Crime Fiction Drums, Guns ‘n’ Money by Jonathan J. Brown

It’s the first time L.A. rock drummer turned amateur P.I. Lou Crasher has discovered a corpse. The real pain lies in that the deceased is Trix Rockland, Lou’s friend. It’s time for Lou to find the killer. Problem is a rookie cop with a nervous trigger finger finds Lou standing over the body making Lou the number one suspect.

Lou has his list of suspects and plunges into the case. Problems mount in the form of: a killer Rottweiler and psychotic owner with designs of hurting Lou, two ex-military contractors with twenty plus pounds north of Lou who want to move Lou off the stage, and Trix’s daughter, Lou’s drum student, who spins more yarns than Lou can track and sends Lou inappropriate mixed messages. Finally, a shady record CEO who may be into something more nefarious than music also wants Lou to fall.

The tempo of time is moving way too fast, leaving Lou barely enough time to groove on the drums, dodge the rounds from the guns and follow the money.

“DRUMS, GUNS, ’N’ MONEY is a jazzy up tempo mystery that kicks like a snare roll. Jonathan Brown brings his musicality to this down and dirty crime story. Loved it!” —SA Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears

“The appropriately named Lou Crasher in Mr. Brown’s DRUMS, GUNS, ’N’ MONEY is an adroitly percussive unlicensed private eye who knows the staccato rhythms of the city as he moves and grooves through its warrens to get to the real. The tempo is terse, and the pace of the narrative propels the reader to keep turning the pages. A winner.” —Gary Phillips, author of One-Shot Harry

Jonathan J. Brown

Praise for DRUMS, GUNS ’N’ MONEY:

“DRUMS, GUNS ’N’ MONEY is a jazzy up tempo mystery that kicks like a snare roll. Jonathan Brown brings his musicality to this down and dirty crime story. Loved it!” —SA Cosby, bestselling author of Razorblade Tears

“The appropriately named Lou Crasher in Mr. Brown’s DRUMS, GUNS ’N’ MONEY is an adroitly percussive unlicensed private eye who knows the staccato rhythms of the city as he moves and grooves through its warrens to get to the real. The tempo is terse, and the pace of the narrative propels the reader to keep turning the pages. A winner.” —Gary Phillips, author of One-Shot Harry

“DRUMS, GUNS ’N’ MONEY doubles as a knowing travelogue illuminating the private corners of the sometimes trashy, always intriguing L.A. music scene. But the main attractions here are Lou Crasher, an amateur sleuth you won’t forget, and a propulsive, wise-cracking mystery that twists and turns around a backbeat that never quits. Like his drummer hero, Jonathan Brown can flat out rock and roll.” —Howard Michael Gould, novelist, television writer, screenwriter, director, playwright, and author of the Charlie Waldo series

“Good crime fiction shines in the darkness. Brown’s excellent work sets the sky on fire. Read it to see the new wave of crime writers at its best!” —Terrence McCauley, award-winning, bestselling author of The Wandering Man

Jonathan J. Brown has written three books in the Lou Crasher mystery series. The Big Crescendo, Don’t Shoot the Drummer, and DRUMS, GUNS ’N’ MONEY. He’s written two books of historical fiction, both with favorable Kirkus Reviews: A Boxing Trainer’s Journey, a novel based on the life of Angelo Dundee; and Character Is What Counts, a novel based on the life of Vince Lombardi.

Brown is the first recipient of Mystery Writers of America’s Barbara Neely Scholarship 2021. He’s one of the founders of Sidecrow Productions, an audiobook production business. In addition to penning stories Brown has added audiobook narration to his trick bag. For fun he plays drums, practices martial arts and messes around with simple carpentry projects. But most of all he enjoys love and laughter with his beautiful wife Sonia.

To learn more about the author and his work, please visit his website.