Catching Water in a Net

After reading Abramo's well crafted new novel, "Counting to Infinity", I was compelled to visit his earlier work. Abramo has learned a lot about developing plot since this first book, but so did Raymond Chandler. In "Catching Water in a Net", the seeds of contemporary classic PI noir are evident. Colorful characters, smart funny dialogue and a protagonist who quickly pulls the reader into his corner. A debut well worth checking out; the birth of a series that will hopefully enjoy a long life. (The first three published installments, "Catching Water in a Net", "Clutching at Straws" and "Counting to Infinity" would make for an excellent trade paperback.)

Abramo has created a tough piece of fiction that won the 2000 Private Eye Writers of America/St. Martin's Press Award for Best First Private Eye Novel. "Catching Water in a Net" is a tightly knit, no-holds-barred novel that catches the reader and holds him through a deluge of murder, betrayal and suspense. The book's 230 pages take off with a woman's entry into the private investigator's office. Evelyn Harding needs P.I. Jake Diamond to find her husband, Harry. Harry Harding is on the lam because he's suspected of murdering his business partner and Jake's mentor, L.A. private eye Jimmy Pigeon. So the case begins. It's personal for Jake, who epitomizes every hard-boiled private eye cliché: He keeps a bottle in his desk and a pack of Camels in his pocket, and his saucy receptionist keeps his San Francisco-based business on the edge of survival. Jake is shoddy in dress and in lifestyle, and his love life is tragic and distant. He has all the right friends, from mob bosses and inmates to cops, and everything in between. When Harding turns up dead, Jake becomes a suspect and has to use every friendship and connection in San Francisco and L.A. to keep himself out of jail until he can clear his name and find Pigeon's killer. He's forced to request help from two mob bosses, dodge the strong men of another and even go to his ex-wife and her family for help, a humiliating move for Jake. While the case and the characters set the pace of the novel, the most intriguing and engaging aspect is the emerging relationship-that-should-have-been between Jake Diamond and Jimmy Pigeon. As the case moves on, Jake finds out things he should have but was never inclined to know about the man he silently revered. Jimmy Pigeon took Jake under his wing and turned him from a struggling actor into a private eye. While the two men were friends, the 400 miles between their respective cities and Jake's personal hang-ups kept them from being as close as they should have been. Jake comes to realize he should have been more of a friend to his mentor and teacher and begins to treat the case as the last thing he can do to make up for the time that was lost between them. Abramo treats the situation with just the right amounts of tenderness and unforgiving candor. Jake knows he messed up - that's why he must try so hard to make amends, even though he knows that time can never be regained. But, as Jake's ex-wife tells him, it's "a step in the right direction." Abramo has certainly taken a step in the right direction in the creation of this character. The novel sparkles throughout with the wit of an intelligent author who obviously knows the ins and outs of his genre. The story knows it's hard-boiled private eye fiction. It stays on course and never strays into the dangerous realms of symbolism and literary fiction. That dedication to his art makes Abramo's offering that much more compelling and worthy of notice. This is the first in a series of Jake Diamond, P.I., nov

In a time when crime fiction has become more and more serious and dismal, J. L. Abramo has offered a charming alternative. Jake Diamond, ex-actor and San Francisco private investigator, is reminiscent of the classic 40's PI - while reminding us also that when Chandler created Philip Marlowe the mold was broken. More over-easy than hard-boiled, Diamond is faced with a question more essential than who killed his friend and mentor, Jimmy Pigeon. Jake's dilemma is coming to terms with Pigeon's failure to reach out to Diamond for help. The action here is fast-paced, the characters colorful, the dialogue authentic and intelligent. The sense is that we are being briefly introduced to personalities who we will come to know better in future outings. The reader is left looking forward to hearing more about Joey Russo, Sonny the Chin, Vinnie Strings, Darlene Roman, Sally French, Johnny Boy Carlucci and, certainly, Jake Diamond himself. Abramo appears to be slyly hinting at his talent for the genre, setting the stage for fun rides to follow. Standing alone, "Catching Water in a Net" is a very satisfying entertainment. It is also an overture to a promising new PI series from a fresh and talented new voice.

J.L. Abramo's Catching Water In A Net definitely deserved the award for Best First Private Eye Novel mentioned on the cover. Mr. Abramo creates a wise-cracking P.I., Jake Diamond, with limited fashion sense, a devoted female assistant, and friends in the right (and wrong) places, but never descends into stereotypes or stock characters. His work is like Raymond Chandler for the 21st Century, or Andrew Vachss without the vicious edge. He also manages to interweave themes from Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (this time, the cities are San Francisco and Los Angeles), pretty heady stuff for a private eye novel. Maybe you'll figure out who the killer is before you get to the end. I didn't, but I wasn't too worried about it either. The writing is the star here. The characters Abramo creates, and the relationships he weaves, transcend the genre. It's a marvelous book which can and will be enjoyed by anyone. St. Martin's Press promises a series. Here's looking forward to it.

Jake Diamond owns Diamond Investigations, a San Francisco based private investigative firm. In fact, Jake works as the company?s only investigator with an office assistant keeping the case records (as few as they are) and his tie clean. Based on the recommendation of a friend who once hired Jake, Evelyn Harding wants to retain the sleuth to look for her missing husband Harry, vanished for four days. Not interested beyond making a quick buck, his interest soon peaks when he learns that Harry was a partner of Jimmy Pigeon, Jake?s mentor and teacher in the private investigative business. Jake learns that LAPD believes Harry Killed Jimmy with the motive being an argument over whether to sell their million dollar net-based business. Because of the identity of the victim, Jake drives to LA allegedly to find Harry, but in reality to insure Jimmy's killer receives justice. With this debut novel, JL Abramo became the winner of the St. Martin?s Press PWA Award for Best First Private Eye Novel. Sub-genre fans, who read CATCHING WATER IN A NET, will agree with that assessment as the engaging story line is amusing yet somewhat coarse mostly due to the antics of the lead protagonist. Jake is a wonderful lead character who the audience will find enticing and demand more of his adventures. Using the homicide of his revered guru as the impetus for Jake?s involvement cleverly allows readers to learn more about the hero while the plot flows forward. This novel lives up to the award it already won....