First of State - (no subtitle) (Large print, Paperback, Large type / large print edition)

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.