Author James Polkinghorn - James Polkinghorn

Coming May 16, 2023

First his brother, now his mother— Jack Girard searches for the truth behind his family's tragedies

When hungover ex-lawyer and Key West bar owner Jack Girard groggily wakes up one morning, he's greeted by a beautiful woman lying next to him and a shrill, ringing telephone. Seeing the call is from his father, Claude “ The Duke” Girard, Jack answers. Within seconds, he learns that his mother is dead in an apparent suicide, and Jack hits the road, heading back to his childhood home in Miami to face his tyrannical father.

James Polkinghorn

James Polkinghorn is a semi-retired litigator and trial lawyer. He spent 39 years based in Miami and Fort Lauderdale but handled cases of varying complexity throughout the United States. He was born in Pittsburgh, PA, where he spent his first 14 years before his family moved to Florida. He attended the University of Florida for both his undergraduate and law degrees. He now lives in Key West with his wife, Becki, and their dog, Major Tom. Liquid Shades of Blue is his first novel.

Advance Praise

“Liquid Shades of Blue is a ride on the lethal waves of corruption and murder in a place that shimmers like diamonds in the sun. James Polkinghorn knows these South Florida courtrooms and waterways like the back of his hand. This one sticks to you like the humidity of a summer night in Key West.”
—Michael Connelly, New York Times best-selling author

“Smart, sophisticated, slow-burn suspense that builds to a final scene you won't expect—don't miss this.”
—Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author

“James Polkinghorn has done the impossible: with a debut novel, he has produced prose as elegant as Fitzgerald’s Gatsby and a story as deeply human as Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov. Read this book slowly, preferably with a cabernet or cognac, and savor the splendor.”
-- Larry Loftis, New York Times bestselling author of The Princess Spy