Joe Burgess

On an icy February night, the body of Steven Pleasant, a prominent Portland, Maine physician, grows cold in his parked Mercedes. All signs point to a john killed by a disgruntled hooker: his pants are unzipped, wallet is gone, and the good doctor has a reputation for entertaining girls in his car. But the deeper Detective Sergeant Joe Burgess digs, the muddier the case becomes. While juggling hookers, wives, ex-wives, fathers, stepfathers, dealers and doctors, a nurse on Pleasant's staff suggests another angle-disgruntled patients. Now, ensconced in the darkness of a sleeping hospital, Burgess comes face-to-face with ghosts from his past and must decide what being a detective really means.

Portland, Maine, homicide detective Joe Burgess needs a vacation. But there's a dead child in Knowlton Park. Rolling up on the scene with a canoe on the roof and fishing poles flapping, Burgess finds little Timmy Watts, viciously stabbed, and carefully wrapped in a new blue blanket. Timmy's parents are life-long crooks, his brothers deal drugs and his sister turns tricks. The only one who seems to care is Timmy's hearing-impaired sister, Iris. But she's keeping her secrets. Then Iris disappears, and Burgess is battling against time to keep more children from dying.

Burgess's hopes for a calm Columbus Day picnic slam up against reality when two boys spot a dead body in the water. It's Reggie the Can Man-a damaged, alcoholic veteran who Burgess has tried to patch back together since they returned from Vietnam. Now, Reggie's fight for redemption is over. Then the ME questions Reggie's accidental drowning, giving Burgess one last chance. As Burgess dives deep, he uncovers Reggie's ex-wife, his scofflaw son, industrial toxins, corrupt businessmen, and that Reggie isn't the only one in need of redemption.

When a boy raps on Detective Burgess's car window summoning him to a burning commercial building now serving as a mosque, Burgess rushes through the intensifying flames to rescue a screaming woman and her baby locked in a closet. The young mother survives, but suffers traumatic muteness. Autopsy shows the infant was gravely ill, suggesting someone was trying to keep mother and child away from hospitals that might have asked questions. Questioning suspicious‚ uncooperative refugees‚ members of a motorcycle gang‚ and shady businessmen‚ results in threats to Burgess's family, newly grown by two adopted children. Burgess persists, certain that finding justice for the child and mute mother will solve everything, until a witnesses draws him and his team into a building... booby-trapped to explode.

Responding to a "shots fired" call at an abandoned warehouse, Detective Joe Burgess realizes his worst nightmare when he finds one rookie officer shot dead and two other officers--one his lieutenant--gravely wounded. With two brother officers near death, Burgess must race the clock to find and arrest the one person angry enough to seek revenge against the Portland police, before the rookie officer's funeral turns into a killing field.

When a jogger discovers the brutalized body of a young girl along a park trail, the ever cranky and relentless, Detective Joe Burgess catches the case. With the body lacking head and hands, Burgess and his team face complex challenges as they follow a confusing trail leading to human traffickers exploiting children coming to America as asylum seekers. As Joe and his team race the clock to identify the dead girl in time to save other victims, Joe's own niece falls into the hands of the sex traffickers. For detectives hell-bent on finding a killer and busting a trafficking ring . . . it just got personal. Publisher's Note: While this story deals with the harsh reality of sexual slavery and child pornography, there are no explicit scenes and only mild vulgarity. The story emphasizes the personal and professional struggles of those investigating the crime.

Portland, Maine Unable to awaken her father, eminent geologist, Ted Gabbro, nine-year-old Arielle approaches the vacationing Joe Burgess, desperate for his help. Loathe to let anything interfere with his much needed rest on the mountains of western Maine, Joe can't ignore the girl's plea for help and can't deny that something is very wrong. As the frightened girl's father languishes in a coma and her mother can't be found, Burgess finds himself in a tangle of land disputes, family politics, the child's parents' nasty divorce, and the powerful greed that accompanies "gold fever".

Behind the Veneer of Success Lies a Sinister Secret in Such a Good Man, a Detective Joe Burgess Murder Mystery Thriller from Kate Flora -Portland, Maine- When Dr. Eliot Spence is found dead in his pristine condo, Detective Joe Burgess and his team must delve behind his glossy façade to reveal the doctor's insatiable desires, his wife's mysterious death, and a cache of compromising photos. As Burgess and his colleagues strive to uncover the truth about the man colleagues describe as a dedicated and compassionate doctor, they unearth a web of intrigue, shocking family secrets, and hidden agendas, testing their ability to separate fact from fiction. While the detectives try to unravel the enigmatic world surrounding Dr. Spence, their own personal lives are under pressure as demands from their families threaten to derail the investigation, testing their determination-and ability-to bring justice to a man who seemed "Such a Good Man." "Kate Flora does what all the great writers do: she takes you inside unfamiliar territory and makes you feel right at home; you climb in and are along for the whole ride." ~Michael Connelly "Joe Burgess, the 'meanest cop is Portland.' He's a wonderfully wrought character, capable of intense compassion as well as righteous rage." ~D. C. Brod Publisher's Note: Kate Flora returns with her trademark blend of suspense, intrigue, and complex characters in "Such a Good Man." This gripping police procedural will keep you on the edge of your seat, racing to uncover the truth alongside the dedicated detectives. Includes vulgar language and sexual content consistent with criminals and those who investigate their crimes. THE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIES Playing God The Angel of Knowlton Park Redemption And Grant You Peace Led Astray A Child Shall Lead Them A World of Deceit Such a Good Man

Book 1: Playing God The body of a prominent Maine physician grows cold in his parked Mercedes, signs point to a disgruntled hooker. But, the deeper Detective Sergeant Joe Burgess digs, the muddier the case becomes. While juggling hookers, wives, ex-wives, fathers, stepfathers, dealers, and doctors, a nurse on the doctor's staff suggests another angle-disgruntled patients. Book 2: The Angel of Knowlton Park Portland, Maine, homicide detective Joe Burgess needs a vacation. But, there's a dead young boy in Knowlton Park. The boy's parents are life-long crooks, his brothers deal drugs, and his sister turns tricks. The only one who seems to care is the boy's hearing-impaired sister, Iris. But, she's keeping her secrets. Book 3: Redemption It's Reggie the Can Man-a damaged, alcoholic veteran who Det. Burgess has tried to patch back together since they returned from Vietnam. Now, Reggie's fight for redemption is over. As Burgess dives deep into the murder investigation, he uncovers Reggie's ex-wife, his scofflaw son, industrial toxins, corrupt businessmen, and that Reggie isn't the only one in need of redemption