In Hobo Ashes, veteran writer Steve Sporleder takes us on a journey with Detective Grady Prescott, who is hell-bound to solve a murder that is close to his heart. In this historical murder mystery, Sporleder draws on his experience as a fifth-generation Los Gatan to infuse his writing with a local flavor and history that includes meeting post World War II hobos in Los Gatos and along the California coast. They lived by their own well-mannered code, picking up jobs from local homes and merchants, all for a chance to ride the rails with a freedom few can imagine. But unexpected violence erupts, and over the next few decades we watch Grady play cat and mouse with a maniacal foe. This is that rare book that will please history buffs as well as mystery lovers, and Sporleder does justice to both genres.
Sporleder writes with equal parts grit and sympathy for narrator Grady Prescott's checkered life. Tracking from alcoholic ex-cop-turned-hobo to private investigator on a personal mission to solve the serial murders of itinerant hobos in the Bay Area, Grady thrillingly recounts forty plus years of search and destruction that are in part a description of both his own passage and the killer's madness...but one of them is redeemed. --Jade Bradbury, Art Curator and Writer
Grady Prescott, ex-cop newly on the skids, faces two monumental challenges. One is to find the person who is killing and burning men in the hobo jungles he now calls home. The other is to salvage his own life, which has veered badly off course due to booze. From the gypsy camps of Los Gatos, to the jails of Tijuana, Sporleder takes you on a fascinating journey filled with intricately woven puzzles, violence, and a chameleon-like murderer. A compelling read. --Peggy Conaway, Retired Los Gatos Library Director and Local Historian
This is a story of skullduggery and redemption--an intriguing mix of a nitty-gritty lifestyle and strong family values. Sporleder uses a master technique to reveal the villain. You will turn the pages as fast as you can. --Lyn Dougherty, Los Gatos Library Board
