The Man with My Cat

Upon his father’s death, Phil Moony was the sole heir to the old man’s two most precious possessions: his car and his cat. The not exactly pleasant cat (named Phull by Moony’s humor-impaired father) is the source of some tension in the Moony household, only partly due to the fact that Phil’s wife, Frankie, is desperately allergic to him. But when the animal is stolen from the veterinarian’s office, Phil doesn’t see it as a solution to a difficult domestic problem. It’s a matter of principle (and sentiment) and he’s determined to find the thief. From Phil’s old enemies at the Chicago Fire Department, who still bear a grudge, to the slightly dizzy receptionist at the veterinarian’s office, to the veterinarian’s wife, who has a history of stealing cats left in her husband’s care, there is no lack of potential suspects. And when Phil goes to confront the veterinarian about the missing cat, he stumbles across the vet’s murdered body.

With the Chicago police half convinced he’s responsible for the vet’s murder and an ever-increasing list of very odd suspects in his cat’s abduction, Phil Moony must turn Chicago upside down to find a cat that he’s not even sure he wants back.

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Dead in Center Field

It's the summer of 1961, and all eyes in the sports world are riveted on New York's Yankee Stadium, where young outfielder Marvin Wallace is mounting an assault on Babe Ruth's record of 60 home runs in a season. As the upstart slugger closes in on the legendary Sultan of Swat, the pressure begins building off the field: Someone is making death threats, and it's up to ballplayer-turned-private eye Mark Renzler and his avant garde artist sidekick Nate Moore to figure out who. With a lineup of possible suspects that includes New Jersey gambling interests, fanatical Ruth fans and even Wallace's own teammates, Renzler faces a full count in late innings. If he doesn't come through in the clutch, it could be Marvelous Marvin's last time at bat.

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The Man with My Name

Phil Moony, prematurely 'retired' from his job as a paramedic with the Chicago Fire Department for running afoul of the local political machine, is at loose ends. So when a stranger mistaking him for a different Phil Moony calls him in the middle of the night to deliver an ominous-sounding warning, Mooney decides to try his hand at sleuthing and strikes a deal with the caller to search for his namesake. After receiving another call for the wrong Moony, Phil agrees to a meeting and arrives to find a dead body, a bottle of booze, and a suitcase full of baseball cards. Afraid that someone is setting him up—most probably the Democratic Machine out for revenge—Phil finds himself in a difficult position: With the police asking questions and few clues as to what is happening around him, Phil must unravel the mysteries behind this confusing and increasingly deadly situation. Most importantly, though, he must solve the mystery behind the man with his name.

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Left for Dead

It is December 1972. J. Edgar Hoover is dead, Richard Nixon has been newly reelected, and Private Investigator Mark Renzler is just settling in for another miserable Christmas season in New York City.But even this dismal prospect fades when he is contacted by a friend of a friend in need of his help. Harmony Rollins, a blaxploitation film actress and star of the recently released Sister Shamus, is worried about her brother Harpo. An ex-Black Panther, Harpo was involved in the break-in of an FBI office and may be holding documents that the FBI doesn't want released to the public. Since the collapse of the Panthers, Harpo has been deep underground and was not in contact with his family until he called Harmony ten days ago, scared for his life and frantic that his cover had been blown. When Harpo doesn't pick up the getaway money she wired, Harmony turns to Renzler. Now Renzler must navigate through the wilderness of the fractured and paranoid radical left to find his man - or it will be a very un-Merry Christmas for all.

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Who Shot Longshot Sam?

Corralled into entering a handicapping contest at a seedy New Jersey racetrack by one of his dubious pals, New York private eye Mark Renzler is on hand when master handicapper Longshot Sam Natoli catches a sniper's bullet. Natoli was the odds-on favorite to win the $50,000 Super-Pick prize, and now the contest – and the murder investigation – is wide open. The field of suspects includes nasty ex-cons, sexy ex-wives, jealous rival handicappers, heavily armed security guards, and crooked local politicians. With Richard Nixon's final days unfolding in the background, it's up to Renzler -- abetted by his avant-garde artist pal Nate Moore and his teenaged seminary student nephew Herbie – to solve the puzzle of Who Shot Longshot Sam?

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