The Blue Rose

Wyatt Antone's life as a gig-to-gig jazz musician folds back upon itself when he meets a mysterious young woman we eventually come to know as 'Jazmine'. After a series of 'coincidental' encounters, Wyatt begins to suspect there is a cunning design behind the meetings. With the help of his jazz mate and would be lover, Elise Marchant, Wyatt attempts to unravel the puzzle of the woman's true identity and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation as both amateur detective and suspect.

j. r. Barnes is musician, songwriter, poet, audio engineer, retired university instructor, documentary film-maker and Peabody Award recipient. He is the author of two books of poetry: Imposters and Hibernation, and another novel: Sailing Home. He is currently working on a collection of essays, another book of poetry and a third novel, Shiloh and Me—A Musical Odyssey. Quoting Mister Barnes: "We are, each of us, a mystery, rummaging our way through life, searching for a variety of treasures. Writing, in my opinion, is an important part of that journey, a venture into that most magical of places, oneself. When the writing is going well I find I am not so much the writer as the first reader, and as a reader I would like to recommend this book to you—I rather enjoyed it.