February 25, 2013
Set in 1960, Sandrolini’s raucous first novel stars Joe Buonomo, a WWII fighter ace who’s now a freight pilot and friend of Frank Sinatra. When Sinatra talks Buonomo into flying his latest fling, Lilah DeHart, from Palm Springs to Hollywood for a screen test, Buonomo is in for a surprise. Lilah is the pilot’s former fiancée, Helen Castano, who left him six years earlier. The two, once they realize they’re still in love, decide to tell Sinatra, but before that can happen, Helen disappears. On Sinatra’s orders, Buonomo goes looking for her. He finds the body of Helen’s friend Betty Benker, gets bashed on the head, and tangles with a host of bad guys, including Italian and Chinese mobsters, Mexican crime bosses, and the hostile sheriff of Santa Catalina, Calif. Even certain supporters of presidential candidate John F. Kennedy make trouble. Buonomo’s heroics keep pace with the rising body count in this over-the-top period crime thriller.