"It's the week before Christmas in Tinsel Town, and the Edgerton Mall isn't exactly full of holiday cheer, despite its two Santas. The mall is a fossil of an industry in decline; many of its stores are closed, and to make matters worse, there is a rampant shoplifting problem. Enter burglar Junior Bender, the unwilling fixer for LA's various underworld bosses. The murderous Russian gangster who owns the mall hires Junior to look into the shoplifting problem for him. But Junior's surveillance operation doesn't go well: within two days, two people are dead. It's obvious that shoplifting is the least of the mall's problems. Meanwhile, Junior must confront his own deep-seated melancholy at the very notion of Christmas--both present and past"-- - (Baker & Taylor)
It’s three days until Christmas and Junior Bender, Hollywood’s fast-talking fixer for the felonious, is up to his ears in shopping mall Santas, Russian mobsters, desperate holiday shoppers and (’tis the season) murder. This gorgeous gold-foiled hardcover makes the perfect gift and is the ideal introduction to Timothy Hallinan’s laugh-out-loud Junior Bender mystery series. - (Baker & Taylor)
Hired by a murderous Russian gangster to look into a rampant shoplifting problem at the Edgerton Mall, Junior's operation is complicated by two murders and his own melancholy about Christmas. - (Baker & Taylor)
<b><b>"Burglar Junior Bender may just be our favorite literary P.I."—<i>Entertainment Weekly</i></b><br><br>It’s three days until Christmas and Junior Bender, Hollywood’s fasttalking fixer for the felonious, is up to his ears in shopping mall Santas, Russian mobsters, desperate holiday shoppers, and (’tis the season) murder.</b><br><br>The halls are decked, the deck is stacked, and here comes that jolly old elf. Junior Bender, divorced father of one and burglar extraordinaire, finds himself stuck inside the Edgerton Mall, and not just as a last-minute shopper (though he is that too). Edgerton isn’t exactly the epicenter of holiday cheer, despite its two Santas, canned Christmas music, chintzy bows, and festive lights. The mall is a fossil of an industry in decline; many of its stores are closed, and to make matters worse, there is a rampant shoplifting problem.<br><br>The murderous Russian mobster who owns the place has decided it takes a thief to catch a thief and hires Junior—under threat—to solve the shoplifting problem for him. But Junior’s surveillance operation doesn’t go well: as Christmas Eve approaches, two people are dead and it’s obvious that shoplifting is the least of the mall’s problems. To prevent further deaths, possibly including his own, Junior must confront his dread of Christmas—both present and past. - (Random House, Inc.)