Down Heartbreak Boulevard

DOWN HEARTBREAK BOULEVARD is a period story from the early 1950's set in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos New Mexico. The story is about Quinn Chase, who used to be a detective with the Albuquerque Police Department but now in 1951...has his own Private Investigations Office in Albuquerque. DOWN HEARTBREAK BOULEVARD is a sequel to my previously published story...SEARCHING FOR EDGAR'S FIVE DANCERS. In this current story Quinn Chase becomes involved early on with an old acquaintance of his named Jimmy Shea. Shea is a former gangster, and now displays wealth, but is involved in "suspicious" business activities. In the 20's and early '30's', Shea was involved in "Bootlegging" and Quinn investigated Jimmy. Now, Shea hires Quinn in the hopes that Quinn will contact Shea's previous love interest and retrieve a family heirloom. Shea actually has other motives though for both Quinn and Greta Lohr, his former fiance. While Quinn deals now with Jimmy Shea...there is spy activity at Los Alamos. Quinn is recruited by the FBI to assist with the investigations into America's stolen atomic secrets there. Quinn leaves Albuquerque and moves to Santa Fe to assist the FBI. While in Santa Fe, Quinn meets and becomes romantically involved with a strange lady who shows up for a Peace Conference. The young lady is beautiful, highly intelligent and shows an interest in Quinn. Little does Quinn know, that the lady is a KGB Soviet Agent sent there on an assassination mission. Quinn must reconcile his feelings for his new love interest and his duty to protect a former Soviet scientist who defected. Quinn is injured in his security mission but recovers and just wants to return to his PI work in Albuquerque. A final emotional scene with Jimmy Shea however throws a twist into the story and changes everything. This is a noir crime mystery where all main characters are profoundly changed as they take their own "ride" down the imaginary Heartbreak Boulevard!

DOWN HEARTBREAK BOULEVARD is a period story from the early 1950's set in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Los Alamos New Mexico. The story is about Quinn Chase, who used to be a detective with the Albuquerque Police Department but now in 1951...has his own Private Investigations Office in Albuquerque. DOWN HEARTBREAK BOULEVARD is a sequel to my previously published story...SEARCHING FOR EDGAR'S FIVE DANCERS. In this current story Quinn Chase becomes involved early on with an old acquaintance of his named Jimmy Shea. Shea is a former gangster, and now displays wealth, but is involved in "suspicious" business activities. In the 20's and early '30's', Shea was involved in "Bootlegging" and Quinn investigated Jimmy. Now, Shea hires Quinn in the hopes that Quinn will contact Shea's previous love interest and retrieve a family heirloom. Shea actually has other motives though for both Quinn and Greta Lohr, his former fiance. While Quinn deals now with Jimmy Shea...there is spy activity at Los Alamos. Quinn is recruited by the FBI to assist with the investigations into America's stolen atomic secrets there. Quinn leaves Albuquerque and moves to Santa Fe to assist the FBI. While in Santa Fe, Quinn meets and becomes romantically involved with a strange lady who shows up for a Peace Conference. The young lady is beautiful, highly intelligent and shows an interest in Quinn. Little does Quinn know, that the lady is a KGB Soviet Agent sent there on an assassination mission. Quinn must reconcile his feelings for his new love interest and his duty to protect a former Soviet scientist who defected. Quinn is injured in his security mission but recovers and just wants to return to his PI work in Albuquerque. A final emotional scene with Jimmy Shea however throws a twist into the story and changes everything. This is a noir crime mystery where all main characters are profoundly changed as they take their own "ride" down the imaginary Heartbreak Boulevard!

Efren O'Brien is a historical fiction writer from New Mexico who generally writes suspense and crime novels with the primary setting in New Mexico. He seeks to create diverse characters who are drawn together by necessity and the challenging circumstances of their time period. O'Brien has attempted also to infuse and showcase New Mexico's unique landscapes and beautiful scenery into his stories. O'Brien will continue to focus on action and suspense stories most likely of the noir crime variety with his writing in the future.