Stiff Arm Steal (Miami Jones) by A.J. Stewart

When a football prize is stolen from a media personality he hires Miami Jones to get it back. It turns out his isn't the only one that gets stolen and Miami Jones follows the tracks to the thief.
The relationship with Miami's deputy girlfriend is written pretty nicely and the book is easy to read. In the middle stuff gets a bit dark which almost seemed out of character for Miami but it sure gave it the hardboiled feel that I like.
What I am mystified about is why Miami also has a partner, Ron. This guy seems to have almost no personality or reason to be in the story.
Easy, beach read, even more so because it takes place in sunny Florida.

High Lie (Miami Jones) by A.J. Stewart

Miami Jones is a PI working in Palm Beach together with his partner Ron. Miami is more or less a PI in the Elvis Cole mode, that is he owes a lot to Spenser. He's got a lot of Cole's laidback style and a psycho sidekick like Cole and many private eyes that came after Spenser have.
He's not the most original PI to come along, but surely one of the most enjoyable ones. Both very human but tough enough to face the baddies Jones is one to watch for.
I must say his partner Ron seemed a bit dull to me and I really don't think there's much for him to do that sidekick Lucas (Australian ex-SAS) wouldn't be able to do. Jones' significant other is a likable character, she's a deputy sheriff so she can take care of herself better then, say, Susan Silverman.
When a young boy is fished out of the water by Miami's pal Lucas he sets out to investigate who and why dumped the kid in the water. He gets involved with some shady characters involved with gambling and the kind of forgotten sport Jai Alai.
The story flows nicely, without too much fluff / scenes to just fill the pages. The mystery is good enough and the action is well-written and easy to follow.
Will be reading more in this series.