Splattered Blood by Michael A. Draper

THE CHIEF OF INTERNAL SECURITY for New England's professional basketball team, the Highlanders, is found dead in his office, with a suicide note and conflicting evidence of foul play. Refusing to believe he would have had reason to kill himself, and frustrated with the slowness of the police force's progress on the case, Johnny's widow, Roseanne, and best friend, Randy, launch arenegade investigation of their own. Aided by Roseanne's brother Graham, a fiercely protective loose cannon, they dig up evidence that Johnny, just previous to the date of his death, was running his own undercover investigation into the drug overdose of a star player for the Highlanders.The amateur detectives find themselves mixed up with a ruthlessgang of mobsters, many of whom are responsible for the drug trade-and a string of violent murders - from Washington, D.C. to Boston. When their quest takes a gruesome and deadly turn, the three wonder if they're in over their heads. A gritty tale in the vein of Dennis Lehane and Robert B. Parker, Splattered Blood keeps readers guessing, with suspense and retribution on every page.

About the Author:

Michael A. Draper holds a master's degree in teaching from Saint Michael's College in Vermont. He spent four years in the Air Force, achieving the rank of captain. Currently in the field of life insurance and retirment planning, Mr. Draper found a great deal of inspiration for this novel while working with law enforcement personnel.

My Thoughts:

I have read Michael's reviews of other authors books and it is nice to be able to read and review one of his. Splattered Blood is a story of the widow of a Chief of Security for a professional basketball team and her efforts to find out exactly why her husband died. It was officially claimed as a suicide but Roseanne knows her husband well enough that this is an impossibility. With the help of her brother Graham and Randy, a salesman of life insurance and other financial products to cops and other law inforcement personnel and friend of the couple. These three people set out to find out what is going on with the basketball team and why members of the team have either been suspended or dropped from the team. The story is very fast paced and the plot believable. Lots of action, low life characters, drugs, Russian mobs and corruption. I enjoyed reading this book and hope to read more of Michael's work. I recommend it for anyone who loves a great murder mystery.

I received a copy of this book from the author and was not monetarily compensated for my review.