Colorblind, the final novel in Peter Robertson’s trilogy of mysteries featuring Tom, an erstwhile businessman following a series of hunches in intriguing and colorful locations, will be published in April 2016 by Gibson House Press.
Tom’s journey in Colorblind begins in the suburbs of Chicago. An impulsive act of theft coincides with an inexplicable death. A long drive south to Louisiana follows the trail of an obscure folk singer, drowned years back in trusted waters. And before all the connections between the two deaths can be revealed, a series of hunches will lead Tom to some dark and depressing truths about the nature of fandom and the fallibility of instincts.
In the previous Permafrost and Mission, Tom was hopelessly underemployed and terminally listless. As an occasional businessman, he easily found time to track down several killers in Northern Michigan and Boulder, Colorado, respectively. In this third and final work in the series, Tom is determined to find the link between a young fan’s death in the present day, and the older singer’s decline and death in New Orleans in the confusing aftermath of Katrina.
Colorblind looks at the city of New Orleans through the eyes of a seasoned tourist and explores music both as a means of salvation and a road to obsession. Tom finds the connection between the two deaths easily enough. The tougher question of why the connection exists is harder to answer. In the hunt for answers, Tom rediscovers his own love of music, his suppressed vulnerability and the realization that, this time around, not all his hunches are good ones.
Permafrost was greeted by ALA Booklist as “a strong opening act,” while Mission was hailed as “a successful follow up.” Best-selling author Doug Stanton (In Harm’s Way and Horse Soldiers) praised both books as a “superbly smart and addictive series.”
Colorblind brings Tom’s journey to a close, with taut crime detailing, vivid local color, and the astute character observation that fans of the first two books have come to expect from this author.
Peter Robertson was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, graduated from the University of East Anglia in the U.K., and came to the U.S. at age 23. After traveling in the States, he settled in Chicago, where he has been a book reviewer for daily papers and magazines, stay-at-home dad, soccer coach, university student, and elementary and middle school teacher. He currently lives in Flossmoor and teaches in Homewood in the Chicago area. An enthusiastic cyclist and guitar player, Robertson is married and the father of two adult children.