''The Timothy Files'' is a 1987 best selling work of

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

Lawrence Sanders Lawrence Sanders (March 15, 1920 – February 7, 1998) was an American novelist and short story writer.Author Bibliography Archive.org/ref> Life Lawrence Sanders was born in Brooklyn in New York City. After public school he attended Wabash ...

. It consists of linked stories featuring Timothy Cone, a former Marine who fought in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and works as a hard-boiled type investigator. He is a scruffy character, rough of mouth and demeanor but pure of heart. Cone has trouble with relationships, surviving on a rough-edged on-going

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

with his supervisor, and an only slightly softer relationship with his cat Cleo. The stories in the book deal with his successful attempts to find out the truth and put

villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...

s behind bars.

References

1987 books {{1980s-novel-stub