The Tijuana Bible Author:Ron Goulart Comic-strip artist Jack Deacon knows right from the start that the Tijuana Bible isn't some relic of the Spanish conquest of Mexico. Maybe that's because of the way he first heard about it -- whispered to him by his fellow cartoonist, a rundown comic-strip artist named Mutt Shermer, with his dying breath. — And that's only part of it.... more » Immediately afterward, Jack is hit on the head. When he comes to, Mutt's body is gone and Jack discovers a much more attractive visitor -- a young woman -- hiding in his coat closet. She doesn't stay long either. All the which doesn't do much for Jack's credibility when the police finally arrive.
Jack seeks counsel from his very with-it friend Lew Goldberg, who enlightens him with the definition of a Tijuana Bible: it's definitely not something the Gideon society would put in your hotel room. It is immensely valuable, which makes it particularly attractive to Jack, whose wife has just cleaned out all their joint accounts and gone to South America with a sailor.
Joined by his visitor of the eventful night before, Jack sets out to find the Bible. The woman- lovely Sally Westerland- has a good idea about where to look; in California, it seems. Unfortunately, her mammoth former boyfriend is hot on their trail, and by extension, the Bibles.
In this suspenseful and funny mystery, Ron Goulart weaves his knowledge of the comic-strip world with a light-hearted romance between the two searchers that stands them in good stead when danger threatens- as, in this fast-paced story, it often does.« less