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Hello, Readers,
My latest novel, Hard Exit, is the most personal of the five I've written. I've lived with the story and various drafts for decades. The story takes place in Malibu and south Los Angeles and is narrated by depressed private eye Jack Drake, who lives in a Malibu beach mansion with movie star Amanda Bigelow.
He's endured traumas and suffered significant losses. He's muddled through years of grief and stasis, but then Game, an at-risk sixteen-year-old, changes Jack's perspective. The two of them become friends, then try to solve a series of murders in Malibu and south Los Angeles.
Unlike the Hadley novels, Hard Exit isn't a cozy mystery. It contains cursing, a sex scene, and some violence. However, fists don't fly every twenty pages, and the Jack doesn't subdue half a dozen armed foes with his wits and a handful of wet pork rinds.
I'm proud of my first four novels, but I think Hard Exit—a love story wrapped in a murder mystery—will appeal to a much broader readership. I hope you enjoy it.
After I finish the thriller I'm writing, and after I write the next Hadley novel, Quilt City: Safety Second, I'll return with the second Jack Drake Mystery: Stronger at the Break.
Stay tuned for audiobooks of the first four Hadley Carroll Mysteries, which should be released late in 2024.
Thank you tremendously for your support.
All the best,
Bruce
Reviews of Quilt City Murders:
Best-ever murder mystery featuring Quiltmakers
Many of the other 5-star reviews here are eloquent and on-target, so I'll just add that this is the first 'quilt' mystery I've read whose story could stand on its own no matter the milieu, and whose details re quilting and quilters were credible. I enjoyed it, feel like I got a free trip to the quilt mega-festival in Paducah, and will look forward to further series titles. — A reviewer on Amazon
I loved it! This book is fun. The plot moves right along, and I became interested in the quilting town of Paducah. But mostly, I liked Hadley the protagonist. She is smart and funny, and a pleasure to read. I’d gladly read another crime solved by her.
— A reviewer on Amazon
A review of Quilt City: Panic in Paducah reads:
"Better than Quilt City Murders, and I LOVED that novel."
— Jenny Raith, owner of a cozy-mystery–based website
Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice has been described this way:
"I like the community of characters in Quilt City: Measure Once, Cut Twice, and how they carry on from the first book. I think it’s a really lovely portrayal of women, the things we care about, and how we support each other. Another winner!
" —Jen Maverick, in a review
And Quilt City: Proving a Negative has been described this way:
"Quilt City: Proving a Negative surprised me from start to finish. It is a treat entering Hadley’s world, and the characters and setting always stay with me long after I finish one of these books. Proving A Negative is fun and sharp. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
" —Biz Lyon, the actor who will soon give voice to the Hadley Carroll Mysteries in audiobook form.
