Thursday, February 6, 2025
Kevin Wade, the screenwriter responsible for the Emmy-nominated drama “Blue Bloods” as well as films like “Meet Joe Black” and “Working Girl,” is embarking on a new chapter in his storytelling career. The seasoned writer, whose career spans theater, film, and television, is venturing into the world of detective fiction with his debut novel, “Johnny Careless.”
Set on the North Shore of Long Island, the novel introduces Jeep Mullane, a local police chief whose investigation of the supposed drowning of an old friend leads him into the world of car theft. According to Wade, the story reflects his lifelong fascination with detective fiction and his decades of experience writing about law enforcement.
“I’ve always loved detective stories, police, crime, bounty hunter stories, all of that kind of stuff,” Wade said. “These were books where the story changed, but the geography and the protagonist usually stayed the same. It’s not like television, but it is in the sense that you can just pick up a new book and enjoy another adventure.”
Wade’s career began in New York’s theater scene, where he wrote plays in his mid-20s, including the “Key Exchange.”
Hollywood soon came calling, leading to his screenwriting debut with the 1988 romantic comedy “Working Girl.” Over the years, Wade worked on several other films, including Mr. Baseball, where he worked closely with actor Tom Selleck.
His pivot to television came in 2010 when he joined the creative team of Blue Bloods. Wade credits his role as showrunner, a position he took in the show’s second season, with honing his ability to tell compelling stories centered around law enforcement.
“I had no experience in writing police or crime stories, but I had read literally 1,000 (detective novels) since I was a teenager,” Wade said. “We worked hard on the show, and most of the cast, crew and writers were there from the second season, so after 14 years it almost felt like a high school that we couldn’t quite graduate from.”
His love for the genre stems from classics by Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and James M. Cain, as well as modern masters like Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane.
Wade’s literary heroes inspired the creation of Jeep Mullane, a flawed but determined protagonist who navigates his professional duties while wrestling with personal challenges,Wade explained that the transition from screenwriting to novel-writing was not without its challenges.
Wade said that the two biggest differences were learning how to write without actors, set and costume designers and other aspects of film and theater to bring the words to life, as well as the amount of writing for a novel as opposed to a screen play.
According to Wade, the amount of writing for a novel as opposed to a screen play is significant. A screenplay is normally between 7,000 and 8,000 words, while novels can be 75,000 words or more.
“The sheer number of words is really daunting,” Wade explained. “In a novel, if you were the screenwriter, you’re all of a sudden the director, the casting director, the location manager, everything. So, once I embraced that, I thought well I know just enough about all of these disciplines to fake it.”
He also described how he had to shift his approach to storytelling.
“In screenwriting, the words are a blueprint for actors and directors to bring to life,” Wade said. “With a novel, the words on the page are all the reader gets.”
Wade credited the pandemic-era writers’ strike, which paused production on Blue Bloods during its 14th and final season, with giving him the time to tackle the project.
“A couple of months into the strike I realized I’d had enough vacation time, and I was so used to working on a deadline I was restless,” he added. “I thought this would be a perfect time, with zero stakes, to try writing a paperback novel.”
Johnny Careless draws heavily from Wade’s two decades of life on Long Island’s North Shore, with the setting playing a significant role in the story.
Wade likened the dynamic to that of “The Great Gatsby,” in the sense that the North Shore as a bifurcated society where privilege and can struggle to coexist.
“This book is nothing like (The Great Gatsby) in terms of theme or quality,” Wade continued. “But Jeep Mullane does have that dynamic, the same way Nick Carroway does, of an outsider looking in. Jeep grew up as the son of a cop in Bayville and only really intersected with the wealthy communities through sports.”
The plot revolves around two intersecting mysteries: the death of a young man, initially dismissed as a boating accident, and a syndicate of car thieves targeting luxury vehicles for international export.
To ensure authenticity, Wade said, he conducted extensive research, spent time with local law enforcement, including Brookville Police Chief Kenneth Lack and Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
“I wanted to understand the logistics and landscape of policing out here,” Wade said. “These guys gave me the lay of the land and the way they looked at their job, and it was fascinating.”
Wade’s portrayal of Mullane aligns with his admiration for protagonists who are competent yet flawed.
“The heroes I admire are not bulletproof,” Wade said. “They make mistakes and learn from them, which makes them more relatable.”
Wade added that he hopes that Johnny Careless will resonate with readers and pave the way for future installments. He said that what was really enjoyable was finding out that he could still do something new at 70 years old.
“At my age, if something comes to you, and it’s not say, a shadow on an X-ray, it’s a really good day,” he joked. “In my dreams, there’s a second Jeep Mullane novel and a third, but it all depends on how the first one does.”
