Art Hardin
Created by Robert E. Bailey

In his acclaimed first outing, Private Heat (2002), winner of the First Coast Writers Festival's Josiah W. Bancroft Jr. Award, Robert Bailey's retired counter intelligence officer turned private op ART HARDIN is asked by a prominent Grand Rapids, Mich., lawyer to protect his niece from her abusive cop husband. But there's way more here than first meets the eye. It turns out the niece was doing the nasty with her employee, a securities company official , who's just turned up dead. Oh, and there's the matter of eleven or so million dollars missing.

It's an auspicious debut for Hardin, an affable family man and an appealing gumshoe with a quirky eye for detail and a rather unique way of expressing himself. Like, "He started plumbing his costume for a cigarette." Plumbing?

And "I took a long pull on my smoke, extracted it from my face, and looked out over the river."

Now, for a bit of local color: "Popsicle sticks weathered to gray and the silver pull tabs from beverage cans littered the ground."

Anyway you look at it, it was a well-written, deftly-plotted debut, featuring a likable detective with a fresh and distinctive voice. And the supporting cast, including his staff, wife Wendy (who runs an industrial security business and who's more than capable of backing up her man) and kids, are well-integrated into the story. But gee, Art seems to get whacked around a lot.

So far, Art and Wendy have popped up in two well-received sequels, Dying Embers (2003) and Dead Bang (2007). getting some great buzz.

Author Bailey is a retired private investigator, a Vietnam vet, and an award-winning combat pistol shot. He divides his time between Richmond, Virginia and Grand Rapids.

NOVELS

• Private Heat (2002)... Buy this book
• Dying Embers (2003)... Buy this book
• Dead Bang (2007). Buy this book

Report respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith. Thanks, Craig.