First of State (CJ Floyd Mystery Series)
CJ Floyd is 22 years old, but he seems much older somehow and certainly more disillusioned than his peers in early-1970s Denver. He finds an emotional anchor and kindred soul in Wiley Ames, a WWII amputee and antique dealer. When Wiley is murdered and his case goes unsolved, CJ vows to find the killer; in the meantime, he throws himself into his uncle Ike’s bail-bond business, if only to push his painful memories into the shadows. Five years later, one of Ames’ most treasured antiques surfaces at a Denver flea market. It’s the thread Floyd needs to unravel the murder. This prequel to Greer’s always thoughtful and multilayered Floyd series reveals the pain behind the protagonist’s curmudgeonly, emotionally guarded personality and his reluctance to employ violence. CJ Floyd is one of crime fiction’s hidden gems, and this is a satisfying entry in a rewarding, underappreciated series. --Wes Lukowsky