Chasing Charlie Chan (Jimmy Pigeon / Jake Diamond) by JL Abramo

This is the story of JL Abramo's regular protagonist's mentor, Jimmy Pigeon. He tells Jake Diamond the story of the murder of his former partner and we see how he takes on Jake as his partner in his PI firm. Yep, it's a prequel to the excellent Jake Diamond series.
The murder of Pigeon's partner, Lenny Archer (nice  homage) is linked to the actor who played Charlie Chan it seems. In fact, there seem to be some connections to Bugsy Siegel, giving this one a Max Allan Collins / Nathan Heller / historical mystery vibe. Wait a minute... Lenny's brother is called Nathan... Another homage?
Anyway, we follow an assortment of cops, crooks and private eyes move like chesspieces across the board that is Hollywood. They investigate, cheat, and murder as one stupid move leads to another. I really enjoyed seeing these diverse stories intertwine even though I usually like first-person better. And I'm sure you won't guess the surprise ending... I sure didn't see it coming!
It's nice to see Mr. Abramo isn't afraid to experiment a bit. You might want to pick this one up soon because there's a special bonus edition on sale right now.