Smoke and Blood. The Sam Carter Files, #1

Los Angeles, 1952. Where every shadow hides a secret-and every secret bleeds. Detective Sam Carter is a man at the edge-of the badge, of the law, of his own conscience. Once a rising star in the LAPD, he's now reduced to cleanup duty for the department's messiest cases, the ones no one wants solved too quickly. When reformist Councilman Richard Hargrove is found dead with a revolver in his hand and a damning document on his desk, Carter knows one thing for sure: it wasn't suicide.
Then a jazz club singer named Veronica Gray walks into his office, dragging a bloodstained list of names behind her. City officials. Police brass. Judges. Kingmakers. All tied to a secret power structure known only as The Circle-a shadow network pulling the strings behind Los Angeles's gleaming façade. One by one, the names on the list start dying, and Carter is caught in a tightening vice of betrayal, corruption, and conspiracy.
Everyone has something to hide. His mentor. His friends. Even Veronica. As the case spirals deeper into violence and cover-ups, Carter must decide what he's willing to lose to bring the truth to light. But in a city built on illusion and smoke, justice demands more than evidence. It demands blood. Smoke and Blood is a gritty, cinematic noir thriller that blends the raw tension of Raymond Chandler with the political paranoia of L.
A. Confidential and the pacing of a modern conspiracy drama. This is the first entry in The Sam Carter Files, a sharp-edged detective series for fans of morally complex heroes, tangled loyalties, and slow-burning suspense. Perfect for readers who enjoy: Hard-boiled detective fiction Gritty political thrillers Atmospheric 1950s Los Angeles settings Conspiracy mysteries and noir slow-burns Anti-hero protagonists and corrupt systems When justice is a lie, truth is a loaded gun.