Two Thursdays
(The Adventures of Hitchcock Brown)
by C.
Martin Stepp
Two Thursdays
is the second book in The Adventures of Hitchcock Brown series. Be sure to check out my blog post on the first book in the series, Walking
Backwards.
Description
Hitchcock Brown is a
private investigator. In Two Thursdays, the Chief of police asks him for his help routing out a
major drug problem in Cincinnati. It’s a problem which may involve members of
his own department. They both learn it involves a lot more than that.
As the story
develops, Brown finds himself becoming involved with seedy police informants, a
crooked cop, a prison inmate and a roadie for a rock band that everyone calls
“Knucklehead.” The novel builds to a fantastic conclusion which involves a
myriad of characters. Throughout the book, Hitchcock Brown manages to maintain
his wry sense of humor.
Excerpt
Grildpork told me where I could find Eyepod. I drove to Bond Hill and
found him right where he told me he would be. Eyepod was sitting on the edge of
a small parking lot next to an empty office building. Eyepod wasn’t a drug
dealer. He made his money directing users to dealers and then turning around
and informing the cops about the users. I don’t think he was smart enough to
figure out that the first user that got out of prison in ten years was going to
kill him. If he had been smart enough to figure that out he would have gotten
out of town by now. Today he was sitting quietly, nodding his head to the music
playing in his ears.
I walked up to him from behind and smacked him smartly on the back of the
head. I hit him so hard, the left ear bud of his music player popped out of his
ear. Eyepod swung around with his feet right in front of me. I stood on his
left ankle with most of my weight. Eyepod pulled the right ear bud out and
said: “What do you want asshole?” I shifted my weight and ground his ankle into
the asphalt as hard as I could. Eyepod started flailing his arms and screaming.
Without getting off his ankle, I leaned over and backhanded him across the
face, hard. He stopped screaming and started whimpering. I stood there on his
ankle with a look on my face that said: “I’ll hit you again if I have to.” I
think the message had been delivered.
“You’re going to tell me all about Bevan.” I said. I punctuated that
short sentence with a little extra push on Eyepod’s left ankle.
He said: “Okay, okay. Stop killing my foot, okay?” I stepped off his
ankle and took a stance like a cop to let him know I wasn’t about to just let
him run off. Between the look on my face and the way I was standing I think
Eyepod got that message too. He tucked his left foot in and started rubbing his
ankle. I thought I detected some tears coming to his eyes. Eyepod looked up at
me and said: “Bevan is crazy. That fucking cop is supposed to be cleaning up
the streets. I don’t think the police department wanted him to get coke off the
street by snorting it all himself. Bevan is just about the craziest cop
I ever met before today. You have that prize now.”
I ever met before today. You have that prize now.”
I just started laughing and said: “Look son. I am not a cop. If I was a
cop, the amount of hell that I could bring down on you would be limited. I do
have some friends who are cops. One of them would probably let me walk if I
mashed your face into this warm asphalt right now. One of my other cop friends
is the one Bevan is trying to set up. You are going to help me prevent that.”
Eyepod started crying again. Between his tears he sniveled out: “Bevan’s
gonna kill me if I tell!” I placed my left foot on his right ankle. I didn’t
put any weight on it, but I think Eyepod understood that I was going to hurt
him again if he didn’t tell. Eyepod looked up at me with a kind of weepy frown.
He said: “I don’t know what he’s up to mister. I told you he was crazy. I
hooked him up with a dealer. I haven’t heard from him since. I was hoping he
would just leave me alone. I don’t want to be involved with any crazy cops.”
I took my foot off Eyepod’s right ankle and said: “You don’t want to be
involved with any crazy private investigators either.” I was pretty sure I had
gotten most of whatever story Eyepod had to tell. I asked him who the dealer
was that he had hooked Bevan up with. Eyepod started shaking and crying again.
I took two steps closer to him just to let him know I expected an answer.
Eyepod sniveled out a name.
Review
By Audrey
"Send lawyers,
guns and money" was the song refrain that drifted through my head as I
tried to write a title for this review. "Former prosecuting attorney"
Hitchcock Brown is back and he's on the trail all pimped out in 70s garb while
undercover. The Chief has asked him to help investigate a possible bad cop
before Internal Affairs gets wind of things. We follow Brown as he slips in and
out, trying to decide if the man is a good cop or a bad cop. We eat salad,
drink coffee, and follow him in and out of music venues.
It's an interesting
peek behind the scenes of the workings of a rock band. Brown plays at being a
record producer to make contacts that will aid in his goal. At times you wonder
if he really needed to go that far, but it's fun and the characters are
colorful.
C. Stepp is a writer
with a penchant for following through on details like the final appearance of a
White Hummer that ended up with damage from grocery carts ramming into its
side. The previously mentioned guns and money are present in the climax of the
story, along with the anticipated appearance of cocaine (cue the Clapton song).
The book was a little bit of fun told by Hitchcock Brown himself in his humble
style.
About the Author
C. Martin Stepp is a new author currently residing in Jupiter, Florida.
He is working on a series of humorous detective novels featuring private
investigator Hitchcock Brown. Walking Backwards and Two Thursdays are currently published. A third novel, Deadbolt, is in the works and should be published soon.
While writing has sometimes been a hobby for Craig, it has always been a
passion. Having his work professionally published has always been a dream. Join
the dream, share the passion. Read the books!
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