The Commissions

Get ready for a rollicking and irresistible new mystery from award-winning artist and author Paul Madonna.

Amsterdam, 2019--following the conclusion of Come to Light. Former rock star turned artist and author Emit Hopper's life has taken yet another strange turn. He is writing a new book about his old friend, the legendary San Francisco private detective Ronnie Gilbert, whose legacy is shrouded in depravity and disgrace. But when a disheveled acquaintance from long ago, who also knew Ronnie, walks into Emit's shop, a puzzling mystery resurfaces, twenty years cold.

We're transported back to San Francisco, 1999, to when Emit and Ronnie first met. Having fallen into debt, Emit has returned to taking commissions drawing people's houses, only to be strong-armed by a shady police lieutenant into acting as her off-the-books spy. On top of that, a strange young woman claiming to be his daughter refuses to leave him alone. From there unfolds an intricate tale of corruption and murder that leads to an explosive scandal, with consequences that, two decades hence, have finally returned, demanding payback.

From the world of the Emit Hopper Mysteries series, The Commissions kicks off the origin story of what promises to be an unforgettable new eccentric detective, Ronnie Gilbert. In a mystery filled with suspense and surprises around every corner, Paul Madonna delivers a rich insider's portrait of The City of in the last days before the turn of the millennium, along with one hundred of his signature pen-and-ink drawings.