The Last Will and Testament of Ernie Politics by Brad Grusnick

Hands severed at the wrist. Eyes carved from his skull. Body shoved under a dumpster.

How do you find justice when you are one of society's forgotten?

Ernie Politics is a schizophrenic albino with a penchant for conspiracy theories. When he's murdered and mutilated, the police have no interest in wasting time on the death of one homeless man, so Ray Cobb, Ernie's best friend, decides to solve the mystery for himself.

Ray finds a cryptic note Ernie scrawled days before his death and realizes that Ernie's ravings and irrational writings may contain hidden clues about the identity of his killer. 

Pulled deep into the dangerous underworld of the Los Angeles streets, Ray discovers a vagrant underground railroad, a poker game where the stakes are one's life, and a political conspiracy that entangles him with an LAPD cold case detective.

Ray uncovers more about Ernie than he expects and learns when you live on the streets, the only person you can trust is yourself.

The Last Will and Testament of Ernie Politics is the first volume of Brad Grusnick's Vagrant Mystery Series, a modern noir exploring the underbelly of Los Angeles.

Don't miss Book 2 in the series, The Last Dance of Low Seward.