Jake's Burn: Arson in Cisco

Rating:
Summary: A Treat!
Review: 'Jake's Burn' features P.I. Ace who returns to the small Texas town of his childhood in order to solve an arson case. In an easy to read, intelligently delivered style, Ace tells his story from his own point of view - a classic mystery style I particularly enjoy. Mr. Rawls shows us his hero's sentimental and humble side even as we see Ace's steely side through the eyes of the other characters. Very skillfully done! The author deftly mixes humour, touchingly honest sentimentality, love, and courage with just the right dosis of danger and action. I found insights offered in fabulous lines, and I grinned, laughed, and hurt right along with Ace. Best of all, when the story ended, I felt satisfied that Ace and his greatest buddies were in the right place.

I look forward to reading the next mystery Ace and his 'sons' will have to solve.

Rating:
Summary: I Liked It
Review: I liked it. Of course I may have been influenced by the fact that I wrote it. Try it. I think you'll find Ace and his cats as refreshing as a walk in the park. It's not Hemingway but it will capture you for the period it takes to solve the mystery with Ace. If you detect the villain before Ace, let me know the who and why you were able to discern who he/she is. If you liked it, post a review.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for Mystery Lovers
Review: If you like mysteries and enjoy good humor then this is the book you have been looking for. Randy Rawls does a superb job at mixing in humor and small town Texas history in Jakes Burn. Take a humorous and sometimes tragic ride along with Ace the detective and his two mischievous cats, Striker and Sweeper and see if you can solve the mystery before they do. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down. Read it and along with me I am sure you will be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the next Ace series mystery to hit the shelves.

Rating:
Summary: JAKE'S BURN
Review: JAKE'S BURN is one of those books that you pick up and just know you are going to love in the first paragraphs. The writing is absolutely wonderful. Mr. Rawls' humor and wit shows through in the first chapter, and continues to pull you in as you turn the pages. The more you read the better it gets.

Arthur Conan Edwards, otherwise known as Ace, is a P.I. in Dallas, Texas. Ace used to be a cop, but thought that he could make more money as a private detective. And so after a divorce from his college sweetheart, he retired from the Dallas police force and used his small retirement to open up a one-man detective agency. His main source of income consists of chasing around errant spouses and getting the goods on them for divorce cases. Not much money, however it does pay the bills......... somewhat.

A case Ace handled three years prior involved a multimillionaire, (sort of) friend of his, Jake Adams, from his hometown of Cisco. Jake needed the goods on his wife, Sheila, to hopefully cut down on the amount of money he would have to pay her in their divorce. However even with Ace's help Sheila managed to get the one and only thing Jake loved the most, even more than all the money he had. She got the house. The house that Jake himself had designed and built.

Three years later, the phone rings in the middle of the night. It is Jake. It seems someone burned his, or rather Sheila's, house down and he wants Ace to find out who did it. Ace isn't that interested in getting involved with the whole thing at all. However, when Jake offers to pay him enough money to pay off all of his outstanding bills, and set him up for a while, how can Ace turn the guy down. So it is off to Cisco he goes.

Ace hasn't been in town long when he discovers that there were two people killed in the fire. One of them has to be Sheila. But who is the other one? And which one was the killer after?

Although having had been raised in Cisco, Ace isn't finding it very easy to be accepted back, or having much luck getting answers from the people who knew Sheila. However one guy finally decides he can trust Ace, and agrees to help him in anyway he can. Bubba is totally grief stricken at the thought that Sheila has been killed. He was totally, and completely in love with her. In fact Bubba was the reason for Sheila divorcing Jake in the first place. Bubba decides that he will hire Ace to find Sheila's killer.

Ace tries to explain to Bubba that he is already working for Jake, and cannot work for both of them. Bubba is completely devastated, and besides he doesn't seem to have all his oars in the water anyway, and doesn't seem to either understand, or want it that way. After arguing the point for some time, Ace finally gives in and tells Bubba he will work for both him and Jake.

However, it looks like someone is not about to let Ace find out who burned down Jake's house, or who killed Sheila, and the other victim, or why. Things turn from bad to nasty. And then it gets even worse. Murder, threats of murder, and threats of physical harm seem to fly. But it is still difficult to figure out just who is the target of all of these threats. Whoever is that target, Ace always seems to be in at the center of it.

In the middle of this entire mess Ace falls in love. Head over heels, madly in love.

All of this is being closely observed by a couple of curious, cantankerous felines who are Ace's confidants. Sometimes Ace finds he needs to talk things over, and Striker and Sweeper make a good audience. I'm not sure that either of them really cares, but they do seem to help Ace work out things, nonetheless.

JAKE'S BURN is fantastic. The writing is smooth, full of tongue in cheek humor, as well as lightening fast suspense. All told from Jake's point of view.

JAKE'S BURN is full of action, adventure, love, and murder, all intertwined with the wittiest humor you can imagine. Mr. Rawls will have you sitting on the edge of your chair one minute, and the next rolling on the floor laughing your head off. At the very least you will chuckle as Ace tries to sneak into his own home without being assaulted.

I totally recommend JAKE'S BURN to everyone. It is a story you can't miss, by an author you won't want to miss. Now or in the future. Mr. Rawls is around to stay for a very long time, and I don't plan to miss one word that he writes. And neither should you.

Rating:
Summary: JAKE'S BURN
Review: JAKE'S BURN is one of those books that you pick up and just know you are going to love in the first paragraphs. The writing is absolutely wonderful. Mr. Rawls' humor and wit shows through in the first chapter, and continues to pull you in as you turn the pages. The more you read the better it gets.

Arthur Conan Edwards, otherwise known as Ace, is a P.I. in Dallas, Texas. Ace used to be a cop, but thought that he could make more money as a private detective. And so after a divorce from his college sweetheart, he retired from the Dallas police force and used his small retirement to open up a one-man detective agency. His main source of income consists of chasing around errant spouses and getting the goods on them for divorce cases. Not much money, however it does pay the bills......... somewhat.

A case Ace handled three years prior involved a multimillionaire, (sort of) friend of his, Jake Adams, from his hometown of Cisco. Jake needed the goods on his wife, Sheila, to hopefully cut down on the amount of money he would have to pay her in their divorce. However even with Ace's help Sheila managed to get the one and only thing Jake loved the most, even more than all the money he had. She got the house. The house that Jake himself had designed and built.

Three years later, the phone rings in the middle of the night. It is Jake. It seems someone burned his, or rather Sheila's, house down and he wants Ace to find out who did it. Ace isn't that interested in getting involved with the whole thing at all. However, when Jake offers to pay him enough money to pay off all of his outstanding bills, and set him up for a while, how can Ace turn the guy down. So it is off to Cisco he goes.

Ace hasn't been in town long when he discovers that there were two people killed in the fire. One of them has to be Sheila. But who is the other one? And which one was the killer after?

Although having had been raised in Cisco, Ace isn't finding it very easy to be accepted back, or having much luck getting answers from the people who knew Sheila. However one guy finally decides he can trust Ace, and agrees to help him in anyway he can. Bubba is totally grief stricken at the thought that Sheila has been killed. He was totally, and completely in love with her. In fact Bubba was the reason for Sheila divorcing Jake in the first place. Bubba decides that he will hire Ace to find Sheila's killer.

Ace tries to explain to Bubba that he is already working for Jake, and cannot work for both of them. Bubba is completely devastated, and besides he doesn't seem to have all his oars in the water anyway, and doesn't seem to either understand, or want it that way. After arguing the point for some time, Ace finally gives in and tells Bubba he will work for both him and Jake.

However, it looks like someone is not about to let Ace find out who burned down Jake's house, or who killed Sheila, and the other victim, or why. Things turn from bad to nasty. And then it gets even worse. Murder, threats of murder, and threats of physical harm seem to fly. But it is still difficult to figure out just who is the target of all of these threats. Whoever is that target, Ace always seems to be in at the center of it.

In the middle of this entire mess Ace falls in love. Head over heels, madly in love.

All of this is being closely observed by a couple of curious, cantankerous felines who are Ace's confidants. Sometimes Ace finds he needs to talk things over, and Striker and Sweeper make a good audience. I'm not sure that either of them really cares, but they do seem to help Ace work out things, nonetheless.

JAKE'S BURN is fantastic. The writing is smooth, full of tongue in cheek humor, as well as lightening fast suspense. All told from Jake's point of view.

JAKE'S BURN is full of action, adventure, love, and murder, all intertwined with the wittiest humor you can imagine. Mr. Rawls will have you sitting on the edge of your chair one minute, and the next rolling on the floor laughing your head off. At the very least you will chuckle as Ace tries to sneak into his own home without being assaulted.

I totally recommend JAKE'S BURN to everyone. It is a story you can't miss, by an author you won't want to miss. Now or in the future. Mr. Rawls is around to stay for a very long time, and I don't plan to miss one word that he writes. And neither should you.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic !!
Review: Randy Rawls has done an excellent job writing Jake's Burn. Not only is a great mystery novel, it is full of anecdotal history from a small town in Texas. Humor is intertwined throughout the story, so it's both entertaining and suspenseful. The book was difficult to put down. The pleasure in reading it came from its smooth flow, suspense and lack of blood and gore. ACE is a Private Investigator from a small town -- now living in Dallas - with two cats that really add joy to the story. Most importantly, the plot unravels with each page, increasing anticipation from chapter to chapter. I intend to give this book to friends and family during the holidays -- I highly recommend others take the time to read it and spread the word.

Rating:
Summary: Power, deception, betrayal, and tragedy
Review: Written by Randy Rawls, a retired U.S. Army officer with a flair for terse yet gripping hard-boiled mystery thrillers, Jake's Burn: Arson In Cisco is a deadly whodunit with Private Investigator Arthur Conan Edwards of Dallas. Journeying to Cisco, Texas to solve an arson case, Edwards finds the love of his life and a deadly web of murder and lies. Power, deception, betrayal, and tragedy characterize this memorable and satisfying novel of mystery and suspense.