A Little Criticism Leads to Fourth Book

I got a three-star rating for "The Case of the Running Bag" where the critic liked the book but felt the main character was too skilled. I figured I might not have left enough clues to his potential. I realized that I had access to the backstory that wasn't fully disclosed. I had intended to do it over a series of stories and it was time to begin. "The Case of the Dead Detective" is one such story.

Who killed Mickey Phillips?

      Jonas Watcher went to the docks for some clam chowder and sourdough bread. He became aware of two men who showed an unusual interest in him. He played cat and mouse with them and finally led them back to his office.
     The confrontation wasn't what Jonas expected. After a discussion with the two men over some coffee laced with
Irish Whiskey, Jonas learned a shocking truth. A truth that sent him on a journey to Sacramento with his newly acquired girlfriend Mei Lin Fong and her family butler Charles,
In Sacramento, Jonas made a phone call that resulted in them being put under surveillance that took an ominous turn.
     In the 1930s, political isolationists had an agenda focused on keeping the United States out of the current conflicts in Europe. And, they added one item to the top of their list: Kill Jonas Watcher.
Jonas needs the wisdom of Solomon to get out of this alive, and he finds it wearing a rumpled fedora and coat.
You can purchase "The Case of the Dead Detective" by clicking Here

More to Come...                

Jonas Watcher and Chinese Dragon Mythology

This may be my most researched book when looking into the cultural mythology of another people. This is by no means a treatise on the mythology of China. The truth is that I barely scratched the surface of a small part of western Chinese history and mythology. As an author of mystery fiction, I created a heady brew of mystery, fantasy, and history to create "The Case of the Jade Dragon".

I started with an opening from "Have Gun Will Travel", but don't look for it, because you wouldn't recognize which one I used for the basis of my opening. I spent some time coming up with unique names for all my characters but researching Chinese names was especially fascinating when one considers that The Chinese sir name was and is often ahead of any given names. I discovered when interviewing a number of Chinese families that the custom is not universally observed by everyone.

I tried to keep it clear in the book, and I hope I was successful without insulting anyone. The Chinese history in the United States is both wonderful and disturbing. They had to gather in neighborhoods because of the bigotry of white America. Chinese citizens in the United States have battled against prejudice, ignorance, and stupidity for the couple of hundred years they have been here. Their culture has been integrated into our country. We still misunderstand the role of the Tongs and what they meant when they first appeared here. The use of herbs and acupuncture are only now being integrated into modern medicine. This was all a part of the backstory I never directly included in my narration but was very much with me as I wrote the book.

The synopsis is as follows:

Who said Weddings Couldn't be Dangerous?

     

When PI Jonas Watcher sees a Chinese couple being kidnapped; he sighs, grabs his gun, and goes to help them. This selfless act involves Jonas with the Chinese underworld. He is hired to unite two families by bringing a prospective bride from St. Louis to San Francisco for an arranged marriage. There are several factions who will kill to keep him from succeeding. His mission is complicated even more by his employer's beautiful granddaughter. She's the only one who knows where the bride is and she insists on going with him. A girl, his Colt 44, and diplomacy; Jonas will have to use all three if he wishes to complete the mission, end the feud, and live to tell the tale.
     “The Case of the Jade Dragon” is the third novel of the Jonas Watcher Detective Adventure series. It's the 1930s in San Francisco’s Chinatown, where old traditions conflict with the new, and Jonas gets caught up in a world of mysticism, a deadly family feud, and a potential underworld war. Author Gene Poschman brings a new slant to the noir hard-boiled detective by introducing him to a world out of his comfort zone and adding an exotic love interest.     To Purchase “The Case of the Jade Dragon” Click  Here   and travel by train, plane, and automobile to learn the fate of the Azure Dragon.

You're gonna love Charlie

I was told this was too
Amateurish and I shouldn't
do my own covers.

I found a man to create me a
cover and this was the result
I approved of.  I guess they
were right.

Murder in the Bayou!

New Orleans, the Crescent City... (It is the nineteen-thirties, New Orleans is not yet the Big Easy) An armed standoff between Louisiana State Troopers and New Orleans Police... An art swindle that will end in murder... Smugglers working the Bayou...
Jonas Watcher arrives to determine if a dead man is really dead. Someone is dogging him to make sure he doesn't find out. The investigation takes him from the French Quarter to its surrounding Bayou where Jonas discovers that all the criminals aren’t in the city. 
If he's going to stay alive, Jason will have to rely on “invisibles” that aren't his own and a Colt 44 that is.

“The Case of the Bourbon Street Hustler” is the second novel in the Jonas Watcher Detective Adventure series. The story is picked up from the first novel, though it stands on its own. Author, Gene Poschman, takes Jonas out of his element and drops him into the Crescent City during political turmoil between New Orleans police and Baton Rouge troopers. He mixes in an old love interest, the New Orleans underworld, and friends from San Francisco for a heady brew of murder, mystery, and mayhem.

Purchase “The Case of the Bourbon Street Hustler” HERE and take a journey back to the 1930s New Orleans and the Bayou, where the most dangerous reptiles walk on two legs. 

Oh, Charlie, you want to know about Charlie?

Smile Charlie, you're on Candid Camera.

To Be Continued...