BILL GORMLEY grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and lives in Arlington, Virginia. From 1990 to 2023, he was University Professor of Public Policy and Government at Georgetown University, where he co-directed the Center for Research on Children in the U.S. (CROCUS). He is the author of THE SILENT TRUMPET (October 2025) and TOO MANY BRIDGES (August 2024), both murder mysteries published by Level Best Books. He is also the creator of Profs on Cops, a podcast that features interviews with criminologists and social scientists who are doing cutting-edge research on police practices and behavior.
New Murder Mystery
Too Many Steps
When an eccentric British developer proposes to replace Pittsburgh’s historic South Side Slopes steps with an open-air escalator, citizen activists organize a strong political protest. A bitter public relations battle erupts in television ads, featuring Ella, a robot who will be part of the construction crew. Days later, the leading opponent of the escalator is shot to death while jogging the steps. An eyewitness claims that the killer was a robot. Detectives Branko Radic and Kathleen Mulroy must separate fact from fiction without a key witness – Ella has gone missing. With help from a geeky robotics student, a psychiatrist, and a government spy, they try to track down the killer and solve the case. But some Russian thugs have other plans.
Publisher: Level Best Books, October 6th, 2026.
Books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The White Whale (Pittsburgh) and other vendors.
The Silent Trumpet
Relations between the Pittsburgh police and the Black community deteriorate when a popular Black trumpet player, Larry Mabry, is beaten up by a white narcotics cop outside a jazz club. Days later, the cop is dead and the musician is accused of murder. The trumpeter’s brother, Gary, a drug dealer with political clout, mobilizes the community to try to secure his brother’s release. Then another murder occurs. Detectives Branko Radic and Kathleen Mulroy must solve two murders quickly, despite distractions that include a drug war, political skullduggery, and a plague of snakes.
Publisher: Level Best Books, October, 2025.
Books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other vendors.
Debut Murder Mystery
Too Many Bridges
An eyewitness to a murder calls the Pittsburgh police from one of the city’s 446 bridges, then disappears. To solve the case, the police must find the bridge. But where to start? Detective Branko Radic and Officer Kathleen Mulroy seek help from a nun, a professor, a mechanic, and a tattoo artist. They learn of a family feud, a business in trouble, some sketchy Harry Potter merchandise, and a missing young woman. If only they can find the right bridge, they might be able to put it all together. But sometimes a case is like a funhouse mirror at an amusement park. You have to adjust to the distortions in order to perceive the truth.
Publisher: Level Best Books, August, 2024.
Books are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other vendors.
Latest Podcast, Profs on Cops
Sept. 13, 2026
Private Security Guards
Although there are approximately 1.3 million private security guards in the U.S., we know very little about who they are or how they work. Along comes Duke Law Professor Ben Grunwald, with a new empirical study of private security guards in Florida. In a nutshell, Grunwald finds that private security guards are more diverse but less well-trained than their public-sector law enforcement counterparts. He discusses cross-employment between the two work forces, the backgrounds of private security guards, and how the states do or do not regulate them. Don’t miss it!
