by Jesse Pittman (Author)

In New Bern, North Carolina, some secrets refuse to stay buried.

When gunfire erupts in the heart of downtown New Bern, a county commissioner is dead, a respected judge is wounded, and a community accustomed to quiet streets suddenly finds itself shaken by violence.

For Captain Ben Mercer, the investigation is more than another case.

After twenty-eight years in law enforcement, Ben knows that the truth is rarely as simple as it first appears. Alongside Sheriff Jeremiah Monroe and a seasoned team of investigators, he begins following a trail that reaches beyond the shootings and into a mystery the town thought had been settled years ago.

But old cases have long memories.

As forgotten evidence resurfaces and carefully guarded secrets begin to unravel, Ben and his team discover that the events unfolding around them may be connected to an injustice buried deep in New Bern's past. Finding the truth will mean questioning old assumptions, confronting painful loyalties, and discovering just how far some people will go to keep the past from coming to light.

Set against the historic streets, courthouse corridors, quiet waterways, and unmistakable character of New Bern and eastern North Carolina, Verdicts of the Neuse is a character-driven legal suspense novel about justice, friendship, loyalty, and the consequences of secrets left unresolved.

Drawing upon author Jesse Pittman's twenty-eight years of experience in law enforcement, the novel brings an authentic perspective to the people and pressures behind the badge while remaining, at its heart, a story about a community and the people who call it home.

Because eventually, every secret faces judgment-and sometimes the final verdict belongs to the river.

Guaranteed safe checkout: