This was a fast and fun read. I liked that Jeep did what he needed to solve Johnny's death. This was my 1st book by Kevin Wade but it will not be my last. I can't wait to see what he puts out next.

Kevin Wade’s Johnny Careless delivers a compelling mystery that strikes a balance between hard-hitting crime fiction and personal drama. At its center is Jeep, a rugged yet relatable “cool guy” cop navigating the gritty world of law enforcement while facing a deeply personal case. The victim in this story isn’t just another name on a police report—it’s Jeep’s childhood friend, adding layers of emotional depth to an already gripping narrative.

The strength of Johnny Careless lies in Wade’s ability to blend a classic mystery structure with complex, humanized stakes. Jeep is portrayed as more than just a detective chasing justice; he’s a man wrestling with the ghosts of his past while trying to stay true to his principles. The story unfolds with a steady rhythm, keeping readers engaged as Jeep unravels the truth behind his friend’s death, all the while grappling with the weight of loyalty, morality, and duty.

The writing is sharp, and the pacing is well-crafted, pulling readers into a web of suspense that never lets up. Wade skillfully layers clues and red herrings, ensuring that the mystery remains engaging and unpredictable. What makes this book particularly enjoyable is how it captures the essence of the genre—dark, moody settings, a protagonist with just the right amount of moral complexity, and a satisfying resolution that ties everything together.

Fans of crime thrillers will appreciate the mix of action, suspense, and emotional resonance. The characters are well-drawn, and the narrative keeps you invested from start to finish. Whether you’re a seasoned mystery reader or new to the genre, Johnny Careless is a satisfying pick that delivers exactly what it promises: a fun, well-executed mystery with heart.

4.5 rounded up for this story about the son of a police officer who ends up back in his home town as Sheriff. This isn’t Anyplace, USA but the North Shore of Long Island, NY Nassau County, still close enough to commute into the city but a world away from the cramped high rises. “Jeep” is the Sheriff who grew up palling around with the preppy set, including his best friend, John. They played Lacrosse together and Jeep covered for John when it counted. Years later, John is found dead on the beach. The case is taken out of Jeep’s hands, but he still needs to get to the bottom of what happened and why.
The story alternates between the past (narrated by Jeep) and the present (3rd person narration). Jeep is from a working-class policing family whereas John is a trust fund baby. The fast-moving story tests loyalties, digs up secrets, and emphasizes the importance of connections. Since there are some loose ends (not to the mystery itself, fortunately), I can see this becoming a series. If so, I look forward to reading more.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @MacmillanAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #JohnnyCareless for review purposes. Publication date: Jan. 28, 2025.

Kevin Wade, the well-known producer of Blue Bloods, is also a screenwriter with credits including Working Girl, True Colors and other popular films. My expectations were high for Johnny Careless, his debut novel. The audiobook was read by John Pirhalla. Though not someone I initially recognized by name, I was pleased to find that he had narrated two of my favorite books from last year, The Last One at the Wedding and If Something Happens to Me.

“Johnny Careless” is a less than flattering nickname given by his youth lacrosse coach to Johnny Chambliss, an upper-class kid with all the associated privileges that comes with money but no concern about supporting others through the fulfillment of his responsibilities. The discovery of his corpse washed ashore sets the story in motion. His childhood best friend Jeep Mullane, now the local Chief of Police, searches for answers and discovers hidden secrets all along the way. The story moves along quickly, alternating between the current investigation and past events which provide clues as to what might have happened. Throughout the story there is also an ongoing investigation into theft of the sports cars of the area’s most prominent families, seemingly by a highly skilled crime syndicate. The failure to solve those cases keeps Chief Mallone and his police department under fire.

I loved the pacing of this story and the depiction of the personalities of the lead characters, who all felt relatable. While there’s a thought presented that good people can be judged by their worst days, I thought it also true that the story demonstrates that bad people can be judged by their best days.

The one thing that left me mildly disappointed was the ending. It felt rushed and was different than what I had hoped for. Having said that, it was believable and, if I were to read the book again, I’m sure I would be more accepting.

The audiobook narration was perfect, with unique voices presented for all the main characters. None seemed subpar. If this book were ultimately to become a series, I would recommend that the same narrator be used.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to listen to this excellent audiobook. The above opinions are my own.

Thanks to MacMillan Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was fine, but nothing special. It's not that the plot is weak, it's actually reasonable clever; it's just that it feels very TV show-like, and I guess that's because the author is a TV screenwriter. Gerard P. "Jeep" Mullaney was a NYC cop who moved back to his hometown to be police chief after some missteps in the city. That backstory is pretty interesting and I would've been keen to read more of that, but here we are in the Hamptons instead.

Jeep's BFF from childhood, Johnny Chambliss, is found dead on the beach, apparently the victim of a run-in with a jet ski. I feel like this would've been death by misadventure anywhere else but this book, but whatever. Johnny is a rich kid, and his friendship with Jeep is seen through that lens: Johnny's dad values the friendship bc Jeep can be counted on the do favors for Johnny and keep his mouth shut. Johnny is a ne'er do well, and for better or worse, he knows it, so this death is not entirely a shock. Johnny's ex-wife, who has a weird rich person name I cannot remember, keeps showing up at Jeep's house at night while he snarfs pizza and beer at the end of his long days of NOT investigating the death because he knew the deceased, so you know something's going to happen there.

The whole thing ends up tying together with a car theft ring from Chile, and there's an extra layer of coincidence on top of that. The town fathers are all straight out of central casting, {as are Johnny's parents and Jeep's dad}, and behave the way you might expect rich assholes to do (badly, in other words). There's a nice thread of class issues running through the whole thing.

Again, it was OK, but it's not the sort of book you're going to remember in 6 months.
Voice acting was capable and done well on female voices in particular.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was amazing! The storyline was a little slow to get into for me, it was interesting but I wasn’t sure where it was going for awhile. However, I did greatly enjoy the different back stories of the characters and seeing the character development. I would definitely read more by this author and I highly recommend this one.

Kevin Wade, screenwriter for the police procedural television show, Blue Bloods, debuets his first novel, Johnny Careless. When former NYPD detective Jeep Mullane returns home to become police chief of a small police department in Long Island, he never thought he would be investigating the death of his childhood friend, Johnny Chambliss.

Known locally as Johnny Careless, because of his wild antics growing up, Jeep must navigate the wealthy confines of Long Island, Johnny’s beautiful ex-wife, corrupt citizens, and a slew of car thefts occuring in his town. Although, I would have liked more character background of Jeep’s life as a NYPD detective, the chapters containing Jeep and Johnny’s life growing up made up for it and allowed for a captivating read.

With Kevin Wade’s fast-paced plot, interesting characters, and Jeep’s heartbreaking grief, he shows how to use his screenwriting background to write a beautiful novel that gives the same feeling as though you are watching the critically acclaimed Blue Bloods.

Thank you Netgally for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for my honest review. 4.75⭐️

This was a good read. It was kinda slow, in my honest opinion, but is well written and I liked the character and plot development. I feel as if reading a hardcopy would've been better (for me) than listening to the audiobook as I found myself losing interest at times. The narrator wasn't bad, he just wasn't keeping my attention. I will try more from this author though, just maybe not audiobook form.
#JohnnyCareless #NetGalley

JOHNNY CARELESS is gritty crime fiction with a literary vibe.

The story is told via past and present timelines, with a slow unfolding of events. The focus is mostly on the characters’ relationships and histories together. This is how we learn about the various pieces of the case being investigated.

The characters were well developed, complex people, and the dialogue felt authentic, which made the story immersive and believable.

I alternated between my ebook copy and the audiobook. John Pirhalla did a great job with the audiobook narration.

*I received a free audiobook download from Macmillan Audio, and a free eARC from Celadon Books, provided via NetGalley.*

When Police Chief Jeep Mullane's lifelong friend, Johnny Chambliss, washes up on the beach, a long history unravels. He was nicknamed Johnny Careless as a kid, because as a rich kid, he seemingly did what he wanted, regardless of consequences. As Johnny's life is exposed, you see it is not exactly what it looked like on the surface.

This was kind of meh for me. I liked the characters. The setting was alive. The plot... not so great. It wasn't all that excited and was a let down. There is potential in the writing, but this one just missed the mark.

John Pirhalla narrates the audiobook. John Pirhalla is a very reliable narrator- his performances are always consistent. Always clear and well paced.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

A very well told crime novel. A body has washed up on the beach. Police chief Jeep Mullane immediately recognizes the tattoo on the body as one that matches his own. His longtime friend is dead. He must unravel all the tangles involved.  Jeep has always cleaned up Johnny's mess ups. Their relationship is told through flashbacks interwoven throughout the story. I really enjoyed this book. Its very well written and moves along very quickly. 

Kevin Wade has worked on multiple TV shows, an his writing is very evident of that. This crime novel worked like a well oiled machine. 

4 stars

I’m a big fan of crime fiction so I was excited to dive into this one. I don’t think the authors choppy style is really for me. It was a good story but I think it may be harder to follow on the Audi version and I’d prefer an actual book for this style. Not sure if I’ll read more in the series or not.

I liked the book but didn’t love it. There were a lot of characters and I found it a bit hard to remember all of them. I didn’t particularly like the main character. I did enjoy how they wrapped up everything in the end.

I will consider reading another book by Kevin Wade. John Prihalla did an excellent job with the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kevin Wade is the showrunner and screenwriter for Blue Bloods, so he has lots of experience creating crime dramas and with the inner workings of the police – both the good, the bad and the ugly. The good is the character of Jeep Mullane, an ex-NYC cop now the chief of police in the small Long Island town where he grew up. The bad was the death of his best friend while growing up and the son of a very wealthy and prominent family. The ugly was how Jeep had to deal with the rich and influential and also deal with the normal conflicts between different small town police jurisdictions and put up with typical political fallout. Johnny Careless is a classic crime novel and police procedural with a razor-sharp and very likeable police chief who you will want to see more of.

I like that Celadon has started publishing some crime fiction like this book - Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade.

"Jeep is the Police Chief on Long Island's North Shore. A body washes up on the beach thst turns out to be one of his childhood friends. Jeep thinks there more to the case than the detective believes. Jeep has to navigate the problems of the ultra-wealthy families and secrets to find the truth."

Jeep is a great character. He is flawed and has baggage, but is unwilling to accept the story the detective spins about Johnny. He is a "have-not" versus most of the people involved who are the wealthy of NYC. There are interesting past relationships, including Johnny's ex-wife. There are the expected dynamics between the "Haves" and "Have nots" - how appearances often override what is right. There are secrets - always secrets. The final answer is a surprise. You probably won't guess the direction that Wade goes. I like the way that Jeep gets there and I like the ending.

John Pirhalla is one of today's exceptional narrators and he gives a wonderful performance.

Fast paced, good story from Wade.