Kevin Wade

I just finished this book, and WOW! To me the hallmark of a great book is, "Could this be adapted to film?" Then I read Kevin Wade's bio .... It this is how he spent the 2023 writer's strike, imagine what he could produce if he wrote hardboiled cop stories full time. The writing was vivid (I especially liked, "The weather in NYC that December evening had the kind of cold wet bite that would drive a sled dog to claw at the kitchen door."), the characters were as sharp as if they'd been drawn show more in black ink, and the plot grabs from page one and doesn't let go until the end! I didn't finish until way past my bedtime. Police Chief Gerald Paul (Jeep) Mullane and Johnny Chambliss (Careless) shared a tattoo, a passion for Lacrosse, similar tastes for a certain woman, and both had strong fatherly influences. Their only difference was Johnny was so loaded. So why, does Johnny's body turn up dead the morning after his 20-year class reunion? One terrific read. #KevinWade we need more! show less

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Centre Brookville Chief of Police Jeep Mullane is conducting a “good neighbor” tour of Long Island’s North Shore, checking on folks before the promised hurricane strikes.

When he receives a message from Jenny Racine’s driver, Nicole, he heads toward Jenny’s house. There he discovers that the woman had been violently assaulted. But she does not want any investigation into the attack.

This does not sit well with Jeep, who sets out to find out who show more attacked Jenny . . . and why.

What will he discover?

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Second in the author’s Jeep Malone series, this story builds on the first book, but there is sufficient backstory for those who have not read the first one. The book works well as a standalone. Well-drawn characters and a strong sense of place pull readers into the telling of the tale and keep those pages turning.

The story alternates between the present, when Jeep is investigating Jenny’s attack, and the past where readers learn about the past that Jeep and Jenny share. The story is character-driven, the action swift, the mystery intriguing.

Readers who enjoyed the first book in the series as well as those who enjoy mysteries and character-driven stories will find much to appreciate in this difficult-to-set-aside book.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Celadon Books and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#OnedGoodEye #NetGalley show less

I received this book from the publisher as an ARC. I'll start with the two critiques I have: the story itself was a little wordy. It felt like some of the sentences just went on too long. Second, there were a lot of characters. Sometimes it was just hard to follow. The story itself was entertaining. I finished the novel in one day so it was a quick and easy read. This played out as a murder mystery with a twist. I love a good police procedural story. I believe this novel is the debut for show more this author. Kudos to them for creating this enthralling debut novel. I look forward to reading more of Kevin Wade's work in the future. show less

Jeep Mullane has seen more than a thing or two in his long law enforcement career. He is older, wiser, and far more jaded about people and the world as he comes back home to Long Island’s North Shore. Back in the day, he never did fit in as the son of a NYPD cop. Now he is the Bayville Police Chief and it is a personally brutal Sunday morning as Johnny Careless: A Novel by Kevin Wade begins.

The body on the shore is of a guy Jeep has known for decades. John “Johnny” Payson Chambliss, show more aka, Johnny Careless, is from a wealthy family. Jeep most certainly is not. They were running buddies in no small part because they both were the best on their elite league lacrosse team and tore it up on and off the lacrosse fields. They did a lot of things back in the day, not all of them good, and had a very tight bond.

Until they didn’t.

All these years later, and after very few conversations in between, Johnny is very much dead on the beach. Detective Ron Arbogast of the Nassau County PD is the lead and does not want Jeep and his people involved. Jeep isn’t going to let that happen. Especially when the good detective does not know the family, the ex-wife, or any of the history that Jeep does. Not only that, the good detective doesn’t see some obvious signs at the scene either. He isn’t necessarily a bad cop. He just doesn’t know the victim and he doesn’t see things as they are.

Jeep does and is soon fully involved in finding out what happened in an increasingly complicated case. It isn’t the only case he has either and the bosses aren’t happy with any of it.

Parlaying his extensive work on the CBS TV show, Blue Bloods, and a slew of contacts, Kevin Wade has created an incredible debut novel with Johnny Careless. Part police procedural, part homage to the perils and stupidity of youth, the book pulls the reader in quickly and does not let go.

As a standalone, the read is very good. As the foundation of a possible series, the read is very good. Amazon has it listed as the first book of the series, so I very much hope this is true. Either way, if you like police procedurals that have depth to the characters involved, this is one of those books you must read.

My reading copy came by way of the North Oak Cliff Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025 show less