Rick Reed (1)

Awkward: (def.) when you’re a cop tasked with investigating your incoming chief of police for murder.

This is Detective Jack Murphy’s reality. Thirty-seven years ago, a high school student named Max Day was killed in a cemetery. Among those questioned at the time was Richard Dick, Max’ classmate & sworn enemy. The investigation was led by Richard’s father who was chief at the time & eventually it was shelved.

Jack & partner Liddell Blanchard make up the murder squad in Evansville, show more Indiana. There’s a new mayor ready to be sworn in & she wants to replace current chief Marlon Pope. Richard is her choice but Max’ remaining family have always maintained his father covered up his involvement. So Jack & Liddell are given their marching orders. Reopen the cold case & clear Richard for the top job.

They’ve barely begun when Max’s sister Reina is attacked in the same cemetery where he died. Evansville is one of those places where memories are long & everyone knows your business. The problem is getting people to talk & the investigation is not winning them many friends around the office either. Then tragedy strikes & they have a fresh body on their hands.

In alternate chapters, we spend time with Richard (known as “Double Dick” around the station) as he tries to quell rumours & mitigate the fallout from the investigation. He’s a pompous ass who’s butted heads with Jack for years & is determined nothing will prevent him from following in his father’s footsteps.

I love procedurals that include cold cases. There’s something appealing about an old mystery finally being solved so I really enjoyed this aspect of the story. It’s a complex & genuine head scratcher as we gradually find out who-dun-what & how it will all play out.

However….as I read, I began to ponder that age old question: how many “dick” jokes are too many? (Discuss amongst yourselves while I give you my take.) I realize the Richard’s name was chosen for this ongoing gag but it tested my patience, especially in terms of Liddell. He & Jack are 2 experienced detectives staring down a tense investigation that is tearing the town apart. And Liddell’s contribution largely consists of jumping on every opportunity to make a dick joke. Instead of picturing them based on the physical descriptions provided, over time they began to remind me of Beavis & Butt-head (heh heh heh…) IMHO, 2 or 3 times would be enough for readers to share a cheeky grin. After that, it’s just tired.

Which led to an odd situation. I actually preferred the 2 MC’s when they were separated & engaged with other characters. There’s a diverse cast & a couple of standouts for me were departing Chief Marlon Pope & the remarkable Amelia Day, Max’ mother. We also become familiar with our MC’s backgrounds & personal lives.

I must confess I haven’t read the other books in this series so don’t know if the author’s style of humour is a staple. The cold case element makes for a great story so if you’ve read & enjoyed previous outings this should be right up your alley. show less

The Cleanest Kill by Rick Reid
Jack Murphy #8

Jack Murphy and Liddell Blanchard have been tasked with cleaning up a 37 year old cold murder case to make sure Deputy Chief of Police, Richard Dick, is either exonerated or found guilty of the murder of Max Day. Richard and Max were on the same football team, had a fight before a big game and by morning Max was dead. A murderer was never found and there was rumor that it was swept under the rug by Richard’s father who was on t he police force at show more the time of the murder.

Jack and Liddell continue in this book much as they have in previous books with their friendly and irreverent back and forth as they work to solve the case. There is a bit of information shared on the personal lives of the two men and supporting characters make appearances. As they try to find out what is what there are assaults, murders and more that happen before the final showdown when the murderer is finally revealed.

I enjoyed this story but it was not quite as gripping as the previous two books that I have read. I was less invested in this book for some reason but it was well written and well done...just liked the other two books in the series that I have read a wee bit better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Lyrical-Underground for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars show less

The Deadliest Sins by Rick Reed
Detective Jack Murphy #7

Grabbed in the first little bit and engaged till the bitter end – powerful story that kept me on the edge of my seat until the wee hours of the morning – I could not put this book down!

I met Jack Murphy in book six of this series and hope to someday go back and see what I missed in the first five books because both of the books I have read have left me wanting more. Jack and his partner Liddell are such wonderful characters and come show more to life in ways that make me feel I truly know them and would like to have them as friends. In this book I met Sanchez and a few more that intrigue me and hope that he and Battle will show up in book 8 when it comes along.

This book tells of a warped mind on a mission for his country. The fact that his vision is not “right” makes what he chooses to do in some ways even worse. I can feel for him when I find out what the catalyst may have been but even then he was bad to the core and only made worse, perhaps, by what triggered more heinous sins.

This book has Jack and Liddell on the trail of a serial killer that kills in high numbers and shows no remorse. It begins with one murdered man in an alley then moves to a truck filled with dead bodies locked in a truck, continues down the road to diners and convents and cemeteries leaving death along the way. Thankfully the bad guy is finally put down like the rabid Coyote he seems to emulate not only in nickname.

I am curious to find out what the USOC group will be like and how Double Dick and newswoman Sotero will finally be dealt with but in the meantime will just eagerly await the next book in this series and hope I the wait won’t be too long.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Lyrical Press-Underground for the ARC – This is my honest review

5 Stars show less

The Slowest Death by Rick Reed
Jack Murphy # 6

New author to me – would definitely read more by this author

Jack Murphy has a story that I had no inkling of before joining in on book six of his literary detective journey. I am curious about his past BUT did not need to know all of it as he tried to figure out who was killing people on his turf in graphically disturbing ways.

Netsuke figures of monkeys in the iconic see/hear/speak no evil and then some small figures appear in the murders and show more all are stuffed down baddies throats after they have suffered at the hands of a righteously vengeful avenger of the death of someone oh so close to his soul. I won’t tell you more but will say that the revenge felt justified in some ways but also felt as if the perpetrator was somewhat unhings…again…justified? And, there was Jack and his life that I don’t know much about as well as his partner and others but all in all this was a great read that kept me interested from beginning to end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books-Lyrical Press for the ARC this is my honest review.

4 Stars show less