Blog Tour Stop : Motor City Shakedown by Jonathan Watkins

Summary (from Goodreads)

Title : Motor City Shakedown
Author : Jonathan Watkins
Publication Date : October 5th 2015
Publisher : Carina Press
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

Darren Fletcher, once the rising star of Detroit's criminal justice system, has fallen far. All the way to an office in a smoky dive bar on the wrong side of the city. But a single phone call could be the key to climbing out of his downward spiral: a police brutality victim needs his help, and the family's willing to pay. Big-time.

Issabella Bright's daily panic attacks aren't entirely due to her decision to forgo a flashy firm and go out on her own, but that's a large part of it. She never thought she'd resort to ambulance chasing, until the story about a SWAT raid gone wrong proves too intriguing to ignore—it's the perfect chance to prove she made the right decision.
But Issabella's not the only one after the job.

Darren's connections are enough to get past the cops stonewalling them both at the hospital, but only a judge's order makes Issabella even consider teaming up with the disheveled attorney and his weird—and weirdly effective—methods. But as the case deepens and it becomes clear the Detroit PD is concealing a much bigger conspiracy, Darren and his methods may be all that keep her alive.

Book one of the Bright & Fletcher Mysteries

Author Interview

Hi Jonathan! Welcome to Nick's Book Blog.

In a tweet (140 characters), why should readers check out Motor City Shakedown?

Gritty city setting, romance, danger, humor, snappy dialogue, and mystery, all in one book…and for less than your venti latte!

Motor City Shakedown tackles police brutality, which is a very relevant issue today. What made you want to write about a police brutality victim in your book specifically?

Honestly, it was more due to the fact that when your heroes are defense lawyers, then a corrupt group of cops is a natural fit for the villain role. I think that people who hold a position of trust, and who then betray that trust, are seen as especially deserving of a come-uppance by most of us. Even more than Wall Street turning our mortgages into casino chips, we are appalled by real police brutality because the Wall Street guys never took an oath to protect and serve the people at large. It offends most all of us in the extreme when a knight turns out to be thug.

What according to you makes Darren and Issabella a good crime-fighting duo?

More than anything else, it’s their shared desire to do the right thing and find out the truth. If the law or court rules stand in the way of that, they’ll both choose the pursuit of the right thing over the law (though for Darren it will be an effortless choice, while Issabella might need some time to weigh it out).

If you had to choose between Darren and Issabella to defend you in a case, who would you choose and why?

That would depend on where in their story we’re talking about. If it’s the Izzy and Darren in the first book, Motor City Shakedown, then Darren would get my vote. He may be at a very low point, but he is highly experienced at representing people. Izzy is brand new and doesn’t have anything under her belt except a few low level misdemeanors.

But if we’re talking any point from book three onward, then Issabella is definitely my first choice. She has built a solid practice and has gained much more experience—to the point that she’s getting honored with awards from the legal community.

What can readers expect in the future books of the series?

People who have read the first book know that Darren’s back story, and the thing that has been plaguing him for a few years now, still needs resolution. I aim to provide that, and to continue throwing the two of them into ethically-vague conundrums that require them to choose between their professional responsibilities and their own sense of what is right, just, and moral. And, really, no matter what the plot of any given book may be, I’m always primarily concerned with showing that the two of them truly love one another. Despite their differences, Issabella and Darren have a bond that is the through line of every story. The world might be falling to pieces around them, but their love for each other doesn’t crack.

Thank you for taking your time to answer these questions! Best of luck with the release of Motor City Shakedown!

Thank you for the opportunity to talk about it! Best wishes! -Jonathan