The Scent of Blood

Andrew Carpenter was a celebrity doctor, a star in his field. Now he's dead, killed in a hit-and-run on the streets of Manhattan. The police think it was an accident, but his devastated wife is sure it was murder. Private detective Nathaniel Singer agrees to take the case. Singer had once dreamed of being a poet, but he's discovered that his true calling is the art of saving lives. He soon discovers that Carpenter had powerful, frightening enemies—and powerful, frightening friends. And he soon finds himself caught up in a world of trouble. In The Scent of Blood, the first Nathaniel Singer novel, this literate, funny detective takes his place within the great tradition of the PI novel—a worthy successor to Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and Robert B. Parker's Spenser. PRAISE FOR SCENT OF BLOOD: "It's hard to imagine a reader who won't be thoroughly satisfied."—Booklist. "With this literate and engrossing thriller, Raymond Miller makes an impressive entrance onto the private-eye stage…he will certainly emerge as one of the genre's major players." San Diego Times-Union. "A welcome addition to the ranks of hardboiled private eyes with a softer side." Kirkus Reviews. "Justice and suffering, guilt and regret are entwined in a plot worthy of Raymond Chandler or Ruth Rendell." -- The Mystery Reader. "Intelligent, funny, and compassionate…breathes new life into the PI novel...[A] rare combination of humor and depth." -- Mystery Scene. "Raymond Miller understands the classic hardboiled detective novel...The Scent of Blood balances emotional distress, heated violence and philosophical quandaries, but still manages a breezy and light-hearted tone. Miller's having a grand time playing with the genre." -- The Washington Post. "A fresh new take on a classic structure--like hearing a twelve-bar blues played by a great new talent." Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series