My Thoughts on Nashville Trade: Jackson Trade, Book 1 (Hardboiled Southern)

I can always tell when I enjoy a book; I usually read through it quickly. Nashville Trade is one of those books.

As predicted, it has all the earmarks of a hardboiled detective novel, but with much, much more humanity. Told in first-person by a Vietnam War veteran, it's easy to tell that Jackson Trade seeks redemption.

He's also in a downward spiral at the beginning of the book. A recently fired Assistant Dean of Students at Vanderbilt University, Jackson is not even living paycheck to paycheck, since he has no reliable source of income. In walks Mr. Pittsfield, the grieving father of a recently murdered VU student, who hands Jackson $500 and asks him to find out why it happened.

To the VU Police, as well as the Metro Nashville Police, it's an open and shut case, with the main suspect in custody and, conveniently, killing himself.

Jackson embarks on an investigation that will face him off against thugs, folks with secrets, and, at times, both police departments. But justice is served, and Jackson is a changed man because of it.

I highly recommend this title to those who enjoy mysteries, especially hardboiled ones. Trust me, this book channels Chandler as well as Hammett. I have already added the second book to my TBR.