The Heartless

Tough deputy Bruno Johnson can handle violent criminals, but his biggest challenge—his teenage daughter, who’s fallen hard for a street thug

Former LA County Deputy Bruno Johnson is now a bailiff in the courts having stepped down from his role on the Violent Crimes Team to spend more time with his daughter, Olivia. Bruno fears his job decision may have come too late when he gets a frantic call to extricate Olivia from a gunpoint situation in a LA gang-infested neighborhood. His desperation escalates when he realizes Louis Barkow, a stone-cold killer awaiting trial, had orchestrated that deadly tableau.

When Barkow and three other criminals break out of jail and hit the streets, Bruno is plunged back into violent crime mode. Now, the agenda is personal—Olivia has become a pawn in the desperate chase of this sinister murderer.

The walls are caving in on Bruno as violence escalates in his hunt for Barkow and his heart strings are stretched to the breaking point as he struggles to protect his daughter not only from the criminal violence swirling around them, but from Olivia’s own impetuous life choices.

Fans of Michael Connelly and Robert Crais will love the Bruno Johnson series

“David Putnam knows the mean streets and the characters who inhabit them better than anyone writing crime fiction. In The Heartless, Putnam is at the top of his game. Fans of Bruno Johnson will rejoice at this latest offering.” —Alan Russell, New York Times best-selling author

“The Heartless will conquer the hardest of hearts. Gritty cop Bruno Johnson tracks down a sociopath while struggling with his teenaged daughter’s growing pains. Seamless prose, realistic characters, and you-are-there authenticity. Unique, entertaining—a total keeper.” —K. J. Howe, international best-selling author and winner of ITW’s Thriller Award

Praise for the Bruno Johnson Crime Series

“I really loved The Disposables. It’s raw, powerful, and eloquent. It's a gritty street poem recited by a voice unalterably committed to redemption and doing the right thing in a wrong world. I'll be first in line for the next one from David Putnam.” —Michael Connelly, New York Times best-selling author

“This is a police procedural that dazzles with authenticity, sharply-drawn characters, crackling dialogue, and insider details that only a real cop could bring to the page. Putnam can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Joseph Wambaugh and Michael Connelly.” —Lee Goldberg, New York Times best-selling author

“Dark, disturbing, and all too believable, this is the tale of one man’s quest for atonement in a world where innocence is a liability.” —T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times best-selling author

“Putnam puts his years of law enforcement experience to good use in The Squandered, a shocking and intense tale of brotherly love and redemption realized in the midst of moral decay. It’s a raw and gritty story I couldn’t put down.” —C. J. Box, New York Times best-selling author

“Reading a novel by David Putnam is almost as good as riding shotgun in a patrol car. He writes what he knows and what he knows is that justice on the mean streets isn't always black and white. Gritty and dark, The Reckless is a realistic and highly entertaining police procedural.” —Robin Burcell, New York Times best-selling author

During his career in law enforcement, best-selling author David Putnam has done it all: worked in narcotics, violent crimes, criminal intelligence, hostage rescue, SWAT, and internal affairs, to name just a few. He is the recipient of many awards and commendations for heroism. The Heartless is the seventh novel and the third in the “young Bruno” prequels for the acclaimed and best-selling Bruno Johnson crime series, following The Disposables, The Replacements, The Squandered, The Vanquished, The Innocents, and The Reckless. Putnam lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Mary.