Created by Keith Gilman
Who says you can’t go home again?
Apparently, nobody told former Philly cop LOU KLEIN, who makes a U-turn and heads back, in Keith Gilman’s promising (and contest-winning) 2009 debut, Father’s Day.
After his widowed mother’s murder, he moves into her old house in West Philadelphia–the house he grew up in–but the neighborhood has changed, and not for the better.
Plus, Klein has a few issues of his own to deal with.
Like, his mother’s house needs serious work.
Like, the death of his father, a uniformed cop, who died in line of duty.
Like, he’s still coming to terms with his divorce.
Like, his strained relationship with his headstrong, rebellious daughter Maggie.
Like, the suicide of his former partner Sam Blackwell, a fellow officer, with whom he shared career-ending accusations.
Like, the never-quite-resolved love triangle between Sam, his wife Sarah and… Lou.
And then Sarah shows up, asking for help, reminding him of old promises and vows. She wants Lou to find her missing teenage daughter, a troubled runaway who never quite got over her father’s suicide. But as Louis digs deeper, the past’s secrets and bitter truths begin to emerge.
It’s not a pleasant romp, by any means, but the fragile balance of lives (including those of Louis, Sarah and Carol Ann), lived in despair and hurt, coupled with the author’s uncompromising vision of a world in decay make for a compelling, powerful read.
And then the author did it all again, in 2012’s My Brother’s Keeper, when another woman from his past, Franny Patterson, asks for his help getting a divorce from her husband, a nightclub owner with criminal ties.
Since then, though?
Crickets.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A writer and a cop, Keith Gilman’s debut novel, Father’s Day, won the Best First Novel Competition sponsored by the Private Eye Writers of America and St. Martin’s Press.
KLEIN, NOT KLINE!
- Lord knows, I’m guilty of goofs (this site is evidence enough), but I’m not being paid to write this stuff–publicists are, though, so it would be nice if blurbs could agree on what the protagonist’s name is.
UNDER OATH
- “An impressive conclusion provides a serious jolt and appears to set Klein on the path to further gritty adventures.”
— Publishers Weekly - “Narrated in a wise-old-guy tone that is matched by Lou’s knack for getting under people’s skin, this debut takes us on a roller-coaster ride of surprises… essential for fans of the genre.”
— School Library Journal (Starred review) - “Despite some awkward flashbacks, Gilman’s debut keeps the tension strong while showing that Philadelphia isn’t just about brotherly love.”
— Kirkus Reviews
NOVELS
- Father’s Day (2009) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
- My Brother’s Keeper (2012) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- The St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books Private Eye Writers of America Best First Private Eye Novel Contest
Winners 1986-2014
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
