Blue Like Me is a gritty, dark and gripping crime thriller featuring flawed characters, complex relationships and facing your past head-on. Aaron Philip Clark has delivered a second straight compelling novel in this series that will appeal to fans of Michael Connelly and Raymond Chandler.
Trevor “Finn” Finnegan is now a private investigator, working with a law firm to catch dirty cops in the act. As a former LAPD detective who separated from the department under less than friendly terms, he’s perfectly suited for the role. While conducting surveillance on his latest job, he comes across his ex-partner Sally Munoz and another detective doing something potentially shady. All doubt is erased when gunfire erupts, wounding Finn’s ex-partner and killing the other detective. Meanwhile, Finn’s dear friend and ex-LAPD detective turns up dead. Needing, but not wanting, each other’s help, Finn and Sally band together to investigate possible connections between the murders. What they uncover, the secrets that come to light, and the past actions they must reckon with, will change their lives forever.
While the main crime being investigated is powerful, intriguing and disturbing, it’s the intricacies of Finn’s interpersonal relationships and his personal struggle to be a better man that makes Blue Like Me stand out. He seems to have a problematic relationship with everyone - his aging and alcoholic father, his concerned girlfriend, his re-emerging ex-girlfriend, his enigmatic business partner, his hostile ex-partner and, frankly, the entire LAPD. But Finn is aware of his shortcomings and his contribution to the difficult nature of his interactions with these individuals, and he’s shown to care about actively working to repair the damage. The only questions are whether the job will always get in the way and if it’ll make him emotionally unavailable to those who he cares about. Questions that will be fascinating to see him attempt to answer in subsequent editions of this budding series.
If you like crime noir, then this Blue Like Me is for you and I recommend going back and reading the first book in the series as well (Under Color Of Law), though you don’t have to have read the previous novel to enjoy this book. It stands up on its own merit, providing an absorbing ride through the dirty streets of LA and a deep dive into the psyche of an imperfect but hopeful man. Looking forward to seeing how Finn continues to develop going forward.
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