Bob Stanhope

This is the 17th in a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The novels are his first person recollections as told to a young writer who is compiling them into book form. They deal with his most notable cases and the famous people who crossed his path. In another manuscript written by his late wife, Doris, Parker is hired in 1955 to investigate a business man's suicide. The only unusual item is the detective's recently deceased father's name appearing in the dead man's financial records. This misfitting piece sends Parker and Doris on a wild adventure involving money laundering, kidnapping, assault, death, and the detective's Native American relatives. Meanwhile, in the present day, Parker's writing partner, Freddy, retrieves an old, apparently very valuable, item from a storage unit. When others learn about it, Freddy and his wife, Sandra, are pulled into a frightening mix of lies and murder. While both the retired PI and the young writer are forced to rely heavily on their wives, they also learn surprising things about themselves.

This is the sixteenth of a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The novels are his first person recollections as told to a young writer who is compiling them into book form. They deal with his most notable cases and the famous people who crossed his path. In JAZZ DOESN'T RESOLVE, Parker is hired by a musician friend to find his missing girlfriend. Things soon go off the rails when the detective finds that several shady groups, as well as the FBI, are also looking for her. The investigation is further complicated when the private investigator's wife, Doris, is forced to reveal a desperate decision from her past. How does her 10 year old indiscretion surprisingly fit with the case? What is the secret scientific project involving the musician's girlfriend that is ultimately putting many lives, including Parker's and Doris', in danger? Why are people from all over the world searching for a valuable missing item? What are the two interrelated mysteries? In a case that veers from sleazy businesses to spies to murder, what are the final three twists that aren't revealed until the last chapters? The author, Bob Stanhope, is a singer, songwriter, and sometimes humorist who has performed for over 50 years in coffeehouses and clubs all over the northeast. Recently he's been featured at the City Center Danbury Summer Concert Series, First Night Danbury in CT, The Barn at Quaker Hill in Pawling, The Bushnell Pavilion in Hartford, and The Putnam County 4-H Fair in NY. His more serious material might be compared to Billy Joel, Harry Chapin, and Paul Simon, while his comic / satirical songs might be likened to Weird Al Yankovic or Tom Lehrer. This humorous side was nurtured when he was the morning personality on a variety of suburban NYC radio stations. Bob also has local theater experience with lead roles in "Sugar", "1776", "A Christmas Carol: The Musical", "It's A Wonderful Life: The Musical", "Born Yesterday", and "Mr. Roberts".

This sequel to The Other Cheek is a previously unknown book narrated by Parker's wife, Doris. In it Parker is hired by a woman to find her kidnapped son. Realizing that his new client is misleading him Parker tries to find out why and this sends him back to a case that involved a potentially valuable missing artifact. Suddenly having to again deal with Neo-Nazis, Parker is also dragged into a cold case murder, mysterious groups of changing alliances willing to do anything to obtain the artifact, and the shocking reason the boy was abducted. Trying to protect JP, Doris also keeps a secret inadvertently endangering those she loves. Meanwhile, Parker's 21st Century writing partner, Freddy, and his girlfriend, Sandra, are getting serious. However, before he can propose, Freddy gets disturbing news from a former girlfriend. How are all these events related?

This is the fourteenth of a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The novels are his first person recollections as told to a young writer who is compiling them into book form. They deal with his most notable cases and the famous people who crossed his path. This time Parker is hired by an old friend to act as a body guard when he picks up some top secret materials from the government. After the detective's con man ex father-in-law also hires him, Parker finds himself drawn into, not one but two, secret government projects. How are these seemingly unrelated people and everts tied together? How can the private detective get to the bottom of the complicated mess when no one will tell him the truth? In a case that takes him across the country to risk his life for his friend, Parker becomes involuntarily involved with the FBI, terrorists, organized crime, and murder.

I'd always wanted to travel, except that I didn't know it. After graduating from college, getting a job, and setting out on my own, I made some sporadic attempts to see some of the world. It took a while to figure out how and it was only after I got married that the two of us came upon a strategy that worked for us. This book is a collection of stories about my mostly modest opportunities to travel. This is not a how-to book. There will be no listings of the best places to go. You will not find even a slightly comprehensive guide to locations, National Parks, interesting cities, countries, or anything else particularly useful. However, I hope you will find some interesting and amusing stories about surprises that we encountered along the way.

This is the thirteenth of a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. In a story narrated by his wife, Doris, Parker is hired by a high school boy to look into the sudden mysterious disappearance of his older sister. With the investigation yielding very little about the college girl, Parker and his wife instead become intrigued about the childrens' odd parents. Does their personal politics, odd late night meetings, and friends have anything to do with what happened to their daughter? Along the way Parker and Doris also encounter a flamboyant minister, FBI agents, and a vengeful police detective. In what way are these people involved in the mystery or is there something even bigger going on? When the case soon veers off in ways neither could have anticipated, including murder, the Parkers find their lives seriously threatened as they work together to find the real reason for "Disappearing Donna".

This is the twelfth of a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. This time, after surprisingly getting a second chance to play Minor League baseball in 1954, Parker's opportunity is interrupted by a murder and he is immediately drawn into the case. Meanwhile, his biographer, Freddy, is surprisingly pulled into a contemporary mystery of his own. The young writer is soon over his head, not only with his case, but also with complicated relationships with three very different women. As Parker relates his frustration of never completely solving the old crime, his writing partner dangerously (and secretly) spirals into a murder mystery of his own. What ties the two ostensibly unrelated murders together? What seemingly unrated clue has to wait over 50 years to be revealed? In both cases Parker and Freddy are not only dragged into murder, but also frightening combinations of spies, international finance, and terrorism.

This is the eleventh of a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. The novels are his first person recollections as told to a young writer. Parker is hired by his long-time attorney, Annie Cleghorn, when an old client of hers, currently serving a life sentence for murder, finally agrees to reveal the alibi that he's inexplicably kept secret for 16 years. After travelling upstate to see him in prison their efforts are derailed by his suspicious suicide. This investigation drags them into a second murder mystery and a complex mix of financial malfeasance, murder, family secrets, a radical militia, politics, and terrorism. Simultaneously, when JP and his wife's attempt to adopt a child fails, Doris makes a fateful decision that could destroy their young marriage. While desperately trying to resolve everything the detective is uncomfortably forced to confront his true feelings for the woman he thought he loved.

In "Growing Up Nerd" Bob wrote about his childhood through high school and in "Radio Daze" he covered his career in broadcasting. Having enjoyed those books several folks asked for more. Their comments led to "Leftovers". These remaining stories deal with Bob's career in teaching, his years making music with his guitar, and his theater experiences. With regard to teaching he talks about funny students and amusing colleagues. In music you'll hear about his playing solo as well as his experiences with several musical partners and groups. The theater section contains a collection of tales about many of the plays Bob's been in over the years. While he's never made a lot of money or achieved what some folks might think of as great success, Bob has had quite a number of funny and, well, just plain weird experiences that should give you a smile.

According to Wikipedia a mid life crisis effects about 10% of the population and occurs at approximately the age of 46. It's supposedly caused by a realization of one's mortality, dissatisfaction with a career, maturation of children, or some regret over a life situation. For men it can last from 3 to 10 years and the American stereotype is that the afflicted buys a sports car. Radio Daze is a description of what might have been Bob's mid-life crisis when he left a stable, secure career as a high school math teacher for a job in broadcasting. It details his experiences in radio (and a little TV) that started in college and then, after an 18-year break, continued until he was almost 50. Included are stories of good and bad bosses, eccentric and funny colleagues, strange business decisions, and the general chaos of being live on the air every day. While the specifics might be unique to Bob, the book makes it clear that broadcasting is a medium that attracts a very unusual group of people.

This is the eighth of a series of novels that revolve around JP Parker a 100 year old long time retired New York City private detective from the 30s, 40s, and 50s. With Doris involved with out of town previews for a new play she's written JP reopens his detective business, much to his wife's disapproval, and gets his first paying client in 18 months. The case to find a woman's missing finance quickly veers into something much more complicated when JP suddenly finds himself embroiled in a dizzying mix of international politics, spies, and murder. Further complicated by a glamorous movie actress with eyes for JP, an actor showing too much interest in Doris, and JP's dangerous occupation, the Parker's 15-month marriage is put to the test.