THE ON A SHOESTRING DETECTIVE AGENCY

THE ON A SHOESTRING DETECTIVE AGENCY is a story of baby boomers starting a detective agency as middle-aged adults. Some became friends. Some become enemies.

You will read about each central character’s early years and what leads to the circumstances of their present lives. At the center of the story is a love affair that began in San Francisco during the height of the Hippie movement. The couple’s separation and loss of love are sad and poignant.

Danny Bottum is a little full of himself. He describes his upbringing as “Ordinary” to anyone interested. The truth is that Danny was spoiled by his parents.

Sherry David was a typical American girl. She loved school, sports, and the beach. Years later, she married a classmate even though he had ridiculed her in high school. The marriage didn’t last long, and their separation and divorce were explosive.

Billy William David was Sherry’s older brother. For most of his life, he has been known as Sparks. Sparks becomes the central character in this book. The name was given to him by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead after Sparks jumped on stage during his Woodstock Performance. Sparks put out a fire that threatened to end the Dead’s performance. He and Jerry became fast friends until his death. Sparks meets and falls hard for Hayley, a beautiful young woman he meets in San Francisco. Although they are madly in love, Hayley wants to return to her family. Sparks is devastated, telling Hayley that he will always be there for her and to call whenever she needs him.

Tammy Lewis had a difficult childhood. Her father had been handcuffed and arrested in front of her. Dad had been watching porn on TV with preteen Tammy in the room when the police arrived. Tammy was the cutest girl on the block and became the hottest girl in every room. After learning that her beauty had power, she was overwhelmed by it. Tammy abused it to get what she wanted and to cause great pain to herself and anyone she met.

Billy Eckles flirted with and dated many of the girls he met in high school. He was probably the most admired member of his Senior class. Billy was the star Quarterback on the football team and the star point guard on the basketball team. He was also voted class president and prom king. Billy was once photographed shaking hands with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones. He was forever remembered as “The Boy who shook Mick Jagger’s Hand.”

You will also meet the Bates family, who fled Cuba in 1959 when Fidel Castro assumed power. They struggled to resettle in the United States.

Once the Detective agency was organized, they worked the following cases:

The Sparks & Hayley Case: Sparkes is reunited with his long-lost love, who has been charged with murder. The Telephone Prison Case: A middle-aged woman is swindled out of large sums of money.

The Murder on The Beach Case: Two teenage girls are found murdered on the beach.

Gerold cheats on Shelia Case: Gerold is suspicious of his wife, leading to three murders.

The Tammy Lewis Case: The team meets to investigate the death of Tammy and her mother.

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