My name is Trevor Finnegan. Some people call me Finn. I’m a Robbery-Homicide Detective I (first grade) with the Los Angeles Police Department. Being a detective in RHD is one of the most coveted jobs in the LAPD, and as a young black man, it wasn’t easy getting promoted. Some of my fellow officers see my promotion to a detective as unearned, so I’m rarely the favorite person in the room. I admit, earning my detective spot took more than a smile and an impressive resume. I had to play hardball, but if it meant getting one step closer to becoming police chief, then maybe one hand could wash the other?

The truth is, I never wanted to be a cop. I saw a different path for myself. Maybe as a painter or gallery owner, but that’s the thing about police work—you don’t choose it; it chooses you. Life as an LAPD detective has plenty of challenges. Of course, there are the crimes, but I have to navigate a fair share of departmental politics and community perception, which can add to an already stressful job. Even my father, retired LAPD sergeant Shaun Finnegan, thinks I’m not doing enough to drive reform within the department. He’s conveniently forgotten how hard it is for black folks to make something of themselves behind the blue wall. But I don’t forget what it’s taken to get where I am. I live with the choices I’ve made every day, not just as a cop but as a man desperate to be decent.

These days, I’m on loan to the Pacific Community Division located in Westchester. My partner, Sally “Crickets” Munoz, is on maternity leave, so I’ve been working solo: a few liquor store hold-ups and a string of homicides near MarVista. It’s grueling, but I get it done. The one thing I have going for me is that I’m a damn good detective. I regularly close investigations, which is why it was no surprise when I caught the Brandon Soledad case, which is shaping up to be the toughest case of my career.

I feel a profound connection to Brandon. Maybe it’s because I know what it’s like to be the only black recruit in an academy class and how it feels to be shunned by people who share my complexion because I’m a cop. Brandon did everything right so that he could join the LAPD, and now he’s dead. And I’m going to find who murdered him and bring them to justice or die trying.

Under Color of Law, A Trevor Finnegan Mystery #1
Genre: Police Procedural
Release: October 2021
Purchase Link

The murder of a police recruit pins a black LAPD detective in a deadly web where race, corruption, violence, and cover-ups intersect in this relevant, razor-sharp novel of suspense.

Black rookie cop Trevor “Finn” Finnegan aspires to become a top-ranking officer in the Los Angeles Police Department and fix a broken department. A fast-track promotion to detective in the coveted Robbery-Homicide Division puts him closer to achieving his goal.

Four years later, calls for police accountability rule the headlines. The city is teeming with protests for racial justice. When the body of a murdered black academy recruit is found in the Angeles National Forest, Finn is tasked to investigate.

As pressure mounts to solve the crime and avoid a PR nightmare, Finn scours the underbelly of a volatile city where power, violence, and race intersect. But it’s Finn’s past experience as a beat cop that may hold the key to solving the recruit’s murder. The price? The end of Finn’s career. . .or his life.

Meet the author
Aaron Philip Clark is a native of Los Angeles, CA. He is a novelist and screenwriter. A self-described “son of the city,” Clark takes pleasure in exploring the many facets of Los Angeles and enjoys hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains.

His most recent novel, Under Color Of Law (Thomas & Mercer), is inspired by his experiences in the LAPD.

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