The Dyeing Process - Neil Ames PI Mystery Series, #1

"Murder is visceral and viscous. It sticks to you and won't let you go." Private investigator Neil Ames is haunted by the murder of his fiancée and relentless PTSD flashbacks. To hide from his pain, he sketches and immerses himself in the wisdom of Sherlock Holmes. But most of his hours are spent exposing corporate corruption and tracing arcane secrets hidden within the labyrinth of government conspiracies. When investigative journalist, Katherine Sterling, a woman from his past is murdered, Neil's fragile equilibrium is shattered, reopening old wounds.
Reluctantly, he agrees to consult on the case and teams up with Octavia Clarke, a beautiful, savvy, cane wielding nightclub owner, with a gift for extracting the truth from even the most reticent of suspects. The body count rises and the two discover a link to a pair of extraordinary handcrafted sneakers, propelling them from the lush backdrop of the Pacific Northwest to the enigmatic heart of Japan, where they stumble upon a sinister world of sneaker obsession, environmental extremism, and a global corporation's well-guarded secrets. As they get closer to the chilling truth, Neil and Octavia find themselves in the crosshairs, and the line between past and present blurs, threatening to unravel their own pasts and forcing Neil's quest for justice to become a quest for redemption. Book 1 of  the Neil Ames PI Mystery series.