Off-Season and Other Stories

This eleven-story mystery collection consists of nine shorts, one longer short tale and a novella. The longer short story ("Proportionate Response") and the novella ("Off-Season") are published for the first time while the remaining stories were all released in various publications in the last five years. Each of the eleven entries is well written and contains the trademark Jeremiah Healy final twist, but the book belongs to the two never seen before longer tales."Proportionate Response". Not long after he retired from the military Colonel Raymond Hammett lost his beloved Hildy, who died in an air crash. Two years after he buried her, he still mourns her and privacy is all he wants. However, his neighbors, the preadolescent Peele brothers (Jeff and Curt) steal his canoe ending his hermit life. After "consulting" with Hildy as he always does the Colonel calls the police to locate his vessel and to capture the thief, not knowing why Hildy encourages him to bring wine. This is a tale of thievery and counter theft."Off-Season". After intense work involving a mob killing, Boston Sergeant Detective Kevin Malley goes to Ste Marie, Macaroon in the Caribbean on vacation. While he spends the night with an islander, someone murders Faith Bressler, a guest of the Bayview Hotel. Inspector Paul Gant questions fellow guest Kevin, who has an airtight alibi. Insisting he lacks homicide expertise, Paul asks Kevin to help on the murder case. Kevin quickly agrees not realizing that the inquiries will make him friends with a gecko. This is a superb police procedural with a twist that is realistic that no one will see coming.Harriet Klausner