Done For A Dime

When Raymond 'Strong' Carlisle, once a talented blues musician, is found shot dead on his doorstep in Rio Mirada, a 'city-in-transition', Detective Murchison quickly identifies two prime suspects. The first is Raymond's son, Toby, and the second is Arlie Thigpen, a member of a local gang. Toby is a brilliant musician trying hard not to make the same mistakes his father made. Murchison suspects that the old bluesman's relentless mockery of his gifted son was more than enough to push Toby over the edge. Worse still, Toby's girlfriend, Nadya, was there when Raymond was shot but now claims to remember nothing. And then there's Arlie Thigpen, a violent street hustler who traded words and blows with Carlisle only moments before his murder. And the fact that his mother is a remarkably strong woman may not be enough to save him.

As Murchison tries to unravel the circumstances behind Carlisle's death, it becomes apparent that this single, brutal homicide has far more sinister ramifications, including a power struggle for control of Rio Mirada primed to erupt in flames. DONE FOR A DIME is a gripping, compassionate novel from one of the brightest new talents in crime writing.