Polish Dragon P. I.

The Ark of Healers

Fiction - Short Story/Novela
186 Pages
Reviewed on 11/04/2020
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Steve Zimcosky is an award winning and international selling author. He was born in the Slavic Village area of Cleveland, Ohio and has wanted to be an author since elementary school while reading books like White Fang and Call of the Wild by Jack London. He spends his retirement time writing short stories on a variety of subjects he hopes his readers will enjoy. Some of his favorite authors include Stephen King, James Clavell and Vivien Chien.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Peggy Jo Wipf for Readers' Favorite

Polish Dragon P.I. (The Ark of Healers) by Steve Zimcosky is the perfect crime thriller for fans. This novella enlightens us with another mystery that Private Investigator Tom Sipowicz investigates. When the Assistant County Prosecutor, Adriana Charveaux, commissions the Polish Dragon P.I. to solve the disappearance of her mother, Tom finds he has to work with the local police and tiptoe around the FBI. While Tom researches deeper, he finds that more women have gone missing. All of these women have two things in common; their jobs involve the healing of the body in some way and their last customer was the mysterious Noah Masis. The pressure is on as the main suspect refuses to give any details and the women may be running out of time.

I found Polish Dragon P.I. (The Ark of Healers) intriguing as there didn't appear to be a reason behind kidnapping holistic healers until the story unfolded a little more. Steve Zimcosky is a fascinating author that combines his favorite topics in his many novellas; holistic healing, aliens, and his famous Polish Dragon P.I. The author seamlessly weaves the mystique of the abductions with the thrill of the chase into a captivating read. The characters maintain individual personalities that coincide with their jobs. The storyline was refreshing and the final clue to finding the hostages was ingenious. There were plenty of twists that kept the reader involved. As a short read, this book covered a lot of area. This was a fun story to read and I will be looking into more from this author.

Deborah Lloyd

Tom Sipowicz, a private investigator in Cleveland, Ohio, was hired by Adriana Charveaux to find her mother. Ms. Charveaux was also the Assistant County Prosecutor and was able to open a few doors for Tom. Her mother, an acupuncturist, disappeared after her last session one evening. Soon, other women in the healing arts field also disappeared. The Cleveland Police Department was working the cases; however, when a Scottish Reiki Master, visiting her son for a year, also disappeared, the FBI also became involved in finding the missing women. In the novella, Polish Dragon P.I.: The Ark of Healers, written by Steve Zimcosky, an intriguing mystery evolves. Tom’s investigative persistence is needed to solve this case.

Readers who are interested in the healing arts may find this story to be quite interesting, as some information is given about the various modalities. The fact that each woman is a practitioner is a clue to find who the abductor is, as well as the reason for the abductions. The politics that exist between the FBI, a city police department, and a private investigator are also described. The descriptions of the Cleveland area, including its many highways, would be of interest to those who live in, or visit, this area. This book is an entertaining, quick read and engages the reader from the first page to the last. Author Steve Zimcosky has written a fun, whodunit novella in Polish Dragon P.I.: The Ark of Healers. A good read for a winter afternoon, or a day at the beach.

Darryl Greer

Polish Dragon P.I. (The Ark of Healers) is a novella by author Steve Zimcosky and one of a planned series featuring private investigator Tom Sipowicz. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the story opens with Sipowicz being commissioned by Adriana Charveaux, known to him as the Assistant County Prosecutor, whose mother, Marie, an acupuncturist has gone missing. As the story unfolds, it emerges that a number of other women have gone missing as well and there is a common denominator – they are all members of the Holistic Health field. Sipowicz decides to ask his friend in the police force, Detective Gary Skarvony, for some clues but the detective is not keen to share information. When it is revealed that one of the missing women is Scottish, Sipowicz has yet another rival in the investigation; FBI agent Kyle Jalowiec. As the search for the kidnapper twists and turns, the intrepid P.I. eventually discovers the truth. And it is a surprise to all involved.

Steve Zimcosky is in the Holistic Health field himself and is based in Cleveland so, sensibly, he “writes what he knows” which is one of the principal rules for writers. The story holds readers’ interest as the various clues – and red herrings – unfold along the way. It will be interesting to see how the planned series develops. Certainly, the character of Tom Sipowicz is interesting and his exploits worth pursuing. Characterization generally is good as is plot development and Polish Dragon P.I. (The Ark of Healers) will keep the reader guessing until the end. It is recommended for those who enjoy novellas and private detective stories.

K.C. Finn

Polish Dragon P. I.: The Ark of Healers is a work of fiction in the mystery, detective, crime, and suspense sub-genres, and was penned by author Steve Zimcosky. Presented in a novella format, this concise but action-packed work focuses on the titular detective, also known as Tom Sipowicz, as he begins to investigate a chain of missing women. Hired by the daughter of one such woman, Tom must be careful to skate around the workings of the police and the FBI as he strives to uncover a deeper and more unusual truth. What results is a fascinating and thrilling work of mystery and more.

Author Steve Zimcosky has crafted a really easy to enjoy and easy to access detective novel which will please younger readers and those new to the genre just as much as classic detective fans seeking a short and satisfying adventure. One of the things which I really enjoyed about the work was the unusual focus on the holistic world, taking some of the darker, more grim elements of typical crime fiction away and replacing it with a fresh outlook that is no less engaging. The dialogue too was a particular triumph in terms of furthering the plot in an exciting way, but also presenting the cast of characters in a lively fashion with their own unique parlance and attributes. Overall, I would highly recommend Polish Dragon P. I.: The Ark of Healers for fans of the existing series, and newcomers who enjoy slick and unique detective tales from an original perspective.

Cat Dancer

The Polish Dragon PI returns with another unique plot that not only introduces readers to holistic practices but explores how on occasion, people’s lives are destroyed by foolish behavior in their youth and a corrupt system. Our PI is an affable character who works hard and knows how to think out of the box. The absence of sex, violence and expletives make it an entertaining book for a variety of ages. The local color and flavors of Cleveland should resonate with local readers.

Literary Titan

Polish Dragon P. I. (The Ark of Healers) is a crime thriller novella written by an award-winning author Steve Zimcosky. This novella follows a private investigator, Tom Sipowicz, as he investigates the mysterious case involving multiple women in Northeast, Ohio that are disappearing. He is hired by one of the missing victims daughter, and he must work this case while not interfering with the police and FBI.

The mystery in this noir style novel was very intriguing as, at first, the disappearances seem to be random, but it soon grows exponentially, involving holistic healing and high-level authorities coming into view. This story fits well into the teen and young adult fiction genre perfectly with a strong focus on the puzzling mystery, campy dialogue and a lack of explicit violence and themes. Another great aspect was the relationship between Tom and his police detective friend, Gary. These two had an interesting conflict that sprinkled the entire book with funny dialogue.

While I certainly lost myself in the story, some parts of the investigation feels like the reader is simply told what happened, almost like reading a Wikipedia page when I felt that it could have been shown. The characters in the story were intriguing and well developed, but I would have liked to know more about the famous Polish Dragon P.I. and other characters, like the Assistant County Prosecutor Adriana Charveaux.

Overall, Polish Dragon P. I. (The Ark of Healers) is a fun read that people of all ages will certainly enjoy. Author Steve Zimcosky has a knack for planting the seeds to a mystery early on that grows more and more compelling as the novel progresses. Sleuth’s or crime fiction fans looking for a short and satisfying read will find plenty to enjoy with Steve Zimcosky’s latest entry in the Polish Dragon P.I. series.

M. Haag

I enjoyed reading your book it kept me interested in trying to figure out who kidnapped the women. I couldn't put it down until I knew the final outcome. Good job keeping the reader engaged.

Mike

Just finished reading your book and you did not disappoint. Once you start reading you don't want to stop until you find out the outcome of the story. I especially love the descriptions of the women's holistic professions.

Gary W.

t was well written and kept me interested. And what a pleasure to read a book without vulgarity, sex descriptive violence. Plus with being born and raised in the neighborhood where the story takes place it was enjoyable to read about places I am familiar with and been to.