Corruption, Hustle, and Jazz
Playing Coltrane
A Debut Crime Novel
By Andre Hardy
Coltrane doesn’t hustle. Not anymore.
But when Anthony Riddell—NFL All-Pro, human highlight reel, and walking PR disaster—goes missing after a reckless night on the town, Coltrane gets a call. Someone has dirt on Riddell. Something happened, and now he’s being blackmailed.
With contract negotiations underway, Riddell stands to lose everything if his troubles make the news. His agent—one of the most powerful in the game and the protégé of a man who moves money and men like chess pieces—needs this handled quietly. And there’s only one person to call when the stakes are this high.
Coltrane’s search for answers leads him to a place few even know exists: The Pit of Baphomet, an exclusive, members-only society where the global elite shed their public masks and indulge in power games that make or break careers, lives, and entire industries. Their most infamous gathering—the Full Moon Party—is more than just a billionaire’s playground. It’s a hunting ground, where control is currency, and those without it are expendable.
The deeper Coltrane digs, the more he realizes Riddell isn’t just a victim. He’s a pawn in a high-stakes ritual of influence and destruction, and the people pulling the strings won’t hesitate to make Coltrane disappear if he gets too close.
Because in The Pit of Baphomet, power doesn’t just corrupt. It consumes.
And Coltrane is running out of time.
Playing Coltrane.
Coming Summer 2026 from Grand Central Publishing.
From the roar of National Football League stadiums to the murky intrigue of crime fiction, Andre Hardy’s journey is as unexpected as it is captivating. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 1984 and later donning the jerseys of the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, Andre earned a place in the Hoover High School and St. Mary’s College Sports Halls of Fame, where he stands alongside legends like Ted Williams and Mike Davis. His NFL career, marked by resilience and intensity, laid the groundwork for his new life on the page, where high-stakes drama and gritty characters bring readers to the edge of their seats.
Today, Andre channels that intensity into his crime novels, including Playing Coltrane and Fixer in Four-Four Time, both part of a recent two-book deal with Grand Central Publishing. Rooted in noir traditions, Andre’s work is an electrifying fusion of streetwise realism and literary depth, crafted in the spirit of Chandler, Macdonald, and Mosley. His novels don’t just entertain; they elevate the genre, shining a light on characters in the grip of moral dilemmas, redemption, and gritty survival.
Andre’s storytelling is shaped by more than his athletic career. A lifelong fan of John Coltrane and Miles Davis, his writing pulses with a musical rhythm inspired by Coltrane’s intense 1960-1966 period and infused with the soul of hip-hop legends like KRS-One, Snoop, and Common. The beat of each chapter and the complex interplay of loyalty, betrayal, and justice reflect a deep love for music as much as for literature.
Living in Los Angeles with his wife, renowned Buddhist teacher JoAnna Hardy, Andre finds balance between the demands of his writing and the spiritual teachings that guide his life. This grounding is evident in his work, where questions of morality, redemption, and loyalty echo themes he explores both personally and on the page.
Andre invites you to explore his world—a world where every decision, like a note in a Coltrane solo, reverberates through the soul. Dive into his novels and experience the pulse of a world where choices are as layered, intense, and haunting as the music that inspires him.
About Andre Hardy
