Fourth Down and Out

An Andy Hayes Mystery

By: Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Narrated by: William Reese

The job seems easy enough at first for private investigator Andy Hayes: save his client’s reputation by retrieving a laptop and erasing a troublesome video from its hard drive. But that’s before someone breaks into Andy’s apartment in Columbus; before someone else, armed with a shotgun, relieves him of the laptop; and before the FBI suddenly shows up on his doorstep asking questions.

Soon, there’s a growing list of people with a claim on the computer, all of them with secrets they don’t want uncovered. When one of those people ends up dead, Andy has his hands full convincing authorities he’s not responsible, while trying to figure out who is - and who’s got the laptop - before someone else dies. Soon the trail leads to the last place Andy wants to go: back to Ohio State University, where few have forgiven him for a mistake he made two decades earlier in his days as the Buckeyes’ star quarterback. That misjudgment sent him on a downward spiral that cost him a playing career, two marriages, several wrecked relationships, and above all his legacy in Ohio’s capital city, where the fortunes of the OSU team are never far from people’s minds.

As Andy tracks a laptop and a killer from the toniest of the city’s suburbs to its grittiest neighborhoods, he must confront a dark figure from his past and prove that this time he won’t drop the ball.

The book is published by Ohio University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2014 Andrew Welsh-Huggins (P)2019 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“A masterful job...an entertaining, easy-to-read tale.” (Columbus Dispatch)

“A top-notch opener for a writer who seems destined to score big.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

“This most entertaining fiction debut shows that noir can come in scarlet and gray.” (Akron Beacon-Journal)

Fourth Down and Out

Enjoyable book. I liked the main character and the flow of information about him. Would love to hear more about Andy Hayes.

for buckeye fans

loved the book, reminded me of my buckeye days. enough of a story to keep me engrossed

Narrator should learn how to pronounce local terms

Maybe it would be a good idea for somebody from the area to actually listen to it first before it is released.

Twisty Plot with a Great Main Character

Maybe it's because I live in Columbus, but this book not only featured a lot of local color, it also had a great twisty plot with an intriguing main character. I can say that I had no idea where this plot was going until the final reveal. Plus, you have a great narrator. Check this one out!

Excellent plot. Really well written story.

Excellent story, plotting and characters. Hope all of this series becomes available on audiobooks soon!