Hallmarks of the Job - Stanley Melvin PI Stories, #1

Meticulous private investigator Stanley Melvin likes to keep his work grounded in reality, not at all like the classic detective novels he has read incessantly since childhood. But his best friend and annoying neighbor Rudy quickly points out that his routine "cheater" case is rapidly taking on all of the features that Stanley steadfastly insists are mere fictional tropes of the genre. Stanley isn't too sure how he feels about this.
But as a professional, he forges ahead, despite getting out of his comfort zone. He knows he has to solve this case even if it is taking on all of the hallmarks of the job.* Hallmarks of the Job won the 2022 PSWA Award. It was also selected by the Independent Fiction Alliance as one of the best "truly independent" titles of 2022!