Drums, Guns 'n' Money

It's the first time Lou Crasher discovers a corpse. What hurts is the woman, Trix Rockland, was a friend. His instinct screams for him to back out of the apartment and call the law. But Lou being Lou, he hops into investigation mode. Naturally, that's when the rookie cop with the hair trigger happens on the scene. Lou now stands over a dead body and has some explaining to do. Satisfied with the onsite interview carried out by detective Tanaka, an Asian cop who's more than easy on the eyes, Crasher is free to go-temporarily. It's not long before the hot detective makes Lou an offer he should refuse-but maybe he can't.

CEO George Lux of Come Get Some Records recently signed Trix to a record deal, which should be cause for celebration. But not in Lou's mind-Lux is shady. The entire band is on Lou's suspect list including a hot tempered ex-boyfriend, and a steroid swilling, Rottweiler owning freelance drummer with a small man's complex. Trix's daughter Jill, who happens to be Lou's drums student, is devastated by the loss of her mother. But the yarns she spins Lou's way make the rocker turned P.I. dizzier than three fingers of the eighteen year old Macallan he drinks.

Few P.I.'s work completely alone and Lou is no different. Lou's half brother Jake, the mysterious grizzled (brawler) of few words, gives Lou a hand where he needs it, and Landlady, Violet Wiggins continues to offer priceless wisdom to Lou.

The obstacles mount for Lou. In addition to a vicious Rottweiler named Killer, a Napoleonic psychotic freelance drummer, an ex-boyfriend of the deceased with a short fuse, a bass player who's obsession over the singer is off the charts, two ex-military thugs, and a mysterious woman who's presence raises the hair on Lou's neck all threaten to stop Crasher from doing what he needs to do. But if Lou's sandwich making is uninterrupted and his cocktail swilling is in check, he's a hard man to beat. The only problem is Lou needs time and time is running out!

Praise for DRUMS, GUNS 'N' MONEY:

"Drums, Guns 'n' Money is a jazzy up tempo mystery that kicks like a snare roll. Jonathan Brown brings his musicality to this down and dirty crime story. Loved it!" -SA Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears

"The appropriately named Lou Crasher in Mr. Brown's Drums, Guns 'n' Money is an adroitly percussive unlicensed private eye who knows the staccato rhythms of the city as he moves and grooves through its warrens to get to the real. The tempo is terse, and the pace of the narrative propels the reader to keep turning the pages. A winner." -Gary Phillips, author of One-Shot Harry

"Drums, Guns 'n' Money doubles as a knowing travelogue illuminating the private corners of the sometimes trashy, always intriguing L.A. music scene. But the main attractions here are Lou Crasher, an amateur sleuth you won't forget, and a propulsive, wise-cracking mystery that twists and turns around a backbeat that never quits. Like his drummer hero, Jonathan Brown can flat out rock and roll." -Howard Michael Gould, novelist, television writer, screenwriter, director, playwright, and author of the Charlie Waldo series

"Good crime fiction shines in the darkness. Brown's excellent work sets the sky on fire. Read it to see the new wave of crime writers at its best!" -Terrence McCauley, award-winning, bestselling author of The Wandering Man