Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: A Friend in the Glass
SERIES: An Auden & O’Callaghan Mystery
AUTHORS: Gregory Ashe and C.S. Poe
PUBLISHER: Emporium Press
LENGTH: 243 pages
RELEASE DATE: November 26, 2024
BLURB:
It’s winter in New York City, and Rufus O’Callaghan is trying to make things work. He’s still got his job as a confidential informant, and he’s still got Sam Auden. The ex-Army drifter has moved in with Rufus, and the two men are trying to build a lasting relationship as Sam struggles to find his footing in the city.
When Sam gets a call from a woman offering to sell him information about Project Stonefish, though, neither man knows what to make of it. Sam still has questions about the training operation that caused him to leave the Army—and that ended in the death of someone Sam cared about. And Rufus is all too aware that when it comes to Stonefish, Sam’s judgment might be in question.
Everything changes when Sam and Rufus learn that the woman who called Sam has died from a suspicious overdose—and that, before she died, she contacted someone else about Stonefish. Someone who wants Stonefish to stay buried in the past. Someone with the power—and the ruthlessness—to make sure it stays buried. And to learn the truth about what happened all those years ago, Sam and Rufus will have to place themselves in the crosshairs.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the third book in this series and I really think they need to be read in order to understand both Rufus and Sam and their relationship.
Rufus is doing his job as a CI for the NYPD for Detective Erik Weaver tailing a drug dealer. It’s going as well as can be expected. He’s good at his job. Things with Sam are OK. Sam really seems to hate New York though and that could be an issue. Rufus is following through with this therapy and everything is pretty stable. That is until Sam gets a phone call from someone claiming to have info from him on Stonefish for sale. Say what?
So Sam tells Rufus that Stonefish was a military operation coverup. People died. One of Sam’s best friends took the fall. And also isn’t around anymore. Sam believes that there was an even bigger coverup. When they finally catch up with the person who called, well she can no longer provide any information. Or anything else.
There is some sort of convention in town for defense contractors and lobbyists and military types and it appear this informant, Shareed, had some connection too. Using contacts of Sam’s and Rufus’s skills at information gathering, they go to the convention. Sam sees people from his past that he knows are involved in the coverup. And then they try to wrangle information from someone from one of the contractors. Inconveniently though, people keep turning up dead.
Erik is none too please that his CI keeps leading him to dead bodies. With a body count rising though it’s clear that this is much bigger than Sam and Rufus had any idea about and the coverup is tied to big money at stake. Strange coincidences keep occurring and Sam and Rufu are trying to stay one step ahead of whoever is silencing all the witnesses. It’s not easy though!
Well this is quite the rollercoaster ride! It’s action packed and just like the city, a bit of a hard-edged race to the finish. But I really loved where this one ends up and I’m super excited about future stories with these two. Sam and Rufus are unlikely heroes. Both have pretty brutal pasts. Rufus is working on his issues. Sam is too in his own way, but he’s stymied by any forward progress on his own. This adventure forces Sam to face some things and make some decisions. One thing he does know is that he loves Rufus. Rufus is smart and savvy and very very clever. Sam isn’t sure what his future is, but he definitely wants it to be with Rufus. And he is getting some ideas and maybe a plan would be good. For both of them.
They mystery here is good. New York City is again a character in this story. I loved the grit and hustle of the city but it is something that many people who come from other places struggle with – Sam included. But perhaps these two will stick around for a while. I can’t wait to see where they go next 🙂 Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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