Joe Monte

Kelly's Bar Joe Monte

This is a historical fiction novel. The main story is about Bill Giovanni, a bartender at Kelly's Bar in Sunnyvale that his uncle John Kelly built in 1933. Paul, a hermit like regular at the bar always keeps to himself in the back booth typing on a laptop. When he doesn't get up for his regular 2nd pitcher of beer Bill checks on him and finds him dead, choked on a peanut. Bill takes the laptop before calling 911.
When he arrives home Mary, his wife, ask about the computer. Bill tells her what happened and he is going to pawn it tomorrow. Mary begs him to let her have it as they would never be able to afford one.
Mary finds a fantastic novel on the computer, about espionage and murder at Space Key, the Silicon Valley high tech company, where she happens to work, and tells Bill. He wants to know if it is worth anything. She says yes but an unknown author could never get a publisher.
Bill makes a plan to divorce Mary and have her sue for community property rights to the novel for publicity.