1939 LA gumshoe Johnny Spicer is on the case again. Hang on and enjoy the ride!

Private Investigator Johnny Spicer, ace LA gumshoe and sarcastic philosopher of life, is on the case again, this time at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco.

Walk alongside this intrepid detective through the streets of that bygone city on the bay. Smell the salt air and the not so savory scents of the wharves and warehouses. Don't forget to bring you '38, you're going to need it.

Danger and intrigue buzz around Johnny like bees around a hive. The simple case gets steadily more complicated and twisted and we root for our hero to find the clues and connect the dots. But what happens when there are more dots than you can connect?

Once again I enjoyed cruising the streets of San Francisco and Treasure Island with my pal Johnny, watching the street lights glitter and the ghostly fog roll in. Johnny is easy to talk to listens at the right times. Just ask the lady trombone player downstairs.

The dialog is spot on, dry, sparse and edgy. The plot keeps you guessing which character Johnny should watch out for and which are on his side. Even the FBI gets into the action. Or do they?

Join the fun. Grab your notebook and take lots of notes. You and Johnny Spicer are on the case again!

~Gary Henson (Amazon)

Enjoyable reading.

Enjoyable reading. Excellent period details. Best read in a comfortable chair with Arty Shaw playing softly in the background. (Neat, but not noted detail, that Spicer's 1938 Chrysler Royal coupe had the optional high compression head good for 102 hp. vs the standard 95 hp.)

~Charles Potter (Amazon)

I enjoy his writing so much I bought all of his books!

While I normally don't read fiction anymore, after reading my first H. P. Oliver book, I enjoyed his writing so much that I bought and read all of his books.

Johnny Spicer is a shamus that is after my own heart and in Pacifica, he stars in his first full length story.
I hope Johnny will be around more to share his adventures as a Private Investigator with a nose for trouble and beautiful women. One of the things I enjoyed most about Oliver's books is the fantastic description of Los Angeles and surrounding area in the late 1920's through the early 1940's.

Since I have read all the books, I am writing a review of each book, but some of the things I enjoyed about H. P. Oliver's writing will be mentioned again in each review.ved

~Les Cook (Amazon)

Rip-roaring Tale!

I loved hearing the lingo I grew up listening to! Did not stop reading until I made it through the whole book! An action-packed, fast-paced thriller! Thanks for the fun ride, HP!

~Diana S. Johnson (Amazon)

Fascinating Read!

Pacifica, another highly entertaining book by mystery author H. P. Oliver. A plot with many many unpredictable twists and turns that will keep the reader turning page after page unwilling to put the book down. Readers will not be able to second guess the outcome of the story, in spite of the fact that they may think they have done it. Delightful to reach the end of the story and find out that you were wrong all the while. Pleasant surprise, I say.

Oliver, in addition to being a great story teller, is a penultimate historian and quite accurately sets the stage for Johnny Spicer to work his detective magic against the backdrop of the 1939 World's Fair on Treasure Island, San Francisco, and other Bay Area cities. It adds another dimension of interest to the story, especially if you were born and raised in the area as I was. Discerning readers will not miss Oliver's knowledge of cars of the era either. Completely authentic in every detail.

Folks you're going to love this book. Well structured plot with plenty of suspense and action along the way that will keep you on the edge of your seat as well as guessing as to the outcome right up to the very end. Five stars.

~J. Crossley (Amazon)

H.P. has done it again!

Follow Private Detective, Johnny Spicer through the streets and World's Fair in San Fransisco. This is the first, and hopefully not last, full novel that takes Johnny and readers through quite an adventure. Full of twists and turns you're never able to guess the ending of the story until you actually read it! Chopped full of '30's lingo, amazing detective skills, and a few shootouts along the way, this one is tough to put down. A truly fantastic book. One of the many that H.P. Oliver has written.

~Shae (Amazon)

Entertaining mystery and informative history

PACIFICA is another Mystery in History from HPO, with an engaging plot and descriptive writing that encourages further exploration of people, places and objects from 1939 (at the time of this post, for example, Wikipedia has an excellent color map of the 1939 World's Fair that is easy to follow as characters move through the exposition). In addition, the author's fan site has a video and images that further expand on setting the scenes and adds visual clarity.

The historical details are always enjoyable in an HPO story, and this is no different. From the nametags worn by exposition employees to The City and moderately developed northern California locales and landmarks of 1939, the writing places the reader in the period and one can feel as if they are also experiencing the sights and sounds first hand.

Johnny Spicer fits the image of what one might expect of a top notch 1930's private investigator.... sarcastic with the authorities (and perhaps clients) who might not have his best interests in mind, suspicious when reviewing information from all sources, empathetic at times and smart enough to know when to partner with the authorities to achieve the desired end results. He gets in binds, takes some lumps, but stays on the case with determination. I look forward to seeing the character develop in future novels as he works through each case.

I figured out the ending three or four times while reading the novel, and of course, typical with HPO, I was wrong...the plot changes direction and leads the reader closer to the truth, but not entirely, until all of the nuances tie together at the end.

PACIFICA is an entertaining mystery novel as well as a 70-year trip back in time.

~LVReader (Amazon)

Pacifica

Johnny Spicer narrates his own story in 30's style detective lingo and within a few sentences readers are transported to 1939 San Francisco standing next to Spicer. The story grabs readers on page one with its detail and presentation. It lets go at "The End."

I rescheduled a golf outing to finish this book. Pacifica is very entertaining with healthy doses of action and suspense that are appropriately seasoned with humor. Suspense drives the reader to keep turning the pages. The reader gets a few short rest stops. Great story telling!

~Brad Andes (Amazon)