Witness To Death. Dave White

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       The following is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in an entirely fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

       Copyright © 2011 by Dave White

       Cover design by Adrijus Guscia

       ISBN 978-1-940610-06-1

       Reissued in 2014 by Polis Books, LLC

       60 West 23rd Street

       New York, NY 10010

       www.PolisBooks.com

       Praise for the novels of Dave White

      “Dave White is everything you hope for in a crime novelist, delivering both white knuckle suspense and nuanced characters, propulsive action and an emotional wallop. These are books that both invigorate the genre and are also, truly, built to last.” —Megan Abbott, award-winning author of Dare Me

      “White has written a PI novel that is both traditional and fresh, one of the few new talents to join this much-plowed field with something interesting and original to say. Fans of detective novels will, we hope, be enjoying his work for years to come.” —Chicago Sun-Times

      “Will grab most readers from its opening sentences. Fans of hard-hitting, uncompromising private investigators will hope that Donne ditches his college dreams and continues to pound the pavement.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

      “A terrific novel, a unique and artful blend of the PI and the Police Procedural in a plot as nicely tangled and sexually violent as a cat fight, a story as deceptively simple as your first love and as fatal as your last car wreck. It’s a great read.” —James Crumley, Dashiell Hammett Award-winning author of The Last Good Kiss

      “Everybody wins when a classic form, such as the private-eye novel, meets up with a class act, such as Dave White. In his remarkable debut novel, WHEN ONE MAN DIES, White manages the neat trick of respecting the genre’s traditions while daring to nudge it toward something new and unexpected. And Jackson Donne is a wonderful character, someone with whom readers will happily share many beers in the Olde Towne Tavern for years to come. Lots of promise here -- in Donne and White. I’m rooting for both of them.” —Laura Lippman, Edgar Award-winning author of What The Dead Know

      “Every now and then you find a debut novel that carries the clear promise of big things to come. WHEN ONE MAN DIES is one of those. Fast and funny, with plenty of classic action but a setting and character that are entirely new, Dave White is creating a winner with Jackson Donne. Always good to get in on the ground floor.” —Michael Koryta, L.A. Times Book Prize-winning author of The Prophet

      “Jackson Donne takes his place alongside the grim and battered P.I.s of yore -- your Archers, your Spades -- uncovering painful truths and doling out what passes in this tarnished world for justice. Bracing stuff.” —Charles Ardai, Edgar Award-winning writer and publisher of Hard Case Crime

      “When I read my first Dave White story, I knew that he was going to be huge someday-like, Robert Parker huge. When One Man Dies is the first bold step in fulfilling that promise. It’s the great American private eye novel reborn for the 21st century, with a fast-moving, spare style that punches you in the gut at the same time it squeezes your heart.” —Duane Swierczynski, author of Hell And Gone and The Wheelman

      “WHEN ONE MAN DIES heralds the introduction of two astonishing new figures in the crime fiction world: New Jersey PI Jackson Donne, whose emotional journey will break your heart, and author Dave White, whose voice has the confidence and assurance many more established writers would kill for.” —Sarah Weinman, editor of Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives

      “Stunning…fulfills the promise of his debut…the author does such a fine job of depicting the inner conflicts of his fallible but ultimately heroic protagonist.” —Publishers Weekly

      “Intricate plotting and nonstop action make this a nail-biting read from start to finish. White, winner of the Derringer Award for When One Man Dies, is a writer to watch.” —Library Journal

      “White makes good use of the urban and suburban geography, accurately depicting the terrain. But that’s not what makes his sophomore effort so readable and engaging. Rather, it’s White’s realistic depiction of family dynamics--readers will be struck by the sheer humanity on display in this novel, from Donne’s strained relationship with his sister and brother-in-law, to the tragedy of the PI’s mother’s valiant but futile struggle with Alzheimer’s disease, and finally, to the sacrifices that are sometimes required to keep one’s family intact and safe.” —Mystery Scene

      “Dave White’s second novel, The Evil That Men Do, absolutely confirms and fulfills the promise of his highly regarded debut Jackson Donne novel, When One Man Dies; so, simply stated, readers looking for top-notch hard-boiled noir fiction featuring an intriguing protagonist and complex characterizations need look no further than Dave White’s deftly plotted novels.” —Bookloons

      “White handles his characters with a balance of emotional tension and action that drives this novel from the critical incident to a conflagration that leaves the survivors stunned.” —CurledUp.com

       Also by

       Dave White

       Jackson Donne novels

       When One Man Dies

       The Evil That Men Do

       Not Even Past

       Witness to Death

       A Thriller

       by

       Dave White

      CONTENTS

       Copyright

       Title Page

       Dedication

Part One: Jersey City

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five