Head Case

Sam Kelson #3

by Michael Wiley

Chicago private investigator Sam Kelson uncovers more than he bargained for when he investigates a series of suspicious deaths at the Clement Memorial Hospital.

My friend, this place is killing people.

While in the hospital recuperating from a gunshot wound, Chicago PI Sam Kelson is approached by a nurse who's troubled by three recent deaths. No pattern, no connection - except that three patients died when they shouldn't have.

Initially skeptical, Kelson starts asking questions - and the more he uncovers, the clearer it becomes that something isn't right. What exactly has been going on at Clement Memorial Hospital? Has someone been killing patients? If so, why? As Kelson digs deeper, he comes to realize that someone is determined to prevent him finding out the truth. Whatever it takes.

Genres: Mystery

248 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2021

About the author

Michael Wiley’s new novel is The Long Way Out, featuring Franky Dast, an exonerated ex-con who investigates a series of murders in Northeast Florida. Michael is also the author of three mystery and detective series, including the Shamus Award-winning Joe Kozmarski books, the Daniel Turner thrillers, and, most recently, the Sam Kelson PI novels. His short stories appear often in magazines and anthologies, including Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022.

Michael grew up in Chicago and lived and worked in the neighborhoods and on the streets where he sets his Kelson and Kozmarski mysteries. He teaches literature at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville—the setting of The Long Way Out, an earlier Franky Dast novel (Monument Road), and the Daniel Turner novels.


Series:
* Joe Kozmarski Mystery

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Kelson is a private investigator in Chicago. Sam isn't your ordinary man ... while he was a detective just a few years ago, he was shot in the head while on duty. He's lucky to be alive .. but because of the trauma, he now suffers from inhibition .... in his case, the inability to tell a iie. No matter what, there is no way he can ever keep a secret .... a little problematic when questioning people. And then there are those who know of his condition and ask him things just to see what he says .. .like his 13-year-old daughter.

He's been shot again, luckily it's only an arm wound, but he's in hospital for a day or two. While there, he's approached by a nurse ... who tells him people are dying. Well, okay, thinks Sam .. it's a hospital, people do die here.

But the nurse explains that there have been several unexplained deaths ... no connection between the deceased, no pattern, the only thing in common is that they should not have died.

Sam starts asking questions, and the more he uncovers, the more he begins to believe that something is really wrong at the hospital. And someone wants to make sure Sam doesn't learn what .. or why.

Sam is a great character .. he's made the most of his inability to filter what he says, and he's just down right funny. I love his interactions, not only with his friends, but also with his daughter. The plot is cleverly written, there is much action, a bit of violence, and characters that are solidly drawn. Although 3rd in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone, but I do recommend reading in order.

Many thanks to the author / Canongate Books / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Head Case is the third book in the series featuring ex-cop now PI Sam Kelson. He is a very complex character so you could do yourself a favour and read the first two books before diving into this one. Although the main story is self-contained. Be warned... Sam Kelson is a bit Captain Scarlet so it should not come as a shock that we first reconnect with him as he is lying in a hospital bed after recovering from being shot... again!
It is in this hospital bed where he is approached by one of the nurses who needs to voice his concerns about the deaths of some seemingly recoverable patients. Problem is, it's just a gut feeling as there is no discernible pattern to the victims or manner of their deaths. They just shouldn't have died. He wants Sam to investigate, and has his winnings from his bull-riding days to spend on paying him. Sam is honest, too honest, medically honest as he suffers from disinhibition, so doesn't want to take his money, convinced there is nothing to it all. But is persuaded, eventually.
And so begins a roaring romp, delivered in Kelson's own inimitable scary and dangerous way as he bumbles his way through to trying to get to the truth. Without getting shot again.
Aided and abetted by his solid friends, and a few frenemies too, with daughter and his two cats on hand when it gets too tough, can Sam finally dig up enough to work out what is going on?
It's a bit bonkers and sometimes on the farcical side and doesn't always take itself too seriously but, put all these things together, and they really complement each other. Well, along with a cracking plot obviously.
Sam Kelson is probably a bit of a marmite character. I think he is that to all his friends and family too so you would be forgiven that as a reader! Me I think he has enough quirks to make him interesting and a good soul to make him human. He is also a wicked investigator who will stop at nothing, even getting into harm's way, to get to the truth. He is a character that I enjoy reconnecting with and one that I am sad to wave goodbye to once the book is done. Suffice to say I am hanging for book four now. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[XOX · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Kelson was shot in the head, survived. He sufferenbrain injury that make it impossible to lie, as his filter was gone and he could no longer stop himself for saying whatever is on hos mind.

Her got shot again, and is laying in the hospital when he is hored by the nurse to investigate some death that were ruled as accident or natural causes.

For the most part, it is mot clear if Kelson is wasting his time. He has a daughter and an ex-wifea. So a job is a job. He also asked hrlp from his two friends. It is not going anywhere until more dead bodies were discovered. He is ones step behind, and a little too late to save anyone. His meddling is also frustrating the police who really don't think the deaths of these people are linked.

The writing is okay. It is an interesting premise from a person who cannot lie. It is not as easy to live as a totally honest person.

4 stars read.

[H.W. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

HEAD CASE is another highly entertaining romp through the mean streets of Chicago with brain-damaged but still-able-to-function Detective Sam Kelson. His injury has left him uninhibited, overly talkative, and unable to tell a lie. That leads to one comic but highly-dangerous situation after another as Kelson tries to get to the bottom of a mystery with so many twists and turns it should bear caution signs. You can't go wrong with author Michael Wiley and his unique creation, Sam Kelson.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago private detective Sam Kelson is one of the most interesting characters to come along in recent years. He used to be an undercover police detective until he was shot in the head, he survived (obviously!) but the injury left him with something called disinhibition.

As a result Kelson has a complete inability to lie - he quite literally can't keep a secret to save his life. There are also some self-control issues. He has very little ability to filter the thoughts in his head before they come out of his mouth, and if Kelson, for whatever reason, suddenly gets the urge to strip to his underwear and dance on a table then sit back and enjoy the show.

He has a difficult ex-wife, a precocious young daughter, two house cats named after racehorses, and a couple of strange but loyal associates.

Head Case is the third book in an ongoing series and it's not bad (I highly recommend the first book Trouble in Mind). It's not exceptional either. I found the plot a little muddled with at least one subplot that went nowhere. But I really like this character!

Although this book is a standalone it's really more of a self contained story within a larger story arc, meaning if you haven't read the first book you probably won't appreciate this one all that much. On its own Head Case is a slightly better than average P.I. story. As part of the ongoing series it's much better.

***I received a free digital copy of this title through NetGalley

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a private eye thriller with a difference- Sam Kelson, the investigator, has suffered a brain injury three years previously which means he cannot lie- he must always tell the truth. When he is taken to hospital after being shot in the arm, he meets nurse, Jose Feliciano who wants to hire him to investigate some nefarious goings on at the clinic.
This is a fairly humorous investigative novel which introduces the reader to some unusual characters. It became apparent after a few chapters that it was the third book in a series although that did not detract from my enjoyment. I hadn’t read the earlier books but all was explained so it did not matter that I was coming to the novel fresh.
The fact that Kelson cannot lie did not really add a lot to the story which did seem over complicated in places as there were quite a lot of minor characters. Kelson’s two friends were not well fleshed out and seemed rather two dimensional.
There were a lot of guns and towards the end a lot shooting although it transpired that really there were only 3 suspects. I did in fact guess the perpetrator quite early on.
This was a reasonably enjoyable thriller and I would be tempted to read another book by this author if it became available.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon Grow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Former Chicago Detective Sam Kelson is retired and working as a private investigator. When he was shot in the head, he developed disinhibition frontal lobe injury which inhibits inappropriate behavior. He is unable to not say many things that should be left unsaid. The last time he did this he was shot again, but was saved from certain death by his friend. While recovering in the hospital, one of the nurses tells him that some people died there that shouldn’t have. Sam is determined to investigate and opens himself up to the chance that he won’t make it out of the hospital alive. Witty dialog between Kelson and his ex-wife and friends add an appealing touch of humor to his interactions and investigation. Will his friends once again have his back or this time will they be too late? An enjoyable mystery with quirky characters. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Kelson is a former cop, now a PI, with disinhibition- he can not tell a lie. You never think about how many lies you tell until you meet a man like Sam. In this third outing in an interesting series, he's been shot in the arm by a car thief and, while in the hospital, is approached by Jose, a nurse who is convinced someone is killing patients. Sam's not inclined to get involved but then another patient dies and Jose's girlfriend is accused. The mystery here is enhanced by Kelson's character- he's got a tough relationship with his ex-wife, a hoot of a daughter, and two cats who he's very attached to. While it's probably meant to be hard boiled, there's a lot of humanity (and humor) here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I enjoy this series - I hope this will be fine as a standalone- and look forward to the next one. A very good read for fans of the PI genre.

[Grace Koshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chicago PI Sam Kelson is in the hospital after getting shot during his last case. Kelson has a unique medical condition from a previous head wound called disinhibition. This condition makes Kelson incapable of not answering any question or sharing his thoughts. He also has occasional bouts of not being able to recognize himself in a mirror. At the hospital, Kelson is befriended by nurse Jose Feliciano who believes that 3 recent patients have died unnatural deaths. At first, Kelson dismisses her claims but agrees to investigate after another patient unexpectedly dies and Feliciano’s nurse is blamed for making a fatal error.

This was another enjoyable read in the Sam Kelson PI series.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and Severn House with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

[Christianne Swearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an unusual character. Sam Kelson was an undercover cop who was shot in the head and because of the brain trauma has something called disinhibition. He says everything he thinks and because of that he lost his job as a policeman, his wife divorced him and he became a private investigator. He also sometimes suffers from a condition where he doesn't recognize his own face so he has some very funny, odd conversations with himself in the mirror. That's just the basic situation! He has very loving relationships with his daughter, his quirky collection of friends and his two kittens. On top of that are the wild and dangerous cases he gets involved in driving his former colleagues in the police department crazy. Funny, fast paced and touching too.

[Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one, even more than the last. I just wish that there was one person in his life who could figure out a way to have a conversation with him. He can’t help himself so someone else has to make adjustments to achieve a productive exchange.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good book. Easy to follow.

[LaShana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this dysfunctional, functional private investigator!!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars and my favorite so far in the series. There are still a few too many characters for me, complicated by calling them by first names in some places and last names in others, but the core cast of 6 or so are fairly established. If you made it through books 1 and 2, this is a treat.

eARC from NetGalley.