A murder mystery, an international theft ring, a police chief and the towns people make for a good mystery. In a town where everyone knows each other there are still secrets that can be revealed. This book has it all--catchy dialogue, tough talking cop and family drama. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary digital ARC. This review is my own thoughts and words.

Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade is a highly recommended procedural and the debut novel of a veteran screen writer and showrunner for Blue Bloods.

Police Chief Jeep Mullane has returned to head up the small police department in his hometown on Long Island’s North Shore after working at the NYPD, as his father did. Jeep is used to being the blue collar guy among the wealthy. His best friend growing up was Johnny Chambliss, nicknamed Johnny Careless, son of the elite Chambliss family. When a body washes up on a beach in Bayville, Jeep can immediately identify him from the tattoo on his ankle. Jeep has a matching tattoo so he knows it is his friend Johnny.

Mourning the loss of his friend, Jeep is also questioning what happened to Johnny and, since he can't investigate the death, undertakes his own investigation into Johnny's death. Jeep knows many of his friends secrets and the corruption among the wealthy elite and eventually has a colleague give him clues to follow. At the same time he is under pressure from the local mayors to break up an organized gang who are target stealing expensive cars in the area.

The well-written narrative moves between the present day action to flashbacks from Jeep's past following incidents, many involving Johnny, that are spaced about a year apart, leading up the the present. This develops both the characters of Jeep and Johnny, while showcasing their friendship and how it changed over the years. Since Jeep knew Johnny's family, he is privy to inside information and has insight into their characters too.

As the even-paced plot unfolds, there is a lot of political and societal expectations heaped upon Jeep's shoulders. This is an intricate mystery that has many moving parts that don't all connect as expected, but it does reach a satisfying conclusion. Johnny Careless is a police drama that is a quick read and compelling throughout.

Thanks to Celadon Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Jeep Mullane is the Police Chief of a small town in Long Island, where he grew up. He's very familiar with the town, its people, and its culture. When his BFF is found dead, Jeep questions the findings of the case. Also, there seems to be a sophisticated ring of car thieves stealing expensive cars in his hometown and the surrounding areas. Facing the politics and traditions of protecting the privacy and history of the people of the area, Jeep moves forward with both cases to determine if there is a link or what he can find out.

This is a well written, police procedural book that is fast paced and has well developed characters. I was pulled in and really liked the characters and story. I think that the author is also a contributor to Blue Bloods which came through in the story. Very well researched and intriguing! Highly recommend!!!

This is another gem of a debut novel published by Celadon Book!
Johnny Careless is a mix of a suspenseful investigative novel and a story of family, friends and loyalty. A fast-paced thorough police procedural with in-depth character development, had me fully invested in this story!
Jeep has long been the outsider among friends while growing up as a middle-class kid within an upscale Long Island community. Now he has returned as the chief of police and when his best of childhood friends dies, he questions the cause of death. He also has the local mayors breathing down his neck over the string of luxury vehicle thefts. Alternating timelines, the flashbacks present a clearer picture of the secrets within the friendship and who these characters really were.
Kevin Wade was a writer and producer for the show Blue Bloods, and his expertise in storytelling is evident in this book!

Great police mystery! I saw it was written by someone who worked on Blue Bloods, so I was expecting a storyline similar to that and was not disappointed!

Johnny Careless is a debut novel, and it quickly surpassed my expectations. Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
Johnny Careless is a well-written, suspenseful police procedural set on Long Island, NY and featuring an investigation into a suspicious death. The narrator of the book, Jeep, was a close childhood friend of Johnny, the deceased. The author alternates between present-day events and flashbacks to the past to show the connection between the victim and Jeep, the police chief investigating his friend's death. The novel also alternates between the police investigation of Johnny's death, a related investigation of a luxury car theft gang and the the main characters of the story. The author skillfully creates characters with complicated pasts, complex relationships to each other and current struggles. The reader becomes well acquainted with the narrator through the author's use of flashbacks and detailed descriptions of his inner thoughts. My favorite authors are those who show the inner workings of their characters to the reader, and Kevin Wade does this very well. Wade is a longtime showrunner, producer and screenwriter for Blue Bloods, a police procedural TV show set in New York City. His expertise about law enforcement, New York and crime investigation are evident in his debut novel. He writes with great attention to detail and accuracy in describing the investigation and police work that is an important part of Johnny Careless.
I was surprised and pleased to have the opportunity to read Johnny Careless. Kevin Wade writes this police procedural with depth, accuracy and skill. I really enjoyed this book and encourage you to read it too.

Johnny Careless is a crime novel in the classic tradition. Police Chief Jeep Mullane heads the local police department in the North Shore Long Island town he grew up in, a middle class kid in an upper class area. When his childhood friend, Johnny Chambliss–nicknamed Johnny Careless–turns up dead, Jeep can't help but do some digging … even though some would prefer Johnny's past stay buried.
I recommend this offering to all fans of crime fiction. This book really held my interest .
Great storyline and solid, sympathetic characters make for a great read!

Johnny Chamblis was rich and reckless, hence his eponymous nickname. His best childhood friend Jeep was a stabilizing influence on Johnny and was thus liked by Johnny’s wealthy parents.
As grown men, Johnny is still seen as careless. Jeep has become the chief of police of their small hamlet on Long Island, fighting local politics, corruption and a ring of car thefts. And then there is a floating body—Johnny.
Kevin Wade has crafted a police procedural with an age-old tale of privilege, politics and loyalty. He utilizes his screenwriter talents to enhance the telling. "Johnny Careless" was an easy read, and in the end, Johnny was not as reckless as his reputation would have you believe.
My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Thanks to Celadon Books and NetGalley for inviting me to read “Johnny Careless.”
I really enjoyed this crime drama/mystery and hope this is the first of a series.
The main character - Chief of Police of a small town in Long Island - nicknamed “Jeep” is the “Good Cop” we’ve been looking for. He has a past - don’t we all - and that past sets him up for where he is today: in a particular trying to solve to crimes- the death of his childhood best friend and a wave of auto thefts (in the very upscale North Shore/Gold Coast community he oversees.

Some plot holes, some rushing, and a “will they or won’t they?” romance that’s a whole lot of fun.

PS. If you grew up in Long Island - LOTS of familiarity for you…

I love how Kevin Wade writes. This book reads like one of his TV shows. It was exciting at times and very poignant and sad at other times. Themes running through this book were friendship ,Loyalty and doing the right thing.The killers were not who you thought they were going to be. I loved the way the author took. you through all the possibilities. Some twists were easy to guess but many you could not. It was a good read and went very fast

Johnny Careless
Kevin Wade
Celadon Books
01/28/2025

Johnny Chambliss aka Johnny Careless and Jeep Mullane were best friends while growing up. Even though one was born with a silver spoon, and how zero consequences for his actions and one was from a family of police officers who were nothing more than middle class, they found each other and a friendship that could not be broken. That is, until Johnny was found dead and the questions around his death and crime spree of stolen cars brings them back together while sorting out the facts. Thankfully, Jeep is the chief of police in this small town and has the truth and Johnny’s best interest at heart.

Johnny Careless is my first crime thriller of 2025. It is a fast-paced, gritty and can’t miss crime fiction read. Flowing perfectly between past and present, the back stories of the characters are layered in perfectly. I can’t remember the last time that I started a crime thriller where the title was the victim. The story takes the reader all over the small towns in North Shore Long Island, into the police precinct and politics that go along with the kind of generational money and privilege found there. Descriptions of locations and situations are immersive with details so specific that this could easily be made into a television series. I promise you will be cheering Jeep along and hoping for a possible book or television series.

Thanks to NetGalley for this very enjoyable read. Jeep Mullane is the Police Chief of a small town on the North Shore of Long Island. Having grown up there, he is familiar with the town, its people, and its culture. When his best life-long friend is found dead, Jeep questions the findings. At the same time, he and surrounding areas are losing expensive cars to a ring of sophisticated thieves. Jeep is challenged by the politics and traditions of protecting the privacy and history of the people of the area.

I liked the style in which Johnny Careless was written. It’s well-paced, exhibits knowledge of police procedures, and does a good job of establishing the history of the chief characters of the story. I learned in the Acknowledgements that Mr. Wade spent 14 years co-writing, producing, and show running for Blue Bloods. You can see that learning in the book and I can also see this as a film or mini-series. I look for more from him in the future. Mark your calendars—this is due out in March!

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.*

Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade is a fast paced story of uber wealth and well, the opposite. Johnny Chambliss was born with a golden spoon in his mouth and his friend, Jeep, was along for the ride. They lived on Long Island where the haves live alongside the have nots. Jeep was like a member of the Chambliss family, he was lucky to have Johnny for a friend and Johnny was lucky to have Jeep for a friend.

When they went to college, Jeep became serious about a career in law enforcement. He spent time on the NYPD before he moved back to his hometown and became the Chief of Police. One of his first cases was a possible murder. Unfortunately, he was able to be the first to positively identify the body based on a tattoo that matched his own.

The book covers the time that Jeep is trying to find who did this to his friend. And why. Readers are in the hands of an expert storyteller. Readers who enjoy mysteries that have elements of suspense will enjoy reading this book.

Thank you Netgalley for the copy to read and review, I really loved this story!

I really liked this book. An interesting plot with twists. Characters are believable and well developed. I hope to read more by this author.

The book started off strong, and I was thoroughly engrossed in both the “murder” mystery and the car theft storylines. However, about halfway through, I began to lose interest. The plot became repetitive and dull, and I struggled with the sentence structures. The characters often spoke in broken sentences with missing words, which I initially assumed were editing oversights, but I later realized it was simply the author’s style. Overall, it was an okay read, but not one that makes me eager to pick up a sequel. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

It’s such a privilege to read debut authors. This author is hardly unknown or new to the police genre with his years of experience. It was a good start for a new series with distinct regional flair. The setting included cultural uniqueness of Long Island NY. I don’t know the area and it certainly had trendy mansions with residents in a high income bracket. Alongside those who expect privilege and favors are the criminals there to steal their riches. The police chief, Jeep, was interesting and I could see future stories expanding his character. The plot was well conceived and held my attention. I just don’t know if the story was any different from many others I’ve read, certainly not comparable to any Robert B Parker. I would try a second installment but it needs to find more grit and wit.
Celadon Books (via NetGalley) provided an Advance Reader Copy of “Johnny Careless” by Kevin Wade, publication expected 01/28/2025. These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade is a mystery set in Long Island. Johnny Careless is a wealthy man who lived a risky life, he's a native Long Islander with all the moneyed background it implies. His father wants his death ruled as an accident but his childhood friend who is now the Chief of Police in their small town wants to know the truth. It's an enjoyable story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon books for my review copy.

This was an engaging quick read with a couple of unexpected twists that kept me reading late into the night. The first novel from a screenplay writer, actually reads more like a screenplay. The characters and story lacked the depth and development of more experienced authors, but the story moved along quickly. I expect that future novels will only improve. Strongly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an advanced reader copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for letting me receive and read this book as an ARC.

As a lover of mystery and thriller books, I was excited to read this book, unfortunately I did not love this book. I found it very hard to follow with the setting bouncing between present time and past time. This book also switched from 3rd person (present time) to 1st person (Jeep Mullane, past). I think I would have been able to follow this book and the characters better if it had only one narrator perspective.