Edward Cline

Sleight of Hand: a Detective Novel of 1929 Edward Cline

Publisher Marketing: It is October 1929. The Roaring Twenties will end near the end of the month with the stock market crash heard round the world. . The nation will absorb the consequences of the crash with great difficulty over the next decade, exacerbated by government fiscal policies. However, in the wake of the coming economic catastrophe, Cyrus Skeen, private detective, scion of East Coast wealth, and a figure in San Francisco Society, is secure. He never bought on margin. Skeen has a reputation - some would say a notoriety - for justice and meting out rough desserts to crooks, criminals, and other realty-dodgers. This has made him admired by some, feared by others. Sharks, conmen, and scam artists approach him with caution, if they dare approach him at all. In this episode of Skeen's cases, he is invited by a new political party to stand for the office of Public Defender in next month's city election, a city office established to provide legal representation to the poor and indigent. He declines the invitation, but strange things keep happening, such as the curious death of the current Public Defender, and the odd behavior of the principals of the new party. Skeen's interest is piqued, and he begins to investigate, learning eventually that his clues lead all the way back to Wisconsin. Contributor Bio:  Cline, Edward Edward Cline: His first detective novel, First Prize, was published in 1988 by Mysterious Press/Warner Books, and republished by Perfect Crime Books in 2009. His first suspense novel, Whisper the Guns, was published in 1992 by The Atlantean Press. His Roaring Twenties detective series is published by the Patrick Henry Press. The Pickwick Affair is the seventh in that series. The Sparrowhawk series of historical novels has garnered critical acclaim and universal appreciation from the reading public. He writes regularly for such political and cultural blog sites as Rule of Reason, Capitalism Magazine, Family Security Matters, and numerous other print and Internet publications. Rational Scrutiny is his seventh nonfiction book.