Playing God (A Joe Burgess Mystery, Book 1)

On an icy February night, the body of Steven Pleasant, a prominent Portland, Maine physician, grows cold in his parked Mercedes. All signs point to a john killed by a disgruntled hooker: his pants are unzipped, wallet is gone, and the good doctor has a reputation for entertaining girls in his car.

But the deeper Detective Sergeant Joe Burgess digs, the muddier the case becomes. While juggling hookers, wives, ex-wives, fathers, stepfathers, dealers and doctors, a nurse on Pleasant's staff suggests another angle—disgruntled patients.

Now, ensconced in the darkness of a sleeping hospital, Burgess comes face-to-face with ghosts from his past and must decide what being a detective really means.

REVIEWS:
"Dazzling debut police procedural." ~Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

"A triumph in the police procedural genre. Highly recommended." ~Library Journal Starred Review

"I loved this book. I recommend it to anyone who loves police procedurals, traditional mysteries, suspense." ~Crimespree Magazine

THE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIES, in series order
Playing God
The Angel of Knowlton Park
Redemption
And Grant You Peace