Measured Deception
by Richard E. Kalk and T.A. Pryor
GENRE: Mystery
PUBLICATION DATE: 10/19/2024
DESCRIPTION:
After 20 soul bending years as a detective with the LAPD, Sergeant Nick Blaine thought he knew evil. That was until he came across the murder of Ainsley Brown, a charismatic young gay man trying to live unapologetically in 1980s Los Angeles. Popular on the social scene, Ainsley was beloved by all but one man. The man who loved him so much he would rather see Ainsley dead than with another. Yet, the murders don't stop with Ainsley Brown. Before he's able to catch his killer, Nick Blaine will find himself taken from the streets of L.A. to the bayou of Louisiana and back again, all while hot on the heels of a killer.
Having suffered heart-breaking loss, Blaine must not only solve the case, he must also figure out a way to find comfort and solace in a world determined to let his demon chase him. With every step Blaine and his faithful partner in crime, Detective Phillips, find themselves falling deeper into a cesspool of murder, drugs, and sex. Will they be able to stay afloat?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Retired LAPD detective Richard E. Kalk is a jack-of-all-trades. After a long and storied career in law enforcement he went on to found the LAPD Historical Museum in Los Angeles. He has also co-starred in a number of Hollywood blockbusters including the award winning 'The Onion Field' with Ted Danson and 'The New Centurions' with screen legend George C. Scott and Stacy Keach.
T. Ann Pryor is an award winning writer and author of the popular essay collection: 'All I Need to Know I Learned from the Golden Girls' available on Amazon and other places you buy books.
REVIEWS:
"The plot follows the traditional path of an old-school police procedural, with the detectives working every angle in person out in the community. It was an interesting realization that while 1984 doesn’t seem that long ago, it’s actually 40 years, and a lot of technological advances in everyday life have been made, let alone law enforcement, that we take for granted today: no cellphones, no personal computers even. If you wanted to talk to a suspect, you had to catch them at their house or workplace, even for a phone call ... However, dogged persistence and attention to every clue finally pay off for the two detectives, but the resolution doesn’t happen before additional tragedy strikes. With an interesting and intrepid pair of detectives, reminiscent of Sergeant Joe Friday and Detective Bill Gannon, and an engaging style of storytelling, I recommend MEASURED DECEPTION to mystery readers, especially those who enjoy the police procedural." — Amazon Review
COMPARATIVE FILM/BOOK:
"The Thin Man" meets "Dragnet"
CASTING:
Detective Blaine - Tommy Lee Jones, Phillips - Chris Pine, Rodney - Samuel L. Jackson
PRIMARY VENUES/LOCATIONS WITHIN THE BOOK:
1980s Los Angeles
BOOK EXCERPT:
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