First of State (CJ Floyd Series #8) Book

Robert Greer’s latest novel—a prequel to his CJ Floyd mystery series—takes readers back in time to a very young CJ Floyd. It’s 1972, and the 22-year-old decorated war vet has recently returned to Denver from Vietnam with post-traumatic stress disorder. Navigating depression, he finds a friend in World War II vet and amputee Wiley Ames, who shares his passion for rare and valuable western memorabilia.

When Ames and a mysterious Chinese man are found murdered, CJ’s already fragile world threatens to collapse. His attempts to find his friend’s killer are thwarted at every turn, and finally he joins his Uncle Ike’s business as bail bondsman and bounty hunter. Five years later one of Ames’s treasured antique license plates turns up at a Denver flea market, and CJ is once again off and running. The trail to Wiley Ames’s murderer leads CJ down a dark path strewn with backstabbing antique dealers, conniving friends and relatives of Ames’s, and a shadowy musician. Equally a white-knuckle-ride murder mystery and a tale of a traumatized young man coming to terms with his past, First of State features the kind of fresh characters, street-smart dialogue, and ingenious plot twists that have made this series a critical and commercial success.

Publishers Weekly

Greer's engaging eighth mystery to feature black Denver bail bondsman CJ Floyd (after 2008's Blackbird, Farewell), a prequel, reveals much that's new about CJ's background and character. Soon after returning to Denver from two tours of duty in Vietnam in 1971, 20-year-old CJ meets WWII vet Wiley Ames, who, like him, collects old license plates. When Ames is gunned down in an alley, Floyd vows to find his friend's killer. Meanwhile, Floyd's alcoholic uncle, Denver's first black bail bondsman, takes on CJ and teaches him the business. CJ never lets go of the search for Ames's murderer, and his slow, painstaking unraveling of the case over the years mirrors his growth as an investigator. As in Greer's earlier books, the black Five Points neighborhood comes vibrantly alive. This is a must-read for series fans and a great introduction for others. (Oct.)