When a frustrated ex-con takes a young family and their home hostage, the only officer he’ll speak with is Detective Wade Jackson. But Jackson already has his hands full running the Eugene Violent Crimes Unit and overseeing the investigation of a series of seemingly random assaults.While Jackson juggles the hostage negotiations with his chaotic single-parent home life, the assaults point toward a … point toward a troubled company that recycles industrial oil. With several lawsuits pending, the CEO of WestPac emerges as a likely suspect in the latest attack of a trial lawyer.
As Jackson tries to meet the hostage taker’s demands, a powerful politician interferes for personal reasons, and the standoff turns bloody. Meanwhile, the latest assault victim dies, and Jackson’s team must scramble to identify the assailant. Can they piece together the connections in time to prevent another murder and save the family?
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Once I got into the story I really liked this book.
Very much enjoyed reading this book. Will definitely read more by this author.
“A Bitter Dying” involves us in the cases of Detective Wade Jackson and his squad, the Violent Crimes Unit, Not only does Detective Jackson have to deal with the cases, but he also has to take care of his family consisting of his 16 year old daughter Katie, who has shaved her head in solidarity with a friend who has cancer and is expelled from her zero-tolerance school for a week for pushing someone who was harassing her about her hair, and his adopted little son Benjie who he has to drop off every day at preschool-daycare. His girlfriend Kera, a nurse, had helped him until she left to take care of her dying mother and has not yet returned. The book starts with Marcus Rossi, a lawyer whose head is beaten with a baseball bat as he is taking his morning jog on his way to work. He is the attorney for Doug Thayer, an environmentalist who is suing WestPac, a company which recycles engine-type oil, because he says he has developed brain cancer from the company’s toxic work environment. Several other people have also been attacked in the same vicinity as Rossi and the police believe that they might have been attacked by the homeless who camp out in the area. Readers wonder if Rossi was attacked just like the other people or if he was attacked to stop him from suing WestPac. Then another case occurs when an ex-con takes a family hostage and says he would only talk to Jackson. He tells Jackson that he wants him to get his house back from the county because the county stole it from him when Jackson arrested him and his son. The county sold it to the family he is holding hostage. The cases get more complicated when Doug Thayer’s mother is killed on her driveway by someone using a machete. Readers wonder if the CEO of WestPac is responsible for this murder to further stop the five million dollar lawsuit. Readers cannot stop turning the pages to find out if the cases are connected and also, if the kidnapper will kill the hostages if he cannot get his house back. When I started to realize what was really going on, I was totally surprised. I know others will enjoy this book as much as I did.
Food
Page turner, could not put it down!
Good mystery that will keep you guessing, and you won’t figure it out until the end.
I like the way this author builds and portrays the humanness of her characters. I have a son in law enforcement and I know how physically and mentally challenging the work can be, which is captured very realistically in this book. Very interesting how so many small pieces of information, from different sources, some almost accidental, can help solve a case.
Only criticism I have is what I consider crude language.
Romance! intrigue!! Fast paced!!! Great read!!!!
A book that keeps you guessing , even when you think you figured it out.
This book was totally awesome. It lead around and around and around, and I didn’t think it was possible to come to a conclusion. I was totally taken aback at the end. No way ever that I could have predicted anything about the plot. As always, superb writing as in grammar and spelling, and a thrill a minute read. I’m not sure the old men have another book in them (just kidding) due to all the health problems they have, but I guess there can always be one more until someone dies…LOL… I came away from this book happy. The very last chapter thrilled me to death. Just what I’ve been waiting for!
Sorry, but for some reason this book started off slow for me, and never picked up momentum. It just did not have a thrill to it, but was bland.
HARD FOR ME TO GET INTO THIS STORY, HOWEVER I DO BELIEVE THESE THINGS HAPPEN IN THE WORLD.
After 23% I just gave up from lack of interest in the story, plot and characters.
The old saying of show not tell was never followed in this book. 2 lines of dialogue followed by 5 paragraphs of narrative. Story line was unbelievable especially when Jackson figures out that Foster is going to the prison? What about Kera? Sick parents? Book was a waste of time and I only finished it so I could write this review.