Jim Bean sits down for a Q&A with dru’s book musings responding to twenty or more questions so that we can learn more about him. Are you ready? Let’s get to know Jim.

What is your full name?
I changed my birth name to Jim Bean when I left college and moved to Las Vegas. I had a small situation back east and needed a new start. Easiest way to do that was to become Bean. I didn’t think to add a middle when I was filling out the paperwork. 

What is your profession?
I have a small Private Investigation company I call Sin City Investigations. We’re a small organization. It used to be just me, but I seem to collect wayward souls.

Do you have a significant other?
I have found myself between SO’s at the moment. Though my team seems to have an interest in finding me another. But I’m open to having some female company if the chance comes along.

Do you have any children?
Nope. Probably a little late for that.

Do you have any siblings?
Nope.

Are your parents nearby?
We haven’t talked much since I was arrested on some false charges some years back. When the stakes were high, seems they fell on the wrong side of who to believe or not to believe.

Who is your best friend?
I suppose that would be this scraggly old guy named Ely. He’s a smart and strange Vietnam veteran who is the best tech guy I know. He’s got my back. Always.

Do you have any pets?
Annie. That’s stands for Annie Oakley. The b*tch. She’ll rip you a new one, but that cat is a good judge of character. I’d do well follow her instincts more often than I do.

What town do you live in?
I live in Sin City. Las Vegas, Nevada. The sparkling oasis in the desert. Though it seems I’ve been chasing a lot of cases out of town lately. I don’t live on the strip mind you, but it looms over all.

Type of dwelling, and do you own or rent?
I’ve rented this townhouse for a while now. Finally closed in the garage and made a decent office out of it. The neighbors aren’t a fan, but I keep the riff-raf out, so they tolerate the comings and goings.

Favorite meal and dessert?
I like a good, rare steak and a couple of fingers of scotch. Not much for the sweets, I’ll have another double.

Do you have any hobbies?
Other than sitting for hours on in doing surveillance? Not really. Not much time.

What is your favorite vacation spot?
If I get time, I like to go back to North Carolina, Atlantic Beach, and sit on the beach.

What music do you listen to?
I can listen to almost anything. But I’m a 70’s/8o’s rock guy at heart.

Do you have a favorite book?
I do like those Jack Reacher books and Reed Farrel Coleman’s PI series. It’s fun to read. I read a lot on stakeouts. Any good action book will do.

What is your idea of a really fun time?
I guess quiet time, some football on, and no case backlog.

If you were to write a memoir, what would you call it?
Hard Luck and Trouble.

Amateur or professional sleuth and whom do you work with?
I’ve got a license from the state of Nevada, so I guess that makes me a pro. The cops sometimes don’t agree with that, though.

What is a typical day when you are on a case?
If it’s an easy case, like an insurance fraud case, it’s a little surveillance, a few pictures, and a paycheck. Lately, it seems like I keep getting wrangled into cases that turn out a lot more complicated and a shitload more dangerous. I could do without getting shot at and left for dead in the woods.

Body Zoo, Sin City Investigations #3
Genre: Private Investigator
Release: June 2021
Purchase Link

When PI Jim Bean is called to what he believes is a simple insurance investigation, he finds himself wrapped up in a case that’s more complicated than anything he could have imagined.

There’s a torched trailer. A missing woman with a dark past. And a family with sinister secrets to hide.

Jim quickly realizes that if he wants to find Emilee, the missing woman, he’s going to have to get closer to the Ward family—and untangle their twisted web of lies.

But the closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous things become. And when Jim gets caught up in the gruesome events, he realizes that he’s not just fighting to save Emilee—he’s fighting to save himself.

About the author
J.D Allen’s writes the Shamus Award nominated Sin City Investigations series. Her short stories have appeared in the Anthony Award-winning anthology, Murder under the Oaks as well as Carolina Crimes, Florida Happens, and Author Cruising Covid. She’s a past chair of the Bouchercon National Board, current VP of her MWA chapter, member of PI Writers of America, and past president of her local Sisters in Crime chapter. She’s an Ohio State Univ. Alum with a degree in forensic anthropology and a creative writing minor.

All comments are welcomed.