[Duke Bradley Mysteries 01] • Thirteen Years of Dust

Thirteen Years of Dust--the introductory novel to the newest cult classic private eye, Duke Bradley. Karen Linford is dead. Murdered over a dozen years ago outside a hotel near downtown Akron, Ohio. It's a case that had gone cold, and would have remained unsolved if Duke Bradley, Private Eye hadn't come along. Duke is an ex FBI special detective who got canned from the bureau because he was a hopeless drunk. After a long stint in rehab he is fresh, sober, and a strict vegetarian. With the help of his ex-wife, he hangs his shingle in an office downtown to try his luck in the Private Eye game. He isn't looking for redemption, nor does he need to forget the past, he just wants to stay sober, pay his rent and keep food in his stomach. Now, highly in debt with no cases and a landlord just itching to evict him, Duke has found a way to turn a quick buck doing what he does best. Solving murders. The Karen Linford murder is Duke's first real case since getting off the sauce. It challenges his sobriety and introduces him to an initially less-than-willing FBI partner, the lovely Special Agent Shriya Thakur. Together they scour the dirty veins of Akron to solve the thirteen-year-old slaying of Karen Linford, a young college girl who'd worked nights at a no-tell motel. But what they discover while searching for Karen's killer could cost both Shriya her badge and Duke his life. Written in a new noir-inspired style dubbed Mystere Gris, Thirteen Years of Dust promises a new look at addiction, noir mystery, and life. You will love this new obsessive, sarcastic and cynical private eye. A bit of warning, though - never insult his hat.