Inspector Tony Hill, head of the Special Crimes unit, is called in to investigate the mutilation murder of a crack cocaine dealer whose hands have been severed by a psychopath. The case quickly falls into place as one of a series of similar, drug-related killings, with the murderer, dubbed "the Handyman," identified in a politically explosive turn of events as Caucasian. The killings continue as cops and drug lords alike take to the streets to stop the macabre blood bath. Meanwhile, a trio of hustlers blows into town with the formula for manufacturing Cold Medina, a cheap, super-addictive version of crack cocaine. After the streets are saturated with Medina, the drug is discovered to produce unpredictable aggressive behavior. Tony must travel into his own heart of darkness to save himself and his beloved city.

Jesse King is an assistant district attorney in Detroit who takes comfort in taking dangerous criminals off the streets. When Detroit's mayor, Harris Yancy, is murdered, authorities implicate his mistress, Ramona Blake. Ramona had been with Yancy before he died and, worse, fled the scene with Yancy's locked briefcase. Enter Jesse King, who becomes convinced that Ramona is innocent and, when he launches his own investigation, is accused of Yancy's murder. While hunting the real killer, Jesse goes on the run, searching for the truth in Detroit's violence-ridden streets.

A black woman is stopped by police and taken into custody. The next morning, she is found dead in a cell, murdered. The police have no record of her arrest and the surveillance feed has gaps in it, covering her entrance and that of the killer.The nation is again outraged as charges of brutality are leveled on law enforcement. The national media, the Black Lives Matter movement and others descend on the city, putting Detroit in society's crosshairs.The case is assigned Police Internal Affairs but Danny Cavanaugh has a compelling reason to work on the case in secret: the murdered woman was his beautiful and provocative sister-in-law.Danny takes up an unauthorized investigation, always one step behind the ruthless killer who knows just how to cover his tracks, getting rid of precious evidence and witnesses.Danny plunges into the case, tramping through Detroit as winter is coming and the city, fresh out of the largest municipal bankruptcy in history, has everyone, rich and poor,...

Raised in the bosom of the inner city, white Detroit Homicide cop Danny Cavanaugh speaks and acts with the unmistakable attitude of a black man. But the savage murders of affluent African-Americans are plunging him into the urban heart of terror, where he will learn first-hand how powerful, inviolate -- and deadly -- the color line truly is.

A woman is murdered and the only witness to the crime is missing. Danny Cavanaugh, a white cop raised in Detroit's inner city gets the seemingly routine case. He soon uncovers a conspiracy that reaches from the ravaged streets to the pinnacle of power. Detroit's mayor, a young, brash and arrogant politician assigns Chief of Police Tony Hill (Cold Medina) to back Danny off the investigation but not before provocative text messages between the mayor and the dead girl are uncovered, drawing suspicion and causing a political and media firestorm. The sex-laced missives lead Danny to more incriminating evidence and give political enemies evidence for criminal charges against the controversial mayor. Jesse King (Double Dead) prosecutes the case and the mayor hires Danny best friend, defense attorney Marshall Jackson (Supreme Justice) to stave off a municipal coup d'etat in the embattled city. Danny runs the case's twisted path, chasing shady characters and deadlier killers. Plunged into...

An elite government assassin is sent to kill the man who trained him, only to find that his mission has been compromised and he is trapped in the deadliest game of all.Luther Green is a government assassin. He is employed by E-1, an agency so secret, even the President is unaware of its activities. Luther was recruited from a military academy and plunged into a world where his only purpose was to eliminate America’s worst enemies. Luther’s mind and body were forged into a killing machine by Alex Deavers, a legendary agent who became Luther’s mentor and best friend in the agency. When his training was complete, Luther was dispatched around the globe, racking up an impressive list of successful kills. After a decade of service, Luther is a deadly weapon whose former life is a faded memory.Luther is called back to America for a special assignment. Kilmer Gray, the current Director of E-1, informs Luther that his old friend, Alex Deavers, has turned rogue agent while on assignment in Africa. Deavers has disappeared and is rumored to be insane. Luther accepts the job of terminating his old friend.Luther, and his TWA (Tech & Weapons Advisor), Marcellus Hampton, track Deavers to the U.S. Deavers proves a dangerous and elusive target leading Luther on a chase through the bowels of America’s inner cities, dropping clues which signal that all is not as it seems with the mission. Alex lures them into constant danger, testing Luther’s skill and loyalty at each turn.Finally, Deavers leads Luther to the latter’s hometown, a place where Luther has not shown his face for over ten years. Suddenly, the game is compromised as Luther’s family and old friends are targeted by the rogue agent. Luther captures Deavers, but now he cannot terminate him, not until he discovers why his old friend turned rogue and what actually happened in Africa. When Luther discovers the truth, he realizes that he was marked for death from the start and must now turn rogue agent himself or face elimination.Luther discovers a secret spanning a half century, involving billions of dollars and costing millions of innocent lives. Luther summons all of his skill and turns it against the agency which created him. In the climatic battle, Luther topples E-1, humbles a President and rediscovers the man who was turned into a killer.From Publishers WeeklyHardwick, a veteran film and television producer, screenwriter and director who also writes books (Color of Justice), has a moderately interesting story to tell in this political thriller about an African-American assassin working for an elite government intelligence agency with ties to the CIA. But despite his publisher's attempts to promote him as the black Elmore Leonard, Hardwick's prose isn't really up to the job, making even the more exciting scenes hard going. What he does share with Leonard is the ability to quickly capture the hard edge of Detroit street and crime life, as his lead character Luther Green uses what he learned growing up in that Michigan city to track down the man who hired and mentored him. Alex Deavers is now suspected of killing a U.S. senator on a fact-finding trip to AIDS-ravaged Africa, and the head of Luther's agency wants him dead. Despite his doubts about his friend's guilt, Green follows orders and sets off after Deavers. Few readers will be surprised to discover that they soon share these doubts, which increase with every twist of Hardwick's plot. A rewrite—or some better editing—could have made this a winner. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anger... Fire... and Murder. A boy is killed in 1967 Detroit after the worse riot in American history. The three white cops at the scene are exonerated. Robert Jackson, a black Vietnam vet is devastated by the death of his younger brother. Thomas Riley, one of the cops involved, harbors a terrible secret. Robert transforms into a deadly street detective, hounding his enemies but drowning his heart in darkness. Thomas fights back with equal measure but the struggle is turning his life to ruin. As each man becomes trapped in the mystery, the unrest of the decade threatens to destroy the nation, legendary leaders are assassinated and Motown's glorious music frames the turbulent picture. Robert moves closer to the truth, forcing Thomas to a dangerous confrontation. And just as both men look into the abyss, an event occurs which galvanizes the nation and uncovers the elusive killer and his shocking motive. But justice will carry a price that must be paid with the most precious of human...