Jelly's Gold

Mr. housewright is an awesome writer. I just cannot put down his books once I start one. The endings always take me by surprise, he is really a great writer.

First Sentence: Frank Nash was dead. Rushmore McKenzie was a policeman in St. Paul, Minnesota until an unexpected event caused him to resign the force and become a millionaire. Now, he's an unlicensed PI doing "favors" when something interests him. In the 1930s, St. Paul was a save haven for the gangsters of the time in a city where the authorities were almost more crooked than the bad guys. Frank "Jelly" Nash was suspected of masterminding the $8 million theft of gold bars in 1933. Nash was killed in the Kansas City Massacre and the gold was never found. Graduate students Ivy Flynn and Josh Berglund believe the gold is in St. Paul and want McKenzie to help them find it. Unfortunately, they aren't the only ones looking and when Josh is murdered, the hunt goes from an interesting quest to a deadly hunt. Housewright is one of those writers who is just such a pleasure to read. His opening captures you from the first page. He creates great, fully-dimensional characters and wonderful dialogue. There is violence, but appropriate to they story and never feels gratuitous. In this book, I found the history fascinating. He brings to life a period talked about by people of the generation between my parents and grandparents but he also makes setting relevant to today by including the collapse of the I-35 bridge. The story is well paced, with plenty of action and suspense and a great twist at the end. Housewright is one of our many under-recognized authors. Go read him! JELLY'S GOLD (PI-Rushmore McKenzie-St. Paul, MN-Cont) - VG Housewright, David - 6th in series Minotaur Books, 2009, US Hardcover - ISBN: 9780312370824

I am at a loss as to why this author does not get more press than he gets. I have read all of his novels and they contain everything a good mystery could possibly contain. In this novel, he gives us a delightful history of the Twin Cities along with a story that holds your focus until the end. There must be something his publisher or book stores could do to enlighten the public about this terrific author (no, I'm not a relative.)

"Jelly's Gold" is David Housewright's 6th Rushmore McKenzie novel, a series that I have followed with relish. McKenzie is the flawed former police officer who once resigned from the force to collect several million dollars in reward money and has used that money to become an unlicensed PI who does "favors" for friends in trouble. In this outing, McKenzie is intrigued when old acquaintance, Ivy Flynn (see Tin City, now a grad student, enlists his aid in helping her and her boyfriend, Josh Berglund, find $8 million dollars in hidden gold bullion. The gold was the result of a bank robbery by real time gangster, Frank "Jelly" Nash, in 1933 and was never located after Nash was killed in the infamous Kansas City Massacre. Soon, McKenzie is competing with others for the gold including assorted thugs representing different interests, dignitaries whose ancestors associated with Nash, a fascinating woman named "Heavenly" and former paramours and lovers of the college students (Ivy and Josh), all of whom want a share of the fortune. McKenzie becomes mired in double crosses, triple crosses, history lessons, death and violence, and even brief confrontations with his PD friends, including Lieutenant Bobby Dunston. Housewright employs a risky literary device to tell a story within a story about the St. Paul, Minnesota of the 1920's-30's. In those years, St. Paul was a wide open city that welcomed infamous criminals as long as they obeyed the local rules of the "O'Connor System" named for a local "fixer." Many recognizable names from Alvin Karpis to Verne Miller to John Dillinger to the Barker brothers are mentioned in historical "flashbacks" that are necessary to link the St. Paul of the '30's and the disappearance of "Jelly's Gold" to the St. Paul of today and the search for that gold. I have written before how well I feel I know the Twin Cities from the wonderful descriptions Housewright employs as his novels unfold. His characterizations are also spot on as he builds character and dialogue that are believable and real to the reader. McKenzie is a protagonist who has limitless potential. He has a conscience yet also a temper that can get him into trouble. He cares deeply about others yet has no problem resorting to violence when appropriate. He is a cool thinker who uses well thought out police work to find answers and even when he makes mistakes, he recovers in time to restore your faith in him. I did feel that this effort was not as gripping or engrossing as previous installments in the McKenzie series. I was never deeply invested in the characters or the plot, perhaps because there were so many minor characters and the plot jumped frequently between the 1930's and today. I can, however, recommend Housewright to any reader of noir and thriller genres. His efforts include humor, violence, strong love interests, double crosses, heady doses of the Twin Cities and environs, and good old fashioned enjoyable plotting. Rushmore McKenzie is an outstan

Rushmore "Mac" McKenzie retired from the St. Paul police department, but unexpected wealth allows him not to work to supplement his pension. He does investigative jobs as a private investigator for friends or if a case sounds interesting. Graduate students Ivy Flynn (see TIN CITY) and her boyfriend Josh Berglund peak Mac's interest with the information they found on a 1933 bank heist of gold bars perpetuated by Frank "Jelly" Nash, who died soon afterward in the infamous Kansas City Massacre; the loot was never recovered and thought to be hidden somewhere in the Twin Cities. As the two students and Mac follow clues, they are aware others seek the gold too; some dishonest and some lethal. The latest Twin Cities P.I. Mac McKenzie investigation (see DEAD BOYFRIENDS and MADMAN ON A DRUM) is a fabulous thriller with a super historical subplot that interweaves with the present Mac adventure. The Depression Era comes alive through a rogue's gallery of infamous criminals including Frank "Jelly" Nash, a real person, as David Housewright paints a picture of corrupt city encouraging the notorious to "vacation" in town. Mac's present day inquiry holds up quite well as he and his two youthful partners follow clues uncovered in archives and interviews while dodging some modern era goons. JELLY'S GOLD is an excellent Twin Cities investigation. Harriet Klausner