Unintended Consequences

by Brendan P. Kelley

Matt Burke is a veteran Baltimore police sergeant who believes experience has taught him how consequences work. Then one split-second decision on a city street is caught on video, and the story belongs to everyone except Matt.

As officials, reporters, old friends and people with private agendas close in, Matt has to decide what can still be protected-and whether the instincts that made him a good cop are about to cost him the life he knows. The Chesapeake and Perissa, his sailboat, offer refuge. They do not offer escape.

If you like Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone novels, meet Matt Burke: a wounded Baltimore cop, dry humor, old loyalties, and the beginning of a long-running crime series built for readers who miss this kind of story.

Read Free with Kindle Unlimited

Now, what are you curious about?

Meet Matt, explore the people and places around him, or decide whether this is your kind of crime story.

Long Wake PublishingBook Brain Beta

Long Wake's commitment to independent authors

A low-cost way to test your book before buying a publishing package.

A quiet, word-of-mouth beta for independent authors who want real marketplace signals before spending thousands.

We built Book Brain because we ran into the same problem many independent authors face: expensive publishing offers, vague marketing promises, and ads that seem designed to drain the author before they ever learn whether readers care.

Long Wake's answer is simpler. Before you spend thousands, test the book. Put it in front of real readers. See what they ask. See where they hesitate. See whether they click.

We do not advertise this beta. We extend a helping hand through author-to-author word of mouth, one suitable book at a time.

This is a selective beta. We will accept only a small number of applicant authors in each cycle, and interest does not guarantee inclusion.

Request beta consideration See Book Brain in action

Exclusive beta cycle

$99limited author test

Interest does not guarantee inclusion. Beta slots are limited and curated so the reader pool stays useful.

Book fit review
We look for books that match the reader lanes we are actively testing.
One beta landing card
A clear book presentation built around reader fit, not hype.
Basic marketplace signal report
Reader questions, clicks, confusion points, and practical next-step recommendations.
Author-funded Facebook promotion
Accepted authors must fund Facebook promotions for the full promotional period at their own expense.

No promise of sales, rankings, reviews, or acceptance. The goal is simple: learn whether your book is connecting before spending more money.

Test before you spend.

Check reader response before committing to large publishing or marketing costs.

Small by design.

We select only a limited number of authors so each test gets enough attention to be useful.

Real reader traffic.

The author funds the Facebook promotion, and Book Brain helps turn that traffic into practical reader insight.