A USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHORThe First Three Full-Length Books in a Bestselling, Award-Winning Mystery SeriesDEAD WOOD (John Rockne Mystery #1) In the exclusive enclave of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a woman who builds custom guitars is murdered. A disgraced ex-cop turned private investigator is hired by the dead woman’s father and immediately becomes the target of a violent ex-convict. An … target of a violent ex-convict. An enigmatic music star performs damage control on her links to the dead woman. And a professional killer who idolizes Keith Richards is brought into town by a mysterious employer. DEAD WOOD is what great mysteries are all about: love, hate, faith and vengeance, all wrapped up in an explosive story that simply refuses to let up.
HARD ROCK (John Rockne Mystery #2) Private Investigator John Rockne is determined to find out who is responsible for the brutal murder of a young man in Grosse Pointe. A contract killer known only as The Spook wants to keep the truth buried forever. Rockne quickly uncovers a series of dark secrets with ties to his own tortured past. HARD ROCK is a thrilling conclusion to the bestselling crime novel DEAD WOOD.
COLD JADE (John Rockne Mystery #3) Once a cop in the well-to-do Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe, John Rockne was dismissed from the force after making a tragic mistake that resulted in the brutal murder of a young man. Now working as a private investigator, John is hired by a man whose daughter is missing and he soon discovers the young woman was living a secret life under the name Jade. John quickly realizes the world Jade had entered was a dangerous one filled with thieves, drugs, pimps and murderers. He has no idea if he can find her…and bring her out alive.
“Dan Ames’ writing reminds me of the great thriller writers — lean, mean, no nonsense prose that gets straight to the point and keeps you turning those pages.” –Robert Gregory Browne, author of Down Among the Dead Men
“As gritty as the Detroit streets where it’s set, DEAD WOOD grabs you early on and doesn’t let go. As fine a debut as you’ll come across this year, maybe any year.” –Tom Schreck, author of Out Cold, A Duffy Dombrowski Mystery
“From its opening lines, Daniel S. Ames and his private eye novel DEAD WOOD recall early James Ellroy: a fresh attitude and voice and the heady rush of boundless yearning and ambition. Ames delivers a vivid evocation of time and place in a way that few debut authors achieve, nailing the essence of his chosen corner of high-tone Michigan. He also deftly dodges the pitfalls that make so much contemporary private detective fiction a mixed bag and nostalgia-freighted misfire. Ames’ detective has family; he’s steady. He’s not another burned-out, booze-hound hanging on teeth and toenails to the world and smugly wallowing in his own ennui. This is the first new private eye novel in a long time that just swept me along for the ride. Ames is definitely one to watch.” — Craig McDonald, Edgar-nominated author
“Dead Wood is a fast-paced, unpredictable mystery with an engaging
narrator and a rich cast of original supporting characters.” -Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Butcher’s Boy.
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Good book
This set was the first I have read for this author and was always surprised with a little twist that was unexpected in each story. The main character is married which is refreshing and loves his wife and children so working the story around that is good work!! 🙂
John Rockne as a young man was a Rookie on the Police Department the night he made a terrible mistake. A young man was reported running around naked and when Rockne investigates it he finds the young man but another man is with him saying that the young man drank too much and he would take him home. Rockne thinks that he is cutting the young man a break but later when the young man is found dead in a lake Rockne realizes that he made a horrible mistake. He is let go from the police department and becomes a private investigator but the memory of that night never leaves him.
Later he gets involved in a case and danger is around every turn….and there is a connection to the past. Will Rockne be able to solve the mystery before it’s too late??
good character development and excellent story line
I LOVED this series. I grew up in the Detroit/Grosse Pointe area and could travel along with the action as it moved through the Detroit area. The writing is witty and keeps you turning the pages. Dan Ames is my new favorite author.
1st book was a disappointment but books 2 & 3 are much better – main character is more likeable. All 3 have complicated plot twists – great if you like that!
Wow! This series has it all. Humor, sarcasm and lots of action. The relationship between John and his sister cracks me up at times, and at other times irritates me. I suppose just like the characters themselves. Gets my heart rate going and keeps it going. What I want to know, is how many more “lives” does John have. He seems to squeak out of some pretty tough situations.
I have read many many murder mysteries and this series was one of my favorites.
I honestly didn’t care for the story line in any of the three books. The author seemed to try to make it a cross between funny and ghoulish. Several times I just wanted to set the books aside. I wish I had.
Enjoyed reading series. I couldn’t put it down until I finished all 3 books.
This was an easy series to read between other tasks. The plot while good was not too technical. And was easy to stay involved in the book through distractions.
Enjoyed these books even though there were some editing errors… scary but good!
The book didn’t meet the expectation I had envisioned. That doesn’t mean it won’t for someone else. The price I paid at the time made it worthwhile buying and reading.
Read these books
Enjoy the writer’s humor and liked hoe the story was told in first person. Good twists and turns in the story to keep you interested.
enjoyed it greatly
Great mysteries series.
Its unusual to find a private investigator story where the PI is married. I didn’t know I was going to like it so much. Thank you.
Great author and good books
as advertised, unusual detective but as with many of the characters, not fully developed