John J Jessop, Ph.D., pharmacology, worked in pharmaceutical and medical biotechnology development (20 years at the FDA, 20 years on the industry side). Always an avid reader of mysteries, in retirement he has redirected his knowledge and experience towards writing the perfect murder mystery.
He is currently working on two different mystery series, a comedy mystery series (PLEASURIA: TAKE AS DIRECTED (Koehler Books), MURDER BY ROAD TRIP, and THE REALTOR’S CURSE, A FISHY TALE and HOLY CRAP), and a dark mystery series (The GUARDIAN ANGEL series).
The comedy murder mystery books examine the humorous side of what can go wrong with pharmaceuticals and medical biotech when scientists play around with our DNA, immune system and cells. The first book in this murder mystery series, ‘PLEASURIA: TAKE AS DIRECTED‘, staged in the pharmaceutical industry, was originally published by Koehler Books, whose senior editor said the book made him laugh out loud.
This mystery series includes a husband and wife team, Dr. Jason Longfellow, the dysfunctional detective, and nurse wife Chelsea. Jason is a bored doctor who decides to get his PI license online. He wants desperately to be a PI, but he’s not very good at it. So poor Chelsea gets dragged into his cases, because he can’t make any money as a PI and they have three daughters to support. Chelsea turns out to be a badass detective.
In PLEASURIA: TAKE AS DIRECTED, Jason’s first case includes a most bizarre murder weapon, a number of attractive female suspects (not good, as Chelsea has a jealous streak), CureStuff Pharmaceuticals, and an antidepressant that works wonders. It’ll knock your socks off, and kill you. He wants do the PI thing full time, Chelsea wants him to keep his day job with the FDA, and he’s in serious danger of his jealous and unhappy wife killing him before he can solve the case. PLEASURIA is available at bookstores and on Amazon. Click on the book cover to the right on a laptop (or at the bottom of the page on a cell phone) to go to Amazon and buy the book;
His second book in this series, MURDER BY ROAD TRIP, launched November 16, 2020. This story was inspired by a once-in-a-lifetime month-long cross-country trip that John J Jessop took with his youngest daughter, Jacqueline (now 31) in July 2016. He co-wrote MURDER BY ROAD TRIP with Jacqueline, and while the locations in the book are real, the events are hilariously fictitious.
In this book, our amateur sleuth travels across the US in an RV with his family to interview for a lucrative job with Well-Healed Pharmaceuticals, even though Jason doesn’t want the job. Chelsea likes the lucrative part. It begins with the theft of a priceless medical research monkey and a toothache, and quickly turns into the road trip from hell. At every stop along the way, including a cowboy museum, Titan missile base, and Border Patrol Museum, among others, it becomes clear that someone is trying to kill Jason and steal his teeth. Jason is also strangely energized and his libido over the top by being on the road. Chelsea must catch this killer before her husband becomes toothless, and dead. MURDER BY ROAD TRIP is available on Amazon and bookstores everywhere. Click on the book cover in the right column on a laptop (or bottom of the page on a cell phone) to buy the book on Amazon.
THE REALTOR’S CURSE, another Jason Longfellow story, won the International Firebird Book Award: 1st Place for both Humor and Mystery for 2022. In this one, Jason and Chelsea travel to Florida to buy a beachfront condo. Should be simple. Right? Instead Chelsea ends up investigating multiple murders and chasing a killer around St. Augustine, Florida while trying to keep Florida from killing Jason. It’s mayhem and murder in Florida. A fun read, the dialogue between this PI couple will keep you reading, and laughing, until they solve the case, eventually. THE REALTOR’S CURSE is available on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere. Click the book cover in the right column on a laptop (or bottom of this page for a cell phone) for the link to buy the book on Amazon.
A FISHY TALE, the fourth Dr. Jason Longfellow, PI book, won the International Firebird Book Award: 1st Place for Humor 2024. In this one, nurse wife Chelsea inherits lots of money and the Longfellow family moves to a wilderness lake to escape frenetic Northern Virginia. They set up a private detective agency, Chelsea Longfellow, PI, and Associate (it’s Chelsea’s inheritance). The fish in this peaceful mountain lake are growing at an alarming rate, fishermen are disappearing, and someone has to step in and solve the mystery. Chelsea Longfellow, PI and Associate are on the case, and Chelsea decides it’s a good idea to use Jason as live bait to catch a killer. You’re gonna want to read this one to find out how that works out. Laughter truly is the best medicine! The book is available on Amazon and bookstores everywhere. Just click on the book cover in the right column on a laptop (or bottom of this page for a cell phone) to buy it from Amazon.
HOLY CRAP is John’s newest book, the fifth Jason Longfellow, PI and nurse wife Chelsea book, just released in May, 2025. HOLY CRAP also just won the International Firebird Book Award: 1st Place for Humor 2025. After several harrowing cases Chelsea decides they need to find someplace safe for their family to live. So they move the family to a small city named INTOXICATION JUNCTION and enroll their daughters in a private Christian school. What could possibly go wrong? Perhaps a school headmaster who also serves as the local crime boss. A local doctor selling innovative new drugs at the school. And then there’s the downtown killer. The plot for this one is really over the top, the dialogue will keep you laughing, and it’s clear there is no safe place to live. The book is available on Amazon. Click on the book cover in the column to the right on a laptop (or the bottom of this page for a cell phone) for the link to buy HOLY CRAP on Amazon.
Two books in the dark murder mystery series (The GUARDIAN ANGEL series) are available on Amazon as well. They involve the evilest of villains, a serial killer using exotic toxins on his victims and an elusive cult leader who kidnaps young women. See https://bit.ly/3o9hH0v for more.
John J Jessop and his wife live full-time in St. Augustine Florida. His favorite things are writing, walks on the beach, driving his Subaru WRX, boating, fishing, playing video games, taking naps, visiting with his two loving daughters and binge watching murder mysteries.
His favorite authors are Robert B. Parker and J.A. Jance. His heroes are Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, and Mel Brooks. His youngest daughter is a Media Arts and Design Major, James Madison University, with an MBA from NYU. She currently works for a marketing research firm in NYC. She edited his dark murder mysteries, co-wrote MURDER BY ROAD TRIP with him and designed the book covers for MURDER BY ROAD TRIP and THE REALTOR’S CURSE.
CHARITABLE FUNDING: Some of John’s after tax profits from his books are being donated to two charities for abused children, Holly’s House and Darkness to Light, in honor of his late sister Jackie.