Out of Mind

Detective Johnny "Blue" Heron is lured away from stargazing on his fire escape by a wealthy socialite who wants to track down her husband's lover. It appears to be a straightforward task for a private investigator, but the trail quickly muddies. Blue is chased by hit men and seduced by the suspected lover. A fight in an abandoned pipe factory, a headless body on the railroad tracks, and the curious involvement of homeless kittens makes OUT OF MIND a fascinating read. Michael Burke has produced a fast moving mystery that combines a tightly woven plot with Blue's philosophical musing, sexual shenanigans, and humor. "Thomas Pynchon and Dashiell Hammett walk into a bar: Michael Burke is channeling the results right here in OUT OF MIND. It is a lively trip-wit with intrigue, graft with grins. I laughed out loud at the "ten-story glass office building" which is "named after our ex-Mayor Norton Montgomery-no one had bothered to change its name after he went to jail." And, like his wife Louella, I too wondered what Larry Lafonte was up to. Johnny 'Blue' Heron, his Beamer, and the aging pony-tailed hippy LeRoy are back. Burke writes like a really great conversationalist at a party, and you're invited! Glorious reading!" -Graeme Harper, author of THE INVENTION OF DYING and MOON DANCE "In OUT OF MIND, Michael Burke's third novel in the series, we are charmed once again by the eccentric macho tenderness of protagonist Johnny 'Blue' Heron. Blue would opt every day for a romantic martini with Kathy over a murder. Yet beyond the laconic style of Burke's hero, and obvious literary skill, this book is extremely well plotted, with an unforgettable erotic scene in a cornfield. Bravo Mr. Burke-who, we are not surprised, is also a sculptor, scientist, and poet. We want more of the seductive and mysterious Mr. Heron." -Margaret Sheffield, author of THE EXPRESSIVE EDGE MICHAEL BURKE is the author of SWAN DIVE (2009) and MUSIC OF THE SPHERES (2011). OUT OF MIND, the further adventures of detective Johnny "Blue" Heron, is the third book in the series.