Jaimie MacRae, operative of Gibbs & Stackpole, likes the detective melee so much he even reads those cheap PI paperbacks that were so popular in the 1950s. He is cocksure, tougher than chestnuts, and quick as a cat. His boss, Isaac Dunn, manager of the Louisville branch, assigns him a missing persons case. Amiel Warren, a crooked lawyer who represents “Little Steve” Hockmiller, wants the widow of Big Steve Hockmiller found—that would be Corinne Hockmiller.
Big Steve was a big-shot racketeer loaded with dough, clout, and territory. When he got clipped, Corinne got rich—and immediately disappeared. Meanwhile, the sharks are circling. They want to take over Big Steve’s racket, with Little Steve left to try and fill his father’s big-shot shoes.
MacRae’s task is simply to find the missing woman, but his search is quickly compromised. Somebody don’t like him nosing around in their playground.
The subplot of MacRae’s pushy/pull romance with co-worker Margaret Ives is dated and you end up wondering what the heck she sees in this gumshoe. No matter, the real action is in the chase. Switcheroo is a nicely plotted detective story, loaded with all the familiar elements of its ilk, and written with solid prose.
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