NOW AVAILABLE from AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, AND BLACK ROSE WRITING: VOlume 5 in the emmett hardy series!
Blond Hair, Blue Eyes
Burr, Oklahoma, summer, 1976: On the eve of America’s Bicentennial celebration, a notorious local politician is assassinated at a campaign rally. The case seems open and shut; the killer—a young, anonymous homeless woman—is shot by police at the scene. With the death of the assassin, the lead investigator is content to write off the crime as a random act. Burr’s Chief of Police, Emmett Hardy, isn’t so sure. Hardy becomes convinced the killing is the culmination of something deeper and darker—a violent conspiracy that not only makes a mockery of justice but ultimately threatens his life and those around him. A tale of murder, revenge, and intrigue, Blond Hair, Blue Eyes is Emmett Hardy’s most difficult and exciting case yet.
Also available, volume 4!
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Junker Blues
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It’s August 1974. The oil-producing states of the Middle East refuse to sell to the United States, sparking a worldwide economic crisis. The residents of Burr, Oklahoma could care less. They sit atop an ocean of oil. Drilling increases ten-fold, resulting in an unprecedented boom for the tiny community. Of course, the newfound prosperity comes with a price. Burr begins to experience problems associated with big cities: illegal drugs, sexual assault, and a skyrocketing murder rate.
When a disabled young man is found shot to death in the back row of a drive-in movie theater, Burr’s police chief, Emmett Hardy, considers it an isolated act of depravity. As the dominos fall, however, Emmett realizes he might be searching for a type of killer who, in 1974, had yet to be named—someone who kills repeatedly, savagely, and seemingly at random. Hardy searches for the culprit even as old habits cloud his mind and clues go unnoticed. The trail circles back and becomes a noose. It’s up to Emmett to cut himself down before it’s too late. 2nd Place, 2021 Pencraft Awards, Mystery-General
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“Chris Kelsey hits another home-run with this fast-paced and enthralling mystery starring Emmett Hardy.” – Sublime Book Review
"Beautifully written with first person narration by the laconic and frequently very funny Hardy, JUNKER BLUES is a literary mystery that is not afraid to take its time ... essential reading and a first class mystery novel. 4.8 stars." — IndieReader
"Junker Blues is seductive . . . blunt, and crude, but an awesome story. Kelsey has created a thriller with a crime solver who resonates with originality and energy. A thoroughly enjoyable page turner that can keep you up past your bedtime! — AuthorsReading.com
"Beautifully written with first person narration by the laconic and frequently very funny Hardy, JUNKER BLUES is a literary mystery that is not afraid to take its time ... essential reading and a first class mystery novel. 4.8 stars." — IndieReader
"Junker Blues is seductive . . . blunt, and crude, but an awesome story. Kelsey has created a thriller with a crime solver who resonates with originality and energy. A thoroughly enjoyable page turner that can keep you up past your bedtime! — AuthorsReading.com
NEWS: Ain't Nothin' Personal is a finalist for the 2022 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the Regional Fiction category. Also, the Emmett Hardy series (Where the Hurt Is, Butcherville, Ain't Nothin' Personal, and the upcoming Junker Blues) is a finalist for Best Fiction Series.
Ain't Nothin' Personal
volume 3 of the emmett hardy series
After a kidnap-for-hire plot results in the death of a young boy, Burr police chief Emmett Hardy blames himself and has an alcohol-fueled breakdown. His life at a crossroads, Hardy checks into the hospital for treatment, only to discover upon his release that he's been suspended from duty. When a dying prisoner contacts him about a long-forgotten unsolved case, Emmett-temporarily at loose ends-begins an informal investigation. Soon he becomes a target of violence himself, as his investigation becomes a murder probe implicating the most powerful men in town. Hardy is forced to relive one of the most traumatic events of his childhood, and faces the possibility that members of his own family may have been involved in the crime. Ultimately, with Emmett's tenuous grasp on sobriety slipping and his moral foundation shifting beneath his feet, the answer to the question, "Who do I trust?" becomes a matter of life and death.
"A STRONG MYSTERY THAT CLEARLY SHOWS SOME SECRETS, LIKE A FEW BODIES, CAN’T STAY BURIED." — KIRKUS REVIEWS
“AIN’T NOTHIN’ PERSONAL IS ANOTHER NOT-TO-BE-MISSED INSTALLMENT IN THE EMMETT HARDY SERIES: WITTY, FAST-PACED, AND IRRESISTIBLE.” — SUBLIME BOOK REVIEWS
“AIN’T NOTHIN’ PERSONAL IS ANOTHER NOT-TO-BE-MISSED INSTALLMENT IN THE EMMETT HARDY SERIES: WITTY, FAST-PACED, AND IRRESISTIBLE.” — SUBLIME BOOK REVIEWS
Available now from Amazon, Barnes & NOBLE, and Black Rose Writing.
Don't Miss ...
Butcherville
Volume 2 of the emmett hardy Series
The residents of tiny Butcherville, Oklahoma dislike authority so much, they won’t even hire a police force. When they need a cop, they just call Emmett Hardy, police chief of Burr, the closest neighboring town. Whether it’s to break up a fight, dissuade some good ol’ boy from hunting rabbits with an M-16, or eject an unruly patron from Butcherville’s combination strip joint/bookstore, Emmett’s generally glad to help—that is, until a local business owner’s lust for money and power results in a deadly shootout and multiple kidnappings. Suddenly, Emmett’s good intentions are fraught with dangerous consequences. Besieged by friend and foe alike, and sabotaged by his one tragic weakness, Emmett is the last man standing between a community trying to do their best with what little they have and an evil that threatens not only their jobs and homes, but their very lives.
MAY 7, 2021: Butcherville places second in the Published Book: Adult category at the Oklahoma Writers Federation Annual Conference!
Available now from Amazon, Barnes & NOble, Google Play, and Black Rose Writing.
Sublime Book Review on Butcherville: "... a captivating read, definitely one of the best I’ve read in recent memory. The characters are engaging; the narrative is snappy, witty, and charming; and the descriptions pull you firmly into the setting. The steady flow of action keeps the pages turning ... I discovered this is the second Emmett Hardy book. I will be grabbing a copy of the first one ... Chris Kelsey has gained a new fan."
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And of course: Where the Hurt Is, Volume 1 of the Emmett Hardy Series and winner of the Pencraft Award for Best Fiction Book of 2018. |
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AuthorsReading.com: “Where the Hurt Is weaves a darkly haunting tale about the 'business as usual' mentality of racism in America ... Kelsey does an incredible job ... do yourself a favor and pick this up. I promise you won’t regret it.”bestthrillers.com: “THIS SENSATIONAL SMALL-TOWN CRIME THRILLER IS A PERFECT BEACH READ ... KELSEY’S CHOICE OF SETTING – EVERY SIGNPOST, BAR AND RESIDENT FEELS AUTHENTIC – IS THE SOURCE OF BLISTERING TENSION ... IN A SEA OF ANTI-HEROES, HARDY IS THE HERO WE NEED RIGHT NOW.”midwest book review: “a simply riveting read from cover to cover, and one that showcases Kelsey's genuine flair for deftly crafted originality in terms of narrative driven storytelling ... very highly recommended ...” |
DOWNLOAD NOW FROM THE KINDLE STORE!
now available in trade paperback from amazon and black rose writing!
Where the Hurt Is
the debut novel from writer/musician Chris Kelsey
It’s a hotter-than-usual April night in 1965. The social revolutions rocking America have mostly bypassed Burr, a tiny rural community in western Oklahoma. Like much of the state, Burr remains as it’s always been: Religious. Conservative. And 100% white. When an unknown young African-American woman is found murdered on the railroad tracks outside town, most of Burr would rather look the other way. The town’s police chief, troubled local hero and ex-Marine Emmett Hardy, doesn’t have that luxury. A lover of books and jazz in the land of football and country & western, Emmett is an outsider in a place he knows like the back of his hand. In his search for the killer, he’s forced to slice through layers of hate and hypocrisy to confront the ethical rot at the town’s core, while being haunted by the vision of a life that might have been.
New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman (Spider Woman's Daughter, Cave of Bones) calls Where the Hurt Is, "Poignant and funny, studded with characters who haunt your imagination long after you've read the final page .... Chief Emmett Hardy emerges as a complicated, passionate, and flawed lawman in the spirit of Joe Leaphorn and Walt Longmire .... The rich, evocative setting captures the best and worst of small-town, post-Dust Bowl Oklahoma. The story grabs you simultaneously by both the head and heart, until, at the end, you're left wondering how author Chris Kelsey managed to tell such a fine tale and what he'll dream up next."
Bestselling Author Julie Holland (Weekends at Bellevue) calls it "an entertaining and engaging taste of small-town life in the '60s under LBJ ... Where the Hurt Is, with its consistently clever metaphors and descriptions, will inevitably put a smile on your face. Kelsey is smart, concise, and funny, and he makes Chief Emmett Hardy a loveable character you’ll want to follow forever. I hope this is the first in a series!"
Bestselling Author Julie Holland (Weekends at Bellevue) calls it "an entertaining and engaging taste of small-town life in the '60s under LBJ ... Where the Hurt Is, with its consistently clever metaphors and descriptions, will inevitably put a smile on your face. Kelsey is smart, concise, and funny, and he makes Chief Emmett Hardy a loveable character you’ll want to follow forever. I hope this is the first in a series!"
Musically, this is what we're doing ...
Doo Doo Doo Doo (Dee Dee Dah Doo)
Now available on Bandcamp!
Chris Kelsey is joined by guitarist Jack DeSalvo, bassist Dmitry Ishenko, and drummer Tom Cabrera in a set of the saxophonist's distinctive original compositions: Doo Doo Doo (Dee Dee Dah Doo), Godzilla in Slippers, Bursting with a Lack of Ideas, Stump, Another One Bites the Wax Tadpole, Last of the Red Hot Pepper Lovers, A Lofty Mojo.
Says De Salvo, Unseen Rain's co-owner: "I've often noticed that some of the most phenomenal musicians were the offspring of phenomenal musicians. This is certainly the case with saxophonist Chris Kelsey, whose father was an incredible reedist. I first met Chris many moons ago at what was at that time referred to as 'The Bunker,' and later as ABC No Rio, a space on Manhattan's Lower East Side where improvising musicians gathered and performed. Soon we were playing in various configurations and what was apparent to me was his unique, expressive style. Chris has the technical proficiency along with a hugely varied emotional pallet that only the greatest artists possess. But one focus of Unseen Rain Records is musicians that compose for improvisers. Of this Chris is masterful and it is glaringly obvious on this recording. Chris had heard me performing on classical guitar and insisted I use it on this date along with the remarkable drummer and Woodshedd Studio chief Tom Cabrera and the astonishing double-bassist Dmitry Ishenko."
Now available on Bandcamp!
Chris Kelsey is joined by guitarist Jack DeSalvo, bassist Dmitry Ishenko, and drummer Tom Cabrera in a set of the saxophonist's distinctive original compositions: Doo Doo Doo (Dee Dee Dah Doo), Godzilla in Slippers, Bursting with a Lack of Ideas, Stump, Another One Bites the Wax Tadpole, Last of the Red Hot Pepper Lovers, A Lofty Mojo.
Says De Salvo, Unseen Rain's co-owner: "I've often noticed that some of the most phenomenal musicians were the offspring of phenomenal musicians. This is certainly the case with saxophonist Chris Kelsey, whose father was an incredible reedist. I first met Chris many moons ago at what was at that time referred to as 'The Bunker,' and later as ABC No Rio, a space on Manhattan's Lower East Side where improvising musicians gathered and performed. Soon we were playing in various configurations and what was apparent to me was his unique, expressive style. Chris has the technical proficiency along with a hugely varied emotional pallet that only the greatest artists possess. But one focus of Unseen Rain Records is musicians that compose for improvisers. Of this Chris is masterful and it is glaringly obvious on this recording. Chris had heard me performing on classical guitar and insisted I use it on this date along with the remarkable drummer and Woodshedd Studio chief Tom Cabrera and the astonishing double-bassist Dmitry Ishenko."