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!)