Hello Again by Stan Schatt © 2016; ISBN 978-1-533182-87-6; 256 pages
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO – This is both a detective mystery and a dip into the waters of the paranormal. One of the main characters, Bill Eisner, is a Jewish owner of a coffee shop, which offers “Good Karma” free table service and food to the homeless.
But “good karma” is not Eisner’s own fate, at least not through much of this fast-reading novel, which is set in San Diego.
At a 5-minute fast dating meet-up at the San Diego Convention Center, Bill encounters Amber, who is so beautiful – a “10” – he expects her to reject him, as he rates himself only a “6.”
But Amber, who is very secretive about her intentions and her past, gives him her telephone number, and much to his delight, they are soon dating. But she is very evasive about many things—her work, where she lives, and even tells him that she that attended college at UCSD, whereas she had been a student at SDSU.
Sorry to say, Amber is murdered- blown to bits in a car explosion—and the rest of the story is a whodunit. It takes an unusual twist when Bill starts receiving text messages from Amber, even though the police are definite that it was her body from which their forensic investigators found traces.
Could it be that Amber really is calling to Bill from beyond death’s door?
For San Diegans, the book provides an extra measure of fun as author Schatt, who lives in Encinitas, describes some local venues.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com. Comments intended for publication in the space below MUST be accompanied by the letter writer’s first and last name and by his/ her city and state of residence (city and country for those outside the United States.)