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Sam Kelson
Series · 3 books · 2019-2021

Books in series

Trouble in Mind book cover
#1

Trouble in Mind

2019

Introducing maverick Chicago private investigator Sam Kelson in the first of a hardhitting new crime noir series. Sam Kelson is a PI like no other. As a consequence of being shot in the head while working undercover as a Chicago cop, he suffers from he cannot keep silent or tell lies when questioned. But truth be told ― and Kelson always tells the truth ― he still feels compelled to investigate and, despite the odds, he’s good at his job. Hired by Trina Felbanks to investigate her pharmacist brother whom she suspects is dealing drugs, Kelson arrives at Felbanks’ home to make a shocking discovery ― his client’s brother has been murdered. Arrested on suspicion of his murder, Kelson makes an even more startling discovery concerning his client’s identity. Kelson would appear to have been set up … but by whom, and why? As events spiral out of control and the body count rises, Kelson realizes he’s made a dangerously powerful enemy. Will he survive long enough to discover who has targeted him ― and what it is they want?
Lucky Bones book cover
#2

Lucky Bones

2020

A case of stolen shoes leads maverick Chicago PI Sam Kelson into something far darker and deeper in the second of this hardhitting crime noir series. "My boyfriend's been stealing my Jimmy Choos." Genevieve Bower has hired private investigator Sam Kelson to recover her stolen shoes from her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. The problem is that no one's seen Genevieve's boyfriend for the past two weeks. Events take a disturbing twist when, in his search for the shoes, Kelson comes across a body, shot in the head. A clear-cut case of suicide - or is it? Has Kelson's client been wholly honest with him? What is this case really about? At the same time, an explosion rips through one of the city's public libraries, leaving a friend's nephew critically injured. Could there be a connection? If there is, Kelson's determined to find it. But Kelson's not like other investigators. Taking a bullet in the brain during his former career as a Chicago cop, he suffers from disinhibition: he cannot keep silent or tell lies when questioned - and his involuntary outspokenness is about to lead him into dangerous waters . . .
Head Case book cover
#3

Head Case

2021

Chicago private investigator Sam Kelson uncovers more than he bargained for when he investigates a series of suspicious deaths at the Clement Memorial Hospital. My friend, this place is killing people. While in the hospital recuperating from a gunshot wound, Chicago PI Sam Kelson is approached by a nurse who's troubled by three recent deaths. No pattern, no connection - except that three patients died when they shouldn't have. Initially skeptical, Kelson starts asking questions - and the more he uncovers, the clearer it becomes that something isn't right. What exactly has been going on at Clement Memorial Hospital? Has someone been killing patients? If so, why? As Kelson digs deeper, he comes to realize that someone is determined to prevent him finding out the truth. Whatever it takes.

Author

Michael Wiley
Michael Wiley
Author · 12 books

Michael Wiley’s new novel is The Long Way Out, featuring Franky Dast, an exonerated ex-con who investigates a series of murders in Northeast Florida. Michael is also the author of three mystery and detective series, including the Shamus Award-winning Joe Kozmarski books, the Daniel Turner thrillers, and, most recently, the Sam Kelson PI novels. His short stories appear often in magazines and anthologies, including Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022. Michael grew up in Chicago and lived and worked in the neighborhoods and on the streets where he sets his Kelson and Kozmarski mysteries. He teaches literature at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville—the setting of The Long Way Out, an earlier Franky Dast novel (Monument Road), and the Daniel Turner novels. Series: * Joe Kozmarski Mystery

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