Johnny Careless

DEBUTBlue Bloods showrunner Wade showcases his talents on the page with this compelling police procedural. Jeep Mullane, ex-NYPD, returns to his Long Island hometown as the new police chief and quickly gets embroiled in local politics and personal obligations at the scene of the seemingly accidental death of his old friend “Careless” Johnny Chambliss. While Mullane grew up blue-collar, the son of a 9/11 NYPD hero, Johnny’s privileged existence as a member of the elite Chambliss family created both beneficence and chaos. That history, along with deep scratch marks found on Johnny’s back, raises questions of foul play. Mullane juggles commitment to Johnny’s family, complicated feelings for Johnny’s ex-wife, Niven, and pressure from local mayors to stop a car theft ring, while seeking the truth about Johnny’s death. The resolution of the storylines feels too convenient, and this short book would benefit from a few more pages giving definition to some of the secondary characters, but the central characters are rich and the plot propulsive.