Description
“A fast-moving classic crime novel” (John Sandford) crafted by the veteran screenwriter and showrunner for the acclaimed police procedural series Blue Bloods, Johnny Careless is Kevin Wade’s razor-sharp debut novel.
Police Chief Jeep Mullane has been bounced back home to Long Island’s North Shore by a heartbreaking case that both earned him his NYPD detective’s shield and burned him out of the Job. Now heading up a small local police department, he finds himself navigating the same geography he did growing up there as the son of an NYPD cop. Jeep is a “have-not” among the glittering “haves,” a sharp-witted, down-to-earth man in a territory defined and ruled by multigenerational wealth and power and the daunting tribal codes and customs that come with it.
When the corpse of Jeep’s childhood friend Johnny Chambliss—born into privilege and known as “Johnny Careless” for his reckless, golden-boy antics—surfaces in the Bayville waters, past collides with present, and Jeep is pulled into a treacherous web. He is challenged by Johnny’s wealthy and secretive family and his beautiful, enigmatic ex-wife as he untangles a knotted mystery fraught with theft, corrupt local moguls, and decades-old secrets, all while grappling with his own deep-seated grief for his lost pal.
A fast-paced story, Johnny Careless “combines grit and wit in a way that conjures Donald Westlake or Robert Parker in full stride” (Carl Hiassen).
Product Details
| Publisher | Celadon Books |
| Publish Date | January 28, 2025 |
| Pages | 240 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Hardback |
| EAN/UPC | 9781250355102 |
| Dimensions | 9.6 X 6.5 X 0.8 inches | 0.9 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
"Wade’s gift for suspense is as well honed as one would expect from his film and TV credits—the real surprise is his character work, which goes deep enough that readers will find themselves thinking about Jeep and Johnny long after they’ve turned the final page. Haunting and heartbreaking, this is a winner."
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A haunting debut novel that works through misunderstandings and violence to something that feels like redemption."
—Kirkus
"Riveting."
—Newsday
“Jeep Mullane is the kind of American hero cop we need now more than ever. This is a fast moving classic crime novel.”
—John Sandford, author of the Prey series
"Kevin Wade's cinematic prose carries you away at a sizzling pace that's unstoppable. Johnny Careless is fresh and wildly entertaining, the characters so real you expect them to walk through the door."
—Patricia Cornwell, New York Times bestselling author
"From page one, Kevin Wade stomps on the accelerator -- smart, cool writing abetted by (mostly) smart, secret-bearing characters. Johnny Careless combines grit and wit in a way that conjures Donald Westlake or Robert Parker in full stride."
—Carl Hiaasen, New York Times bestselling author
“There are a lot of suspects in the murder of careless, care-free Johnny Chambliss. An ex-wife, an embittered coach, a humiliated father, a cabal led by the town mayor, a mysterious foreigner, a lurker who calls himself Angel, and a gang of vicious thieves are all cast in Wade’s ‘collision between the past and present.’ Sheriff Jeep Mullane probes this twisty, unpredictable case, his sharp-as-an-ice-pick investigative skills leading the reader through a nimble, engrossing, thoroughly entertaining novel.”
—Joe Ide, author of the IQ series
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