Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Ripples
SERIES: The Blake Harte Mysteries #3
AUTHOR: Robert Innes
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 209 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2017
BLURB:
When Detective Sergeant Blake Harte is given the opportunity of a relaxing week away at a spa manor, he jumps at the opportunity. He can take one person with him – and who more than Harrison Baxter deserves time away from Harmschapel after everything he has been through?
But once at the Manor of the Lakes, the rest and relaxation they both crave is quickly brought to an end, when Blake and Harrison witness a man being murdered, by a mysterious hooded figure who appears to have the ability to walk on water.
How is it possible for someone to defy the laws of physics? And Blake’s problems are only just beginning. The visit to the manor finds him coming face to face with figures from his past – and one in particular who could ruin any chance of Blake and Harrison ever being happy together.
The ripple effect is well and truly in play…
REVIEW:
Now that I’ve read three of them, I think I’ve figured out why I like these books so much. There are nostalgic. They are like the Hardy Boys mysteries, but updated to today, with gay characters. They are suited for young adults and up, in my opinion, as there isn’t any questionable material really in any of them. There are murders, and mayhem, but all in a clean-cut way.
In Ripples, we join Detective Sergeant Blake Harte and Harrison on a week away from the small town of Harmschapel. It has been a month since the events in book two, and Blake’s nosy neighbor/landlady has set Blake and Harrison up on a week-long vacation at a place called Manor of the Lakes, an imposing mansion turned into an Inn, close-by to where Blake lived before he moved to Harmschapel.
Nearly the first person they run in to at the Manor is Blake’s ex. The man who tore his heart out when Blake found him in bed with a woman… a woman he left Blake for, and eventually married. It turns out the wife works at the Manor!
When a really nasty piece of work is murdered, the suspect list is huge. The murdered person is the oldest son of the estate and he is pretty much universally hated. Anyone could have done it. But why did Blake, Harrison, and the others witness a hooded figure stabbing the man to death after walking across the water of the lake!
Then the police show up, and the man Blake used to work for, who he utterly despises, turns out to be in charge of the investigation. Can it get any worse?
As I said at the top, these books remind me of the Hardy Boys books. Each of them is a light detective mystery. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes that type of story. I’ll eagerly be awaiting another book in the series!
RATING: 
BUY LINK: