Jimmy's Place after a brutal beating and torture, Jimmy and his retinue took it personally. Then when some Nazis thugs broke the bar's furniture and fixtures during a melee, Jimmy's self-respect hinged on taking revenge. The slow-paced story then delves into the planning and eventual execution of that revenge with the tacit approval of well-known leaders in the Jewish community as well as some local and federal law enforcement officers. To spice the story up, there are lots of bedroom scenes. Author Mayo keeps the novel sounding like it could almost be true by having Jimmy checking the newspapers every day for facts he can repeat about the Hauptmann case. Donald H. Harrison Jewish Book Review The real-life 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping case anchors Mayo's rip-roaring sequel to Jimmy the Stick. Former mob gunman Jimmy Quinn owns a New York City bar called Jimmy's Place, a onetime speakeasy whose clientele ranges from gangsters to cops to everyday drunkards. In the previous novel, Jimmy helped authorities arrest Bruno Hauptmann for the abduction and murder of 20-month-old Charles Lindbergh. Since then, he's returned to managing the bar, running errands for gangsters including regular patron Meyer Lansky, and spending time with his thieving girlfriend, Connie Nix. When American Nazis murder his bouncer Fat Joe Beddoes, however, he decides payback is in order ("Joe was a son of a bitch, but he was our son of a bitch"). In his search for Joe's killers, Jimmy stumbles into a sophisticated political plot involving bombs, German spies, and Hauptmann, which leads him to a series of violent confrontations. Mayo's plotting is a little thin-the links between Hauptmann, the Nazis, and Jimmy are tenuous-but Jimmy is a well-drawn antihero, and there's plenty of action. It's a raucous good time. (Nov.) Publishers Weekly