Deadline: 2 A.M.

Robert L. Fish

Jun 2015 · The Lieutenant Reardon Mysteries Book 4 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

To save a fellow cop, a detective is asked to free a hardened thug 

For most of his life, Pop Holland has carried a .38 revolver. This afternoon, when he retired from the San Francisco police department, he said goodbye to the gun forever. But when he steps into his car on the way to his retirement party, he feels the familiar shape of a .38 pressed to his neck. The gun cuts into his skin, and blood runs down his back. Another man gets into the car, handcuffs Holland’s hands and feet, and takes him into the night.
 
A half hour later, homicide lieutenant James Reardon sips cognac, waiting for Pop to arrive at the party. The phone rings, and the kidnappers whisper the news: They have Pop, and he will be dead by morning if Reardon disobeys their instructions. They are willing trade Holland for one of their own, a criminal who deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars. To save one life, Reardon must contemplate putting countless others at risk.

Deadline: 2 A.M. is the 4th book in the Lieutenant Reardon Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

About the author

Robert L. Fish, the youngest of three children, was born on August 21, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended the local schools in Cleveland and went to Case University (now Case Western Reserve), from which he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. He married Mamie Kates, also from Cleveland, and together they have two daughters. Fish worked as a civil engineer, traveling and moving throughout the United States. In 1953 he was asked to set up a plastics factory in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and his family moved to Brazil, where they remained for nine years. He played golf and bridge in the little spare time he had. One rainy weekend in the late 1950s, when the weather prohibited him from playing golf, he sat down and wrote a short story that he submitted to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. When the story was accepted, Fish continued to write short stories. In 1962 he returned to the United States; he took one year to write full time and then returned to engineering and writing. His first novel, The Fugitive, won an Edgar Award for Best First Mystery. When his health prevented him from pursuing both careers, Fish retired from engineering and spent his time writing. His published works include more than forty books and countless short stories. Mute Witness was made into a movie starring Steve McQueen.
 
Fish died February 23, 1981, at his home in Connecticut. Each year at the annual Mystery Writers of America dinner, a memorial award is presented in his name for the best first short story. This is a fitting tribute, as Fish was always eager to assist young writers with their craft.