Bleeding Levee Blues (Tom Connelly, Book 1) by Nick Dorsey

 Release date: November 26, 2017
Subgenre: Hardboiled Mystery, Private Investigators 

About Bleeding Levee Blues:

 

Tom Connelly left the New Orleans Police Department after the madness of Hurricane Katrina, and his life has gone downhill ever since. Shunned by his brothers in blue, he broke down and gave in to drink. He lost his friends. He lost his wife. And now his son barely knows his name.

But a figure from his past has asked Tom to help a wealthy politician find his missing daughter. If Tom keeps this quiet, the politician promises Tom the one thing he needs most: redemption. A name cleared from past controversy. A new life moving forward.

The search for the young woman leads Tom into the dark corners of the decaying New Orleans landscape and beyond, right into the heart of a deadly human trafficking organization and to the other side of the world. Now Tom isn't just worried about redeeming himself, he's hoping he can get out of this alive.

Fans of Michael Connelly, Greg Iles, and James Lee Burke will love this fast-paced thriller.

 

Excerpt:

 

The Judge said, “Do you carry a firearm, Mr. Connelly?”
Tom set his notepad down and considered the question. “I’m licensed, but I rarely carry a weapon. There’s no call for it.”
“But you do have a weapon?”
“I do.”
“And you know how to use it?”
“I do.”
“Because you were a police officer?”
“I was a detective, yeah. Property Crimes.”
“And in your service as a New Orleans Police Detective, did you ever have cause to fire your weapon?” Judge Champagne was leaning back in his chair, hands dangling over the armrests. Completely at ease. His eyes did not waver from Tom’s.
Tom tried to figure out if Champagne remembered him, remembered his story, and Tom decided the Judge knew everything already. If Jack didn’t fill him in, then someone else did. Judge Champagne’s mouth ticked. The slightest suggestion of a smile.
A sadistic smile, Tom thought.
There was only one thing to do. Tom said, “I have drawn my weapon twice on duty. Once when I was on patrol, almost a decade ago. We were on a call. B and E. We pull up, right as three men were coming out of this music supply store. Kind of place that repairs flutes, rents violins to kids or something like that. One of the guys had a baseball bat. I drew my weapon, everybody did what they were told. My partner disarmed the slugger. I placed the weapon back in my holster. End of story.” Tom didn’t blink, but spoke slowly now. Taking pauses when he needed them. “The second time I drew my weapon I fired at, and hit, and killed, a twelve-year-old boy.”
The Judge leaned forward slightly, his eyes sparkling. “Why?”
Tom wasn’t expecting that. He asked, “Why?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I was on my own. Shouldn’t have been, but I was. This was just after the storm. There were lots of crazy stories flying around. Nobody really knew what was going on. I wasn’t super cop, I was in Property Crimes. But it was all hands on deck. We knew there were men raiding department stores, hardware stores, hunting supply stores. These were armed men. No real descriptions. And I saw a group coming out of a store over by the Huey P. Bridge. This kid with a TV was the one I could chase down. Even I knew it was dumb. Whole city was under water, and I’m chasing this kid for a TV. But there I was. Had to pull my weapon to get him to stop. They told us to shoot looters, you know? But I wasn’t going to shoot the kid. I told him to drop the TV, he dropped it and the thing broke. Kid was crushed. I almost laughed at him, tell you the truth. All that work for nothing. Then he pulled a gun on me. So, I shot him.”
He realized his heart was racing and he was waiting for the Judge to make some snide remark. For a brief second, Tom wished that he would, and give Tom a reason to come across the table.

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About Nick Dorsey: 

I was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. After a stint at Louisiana State University, I moved all over the country and I worked odd jobs. These included, but are not limited to: barista, copywriter, house painter, bicycle assemblyman at Toys R Us, carpenter’s assistant rebuilding houses damaged during Hurricane Katrina, writing instructor, indie film screenwriter, and salesman at an art gallery. You know those little beads that make up braille words set into plastic signs in office buildings? For a while, I was the guy who stuck those beads into the plastic. Yeah. They still don’t have robots for that. I grew up reading Kurt Vonnegut and Elmore Leonard, Robert Heinlein and Newton Thornburg. I live in New Orleans with too many dogs. Bleeding Levee Blues is my first novel.

 

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Comments

  1. Downloaded this book yesterday to read when I'm finished with my current one. Decided to read a few pages, sucked me in. Yeah, that other book can wait. Reading this one NOW!

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