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218 pages

English

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This is the second in the current series of Will James mystery novels, this time, the anti- establishment private investigator and his crew are asked to help unravel a mystery that begins in a Brooklyn antique store and ends in the most unlikely of locations.

Every Sunday morning, precisely at 10:30 sharp, there is an auction held in a sparsely furnished back room of Better Times Remembered, a small neighborhood antique store in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Albert Froog, the owner of the store and self declared auctioneer, personally chooses the items for each week's auction. Generally these items are fairly ordinary but become more interesting because of the back story he is able to weave around them. At times there is even a speck of truth in the story he tells.

At this particular Sunday morning auction, one of the items he offers up is a prohibition era permit in a battered old wooden frame authorizing the manufacture of alcohol. It was one of many items he acquired in an estate purchase. On his inventory sheet he has assigned a value of 50 cents to one dollar for this item because so many similar permits were issued during prohibition and the frame is of little or no value.

Hoping he will wind up with something between 50 cents and a dollar he starts the bidding at $2.00.

To his surprise and amazement two separate people quickly bid the price up to $100,000.

"Who would pay $100,000 for this piece of junk?" Froog asks himself. "What do they know that I don't?"

When the head of the New York Mafia family also shows interest in the item Froog becomes doubly convinced that he really has a hidden treasure on his hands. If you think you know how this will all end you are so very, very wrong.

As with all Will James Mysteries, the numerous twists and turns will keep you reading and guessing until the very last page.

Sujets

Historical

Fiction

Informations

Publié par	eBookIt.com
Date de parution	14 juin 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781945211041
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	2 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0500€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The Hidden Treasure Files

by Martin Herman

The Hidden Treasure Files

…A WILL JAMES MYSTERY

Copyright ©2016 Martin Herman
ISBN-13: 9781945211041

ALSO BY MARTIN HERMAN
The Jefferson Files
The Jefferson Files - - the expanded edition

Published in eBook format by:

521 Simsbury Road, Bloomfield, CT 06002

Converted by http://www.eBookIt.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photo-copy, recording, or any other – except brief quotation in reviews, without the prior permission of the author or publisher.

This book is historic fiction – This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Acknowledgements
When you spend much of your life writing fiction for your own amusement – as I have – it is a true eye-opener when one day you find that others are interested in reading what you have written. My first published novel resulted in such an interesting series of events for me. First, the lovely Lora Chan, single-handedly sold about 100 copies of my first novel, The Jefferson Files to virtually every person she came across. Her conversation starter went from, “Do you read mysteries?” to “Would you like me to ask him to autograph it for you?” before most of those nice people even knew it, they had actually purchased a book.

Then there was the book launch party that my daughter, Aimee, threw for me in Brooklyn. Family and friends – many of the friends who attended that evening were my daughter’s – and all who attended were supportive. These wonderful people not only came and listened to what I had to say, but also purchased copies of my novel. Some may even have read it!

Then came the exposure on Amazon.com… it was like being the subject of a worldwide party line.

I am so appreciative of professionals like Carol Lennig, Librarian, Adult Services, Prosser Public Library, Bloomfield, Connecticut, who was the first public librarian to purchase my novel for her library; she placed The Jefferson Files into both Bloomfield, Connecticut Library branches. This is my home town library which made this particular placement so special for me.

Subsequently I was permitted to speak and sign copies of my book as part of a new author’s night at the North Haven, Barnes & Noble store. Thank you, Bianca Bancroft, Community Business Development Manager…

Closely followed by a radio interview on WESU – Middletown, Connecticut – thank you, Donovan Longmore and Yvonne Davis…

And that warm and supportive reception during the Bloomfield Book Fair, where I was permitted to read passages from my novel and sign copies; thank you Marie Robinson…

At the Bloomfield Book Fair I met the hard working and very effective June Hyjek. June was the President of the Connecticut chapter of APSS, a writer’s group, at the time. As an APSS member I had numerous opportunities to present my novel to many new audiences. It was June Hyjek who tenaciously fought the politicians in Hartford and didn’t stop until the Governor declared September 1 st , 2015 as Connecticut Author’s Day, proving once again that the right man for a job is more often than not, a woman!

All of that happened just around the time I turned 75. Imagine starting a new chapter in life at 75?

What a treat this all has been.

Fortunately, my first novel, almost 10 years in the making, enjoyed surprisingly steady sales; leading to the writing of this second novel – this time in only 5 months; I have so enjoyed this newest chapter in my life and now that I am hooked, I hope to continue writing for as many more days as I may still have on this earth.

Hopefully, there will be readers who will continue to want to read what I write.
To Alan Pepper…
Alan was one of the principal continuity editors for this book – not because he decided to be a book editor in his latest incarnation but because he is an avid reader and is and has been a very special friend of mine. His thorough and precise notes and follow up questions along with his intelligent suggestions helped make this a far better “read” than the 13 th re-write I first shared with him.

Alan is known throughout the music world and a fair share of New York’s general population as one of the two founders of New York’s legendary The Bottom Line , in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. For almost 30 years The Bottom Line was “the” go to venue for new and established performers – the place many first discovered Bruce Springsteen and K D Lang… where Prince appeared as did Dolly Parton and Billie Joel as well as Aaron Copeland. Where Richard Price read from the galleys of his book, Clockers … where Lou Reed recorded the album Live: Take No Prisoners , and where Harry Chapin held his 2000th concert.

It was where I learned to appreciate Handel’s Messiah through the Bottom Line’s creative version, the Downtown Messiah . Where I watched, with more than a few mixed emotions, one of Soupy Sales’s last performances… saw Ringo Starr light up the stage during a rare late night surprise appearance; where I first discovered how great a guitarist Janis Ian was; and where I rediscovered the Jefferson Airplane and David Johansen, (aka Buster Poindexter).

If you enjoy this mystery– as I hope you will – you can thank Alan.
The Hidden Treasure Files by Martin Herman
Thi s i s th e secon d i n th e curren t serie s o f Wil l Jame s m y ster y novels , thi s time , th e antiestablishmen t privat e investigato r an d hi s cre w ar e aske d t o hel p unrave l a myster y tha t begin s i n a Brookly n antiqu e stor e an d end s i n th e mos t unlikel y o f locations.
Ever y Sunda y morning , precisel y a t 10:3 0 sharp , ther e is a n auctio n hel d i n a sparsel y furnis h e d bac k roo m o f Better Time s Remembered , a smal l neighborhoo d antiqu e store i n th e Williamsbur g sectio n o f Brooklyn . Alber t Froog , th e owne r o f th e stor e an d sel f declare d auctioneer , personally choose s th e item s fo r eac h week’ s auction . Generall y these item s ar e fairl y ordinar y bu t becom e mor e interestin g becaus e o f th e bac k stor y h e i s abl e t o weav e aroun d them . At time s ther e i s eve n a spec k o f trut h i n th e stor y h e tells.
A t thi s particula r Sunda y mornin g auction , on e o f th e items h e offer s u p i s a pro h ibitio n er a permi t i n a battere d old woode n fram e authorizin g th e manufactur e o f alcohol . It wa s on e o f man y item s h e acquire d i n a n estat e purchase. O n hi s inventor y shee t h e ha s assigne d a valu e o f 5 0 cents t o on e dolla r fo r thi s ite m becaus e s o man y simila r permits wer e issue d durin g pro h ibitio n an d th e fram e i s o f littl e or n o value.
Hopin g h e wil l win d u p wit h somet h in g betwee n 5 0 cents an d a dolla r h e start s th e biddin g a t $2.00.
T o hi s surpris e an d amazemen t tw o separat e peopl e quickl y bi d th e pric e u p t o $100,000.
“Wh o woul d pa y $100,00 0 fo r thi s piec e o f junk? ” Froog ask s himself . “Wha t d o the y kno w tha t I don’t ? ”
W h e n t h e h ea d o f t h e Ne w Yor k Mafi a famil y als o s h ows interes t i n th e ite m Froo g become s doubl y convince d that h e reall y ha s a hidde n treasur e o n hi s hands.
I f yo u thin k yo u kno w ho w thi s wil l al l en d yo u ar e s o very , ver y wrong.
As with all Will James Mysteries, the numerous twists and turns will keep you reading and guessing until the very last page.
Part 1

Chapter 1
Better Times Remembered , a neighborhood antique store in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, was opened in the summer of 1940 by Evelyn Zaleson, who lovingly built the business into a major financial success.

She was an avid reader and for her ninth birthday asked for and received a complete set of Compton’s Encyclopedia. Earlier that year, Evelyn had been diagnosed with scarlet fever and not given much of a chance for a complete recovery. The family saved and sacrificed for many months before and after the purchase in order to make her birthday wish come true; her mother, four brothers and three sisters did whatever they could to make her comfortable and when the doctors all but gave up, her family set out to prove the doctors wrong. Their love and attention helped move her almost completely back to better health. Meanwhile, Evelyn read each and every volume of her very own copy of the Compton Encyclopedia, page by page – some sections over and over again. Through its pages she learned about the world and much of what it had to offer. Her Compton education served her well for the rest of her life. The many facts she retained helped her to establish her store’s reputation for more interesting antiques. She used her knowledge of history and geography and developed a lifelong interest in various kinds of memorabilia and popular types of collectibles. Eventually, she developed an ability to buy and sell truly unique items.

Evelyn also had a natural talent for creating interesting window and in-store displays that seemed to spark an I must have that reaction from area shoppers. But the real secret of the store’s success was how universally pleasant the experience was for buyers and browsers – as well as those who just came in out of the rain.

Each and everyone who entered the store was treated with the same level of courtesy and personalized attention. From the fresh pot of coffee, to plates of freshly baked cookies, and the information – freely shared. If Evelyn didn’t know the answer to a question she said so, and then did the research and quickly reported back.

When