Meet Ed Weiss, who has written these short stories and the well-crafted and entertaining novels. Begin with several short stories, a few serious, a few comedic, a few true, a few controversial. Then continue with excepts, the first couple of chapters or so, from The Hyde Out Inn Mystery Series: Hammering Nails Can Be Murder, Felony Murder, Sometimes the Innocent Pay, The Droopy-Eyed Bank Robber & Stosh the Cop's First Case. Also included here are excerpts from the stand-alone novel, The Gringo Mayor of Ajijic. The Hyde Out Inn Mystery novels uncover a series of situations that seem to need the attention of Eddie G. Eddie is a smart-ass, overly-educated barkeeper of The Hyde Out Inn and never-to-be courtroom lawyer. He hates the system and refuses to practice in it. That doesn't stop him, however, from getting involved in it at almost every turn. Meet the cast of characters who after meeting you will love and wait to meet again and again as Eddie and his associates move to make right right, whatever that may be. Follow the now dead, Charles, the 1930's entrepreneur who started The Businesses and who was responsible for much of Eddie's education and current business status; John-John, Eddie's sorta brother, who started the whole first case cuz a newspaper article revived a forty-five year memory of a Chicago Capone-era gangster dead for the past forty-five years.; Stosh the cop, , a decorated Chicago Homicide Detective of thirty years, a noir throwback to when homicide dicks looked as if they belonged in a B-movie, a good friend and a Hyde Out regular; Geri, the sexy-university-librarian, who seduced Eddie when she was almost twice his age, and continues her ways with him in the stacks; Officer Gilly, a beat cop, who knows the neighborhood and its characters even where and what they drink and the time they do it; Gilly, the local beat cop, who knows everybody as well as when, when and what they drink; Tribune John, who uses his morgue to uncover the vital information necessary to being the past into the present. English Dave, Eddie's major domo, who takes care of The Businesses' operations; Eddie's ma, who takes care of The Businesses' finances and paperwork; Jordan, who doesn't stay a lesser character for long as she becomes Chicago's go-to defense attorney, and who also has her hand in other parts of Eddie's activities. Lesser characters are also forces to be reckoned with as they contribute to the ins-and-outs of the mysteries and of The Hyde out Inn. In Hammering Nails Can Be Murder, the search for truth leads Eddie and his team-of-investigators to old newspapers, the trial of the Chicago Seven, Lincoln Park, a Benjamin Franklin statue, and three different courtrooms and judges. Felony Murder revives a character nobody at The Hyde Out Inn wanted revived. This complicated legal story gives us surprise ending after surprise ending to the story of what-goes-around, comes-around. Sometimes the Innocent Pay takes us to East Lansing, Michigan and Michigan State University where a whole new and exciting cast of characters await us. Mr. Shinberg who is the Charles Eddie has always wanted to replace; Zolton Ferency, a far-left-of-center politician, ACLU attorney and criminal justice professor; Carolyn Ardent, the ex-PD and now private practice who's help is desperately need if justice is to be done; Charles MacTavish, a local police officer of above average skills; Jerzy Ma, a local police officer of below average skills; Miss Lindy, a new female in Eddie's life; Petra, a Greek belly dancer, who makes the dog in Eddie bark; Tamera-as-in-camera, a six-foot-five teenager who wants sex with everybody. These new characters and many more in the subsequent novels as well as the standard cast all contribute to make The Hyde Out Inn Mystery series evolve into a new and more exciting adventures than the ones which preceded it.