BLACKBIRD, FAREWELL Frog Books Hardcover: October 2008, ISBN 978-1583942505 BLACKBIRD, FAREWELL is Damion Madrid's story, and with this novel, he takes his rightful place as CJ's protégé. Just before he is to start medical school, Damion's best friend and basketball star cohort, Shandell "Blackbird" Bird, is murdered after signing a multi-million dollar contract with the Denver Nuggets. News of the high-profile murder of this family friend still reaches CJ, who is honeymooning in Hawaii. But he decides to stay where he is and enjoy this special time, leaving the sleuthing to the professionals. Or so he thinks. Raised around CJ, Damion thinks nothing of launching his own investigation, with the help of the Floyd network. He can't help but. He and Blackbird grew up together on the Glendale courts, in Five Points, and at Colorado State University, where they almost took the basketball team all the way to the NCAA Championship. It's that "almost" that is worrying Damion now. A local loudmouth has accused Blackbird of giving away the final game. Plus, a former teammate claims that Blackbird sold performance enhancing drugs to kids back on his home turf in Five Points. None of this makes sense to Damion. He can't believe that Blackbird would have involved himself in illegal activities, especially given his prospects in the draft. Why risk it? In a thrilling, fast-paced ride through the worlds of college and pro sports, Damion discovers the tragic answer: that Blackbird had a secret that he felt was so private, he did almost anything to protect it. Read an excerpt here (PDF). BUY THE BOOK IndieBound Amazon Barnes & Noble Borders Books-A-Million   PRAISE "Another fine entry in a rewarding series."     —Booklist "Every entry in the versatile Greer's CJ Floyd series (The Mongoose Deception) is different in scope and theme. Here, he takes on professional and college basketball, the pressures placed on young men to perform, the media hype, and the organized crime possibilities of point shaving and drug dealing. Much like Les Roberts's mysteries about Cleveland, Greer's books in this series also give readers a strong sense of place (the Denver area) and a rare look at a diverse community that works together regardless of racial and economic barriers. Highly recommended."     —Library Journal, starred review "Blackbird, Farewell is a tense tale that explores the underbelly of college and pro sports. This new tale may disappoint some fans since CJ's absence seems to be a sign of a new story line for Greer, one that sees a new, stronger, younger hero emerge as the main man of Five Points fiction in the future. This can be seen as a good thing."     —Leslie Doran, for The Denver Post (read the full article here) "Author Robert Greer takes readers into the underbelly of the pro-athletic world and introduces readers to a cast of interesting characters, some of whom have obvious history in previous books. While the bad guys (and gals) are obvious, exactly who did what and when is not always so clear. The story unfolds bit by bit as the novel progresses, starting off slow and picking up speed with each turn of the page. Blackbird, Farewell is an entertaining mystery. Although billed as a CJ Floyd mystery, CJ himself makes only a minor appearance. The author has certainly whet my appetite in finding out more CJ and his friends."     —Literaryfeline.com "There are enough surprises with more lives at stake, including the death of Shandall's father, to keep you turning page after page. Not until the end of the book are you sure about who is behind Shandell's and his father's murder and why. If this is your first CJ Floyd mystery, you may be ready to check out Robert Greer's other CJ Floyd novels after reading this exciting book."     —Armchair Interviews "Wow, what a great read. Read this one, you will read them all."     —George Scott, Eagle Eye Bookshop