A Father's Muse

On the occasion of his father-in-laws funeral, Bill Shannon's mother made a confession. His biological father, the man he thought had abandoned him fifty years ago, had been shot and killed in New Orleans in 1985. The murder was never solved. So began his odyssey to unravel the mystery that was his father and the life he lived. Soon he found himself entangled in was a centuries old subculture of Jazz, a legacy of crime and a sister he never knew existed. What he didn't count on was how much resistance he would run into. Nobody wanted this cold case reopened except the one retired cop who lead the investigation all those years ago. With his help, they began to follow the bread crumbs to a trio of musicians and some relatives of the infamous Little Man Marcello. All the while, Shannon searched for his step-mother and sister. It proved harder than he thought because they didn't want to be found. Always staying one step ahead, they led him through the Mississippi delta, the Gulf Coast and the streets of San Francisco. Through it all, the soundtrack of his father's life played in his head and in his heart until the phrase "Be careful what you wish for" became more than just cliché.