The Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation - Hardcover

Olsen, Jack

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312183623 ISBN 13: 9780312183622

Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL, 1998

Synopsis

A series of bizarre deaths in the San Francisco area in 1994 is chronicled through the eyes of a flamboyant private investigator hired to find the killer of these elderly, well-to-do victims, a suspect believed to be a member of a gypsy family.

About this title

Review:

Jack Olsen's Hastened to the Grave: The Gypsy Murder Investigation features a delightful hero: a female private investigator who calls herself "Rat Dog Dick." Rat Dog relies on an ancient Everex 286 computer (Evil Evie), a Toyota Tercel (The Frog Prince) that is so outrageously green it's useless for surveillance, and a big, funny-looking dog (Beans). She is probably the best skip tracer (someone who finds people) in San Francisco. Once she gets her teeth into the "Foxglove" case--several old people who dwindle and die quickly after being "befriended" by a local Gypsy family--the fact that she has no client to pay her for her work is just not an issue. The police are ignoring clear evidence of elder abuse, and Rat Dog is outraged. We follow every step of her adventures as she learns a whole lot about Gypsies and turns into a fierce advocate for the elderly.

Jack Olsen's prose style is supple and engaging, with funny dialogue and colorful characters worthy of an Elmore Leonard novel. His observations about people (especially women) are priceless, and his account of Gypsy crime and police negligence is balanced and thought-provoking. Hastened to the Grave is a true crime classic by a master at the top of his form. --Fiona Webster

From the Publisher:

"A jaw-dropping true account." --The New York Times Book Review

"Jack Olsen's particular gift is the ability to illuminate the souls of his characters." --Jonathan Kellerman

About this edition

• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0312183623
• ISBN 13: 9780312183622
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296