Zoot Marlowe Series by Mel Gilden, Dave Dorman

Meet Zoot, an alien in a trenchcoat, searching for truth in a city of sex, violence and good rays.They have the agility of surfers and the loyalty of samurai. They are the Surfing Samurai Robots, the invention of America's leading industrial genius, Knighten Daise.Zoot, an alien with a big nose from the planet T'toom, is exploring the mean streets of Earth to find out where all the surfing robots went... moreMeet Zoot, an alien in a trenchcoat, searching for truth in a city of sex, violence and good rays.They have the agility of surfers and the loyalty of samurai. They are the Surfing Samurai Robots, the invention of America's leading industrial genius, Knighten Daise.Zoot, an alien with a big nose from the planet T'toom, is exploring the mean streets of Earth to find out where all the surfing robots went. Before he can say Philip Marlowe, he meets some Malibu dudes who want to know who adjusted their surfbots with a sledgehammer. As if that wasn't enough, his life's on the line to find the inventor's gorgeous daughter.Is Zoot a good enough private eye for any world or just an alien doing a job an alien's got to do? It's a mystery that's science fiction, science fiction that's a mystery. It's a funny new book that introduces one of the hippest and most original characters of the Eighties. less

Zoot Marlowe, alien detective extraordinaire, and his duckbilled robot sidekick, Bill, go into action when a top hat that washes up on Malibu Beach transforms a surfer into a jovial magician and someone begins stealing blowfish-spine necklaces

Zoot Marlowe must track down ruthless industrial thugs who are in the process of developing lethal Melt-o-Mobiles, concocting disarming credulity gas, and perfecting their lucrative kidnapping ring