Mike Downs Mysteries
Bobo’s Raid
1928 England
Count Reginald Bobrowski, dazed and bloody, sits down heavily. The speed record beast he was driving steams and groans, broken on the beach after the drive chain snapped nearly decapitating him.
Bobrowski, son of a wealthy Polish Count and an American heiress, lives in England with his wife Alexandra. Her pet name for the Count is Bobo, a name he finds most embarrassing. Bobo dabbles in racing cars and managing his myriad business interests.
On a lark he and his friend Clive Parry-Jones take their wives on a journey to the sands of the Sahara. After returning from the nearly disastrous trip Reggie meets a sinister Mr. S, head of a secret government department in London. S orders Reggie to go back to the Sahara to spy on a German expedition London thinks is seeking oil for their future war effort.
Reggie and Clive modify a Citroën Kégresse half-track ambulance into a lightly armored desert traveler to cross the treacherous Sahara sands. They load the Citroën aboard a cargo ship and endure a harrowing sea voyage to Algeria. At their base in Ouargla, they find more intrigue. S has sent a cunning, brutally deceptive female agent to control Reggie’s every move.
Reggie and Clive try to puzzle who is after what. The Germans roam the desert leaving death and angry Berbers in their wake. S's agent has an agenda of her own, and Bobrowski is caught in the crosshairs of both factions.
Is Reggie just a rich lay-a-about fop or can he and his friend Clive get the job done? Join them on a gritty tale of murder and deceit across the desert as the Count dodges death to seek the truth.
Bobo's Raid is available now here, and at most online booksellers.
The Artimus Box
A skeletal arm protruding from the rubble of a 70-year old building jumpstarts the case for LAPD detective Van Taylor. A bullet hole in the skull of the remains puts Van's retirement plans on hold. A box hidden under the skeleton contains an encoding machine made by Harry Artimus.
Van and his wife Kathy discover a fascinating world of early American racing. They discover Artimus, the genius behind the fastest racing cars of the 1920's and 1930's, was duped into designing a radical race car along with an encoding machine that could allow Germany to send unbreakable secret messages.
When a viscious gang leader kidnaps Van's wife as ransom for the box, Van finds murder and betrayal. Everyone is after the box that promises to hold a fantastic treasure.
Buckle your seat belt as Van races to save his wife and solve the seventy-year old murder.
Novac's Race
Jack Novac, Indy 500 winner, plans a new assault for the 1934 Championship with his two fabulous Miller front drive race cars. Then the rules change and his Millers are not eligible. When a retired army general offers to sponsor Jack on a barnstorming tour of Europe, Jack is unwillingly drawn into the intrigues brewing in pre-war Europe. The General sees Jack's show as a perfect cover for gaining access to manufacturing plants in Italy and Germany.
Jack breaks Europe's speed records, drawing record crowds. But murder and espionage seem to follow him around and everyone but Jack seems to think he's a spy. When a high-ranking Nazi official's wife disappears, Jack becomes his target for revenge. Jack thrills the crowds while racing to stay one step ahead of dying.
Join Jack Novac on his next adventure.
Novac's Run
After his stunning success at Monza, Mercedes offers Jack a test at the Nurburgring. While there, Jack meets Maddy Rosen, a sports journalist. He is captivated by her. His fanatical enemy, Count Von Steuben, pursues him throughout Germany, finally capturing him at the French Grand Prix. Find out how Jack and Maddy elude Von Steuben on their race across Europe.
