I really like Robert J. Randisi's Rat Pack mysteries. His latest, "The Way You Die Tonight", marginally features Edward G. Robinson, looking for Eddie G.'s help learning how to play poker for an upcoming film role. The mystery involves who killed Jack Entratter's secretary, Helen. Eddie G. gets Jake Espstein to come out from Brooklyn and his good friend Danny to help investigate, and also to keep him safe against Howard Hughes's goons. Hughes is in town and asking for Eddie G.'s help with locating a casino he could take over. When Eddie G. refuses, Hughes doesn't take it well. It was fun and quick, and hinted the next book would feature Jerry Lewis.
"On the Rocks" by Erin Duffy was much better than I was expecting it to be, I thought it would be light and fluffy, predictable, but I was pleasantly surprised. Abby is trying on wedding dresses when she learns through Facebook that her fiance (and boyfriend of 11 years) has gotten cold feet, called off the wedding, and is moving across the country to Arizona. Abby spends the next six months on the couch, eating ice cream and refusing to come out of her funk. It isn't helped by the fact that her younger sister announced *her* engagement on the day Abby and Ben broke up. Abby's friend Grace begs her to take a summer place in Newport, Rhode Island. Grace is planning on spending weekends out there and thinks the change of scenery would be good for Abby. Abby finally agrees, and challenges herself to get out of her comfort zone, meet new people, go out on dates. And she does! She has some bad dates, but she doesn't let it get her down. She spent most of the book verbally sparing with Bobby, one of Grace's friends who is also staying in Newport, so I assumed by the end of the book they would have hooked up, but no! They were still just friends, and Abby was still single but very happy with her personal growth and the new friends she had made. I really liked how it wasn't corny or hokey.
"Borderline" by Lawrence Block was a novella and a collection of short stories he'd originally written in the late 50s and early 60s. Gritty, dark noir featuring killers, violence, gambling, all kinds of sex, drinking, drugs. It was pretty good, I enjoyed the novella and the last short story the best. Very Mickey Spillane-esque :)
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