The Jazz Man

By A.J. Porter

It is 1953 and Charles Robinson has been a successful private detective in New York for seven years. Although most of his clients reside in Harlem, his cases sometimes take him to other boroughs.

This is one of those times.

Jimmy “Smooth” Brooks, a local jazz musician, has gone missing, and his brother Jeremiah has hired Robinson to find him. As Robinson’s investigation takes him from the bohemian & artistic streets of the West Village to a cold industrial section of Brooklyn, he discovers that he and Jimmy have something significant in common: They have complicated relationships with men.

Some of these men have the power to change their lives. For Jimmy, was this change the end of his life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: May 26, 2023
• ISBN: 9781638294764

A.J. Porter

A.J. Porter is a writer and author of fictional novels including his debut novella, The Jazz Man. A Massachusetts native, he graduated from Bridgewater State University earning a B.A in English in 2013. In March of 2014, he moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer. Porter is an ardent fan of classic films and although he is a transplant, he has maintained his loyalty to his hometown sports teams.

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The Jazz Man

A.J. Porter

Austin Macauley Publishers

The Jazz Man

About the Author

Copyright Information ©

Acknowledgment

About the Author

A.J. Porter is a writer and author of fictional novels including his debut novella, The Jazz Man. A Massachusetts native, he graduated from Bridgewater State University earning a B.A in English in 2013. In March of 2014, he moved to New York City to pursue a career as a writer.

Porter is an ardent fan of classic films and although he is a transplant, he has maintained his loyalty to his hometown sports teams.

Copyright Information ©

A.J. Porter 2023

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloguing-in-Publication data

Porter, A.J.

The Jazz Man

ISBN 9781638294757 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781638294764 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023901256

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2023

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

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Acknowledgment

I would like to extend my greatest appreciation and thanks to Austin Macauley Publishers for believing in this book. The release of this work is the realization of an almost lifelong journey along a path that was neither smooth nor straightforward with many bumps, stops, restarts, and detours.

I eagerly await what comes next.

Good morning, Betty, I said as I came briskly through the agency doorway and passed her desk.

The rhythmic tapping on the typewriter stopped and the aroma of her perfume wafted towards me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her looking at me.

Good morning, Mr. Robinson, Betty responded.

I took out my keys from my gray coat pocket and unlocked my office door. When inside, I glanced at the clock on the wall which read 10:16. Normally, I’m in the office by 9:30 but I had overslept after a long night of entertaining a guest:

I was sitting on my couch when my doorbell rang with what seemed like a buzz that longed to be answered. With a glance at my watch, I saw it was 9:57. I closed my maroon bathrobe, tied its frayed ties together in a loose knot and walked over to the intercom.

Who is it? I asked as I spoke into the intercom’s receiver.

O’Grady.

I pressed the button to open the downstairs doors and a moment later, I heard the outer and inner doors open and shut. The sound of shoes echoed in the hallway which then became muffled footsteps on the stairs. These footsteps seemed to be coming to my door at an eager pace. Then came two knocks on my door. I smoothed back my wavy hair into something more presentable, opened my door and O’Grady stood before me. His blue eyes had the look I liked, a look that’s becoming harder to resist.

Two times in one week, huh, I asked.

A hint of a seductive smirk appeared at the left corner of O’Grady’s mouth. I stood to the side and let him in. He faced me and gripped the bottom tip of my robe.

A flannel robe, O’Grady said, shaking his head. "Not dressed for success, are