Author: Sheldon Peart
Genre: Crime / Thriller / Suspense
Publication Date: 14th December 2020
Book Description:
Karine Woodbine scrambles out of bed, upset that her husband has left the bedroom without waking her. Fuming, she storms out of the house to catch her flight to Atlanta.
Four hours later, Valerie Samuels turns up for work, only to find that her key to the Woodbine's house is missing from where she hid it. A stroke of luck backfires when she stumbles upon the mutilated body of Allan Woodbine. Panic-stricken, how does Valerie react?
Detective Inspector Jack Lilly receives the nod to lead the investigation into the murder of his best friend. But why is he getting the jitters about Valerie? And is Karine as innocent as she insists?
As the search intensifies, a slew of criminality threatens to divert the focus. However, Inspector Lilly is determined that nothing will stand in his way... be it friendship, blackmail, kidnapping or more murders.
The race is on in earnest and the stakes are very high. Fasten your seatbelts, you're in for a shocking ride.
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MY REVIEW
I could tell from the get-go that this was going to be my type of read. Just the right amount of chaos and adventure to satisfy my appetite. After the death of his best-friend and fellow law enforcement officer, Allen Woodbine, Detective Inspector Jack Lilly faces a race against time to unravel the identity of the person who killed his childhood friend. His investigation leads him down a path that makes him question the people closest to him, including the wife of his best-friend, Karen Woodbine, who claims she was none the wiser of her husband's murder even though she was asleep in their bedroom at the time of his death. Could the answer Jack seeks be right in front of him?
This book has everything one requires from a crime thriller and more. I thought the characters were well portrayed and the interaction and dialogue between them felt authentic. I especially liked Valerie. She's a kick-ass mother who would do anything to protect her daughter. I liked the themes that run throughout the book and the consistency of the tone prevented any form of confusion and helped to keep me focused on the heart of the story. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and sometimes you push a good person hard enough and they'll push back even harder. Valerie is one of those people whose button should never be pushed, because once you set her off, there's no telling what she will do, and more importantly, there's no stopping her. As Jack digs deeper into the case, he learns there's a greater connection between Valerie and the Woodbine's than meets the eye, and the clue Allen left behind to help him solve the case appears to unravel more than just Allen's murder.
I really enjoyed the book. I liked the fact that the reader knew certain information that Jack had no clue about, yet we were still able to journey with him as he hunted Allen's killer. We felt his frustration and desperate need to get justice for his dear friend. Good characterisation and good plot that had you sitting on the edge of your seat the entire journey.
A good crime thriller set on the tropical island of Jamaica. It's a definite must read for all those who like a good murder mystery.
VERDICT
Award: Gold
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Source: Author
About the Author
