{"product_id":"9781498975926","title":"The Man with the Crooked Eye -- A Rafe Velez Mystery (Rafe Velez Mysteries, #1)","description":"\u003cp\u003eA not-so-simple cheating boyfriend investigation turns into murder and robbery. Plus, there's a $250,000 lottery payoff up for grabs -- if somebody is willing to cover up a piece of evidence. A one hour Short Read.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRafe Velez is a fictional character, based on a real person alive today. One thing you can be sure of: you will never, ever guess who he actually is!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a private investigator, Rafe dealt with decades of crime, divorce, death and depravity – and barely broke even. Pushing 50, he had a few extra pounds around the middle, a sprinkling of gray hair and a cynical view of life, relieved only by a deadpan sense of humor. All of that changed one day, thanks to a windfall he didn't expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnter the world of the Rafe Velez Mysteries: intrigue, suspense, mystery, crime and a cast of characters taken from real life (and changed just enough to protect their identities – at least, until the statute of limitations expires). Enter into the mind of a man whose life is an open book – that should be suppressed!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeet his friends, frenemies and frequent locations for his adventures:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e• Detectives Toole and Williams, Robbery\/Homicide's finest – said nobody, never.\u003cbr\u003e• Harpo, a stray dog that wandered into his life and has a great sense of humor.\u003cbr\u003e• Jean Smalls, the first woman in a long time who threatens to take his bachelor card.\u003cbr\u003e• Keith Verdi, electrical contractor, who has other talents – and secrets.\u003cbr\u003e• Momo Argento, the semi-retired Don of a crime family, who keeps a hand in the game.\u003cbr\u003e• The Greasy Spoon restaurant, a real tribute to truth in advertising.\u003cbr\u003e• The Shiny Penny, your soon-to-be-favorite dive bar.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e...and a motley crew of clients and suspects. Expect surprises: not every client is on the right side of the law and not every suspect is guilty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou won't always know what's going on in the minds of the supporting characters. You will always know exactly what Rafe is thinking – unless he's not thinking at all!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscover The Rafe Velez Mysteries. No, really, go ahead! PG Rated -- no four letter words or explicit sex, but if you read between the lines...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AB Stonebridge","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46560125321457,"sku":"9781498975926","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/5433\/7265\/files\/9781498975926_p0.jpg?v=1765545923","url":"https:\/\/shop.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781498975926","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","version":"1.0","type":"link"}