Luke Murphy played six years of professional hockey before retiring in 2006. While recuperating from a serious eye injury, he started writing. He chose the mystery genre because he enjoys the challenge of creating intricate plots and intriguing characters.
Murphy kept writing in his spare time while balancing family time with his wife and daughters, completing his education and starting his teaching career.
Dead Man’s Hand is Luke Murphy’s debut novel. It is the first novel in The Calvin Watters Mystery series Murphy is the International bestselling author of two series, The Calvin Watters Mysteries and The Charlene Taylor Mysteries.
Calvin Watters was a standout NFL prospect before he sustained a career ending knee injury in the Sugar Bowl. At 6’5” and 220 pounds, he’s still an intimidating figure complete with designer suits and dreadlocks which serves him well as a “collector” for a Las Vegas bookie named Donald Pitt. After years of working through his disappointment and anger, Watters is tired of persuading people to pay their gambling debts through intimidation and physical violence; he’s ready to start a new chapter in his life with Rachel, the young women he helped escape from a life of abuse and prostitution.
On the day he gives his notice to Pitts, Pitts insists Watters complete one more collection. This one is a big one and Watters will be acting as a courier instead of a bone breaker. Pitts claims Douglas Grant, a major Las Vegas casino owner, owes him a large sum of cash. Because of Grant’s standing, discretion is necessary and Pitts insists Watters is the only man he trusts for the job. It pays well and will help Calvin and Rachel get established in their new lives.
When Pitts insists he must wear a disguise to Grant’s office, warning bells start to off. Watters brushes them aside and keeps the appointment only to find an empty office and the sound of police sirens in the distance.
When Grant’s body is found in the woods, his throat has been slit with enormous force. Suddenly Calvin Watters is the number one suspect and he and Rachel are forced into hiding. The Las Vegas police have made the case their number one priority and Detective Dale Dayton is in charge of the task force.
While Watters works to clear his name, the killer hires a professional hitman to stop Calvin before he learns the truth. Pitts is murdered and the body count continues to rise. Rounding out the list of suspects are Ace Sanders – a rival casino owner, Grant’s current wife, and his ex-wife and son.
No spoiler alerts, but be prepared to stay up late with this page turner.
Murphy has created a winning anti-hero with Calvin Watters. Watters is an intelligent, athletic African American. Murphy avoids stereotypes in his depiction of Calvin. It’s one of the many aspects of his writing that impresses me. I also like how Murphy draws readers in from the beginning describing his characters in a way that encourages us to think of them as real people with pasts and futures. At times I felt like the person at the movie theater yelling to the actors on the screen, “Don’t go in there!” “Look behind you!” This book provided a welcome distraction from current events and I’m looking forward to reading Wild Card to see what’s next for Calvin and Rachel.
Books by Luke Murphy:
Calvin Watters Mysteries:
Dead Man’s Hand
Wild Card
Charlene Taylor Mysteries:
Kiss & Tell
Rock-a-Bye Baby