Meet Private Investigator Gideon Rimes. His background as an Iraq War vet and a retired Army CID Detective serves him well in his new chosen profession. There's little of the battleground in serving subpoenas, finding witnesses, and providing background checks ... and the pay isn't so bad.

Gideon gets hired as bodyguard to a young blues singer, who is being stalked by her ex-boyfriend, a cop no less, and the mayor's bodyguard.

When the ex-boyfriend is found beaten to death, Gideon becomes the prime suspect, especially as there are some witnesses to a very loud altercation.

Determined to prove his innocence, he starts his own investigation. What he finds is a cadre of corrupt cops working for corrupt city leaders, and a menacing drug lord. There are secrets, lies, and cover-ups and someone will do anything ...anything at all ... to keep those secrets hidden.

This is well-written with outstanding characters. The good guys are really good. The bad guys are really bad. There are multiple characters to follow, each is solidly defined. There are riveting twists and turns that rival a roller coaster ride and lead to an unexpected conclusion. Throw in a little romance and this one is a keeper. I look forward to the next adventure in this series.

Many thanks to the author / SEG Publishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/mystery. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Nickel City Blues: A Mystery is the first instalment in an adventure trilogy by author Gary Earl Ross, who has had short stories and plays published. The protagonist is Gideon Rimes, a former Army CID detective, now Private Investigator serving subpoenas for a living. He takes on a case to provide personal protection for a blues singer, but is accused of murder when the stalker turns up dead. Rimes is a new hero with a ’do whatever it takes’ motto, who relies on his former army training and will to survive. A stunning first novel that is a riveting read with great characters, a few twists and action packed. With a wonderfully vivid imagination, a delightful crime world is revealed. A new favourite writer with a rare five-star rating for a first-time book.

stalker, false-information, framed, friendship, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, Black/African-American-thriller, private-investigators, ex-cop, ex-military, buffalo, corruption, procedural*****

The only credential the publisher's blurb doesn't tell about Rimes is the MS in criminology. The man has truly Been There, Done That. I smelled a set up early on but certainly never would have guessed the outcome. Really enjoyed the writing, and Rimes is my new favorite character!
I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from SEG Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book is well written and it starts OK, but unfortunately the plot isn't much to write about, and the main character has a strange and not very smart behavior. There are also lots of unnecessary descriptions, like how he managed to stir his coffee (spoiler alert: he used a spoon!)