Reviewed by Tidal
TITLE: The City PI & the Country Cop
AUTHOR: Edward Kendrick
PUBLISHER: JMS Books LLC
LENGTH: 191 pages
BLURB:
A murder in a small Colorado town closely resembles unsolved crimes committed by a serial killer almost thirty years ago. Private investigator Teague Donovan learns of the recent murder and is instantly drawn to the case, because one of the victims in the past was his best friend, and he is determined to bring the killer to justice.
Hoyt Newman, the detective in charge of the most recent case, is none too happy with Teague’s interfering. At least not until a second homeless boy is tortured and killed. As the two men work together, they begin to develop an interest in each other — one that seems fated not to come to fruition since Teague is city, through and through, and Hoyt is definitely country to the core.
REVIEW:
This is a thrilling action packed book! A private investigator and a small town detective join forces to bring down a savage serial killer with the help of an undercover decoy. Both men are hard headed, well established in their careers, mature, and set in their ways. The City PI & the Country Cop delivers an intriguing love story between middle-aged men. Writing an action packed novel offering complexity, romance, and well-developed characters is a difficult task. Edward Kendrick is up to the task and knocks it right out of the park with this novel.
Teague Donovan owns his own private detective agency, he is experienced and competent. Teague’s best friend from high school left town after he was accidently outed. Several months later, he was tortured and murdered by a savage serial killer; recently another string of killings began matching the same pattern. He follows the leads to Colorado. He is convinced there is a connection, but he’s unsure if it is the same killer or a copycat.
Hoyt Newman is a small town man; He grew up there and left only long enough to complete his education and return to join the force. Detective Hoyt Newman is less than pleased to have a civilian outsider coming to town nosing around, furthermore he sees the connection to the murders from decades ago as wishful thinking on Teague’s part. Hoyt relents and gives Teague limited access, allowing him time to prove himself. They slowly become friends and that blooms into an attraction. Both men realize that there is little chance of a future as they both live is separate worlds and neither plans to make changes.
Teague and Hoyt decide to focus their effort on trapping the killer who is targeting homeless youths and hustlers. With heroic effort, they bring the killer’s reign of terror to an end. The men soon find their disappointment matches their elation as they realize that it is time for Teague to leave.
What makes this angle of their relationship so compelling is that they are both established and have life experience so they are unwilling to take those foolish risks someone in their 20’s may take. The fact that they love each other makes it all the more painful.
Both men stay true to character throughout the book and this consistency offers believability to the characters and authenticity to the story. The author does an excellent job of weaving the story in such a way without being over descriptive leaving great room to involve the reader’s imagination.
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