First, Griffin’s initial physical description of her specifically portrays beauty, strength and agility with no evidence of any illness, let alone a terminal one. But as the novel progresses, things that Griffin writes about her disappearance just don’t add up logically, not the police response or the actions of the husband, who is a doctor.Īnd when she is found in a hospital several days later, dying of a virulent and terminal disease that she has told no one about, the plausibility factor hits zero. Since the stepdaughter is also missing, the reader is led to believe there might be a connection. Now the original information is fine - Laura meets with Matt but goes missing two days later, leaving ID and phone at home. Secondly, the author’s set-up of the “Laura” storyline fails the basic tenets of plausibility. But it wasn’t and its absence is glaring in the light of the content of several of Matt’s internal monologues concerning Laura. There were several golden opportunities for this relationship to be mentioned. First, there is absolutely no mention of Matt’s girlfriend from the first two books, Anne Dubose, a relationship that was still present, if a bit tenuous, at the end of the last novel. And two instances of this caused me to downgrade my rating. Just as importantly, Griffin makes sure that all is explained in the end, how everyone and everything ties together.Īs much as I enjoyed the book, Griffin appears to have a harder time with weaving personal plot threads than with setting up action threads. He has Matt acknowledge and fight fear, the fear of being killed and the fear that he will never see Laura alive again. He allows Matt to make mistakes, but he has Matt acknowledge and process those mistakes and their consequences. And Griffin writes action scenes that rely on planning, adrenaline, reflex and muscle memory instead of coincidence and alpha tendencies. ![]() It is clear that he has researched and plotted the scenes carefully, eliminating illogical and unreasonable steps in the action sequences. Griffin tells a fine tale and, for the most part, he weaves a logical story. In fact, by the end of the story, the phrase “Hold, please.” will probably never mean the same thing to you again. But, for them, it is just a business, not a psychosis or an addiction, and they are the most intelligent, the most respectful and the least caricature-like gangsters I have experienced in my reading for a while. They are physically fit, of course, and are definitely serious players in the drug world. In fact, that most helpful cartel kingpin and his minions provide a serious contrast in this story. Those same leads and bodies will wind the team and the reader through seedy bars, religious cults, whorehouses (sorry – upscale massage spas) and a cartel kingpin’s home. And then Laura goes missing, also.īefore the story is finished, the clues and bodies will lead Matt, Logan and Jock Algren from Longboat Key to Sarasota to Tampa to Key West and to Blood Island. Two more leads, two more attempts on their lives, and a death at each scene gives Matt the idea that they are on to something far more problematic than a teenage runaway. It takes less than a day for Matt and Logan Hamilton to get a lead on the girl, question the lead and get shot at on the way home. This stepdaughter, a college dropout and recreational druggie, was last seen in Matt’s town of Longboat Key, Florida, and has not been heard from in several weeks. A day later, his ex-wife of 10 years, Laura, comes in from Atlanta asking Matt for his help in locating her stepdaughter. ![]() Matt is visiting at a friend’s animal rescue preserve when he finds a male’s mutilated body in the vulture pit. The story opens about 6 months after the conclusion of the previous novel. Also, Matt Royal’s emotional make-up was heavily developed in the first two novels and that knowledge is essential to this story line. The backstories of each major player are already in place and are only barely touched upon in this novel. This is the 3rd book in the Matt Royal series, following “Murder Key,” and I do not consider it a standalone. Ops, doomsday bombs, religious cults taking over the world, terrorism, the President cowtowing to Matt's demands.WHAT is going on? It involves a rescus mission that is so implausible it's actually insulting to read. ![]() Being a budding writer myself, I know that, like gymnastics, the endings are the hardest to land but this ending borders on the bizarre. Then, bam! About 2/3 of the way in, the book changed completely, almost as if a separate author (one not nearly as good) took over and finished it off quickly and badly. I found myself drifting pleasantly along. The mystery is easy to follow but important enough to keep my interest. One day, his ex-wife (and love of his life) shows up and asks Matt to help find her stepdaughter, who has disappeared. Matt Royal is a retired lawyer living the easy life in Florida.
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