Creative Deductions: Double Play

by Michael Pickard

Detective Nick Chasm is obsessed with his profession, even outside his Chicago city jurisdiction. Bringing down bad guys ranks second only to his love for his 82-year-old mother.Fresh from solving two murders in his hometown of Eden Gorge, Nick returns to Chicago to learn his partner Melanie Cooper has been abducted during a drug ring undercover operation. She had pleaded with him to lead her backup team but he refused to walk away from his unofficial cases.His commander Edmund Washington prohibits his participation in the investigation because of Nick’s emotional connection with the victim. FBI Agent Anita McKay, in charge of finding Mel, echoes Washington’s orders. Besides, she claims the trail is cold.True to character, Nick isn’t willing to sit back and wait, no matter who he has to bulldoze to find his partner.

405 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Michael Pickard’s writing serves as the bridge between his professional work in technology and his passion for creative arts.

Pickard's catalog includes nine novels, two children's books, and a collection of juried short stories, including Hardwired, which won a Ray Bradbury Creative Writing Prize in 2005.