Purple Hayes by Michael Donahue

About the book

The investigation into the brutal murder of a drug dealer, a man foolish enough to steal from his supplier, begins a harrowing, mind-blowing journey for the two officers assigned to the case. Jim Marks and Justin "Time" Nickles are those two homicide detectives, and they follow a trail that leads them into the cutthroat, highly profitable world of methamphetamine production. When a member of the narcotics task force is found butchered, an alliance is formed between the homicide officers and two members of the clandestine Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. The probe soon becomes personal when their prime suspect, Jeremy "Purple" Hayes, mistakenly believes that he can simply eliminate these officers; it's an error in judgment that costs him his freedom, and several of his henchmen their lives.

Enter Louis Drivell, Purple Hayes' attorney. The two have known each other a long time, and they are ethical and moral equals. Drivell interposes his client's methamphetamine psychosis as a competency defense, and is successful in setting in motion a series of events that allows Hayes' to escape from custody. However, the Mexican Mafia, a ruthless prison gang that controls a substantial market share of the methampehtamine trade, discovers that Hayes has been cheating them by making and selling crank that they have not sanctioned. Their manner of dealing with cheaters is harsh and they are closing in.

Jeanette Jamison is a psychiatrist in private practice, and a close personal friend of Detectives Marks and Nickles. Due to her work for the courts, she has first-hand knowledge of the personal tragedy and devastation that result from the chronic use of speed. However, it is her dogged curiosity about the identity of the owners of a local real estate development company that culminates in her personal introduction to Jeremy Hayes' world, and places her directly in harm's way.

Purple Hayes is a graphic tale of greed, corruption and duplicity, and among the people who manufacture and distribute methamphjetamine, and those whose job it is to stop them. The final betrayals, which reach even the ranks of the elite Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, are as stunning as they are unforeseen. In the last scene, Marks and Nickles discover that even seasoned BNE officers can be bought, but the Mexican Mafia and by Purple Hayes. The execution of a special agent by his supervisor is profoundly unsettling to all who witness it.

About the author

Michael Donahue has been an attorney for more than fifteen years. During most of this phase of his career, he has been self-employed, practicing in the areas of civil, criminal and family law. He has represented numerous clients charged with drug-related offenses. The author has recently acknowledged that his true passion is writing, a talent first discovered in the fourth grade.

Mr. Donahue is married, with two children. He lives with his family on the Monterey Peninsula. He has been married for twenty-two years to his wife Victoria, and enjoys spending time with her, enjoying their children, playing golf, and weight lifting.