JUMP
The scream tore through the building like a pregnant nun on her way to confession.
That was the cry of the most hated landlord in San Francisco taking a swan dive off the roof of his own building. Police want to treat his death as a suicide because the Mayor and press are complaining about the dismal closure rate for homicide investigations. But Sam McDougal, recently retired cop and one of the building’s tenants, knows it was murder. So Sam decides to get to know his neighbors…
Two young women paying for graduate school by operating a website that reveals a lot more than their SAT scores. A lonely jazz singer with a healthy disdain for the opposite sex. The B-movie producer with a swollen prostate and shrinking bank balance. And the two brothers at the end of the hall, who just quit their day jobs to sell pot for the Mexican mob.
The only thing they all have in common is a general agreement that their dead landlord got what he deserved—and that one of them is probably responsible.
As relationships develop and alliances shift, Sam finds himself jumping back and forth between his old life as a cop and his new one as a murder suspect, unable to decide whose side he’s really on.
REVIEWS
San Francisco Chronicle Bestseller
Top Ten Mysteries at The Mystery Bookstore
ForeWord Magazine Mystery Book of the Year
Finalist for the IPBA Benjamin Franklin Award
“If you threw in the air the pages of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and Elmore Leonard’s Get Shorty, and then invited Monty Python to stitch them back together, you might end up with something like Jump, Tim Maleeny’s hilarious novel.”
—The Boston Globe
“We’re firmly on darkly comic terra Hiaasen. Fast-paced and funny, this is a perfectly blended cocktail of escapism, with or without the beach towel.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Fast-paced, rollicking humor and characters right out of a—well, a 1930s Agatha Christie country house mystery—make this one of the best from the award-wining author of the Cape Weathers series.”
—Library Journal
“This is one hilarious yarn, even though bloodshed begins with the first sentence. The initial spurt of gore emanates from Ed Lowry, a loathsome San Francisco landlord who has either fallen or been pushed from the top of the building that houses one of the most bizarre collection of tenants since.”
—ForeWord Magazine
“Jump is great—rapid-fire detecting by an ex-cop who can’t shake the justice habit.”
—Crimespree Magazine
“Jump is smart, sexy, fast and funny. A great ride.”
—Bestselling Author Robert Ferrigno
“If you want a laugh-out-loud funny caper, a detective with a thawing heart of gold, seedy streets of San Francisco, and the cleverest of plot twists, you’ll love Jump. Maleeny is terrific, irreverent fun, and I hope Sam McGowan and his neighbors make a return appearance. What a treat!”
—Bestselling Author Deborah Crombie
“A highly entertaining thriller.”
—Booklist
“Maleeny seems to have a lot of fun coming up with a floor full of colorful characters. His writing comes alive while reading, so you can easily visualize these people and their situations. The funny thing about the landlord’s murder is that it takes a backseat to all the other action, which is just fine by me, because it was just a setup for the truly great ride to begin with.”
—Bruce Grossman, Bookgasm
“Another great book by the talented Maleeny—multiple suspects make this unique whodunit intense, interesting and a great read!”
—Fresh Fiction
“A book that is part Leonard, part Westlake, and all Maleeny…. from beginning to end, Jump goes down smoother than an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista while providing the same kick, and then some. Don’t miss this one.”
—Bookreporter
“…one of the most entertaining mysteries to be published this year, and is a perfect reading companion this summer…. there are several remarkable aspects to Jump, from an extraordinary cast of characters to Maleeny’s rapid-fire narrative style to a deftly plotted story that has a familiar ring to it yet feels uncommonly new.”
—Mysterious Reviews
“Jump is a stunning book, not at all my usual cup of (herb) tea, but once the story engaged me, I found it very difficult to put down. The writing is top-notch, the omniscient third-person narrator delightful all by himself—with some of his humor subtle, some laugh-out-loud.”
—Diana, Cozy Library and Mystery News
“Tim Maleeny covers San Francisco like the evening fog, and his prose hits like a balpeen hammer. With his latest outing, Maleeny Jumps into the forefront of crime fiction writers. Jump has legs.”
—Bestselling Author Paul Levine
“Jump is an attention-grabbing collision at the corner of Caper and Whodunnit—a hip, good-natured, thoroughly 21st-century book that will remind you how much fun a good old-fashioned murder mystery can be. Tim Maleeny brings it all off with humor and high style. You’ll enjoy this one.”
—Bestselling Author Sean Doolittle
“A traditional mystery with a modern slant. Fast and wicked, Jump will keep you turning the pages with characters and a plot that are straight from a police blotter.”
—Bestselling Author James O. Born