James L. Swanson

The Stuff That Dreams Are Made of James L. Swanson

THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OFOn a trip to San Francisco to gather material for a novel, a writer and his beautiful young wife are thrust into the adventure of a lifetime. Following in the footsteps of Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett's famous fictional detective, Jimmy and Carole Sue step back in time to the cold, foggy streets of San Francisco in 1928, where they come face to face with Spade. In time travel, they discover, anomalies occur. In the following week they meet Spade almost daily, partly because of their excitement about actually living, no matter how briefly in the 'Roaring Twenties,' and partly because of Spade. Sam seems to know everybody in San Francisco. More importantly, everyone knows him--which is not necessarily a good thing. In the San Francisco of 1928, if you?re a friend of Sam Spade, you automatically gain a legion of enemies, and that includes members of the San Francisco Police Department. To the delight and sometimes horror of Jimmy and Carole Sue, they learn Spade is involved in many things besides The Black Bird, Spade's name for The Maltese Falcon. They become involved in these things with him--but still, Spade is a cautious friend--for Jimmy and Carole Sue haven't told him when they came from. Their first few backward steps in time are tentative, for the San Francisco of 1928 is a far different city than that of today and they are afraid. In 1928, San Francisco is raucous, noisy, full of unfamiliar sights and sounds and smells, and is often dangerous. It takes getting used to. For some, in 1928, San Francisco is a haven, an escape from the past; or a new beginning; a bright, shining future. But San Francisco has its dark side, too. Mayor 'Sunny Jim' Rolphe has been in office since 1911, and on the surface, runs the city with warm paternalism. But sly winks, huge grins and backslaps are his real stock in trade. His motto is, 'You make a buck, I make a buck!' And everyone does. Everyone in city government is on the pad: cops, judges, and city