"Bless Our Sleep" By Neil S. Plakcy: Review/Giveaway

Review by Lorie Lewis Ham

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Bless Our Sleep by Neil S. Plakcy came out in November of 2024 and features P.I. George Clay. It is set in Miami in 1968. Fresh out of the Navy, George has started his own P.I. business but still works on the side at a local bar called the Cockpit to help pay the bills until he can get the business going.

---

➡ switch to KingsRiverLife.com for more articles ⬅

---

When George is hired by wealthy banker Will Broadwater to find a missing signet ring he has no idea how complicated this case is going to become. He stumbles upon the battered body of a teenage boy known as “Worm” in Matheson Hammock Park. The boy frequented the park to service gay men, but his family and the local police don’t seem to know that. Broadwater then asks George to find Worm’s killer, while at the same time protecting his reputation as it can be death to a career to be gay in 1968, plus it was illegal. As George investigates, he finds out that this wasn’t a simple homicide. He uncovers a tangled network of privileged teens, Cuban exiles, and shadowy figures with dangerous secrets to protect. As part of his investigation, he meets the handsome Alex Reyes who is a Cuban exile with his own ties to Miami’s criminal underworld and politics in Cuba. They become involved and there are moments when George fears that he will be forced to choose between solving this case and this budding relationship. On the plus side, George is beginning to get a lot more work.

With the help of his new friend Raj, and the reluctant cooperation of Detective Aloma who wants to get justice for this boy even though no one else seems to care, George begins to put all the pieces together and not only solve the murder but also uncover a high-stakes smuggling operation.

Neil always does a great job of creating characters that are interesting and complex—characters you want to come back to. I am hoping that this is the first in a new series. There were plenty of twists and turns to the mystery and edge-of-your-seat action. The world of Miami, Florida in 1968 comes vividly to life, as do the struggles of the gay community during that difficult time. If you enjoy a good P.I. novel with great characters and are looking for one that is a bit different from your typical hard-boiled mystery, don’t miss Bless Our Sleep.

To enter to win an ebook copy of Bless Our Sleep, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "bless,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 8, 2025. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors! 

You can click here to purchase this book.

 

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and a contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds. Explore Lorie's mystery writing including her latest mystery novel One of You, the latest Tower District Mystery, at Mysteryrat's Closet.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.