Showing results by author "Bill Bernico" in All Categories

A publishing company wants to do a book the entire Cooper clan, starting with Matt. The publisher also has a movie deal lined up after the book is released. The Coopers' private lives will soon become public-very public. Things heat up during the interview process when Clay lets some family secrets slip out and they end up in the book. Meanwhile, Clay, Elliott and Gloria enlist retired police lieutenant Dean Hollister's help in tracking down the man who killed Gloria's father more than three years earlier.

Cooper Five-Pack consists of the following short stories: "051 - Revenge Never Expires," "052 - Head Shot," "062 - Classified Information," "065 - The Best Offense," and "066 - Jack The Stripper."

Matt's single again but he's not on the prowl for another woman. He's mugged on his way home from the movies, stabbed, shot and left for dead. Has Amy had enough? What will become of them as a couple? The answers are all right here in this 35th installment of Matt Cooper, Private Eye.

Cooper Times Three consists of three related short stories.

Matt Cooper's back...somewhat. That is, his son and grandson open the story at Matt's graveside, paying their respects to the legendary detective. It's now 2012 and Matt's been dead for ten years. His son, Clay and grandson, Elliott now run Cooper Investigations and they're hot on a double murder case.

The bodies are piling up around Los Angeles and Matt's on the case. The victims all seem to have one thing in common - Mother Goose. Each victim has a name similar to the name in the nursery rhymes and they are finding their demise much the same as the Mother Goose characters. Can Matt stay ahead of this killer and try to figure out who his next victim will be? He has to work fast.

Matt's story jumps ahead to 1971, where his 21-year-old son, Clay, joins him in the family business. Matt and Clay are off to a rousing start as they are hired by an underworld figure to help him surrender to the authorities, because he's afraid he'll be killed before he gets to say his piece in court. Clay's going to learn the hard way that the job is not as easy as he thought it might be. Murder is never easy.

L.A.P.D. Lt. Eric Anderson recommends Elliott to his friend, arson investigator Ron Harper. Ron needs help tracking down to arson suspects. Elliott is busy spending time with his now 15-year-old son, Matt and decides to take him along on his case, rather than leave him home alone. Matt gets a first-hand look at his dad's job from the inside, but was this a mistake? Matt could get hurt here.

Mark Martin rose up in the ranks of his company fast - a little too fast to suit some of his fellow employees. Mark markets adult diapers and is about to hold the sales presentation of his career. Will he land the new account, or is he all wet?

Life in the nursing home is boring, so you decide to just wander away one day in search of adventure and excitement. You find a golf cart that someone has left nearby, while they search for their lost ball. It's your ticket to freedon and you drive away with the cops not far behind on your trail. Not exactly a high-speed chase scenario, but you still leave chaos in your wake. It's a day the rest of the town will remember. You've left your mark, and now it's nap time.

Crime Never Pays runs 1 hour and 57 minutes and consists of the following short 10 short stories: "A Perfect Match," "Cellblock," "Cocaine," "Dog Day Morning," "Is It Safe?," "Loan Shark," "New On The Job," "Stella And The Chief," "The Fish Tie Strangler," and "Trick Or Treat."

Lieutenant Dean Hollister asked private eye Clay Cooper to assist him on a stakeout job. Dean's trying to get the goods on a hired killer named Aldo Renatti. So far he's been unsuccessful but he has one more trick up his sleeve and with Clay's help, he must just be able to nab this ruthless assassin...and his little dog, too.

Raymond Chandler would turn over in his grave if he ever heard this one. It is my tribute to the man who gave us classic novels like The Big Sleep, Farewell My Lovely, Red Wind, Trouble Is My Business and scores of other noir stories from the 30s and 40s. In this story, Philip Harlowe (no relation to Jean) is hot on a case, tracking down a valuable object. Chandler fans will no doubt recognize this as a satire and a parody to the above mentioned Chandler stories.

Nothing exciting ever happened to Melissa Berkley. It was time to try to change that, she thought. She stood on the stern of the ship looking out at the horizon. Most of the other passengers stayed inside, or sat on the deck chairs with something to read. Melissa had something to read herself, even if it was just a short note on a post card that read: "To whomever finds this bottle: I dropped it overboard in the middle of Lake Michigan on this, the third day of September 1997. If you find it, please mail this post card back to me and let me know where you found it."

Every community, including Delbert, Alabama, has its share of bullies. Jasper McKeever was the local bully and everyone knew they'd better give a wide berth to Jasper wherever he went. Jasper comes upon a roadside fireworks stand and requisitions, shall we say, his share of explosives. Now, what will he do with them? Will he terrorize the citizens of Delbert? Or will he keep this entertainment all to himself? Find out as Jasper meets his match.

It's been decades since the beatings and harassment and the humiliation of this high school bully, yet here he was big as life standing right in front of you at the car rental counter. You may never get this chance again. Go for it. Tell him what a jerk he was and how you'd like to punch his lights out. You jump over the counter, ready to exact your vengeance but you stop. Your bully is supporting himself on two crutches and he has braces on both legs. Now what? You can't very well beat up a cripple. Or can you?

Gloria and Elliott are on their way to Las Vegas to get married, but will they make it? A lot of things can happen between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. To make matters more hectic, they've just taken on two new cases. How to fit it all in?

Jeff could see the lettering on the side of the armored truck as it made a wide left turn on the street just ahead of his own car. He pushed down on the turn signal arm and followed, not because he wanted to, but because he happened to be going that way, too. Jeff grabbed the radio knob and twisted, looking for a clear signal. Keeping one eye on the road and the other on the dial, he turned until a song came in clear and strong.

Here are thirteen short Cooper Stories compiled into one novella.

Is it possible to scare someone to death? Absolutely. And that's just what this pair of killers is doing so as not to leave any traces of trauma on the victims. Each death appears to be caused by a heart attack. Why does Elliott NOT want to get involved in this case, now that his business is called Cooper and Son again? The answers are all right here in this 122nd installment of the four generations of Coopers in the private eye business.