DEAD AIR
A Glenn Beckert Mystery
by Cliff Protzman
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date Sep 26 2017 | Archive Date Oct 09 2017
Description
Dead Air signals trouble at the radio station. Glenn Beckert discovers his high school best friend is shot in the head while on the air. Beck, the owner of Blue Water Security, is employed to provide security for the station.
He becomes willingly embroiled in the investigation by the not-so-innocent widow. The list of potential suspects is long, gleaned from the numerous extramarital affairs of the victim and widow. The pending sale of the radio station has created friction between his now dead friend, Richie Zito and the major stockholders. Motives for murder becomes increasingly murky after the search reveals an encrypted file on Zito’s laptop.
Beck enlists the help of an old flame, Irene Schade, to break the code, revealing a money laundering network leading to the financial and political powers of his beloved city of Pittsburgh. Their collaboration ignites the flames of passion each had considered extinguished.
A former college teammate, police Lieutenant Paglironi delivers a message to back off. Arrogantly, he ignores his friend’s advice. The threats from less friendly sources are more ominous, forcing Beck to move in an unfamiliar world. A startling revelation from his client forces Beck to deal with his inner conviction of right and wrong, challenging the gray areas of his ethical principles. Betraying his client’s confidence could expose the killer. The alternative is to confront the suspect and take matters into his own hands. Either way his life is in jeopardy.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781545607145 |
| PRICE | $15.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Joyce F, Reviewer
4 and 1 / 2 stars
Investigator and owner of Blue Water Security Glenn “Beck” Beckert finds his friend Richie Zito dead at his radio station Z-Rock. One of his operatives was there at the time. Glenn feels that his employee is not telling the truth. Richie’s brother Ron is also at the station.
When the police arrive, Beck has mixed feelings to find his old teammate Lieutenant >>>>> “Pags” Paglironi is in charge of the case. Initially shut out by Pags, he learns later that Pags wants his help. Together they will investigate the case.
The widow Geraldine “Gerry” is naturally a suspect. She and Richie had what one might call an “open” marriage. They each had several sexual partners. Gerry is currently involved with a man called Vince Coleman. Beck suspects him of something. He and Gerry have a large connection to a local organization that provides assistance to the blighted areas of Pittsburgh.
An encrypted file is found on Richie’s computer. Pags slyly slips Beck a copy of it and he takes it to Irene Schade who is an old love interest and a computer hacker. When the file is finally opened, it turns out to be a spreadsheet showing large money transactions between this organization and several offshore banks. Beck believes it is money laundering. Meanwhile he is being followed. He gets a beating in a parking lot. I appreciate the way in which Beck just didn’t bounce back up and keep going. It’s nice when the hero acts like normal people who would take a beating and hurt for days afterward.
Irene and Beck are being followed. A police officer was able to get the license number of the car and Pags tells Beck who it was. He then visits the man and does some rough talking. After Beck tells Gerry about the file she disappears. Is she afraid for herself or is she protecting someone else?
When Mr. Jenkins the head of the organization that is running the scheme is also killed the tension ratchets up. Beck must find Gerry. He and Irene think they’ve located her and then all hell breaks loose.
The name of the murderer is somewhat of a surprise, but Mr. Protzman gave sufficient clues towards the end of the book to give it away.
This is a remarkable book for a first time author. It is both very well written and plotted. It read linearly and made sense every step of the way. It had just the right amount of tension and delivered it at the appropriate times. Sufficient background was given on the main characters, but not so much that it intruded on the story line. I truly enjoyed the novel. I am very much looking forward to reading more of his work.
I want to thank NetGalley and Mill City Press for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable debut for me to read and enjoy.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
