Jump the Gun: 1 (Annabelle Starkey Mystery) - Hardcover

An hilarious romp through "Sin City" and San Francisco by a shiny bright new pair of Sleuths, Annabelle and Mickey. Movies, old and new, crooked cops, cats, and suspicious deaths combine to drive this first in what one can only hope will be a very long series.--Frederick Ramsay, author of the Ike Schwartz Mysteries

"Burke's debut features an appealingly offbeat set of characters caught up in a manic plot that's likely to either charm readers..."--Kirkus Reviews

Meet Annabelle Starkey. Shrewd, sweet, and sexy. A Stephanie Plum without the Jersey girl attitude, plus she’s a one-man kind of girl. Loves hats and shoes—notices them in odd situations. Can see when she might need to shoot to kill.

Annabelle Starkey also loves movies. Why does her own life never match up to her favorite Silver-Screen scenarios? One day, by chance, she meets the charming but slightly mysterious and definitely magnetic Mickey Paxton at a book convention and decides it’s time to live one of those Cary Grant films and accept Mickey’s invitation to fly to Las Vegas for a holiday. Not so much a hook-up as a test flight for romance.

The script takes a surprise turn when they arrive in Sin City and danger knocks. Suddenly Annabelle and Mickey are on the run—from what? And why? Did Mickey lead Annabelle into this mess? Then the brutal murder of Annabelle’s BFF in Annabelle’s San Francisco apartment sends the couple winging west to that city where, once again, criminals and cops pursue them.

In two frenetic days of fast driving, fast talking, and fast thinking, Annabelle discovers several truths by learning to trust her own instincts. And the significance of an antique hat pin.
Jump the Gun is Zoe Burke’s debut mystery and starts a series for a heroine whose cinematic fantasies spur her to take chances but never cloak terrifying realities. No matter what the danger, Annabelle’s fresh and funny voice is her best weapon.