Polo's Long Shot

Nick Polo is back in his eleventh adventure, once again helped along by his sidekick, the indomitable octogenarian self-described witch, Mrs. Damonte... Billionaire vintner Paul Bernier sets San Francisco ex-cop, ex-con, private eye Nick Polo off on a hunt to find a kukri, a priceless golden jewel-encrusted 14th century dagger, designed by the Emperor of India. The dagger has a long, bloody history, passing between war lords throughout the ages, including Saddam Hussain. The search has Polo bumping heads with Bernier's vindictive stepdaughter, his eccentric household staff, a Miami con man, a crooked private investigator, a drug dealing nightclub owner, a New York Mafia Don, and two viscous murderers. When all seems lost, Polo gets help from Mrs. Damonte, a self-described Strega, a witch, who believes that a day without a wake is like a day without sunshine. Praise for POLO'S LONG SHOT: "Nick Polo is the Saul Goodman of private investigators. He's charming, persuasive, immune to adversity, and just dirty enough to get the job done. He never ceases to amaze and, just when you think he's been bested, always produces an ace in the hole. Not since James Crumley's C. W. Sughrue have I so avidly rooted for a fictional character." -Jonathan Ashley, author of South of Cincinnati Praise for the Nick Polo mysteries: "A California PI himself, Kennealy captures some of the classic Hammett/Ross spirit in the Nick Polo series." -Publishers Weekly "Briskly written, and because Kennealy himself was a working private eye, most persuasive." -Philadelphia Inquirer "The Polo series all have a strong tradition of tight plotting, crisp dialogue, and self-deprecating humor." -Booklist "Kennealy writes crisply, brings alive the streets of San Francisco, and plots clearly and interestingly." -Washington Post "The writing is simple and direct, the action nonstop." -The New York Times