White Heat

Winner of the 2013 Shamus Award for Best Indie P.I. Novel!

P.I. Duke Rogers finds himself in a combustible situation in this racially charged thriller. His case might have to wait…

The immediate problem: getting out of South Central Los Angeles in one piece during the 1992 “Rodney King” riots and that’s just the beginning of his problems.

Duke finds an old “friend” for a client. The client’s “friend,” an up and coming African-American actress, ends up dead. Duke knows his client did it. Feeling guilty that he inadvertently helped the killer find the victim, he wants to track down the client/killer. He starts his mission by going to the dead actress’ family in South Central L.A.—and while there the “Rodney King” riots ignite.

While Duke searches for the killer he must also deal with the racism of his partner, Jack, and from Warren, the murder victim’s brother, who is a mirror image of Jack in that department. He must also confront his own possible latent racism—even as he’s in an interracial relationship with the dead woman’s sister.

Praise for WHITE HEAT:

“…taut crime yarn set in 1992 against the turmoil of the Los Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of the police officers charged with assaulting motorist Rodney King…. the author ably evokes the chaos that erupted after the Rodney King verdict.” —Publishers Weekly

“White Heat is a riveting read of mystery, much recommended.” —Midwest Book Review

“[White Heat] really caught early 90s’ LA, in all its sordid glory. And had me turning pages late into the night. I think WH is up there with the best of the LA novels, but has an air of authenticity that many lack.” —Woody Haut, journalist, author of Neon Noir: Contemporary American Crime Fiction; Pulp Culture: Hardboiled Fiction & the Cold War; and Heartbreak and Vine: The Fate of Hardboiled Writers in Hollywood

“Expect the unexpected…in an action-walloping award-winner of harrowing twists and turns…” —Gordon Hauptfleisch, Seattle Post Intelligencer and BlogCritics.org

“A gripping tale of prejudice and deceit, set against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1992 L.A. riots. White Heat is all the title promises it to be.” —Darrell James, award-winning author of Nazareth Child and Sonora Crossing

“Written in a staccato, noir style as intense as the 1992 LA riots, White Heat is a stunning debut novel. It grabs you with the intensity of the riots and keeps the anxiety and tension pushing full-throttle right up to the bittersweet ending. White Heat is a hard-hitting, noir detective thriller that also deals with tough issues like racism, the ‘diversity’ of racism, and the human condition.” —Andrew McAleer, bestselling author of 101 Habits of Highly Successful Novelists and Fatal Deeds