Bound by Blood - Tapa dura

New Orleans homicide detective Jack Brenner is attempting to save his faltering marriage when he learns that an inmate on death row may have information that could solve the decades-old murder of Brenner's beloved cousin. After interviewing the inmate, Brenner follows the trail into the bayou country of south Louisiana, where his cousin was a civil-rights worker. Quickly, old wounds are reopened, and more lives are at risk. Attempting to police the same literary turf as James Lee Burke's inimitable Dave Robicheaux is an act of considerable courage, but first-time novelist Nelson is up to the challenge. His hero is a complex, analytical former athlete who admits that competing against criminals makes him feel alive. He's also a nonobservant Jew who carries the burdens of his religion's moral tenets. Other characters in the book are also well crafted, particularly the women. The plot is serpentine, the heat palpable, and the final denouement savage. Bound by Blood is a fine debut and t--Thomas Gaughan "Booklist "

Jack Brenner, a New Orleans homicide detective, hopes to repair his faltering marriage while his daughters are away at summer camp. Then he receives word that Emmet Lloyd Graves, a man on death row, has some information about his cousin's unsolved murder. Like a brother to jack during his troubled childhood, David was one of two civil rights workers killed in the summer of 1972.Before he can figure out whether Graves is conning him, Jack is put on another murder case; the victim, Steven Bowen, broke David's high school record in the mile before being shot to death at a pay phone. With the encouragement of his partner, Keisha Lundy, Jack juggles the Bowen with his own secret investigation of Grave's claim. Willow Ashe, a television reporter and old flame, complicates, matters by breaking the story on national news. Jack is upset at first, but the publicity gets him what he wants, a chance to solve his cousin's murder.Delivering a gripping mystery with a fine balance of humour, violence, and sorrow, Rick Nelson is a welcome new voice in crime fiction.