Fiddle Game [Large Print]

This is a very entertaining tongue in cheek bit of noir fiction. Its contemporary, so you wont imagine Bogart running around in an old Packard. But it has the feel of one of those old hollywood black and white masterpieces. The "Fiddle Game" works well on several levels as long as you dont try to puzzle out the plot. The banter is first class. It was a joy to read the back and forth between Herman Jacson and his cronies. Jackson is a throwback bail bondsman who is maybe sucked into a Gypsie scam when a young lady comes in with a violin she uses as colateral. Following the story itself as you read is entertaining. The author, Richard Thompson pulls you this way and that, keeping you off balance and introducing sporadic characters at unique variables throughout the telling. Now that I am finished reading, I can look back and see that a 'time-line' got sort of messed up early in the first chapters of the book. By this I mean that the hours seem to jump forwards and back, leaving the reader a little confused. Also, the plot either relies waaaayyyyy too much on happenstance. I am not a huge fan of when authors cut corners by introducing elements that allow for the story to reach a satisfactory conclusion... acting like crutches. I am really looking forwards to reading more by this author and would enjoy reading more in this series as well.

Fiddle Game by Richard A. Thompson is a debut novel, but Thompson writes like an old pro. His protagonist, Herman Jackson, has been in the bail bonds business a long time, long enough to have seen it all. Or, nearly all, as he is flummoxed by a Gypsy woman trying to pay for her brother's bond with an antique violin. Even as Jackson suspects he's the victim of a con, he goes along with the proposal, hoping to work a few angles of his own. But although Jackson is an extremely savvy player, nobody has been running cons longer than the Gypsies. In fact, the mystery and intrigue of the violin goes back fifty years, to World War II Europe. Herman Jackson is only 43, but seems older, not so much old fashioned as old school. And I mean that in the best sense of the word. Jackson has a sense of justice, a knowledge of the right way to do things, a low-key manner, and a healthy amount of chivalry that gets him into trouble as much as it endears him to the reader. Jackson is soon on the run from both the gypsies and the law, which brings me to my only quibble about this fine novel. Jackson's allies in St. Paul---Agnes, Wide Track Wilke, and the Prof---are so wonderful that I wanted to see more of them, and was a bit sorry when Herman Jackson's adventures took him away from St. Paul, to Skokie, Illinois, home of the largest community of gypsies in North America. I just hope that these fun minor characters appear in a sequel!

For a first novel, "Fiddle Game" is quite an accomplishment. The author has led quite a varied career, including a 45-year stint in construction. He is a civil engineer, a certified Minnesota Building Official and a registered professional engineer. But nothing in his biography indicates he has ever written anything prior to this novel. An Amati violin plays a central role in a con game conducted by a gypsy family and going on since World War II. Herman Jackson is a bail bondsman in St. Paul who becomes the latest victim of the con. A woman enters his office offering the valuable fiddle as security for a bond for her brother. Unfortunately she is soon the victim of a hit-and-run and dies. The killer escapes with the violin. Herman quickly attracts the interest of the police as the possible perpetrator. The plot then has Herman attempting to solve the murder and retrieve the fiddle. The story is extremely well-told, moving to a most unexpected conclusion. It is a surprisingly welcome debut, and we hope it is not a one-shot from this author.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (8/07) Richard A. Thompson's "Fiddle Game" is a nicely nostalgic read. Although it is set in 1996, it resembles the vintage detective stories in many ways - and I mean it as a compliment. The hero, Herman Jackson, might have a spotted past and has to keep looking over his shoulder at all times, but he also has a refreshingly old-fashioned sense of what is right and what is wrong, as well as an unshakeable code of honor. His secretary, Agnes, is indispensable to his operations and can even manage a computer - not a mean feat back in 1996. Together they run a rather sedate, low-profile bail bond operation. Life gets immensely more animated after a young woman, Amy Cox, brings in a priceless antique violin as a security for her brother's bail bond. Shortly after she leaves the office, Amy is murdered and Herman is believed to be the prime suspect. So Herman is on the run, being helped from afar by Agnes and a couple of very interesting characters from St. Paul, named Wide Track Wilkie and Proph. While on the road, he picks up an interesting traveling companion, Rosie. Rosie is a truly mysterious dame, sizzling hot and able to do a bunch of unexpected things. She also carries quite an arsenal... The search for the truth about the "cursed violin" takes Herman and Rosie into some very wild waters, meeting quite a few members of Rom people, who are better known in the USA as Gypsies. When the reader thinks all has been revealed already, there is anther twist - and then another. Who are the good guys? And are the bad guys really bad? I found "Fiddle Game" an immensely entertaining read, one that had to be finished in a single night. There was violence and romance, a lot of intrigue, vivid descriptions of chases of every kind and tons of deception, dead bodies and sweet deeds, all of it nicely balanced out with enough humor not to be too gruesome. Very believable characters, well-controlled writing and an exciting plot all contributed to my enjoyment of this book. "Fiddle Game" is a brilliant, engaging book. I highly recommend it to any lover of a good detective story with solid characters and fast-moving action.

Amy Cox visits bail bondsman Herman Jackson to arrange bail for her brother. She offers her violin that she claims is an original Amati valued at $60,000 as collateral. Although he normally would reject such an offer as he runs a cash-only business, he accepts the instrument in lieu of money even as he is not sure why he does. Upon leaving his office, Amy visits a pawn shop to buy a replacement violin. Soon afterwards, someone kills Amy and the violin Herman held is stolen. Nothing adds up to Herman who wonders what is going on as he consults with waitress Rosie while worrying if the "brother" he bailed out will split and the violin he had is genuine; the truth lies in the past before either he or the late Amy was born. Although too many twists make it difficult to accept the plausibility of the story line, readers will enjoy this fine bail bondsman mystery. The Herman-Rosie duo is a fabulous pairing as she pulls no punches when she advises him on the case. However, what is fascinating with this fine crime caper lies with the deep look at this particular segment of the private side of the government incarceration warehousing industry. Harriet Klausner