THE SILENT TRUMPET

Relations between the Pittsburgh police and the Black community deteriorate when a popular Black trumpet player, Larry Mabry, is beaten up by a white narcotics cop outside a jazz club.  Days later, the cop is dead and the musician is accused of murder.  The trumpeter’s brother, Gary, a drug dealer with political clout, mobilizes the community to try to secure his brother’s release.  Then another murder occurs.  Detectives Branko Radic and Kathleen Mulroy must solve two murders quickly, despite distractions that include a drug war, political skullduggery, and a plague of snakes.

. . .

“The Silent Trumpet delivers a dazzling kaleidoscopic view of contemporary Pittsburgh with a large cast of police officers, jazz musicians, drug runners, and community activists. The story follows the fallout from the murder of a crooked cop and explores the twisted motives, fractured alliances, and crumpled dreams exposed by the investigation led by relentless detectives Branko Radic and Kathleen Mulroy. Author Bill Gormley handles the sprawling cast with a deft hand, keeping the pace fast and the dialogue lively. This is a police procedural with style, soul, and heart.” 

~ Delia Pitts, author of the Vandy Myrick Mysteries

and Shamus Award finalist

“As a Western Pennsylvania native, I can attest to Gormley’s gift for establishing a sense of place. He’s also a devotee of the late Joe Wambaugh’s dictum that a cop story should be less about how the cops work on the case than how the case works on the cops. The Silent Trumpet is a worthy successor to Too Many Bridges.” 

~ Dana King, Shamus Award-nominated author

for the Nick Forte novels and the Penns River procedurals

“Packed with suspense and characters you will want to root for, Bill Gormley’s The Silent Trumpet is a perfectly crafted mystery. This is a new detective series to watch.” 

~ K.L. Murphy, author of the Detective Callie Forde Mysteries

and the Detective Cancini Mysteries