As an innocent bystander, a young woman is at the wrong place at the wrong time and is gunned down outside a business storefront during a street gang’s retaliation towards their rivals. The murder investigation becomes intriguing as an apparent vigilante has surfaced causing a new problematic twist in the case.
A Stick Of Doublemint by Gene O'Neill is book #4 in The Crime Files of Katy Green series. Written with an intriguing take on a homicide investigation, the author captures the classic essence of a vengeful “eye for an eye” criminal charge. Private Investigators, avenging vigilantes and logical problem solving form O’Neill’s storytelling abilities in a way that locks the reader into needing to know who, what and why. The illustrations by Greg Chapman add a nice nostalgic effect to the whole package. Also included in this book is author Gord Rolo's take on classic mystery writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the importance of how Gene’s role fits into this vintage genre. Wrapping up this nice little bundle of reading material is an interview with the number one suspect and only person of interest, Mr. O’Neill himself. Conducted by B.E. Scully we are allowed a behind the scenes look and understanding of Gene’s exposure to life’s harsh reality growing up and how it helped shape his writing career.
Who would ever think a wrapped stick of Doublemint gum would be a captivating plot point to a fanciful private eye piece of fiction, Gene O 'Neill that's who. Reader, you have just been assigned to a case of justifiable morality where the number one piece of evidence is a piece of chewing gum.

An excellent novella, gripping and highly entertaining. I loved the retrò atmosphere, it reminded me of a book written in the 40s.
Excellent storytelling and character development, a plot that kept me hooked.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this arc, all opinions are mine.

Katy Green and Johnny Cato, a crime-solving duo, aim to track down the Doublemint killer of San Francisco.

There’s an intro told in second person POV that lets the reader know supernatural abilities will come into play somewhere in the story. After that setup, the meat of the story gets underway:

I’m glad that Katy Green and Johnny Cato don’t have their years of big-city detective experience crammed into 22-year-old bodies. Green and Cato are 41 and 50, and it’s more believable that way.

I would have liked to see Green and Cato introduced earlier in the book, but we don’t see them until 30 or 40 percent into the story. At first I thought Jackson (a detective in his own right) is the protagonist. And then when Green and Cato are introduced, we get a lot of backstory before we get action. I took off a star for the less-than-ideal (IMO) introduction of the main characters.

However, if you read the first three books in this series (I didn’t), then you already know Green and Cato and may not wish for an earlier introduction.

I love the graphic-novel style of illustrations at the start of each chapter. I also liked the pulp-fiction style of writing. It felt like I was reading a detective story from the 1940s, very retro, very cool.

This novella is shorter than the page count would indicate. That’s because there is an article afterwards and then an interview of O’Neill. (Both worthwhile additions.)

Overall, A Stick of Doublemint is a fun, fast-paced read.

I haven't read Gene O'neill for a while. Met him over 10 years ago at some conventions, and read several books, The Burden of Indigo, White Tribe, Lost Tribe, and Grand Struggle. Greatly enjoyed all, but sort of moved on to other things. Then I saw A Stick of Doublemint, and wanted to read him again. Great short read, with great characters and fast paced. Will have to pick up the first three books in series, and will probably re-read some others, especially The Burden of Indigo. Really loved that one.