Bill Cameron (1)

This is two books in one. The one I enjoyed the most is the taut, bare-knuckled adventure of 'Skin' Kadash as he searches Portland, San Francisco, and a small Ohio town for the woman he has decided he loves. While he was recuperating from another adventure, she has taken off for parts unknown, for reasons unknown, and has not returned as quickly as she led her friends to believe. He knows he has to track her down. Along the way, there are murders, attempted murders, brawls, and scant clues.

Compressed between the two halves of this thriller is another story. This one about the confused teenage version of Ruby Jane-the woman Kadash loves. She's in and out of trouble. Fighting to make her way through life against the odds. In a way, this backstory is what drives the rest, but I found it mostly a distraction. The style is different. The tone is different. And I wasn't invested enough in her to stick with it. I skimmed through and got the gist of it.

The writing was pretty good. The characters and settings well presented. The mystery was OK. What knocked this book down from 4 to 3 stars was the weak center section.… (meer)

Surprisingly good for a debut novel. It's not really a mystery, since you know from the beginning who the killer is, but it's a good, quick read that moves right along and keeps pulling you with it. The "average Joe" that gets caught up in the murder investigation is totally believable as a random guy in a boring life that just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I read it right after Educated by Tara Westover and was ready for something lighter (so obviously a murder mystery, right?!) and this fit the bill as a good change of pace. Recommended for a quick mystery-like story - I didn't realize till I finished it that it's the first in a series of one of the cops.....I would definitely read the next one.… (meer)