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"Johnny Careless" by "Blue Bloods" producer is a bonus read for the CBS New York Book Club

Author Kevin Wade talks debut book "Johnny Careless," ending of "Blue Bloods"
Author Kevin Wade talks debut book "Johnny Careless," ending of "Blue Bloods" 04:10

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The CBS New York Book Club has a bonus read for your "to be read" list.

The new book "Johnny Careless" is about a former NYPD detective who is now a police chief on Long Island's North Shore where he grew up. The author, Kevin Wade, was the executive producer of the long-running hit CBS Show "Blue Bloods," which recently concluded a 14-season run on the network.

Wade says he had been thinking about writing a mystery thriller for a long time. 

"In 2023 there was the famous writers and actors strike that lasted for six months," he told Mary Calvi. "I was used to being on a network, one-hour drama schedule. For a couple of months I thought there were too many hours in the day and I should do something. And I sat down and started writing a book."

"Johnny Careless" follows Police Chief Jeep Mullane.

"He grew up the son of a cop in the one small middle class town on the north shore of Long Island," Wade explained. "The references are 'The Great Gatsby' in terms of East Egg and West Egg. It still is that way. So the idea is that he would come back to where he grew up with authority, but still be nose-to-the-glass looking in."

The story starts as a body is found on a beach, and Mullane realizes the deceased is his childhood friend. 

Wade says he leaned on his experience writing and producing "Blue Bloods" to craft the crime.

"Plus, I had access to the best police minds in the metro area," Wade said. "Anything I could come up with I could call up Jimmy Nuciforo, who was the tech advisor on "Blue Bloods," and say 'Could this happen?' And he would walk me through how it could or could not."

Mary asked about Wade's long writing career from stage to the big screen, penning the screenplays of movies including "Working Girl," to television.

"I started out as a playwright and then I was a screenwriter," Wade said. "And then with 'Blue Bloods,' I came on in the very first season. I'd work with Tom [Selleck] and the creator Leonard Goldberg. I just dived in and was there early enough that all the writers could shape how it was going to go forward."

"Blue Bloods" recently concluded a 14-season run on CBS. 

"There does seem to be a hole at 10 o'clock on Friday nights that I'm sure they will fill eventually," Wade said. "It went out in the world and a lot of love came back to us."

Mary asked Wade what is next for him. 

"I am working on a sequel to 'Johnny Careless,'" Wade said. "Jeep Mullane, who is the hero of it, will appear in another one. I've always loved those, whether it's John D. MacDonald or Michael Connelly, taking the same detective or cop and putting him through the paces in different stories." 

You can read an excerpt, and purchase the book, below.

The CBS New York Book Club focuses on books connected to the Tri-State Area in their plots and/or authors. The books may contain adult themes. 

johnnycareless.jpg
Celadon Books

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"Johnny Careless" by Kevin Wade 

From the publisher:

Police Chief Jeep Mullane has been bounced back home to Long Island's North Shore by a heartbreaking case that both earned him his NYPD detective's shield and burned him out of the Job. Now heading up a small local police department, he finds himself navigating the same geography he did growing up there as the son of an NYPD cop. Jeep is a "have-not" among the glittering "haves," a sharp-witted, down-to-earth man in a territory defined and ruled by multigenerational wealth and power and the daunting tribal codes and customs that come with it.

When the corpse of Jeep's childhood friend Johnny Chambliss—born into privilege and known as "Johnny Careless" for his reckless, golden-boy antics—surfaces in the Bayville waters, past collides with present, and Jeep is pulled into a treacherous web. He is challenged by Johnny's wealthy and secretive family and his beautiful, enigmatic ex-wife as he untangles a knotted mystery fraught with theft, corrupt local moguls, and decades-old secrets, all while grappling with his own deep-seated grief for his lost pal.

Kevin Wade lives in New York. 

"Johnny Careless" by Kevin Wade (ThriftBooks) $21



Excerpt: "Johnny Careless" by Kevin Wade 

The Chambliss family had been headquartered on the North Shore of Long Island for four generations, with a money tree orchard on Wall Street and seasonal outposts in Vermont to the north and Jupiter Island to the south.

Jeep had sent Corporal Jackson to collect Pete Chambliss off the golf course at the Two Trees Club, where he had a standing tee time for twenty minutes after the 7:30 services at St. Luke's Episcopal ended. Jeep had called Niven Croft himself, figuring an ex- wife without a successor in the role also counted as next of kin but mostly because she'd been the third sector of their particular galaxy for most of their lives. He'd had her cell phone number in his contacts since they were teenagers. Everything changes in life except for the Verizon mobile number you got at twelve or thirteen. At least, around there.

She'd picked up on the fifth ring, her voice low and scratchy.

"It's nine o'clock on a Sunday morning so I hope you have a warrant."

She was, as always, quick and sharp and slightly intimidating. Jeep couldn't play that day.

"Are you at your parents' or in the city?"

"My parents', why?"

"Then I need you to meet me at the Chamblisses' soon as you can. I can't talk now, so don't call back, just get dressed and drive."

Johnny grew up in a vast Delano & Aldrich brick pile set on ten acres of hilltop in Mill Neck, where you could look out over the Sound and Oyster Bay and look down on the rest of the world. The long peagravel drive was immaculately raked, as always, and Jeep drove up it at five miles per hour so as not to disturb it, as always, and parked his vehicle by the tennis court pavilion and got out.

He stood still as time collapsed around him and the comings and goings of his younger self at this place bounced around in his head like cuts from a greatest hits album.

Jeep struck out at the front and kitchen doors and went around back and saw Gwen Chambliss before she saw him.

In her midsixties, she was more beautiful and elegant in her oxford shirt, khaki shorts and dusty Blundstones than most women were on their first wedding day. She was crouched over, tending to a bed of roses along the patio border. She barked at a speaker on the low wall.

"Alexa, play Warren Zevon."

The speaker obeyed in her polite voice and "Werewolves of London" came on.

Finally summoning the nerve, Jeep called out, "Mrs. Chambliss, good morning!"

She shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked his way.

"Gerald?"

Jeep's given name was Gerald Paul, initials "GP." His father had combined them to "Jeep" just after young Gerald started walking, for the way he always took the long way from point A to B by going over or under whatever obstacles could be utilized. Gwen Chambliss thought it was demeaning to Jeep and said so and never bought in.

"I'm afraid Johnny's not here."

"I came to see you, Mrs. Chambliss."

"Well aren't you sweet, and for God's sakes, it's Gwen!"

"Then you'd have to start calling me 'Jeep,' Mrs. Chambliss."

"Never!" she cried, throwing a hand in the air and laughing. "So how was the reunion?"

The local private day school, Shelter Rock Academy, had held its twentieth Upper School reunion the night before at The Mansion, an old estate turned conference-and wedding venue in Glen Cove. Johnny had been expelled from two of the family's go- to New England prep schools and ended up graduating from Shelter Rock.

"Well, I went to Locust Valley public, so . . ."

She fanned a silly me gesture.

"I've known you so long I always think you must've been at Shelter."

Warren Zevon growled, "I'd like to meet his tailor." Jeep started to feel like this particular warm bath would actually make it harder to rip off the Band- Aid.

"Sorry, would you mind turning off the music?"

She stiffened and addressed the speaker as if it should've heard the first time.

"Alexa, off!"

The music died. She took a couple of steps toward Jeep.

"Is my husband going to be okay?"

Of course that's where she'd go, thought Jeep.

"Pete's fine. He's on his way."

Jeep inspected the tips of his shoes for a moment, looked up and met her gaze.

"It's Johnny. His body was found washed up on the beach in Bayville."

Jeep just tensed and froze, as if steeling himself to absorb a blast, as Pete Chambliss rounded the corner of the house double- time with a nine iron still in hand.

He clocked that Gwen was alive and well and looked to Jeep.

"The hell did he do now?"

"Johnny's dead, Pete. Johnny's dead," Gwen said. Her voice flat, going into shock.

Pete sagged with a shudder, like a big game animal taking the first bullet. He went to his wife and took her in his arms. Jeep arced around to the far side of the vast brick patio, invisible. There would be a hundred questions he couldn't answer but his job was to wait and placate them until Pete and Gwen were exhausted by the sudden- onset grief. Jeep sat in a wicker chair and fought the urge to fold in on his own feelings of shock and loss. There would be plenty of time, way too much time probably, to wrestle with that later. He had a job to do, one of those ones you really need to get right the first time.

He checked his phone, which had been buzzing since he'd arrived. He'd alerted his officers that he'd be off the radio while he made the notification. He had four missed calls from Corporal Jackson, five from Sergeant Bondurant, and a text from Bondurant that read:  Mayor Donahue's house hit. Am on scene. Jeep typed in reply:  Soon as I can. Still at Chambliss home.

He heard Niven calling out from inside the house, "Jeep? Johnny?"

"Out back," he replied, and got to his feet.

She came fast through the sunroom and the French doors and into the light. She took in Gwen and Pete still locked in their devastated embrace out on the lawn. She faced off with Jeep from ten feet away.

"Where's Johnny?"

"Johnny's gone," Jeep said.

"Gone where?" she said, like she was challenging him.

"His body was found washed up on the beach in Bayville earlier this morning."

"But I just saw him last night," she said.

Which always threw Jeep a little, the shock logic that assumes recent personal contact with someone means that he or she will still be walking the earth a short while later. Niven seemed to wobble.

"What happened?"

"Looks like he went swimming and got hit by a boat."

"Looks like?"

"Yes. It's early stages, so . . ."

Jeep broke off, staying out of the weeds.

Niven just stared at him for a moment, then summoned some steel.

"What do you think caught up with him?"

"I'm not thinking that way."

"Bull****."

Jeep kept his mouth shut and opened his arms. She walked into him and laid her damp hair on his chest, and he put his arms around her as she heaved a sob.

From Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade. Copyright (c) 2025 by the author and reprinted by permission of Celadon Books, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC  

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