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OMNIBUS is a collection of fifteen captivating short stories crafted by H. P. Oliver on a canvas of the American saga from the late 19th Century through today. Genres range from mysteries to romantic thrillers, all painted in authentic period color with fascinating locations populated by convincing people. In addition the paperback edition is illustrated with location and character photographs.

Set in Hollywood during the glory days of the silent film era, SILENTS is a mystery from history with all the action and drama that made Tinsel Town the motion picture capital of the world Lillian Lawrence, the brightest new star in the firmament of Hollywood, is found shot to death in her room at the prestigious Hollywood Hotel only days after she announces plans to leave motion pictures for the less glamorous roles of wife and mother. Lillian's many studio friends and her legions of fans across America are all asking the same question: Who could have perpetrated such a dastardly deed?That's exactly what Los Angeles Police Department detectives Robert Winfield and C. K. Mackie are determined to find out as they travel down the glittering boulevards and through the dimly lit back allies of Hollywood in search of the one person who would profit from the death of Lillian Lawrence. What the detectives discover as SILENTS reveals the twists and turns of its plot will leave you as baffled as they are.Then the detectives catch a break in the case that brings Lillian Lawrence's killer to justice . . . or does it? In typical H. P. Oliver fashion, this thriller's final solution will come as a shock to all but the sharpest fans of mysteries in history

Set against a backdrop of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, Hollywood gumshoe Johnny Spicer's first novel length caper plunges him into the depths of international intrigue where he becomes entangled in multiple webs of conspiracy and deception. Walk a tightrope of suspense with Spicer as he chases conflicting clues and dodges deadly foreign agents in a case where nothing-and everything-is what it seems to be.

JOHNNY SPICER IS BACK In his second novel-length caper, H. P. Oliver's wise-cracking Hollywood gumshoe tackles a mystery from history right in his own backyard when studio boss Jack Warner calls Johnny in to find out who is sabotaging the production of a film on the Warner Bros. Burbank lot. With a cast of characters that reads like a 1930s Hollywood Who's Who and a plot with more dangerous curves than a sound stage full of Goldwyn Girls, REVOLVER takes you on a deadly tour of Tinsel Town hotspots as Johnny describes the investigation in his own unique style. REVOLVER will keep you guessing who dunnit right along with Johnny until the final action-packed chapters

Nineteen-thirty-seven was a hell of a year for news. Japan invaded China, Amelia Earhart began her 'round-the-world flight, the Hindenburg blew up, and the people of San Francisco were listening to the crime story of the decade on their radios. The man they were all listening to was Parker Atkins.Atkins, the news reporter at station KDG, witnesses the hit-and-run murder of a young San Francisco socialite. He sets out to find the woman's killer, but the deeper Atkins digs, the stranger the case becomes.At the bottom of it all he uncovers a bizarre blackmail scheme concocted by a gang of cold-blooded killers. Suddenly the situation becomes a horrifying matter of life and death when Atkins' girlfriend is kidnapped with the dead woman's sister.As a decorated former LAPD homicide detective, Parker Atkins has the skills to solve the case and save the kidnapped women, but as a former drunk, does he have the nerve to see it through? A bloody climax in the wilds of Marin County tells the tale. Goodnight San Francisco is classic H. P. Oliver from start to finish

A romance that changed movie history, an action packed thriller, and a suspense-filled mystery all rolled into one epic motion picture saga told as only H. P. Oliver could tell it Pass through the famous Paramount Bronson gate and meet the movie makers and the stars they made famous. Travel to the locations used in filming William Wellman's Wings just as if you were a member the cast or crew. You may even find yourself wondering if Winging IT is fact or fiction. You decide, but don't forget this is Hollywood.

It all started on a hot and unusually muggy day in L.A. That's when Miss Frump knocked on the door to Johnny Spicer's office in the First National Bank building at Hollywood and Highland. She was there on behalf of her employer, Miss Bette Davis, and the case Miss Davis needed Spicer's help with was so bizarre, it became Spicer's third novel-length caper.This time H. P. Oliver's wise-cracking Hollywood gumshoe looks deeply into those famous Bette Davis eyes when the actress hires him to recover a $100,000 piece of African tribal art stolen from her home during a party with an Oscar-winning guest list. It's solving capers like this one that earned Spicer a reputation as Hollywood's go to private eye when the chips are down.Spicer's search for the missing objet d'art, known as the Ivonya-Ngia Tembo statuette, puts him hot on the trail of two cold-blooded killers who lead him on a treacherous high-speed chase from one end of California to the other, and Johnny brings you along in the passenger seat as he tells this hair-raising tale in his own words right up to the thrilling climax when he risks life and limb for the sake of art. Along the way you'll meet many of the real-life characters and encounter the plausible, but ironic and unpredictable plot twists that are synonymous with an H. P. Oliver mystery/thriller.Oh, in case you're wondering, "Tembo" is Swahili for "elephant." Now ain't ya glad you asked?

San Francisco radio news reporter Parker Atkins is back in Los Angeles where, in a previous and less sober life, he was an LAPD detective. Now in L A to cover a story on off-shore gambling ships, Atkins stumbles into the middle of a serial murder investigation run by his former boss, homicide detective Don Chambers.The killer, dubbed the Mob Avenger by the press, is bumping off mobsters, and as the death toll rises, everyone is getting nervous, including the mobs. When Atkins meets the killer face-to-face, he provides the LAPD with their only clues to the murderer's identity.Back in San Francisco, Atkins continues his search for the Mob Avenger much to the displeasure of his boss who thinks the station's news reporter should concentrate on local news, not killings 400 miles away. At the same time Atkins is faced with a career decision that would be a major step up, but accepting the job offer requires moving to Chicago, something he is reluctant to do. At odds with his fianc , Atkins finds his personal life unraveling around him.SO LONG, LA is typical H. P. Oliver faire, loaded with period color, irony, and a twisting, turning plot that will leave you breathless as you run to keep up with Parker Atkins' pursuit of a cold-blooded serial killer. It's GOODNIGHT, SAN FRANCISCO played at 78 RPM

In Johnny Spicer's fourth novel-length caper, H. P. Oliver's irreverent Hollywood private eye goes to war. Days before the US enters WWII, Spicer is called back to active duty with his old outfit, the Army's Military Intelligence Division.But Major Spicer's war isn't being fought in Europe or on remote islands in the south Pacific. No, his war is on homeland soil against enemies who don't wear uniforms or wave flags. There are no tanks rumbling through the streets of L A or ships lobbing shells at the Golden Gate from 20 miles out at sea. Still, Spicer knows full well his war is just as deadly as the battlefields of France or the Philippines.Spicer's assignment: Hunt down a pair of Nazi espionage agents before they can deliver a top-secret Navy gizmo they've stolen to the Fatherland. Succeeding at his mission will save thousands of lives. Failure could help Hitler win the ultimate victory in Europe.Desperate to get out of the US with their prize, the Nazis spies lead Spicer on a wild ride from Los Angeles' sprawling harbor to a tiny, secluded bay on California's rugged northern coast. Along the way Spicer flies smackdab into history aboard a B-17, takes a harrowing voyage with the US Coast Guard, and helps sink a German submarine from a Navy blimp. Yeah, a blimp.S.N.A.F.U.* is a well-crafted mystery/thriller that puts you squarely in the thick of things and keeps you guessing whether or not Spicer can outsmart the evil enemies of democracy-a page-burner to the very end.*S.N.A.F.U. is a World War II military acronym for "Situation Normal, All Fouled Up."

A Classic Saga of Virtue and EvilSanta Barbara, California - September, 1928It is generally thought by those who know such things that Estelle Abernathy is one of the richest women in the United States. Some claim she is the richest.Others, those who have dealt with Estelle personally, also know her to be ruthless, vindictive, and deadly as a rattlesnake. Of course none of those people would dare express such opinions publically, or even privately. Estelle has ears everywhere.Thus, Estelle Abernathy is a leading citizen in the wealthy seaside resort of Santa Barbara. Maintaining that illusion is crucial to Estelle because it is the camouflage behind which she conceals the immoral and depraved sins employed in her relentless pursuit of wealth and pleasure.

In PAYBACK, Johnny Spicer's seventh caper, H. P. Oliver's cynical, wisecracking detective is up to his ears in World War II.As a counter espionage agent with the Army Military Intelligence Division, his orders are to help protect a top secret Army Air Force mission intended to strike a blow against Japan as payback for its dastardly attack on Pearl Harbor. When his assignment brings him face to face with the Dragon Lady, a Japanese spy with more than chopsticks in her bag of tricks, he finds himself up against Tojo's most venomous and lethal agent.PAYBACK is a mystery/thriller with imagery so vivid and dialogue so authentic you feel you are part of the story. It is modern pulp fiction at its finest

Four hundred one-line stories from the once-upon-a-time city where live went on even when it didn't.The words belong to Johnny Spicer, the guy who lived the storiesNoir? Oh yeah, black as the La Brea Tar Pits.