THE CURSE OF THE PUZZLED PI... Sometime San Francisco private investigator Paul Mcdonald wears lots of hats: ex-reporter, struggling mystery writer, devoted cat owner, and friend to a number of shady characters--who tend to get him into trouble. Paul’s not so much hard-boiled as smart-mouthed (in a highly charming way!)--and broke. But this time his $55 an hour fee leads from investigating a friendly burgling-by-acquaintance to a brutal murder. An Aztec sculpture of questionable origin has gone missing, leaving a wake of misfortune that seems to point to a curse: psychotropic drugs, pre-Columbian art, sacrificial maidens… Paul traces the statue to a South of Market loft at the intersection of the international art world and a cult devoted to the revival of the Aztec religion.WHO WILL LIKE IT: Fans of CASTLE, MURDER SHE WROTE, even ELLERY QUEEN will enjoy this fast-paced and funny take on the mystery-writer-as-detective. As will people who like their male sleuths wry, witty, and a little on the soft-boiled side—fans of Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings, say, Tony Dunbar’s Tubby Dubonnet, Gregory Mcdonald’s Fletch (this Mcdonald, it's worth noting, is Paul’s personal hero), Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr, and especially Rex Stout’s Archie Goodwin. Female sleuths with a sense of humor remind us of him too—for instance, Criminal Minds’ Penelope Garcia and the immortal Amelia Peabody (of whom he’d be terrified if they ever met).
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