“In Tucker’s impressive first novel and series launch, NYPD detective Buddy Lock…keeps the excitement level high throughout. The surprise ending will leave readers impatiently awaiting Buddy’s next outing.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)A New Year’s Eve celebration begins with the pop of a champagne cork—and ends with the bone-chilling screams of a killer’s victims. Ten-year-old Ben Brook is … Ten-year-old Ben Brook is the lone survivor of the brutal murder of his wealthy family at their upstate New York compound. But from the moment he evades death, Ben’s life is in constant danger. Can NYPD detective Buddy Lock keep the boy safe from a killer intent on wiping out the entire Brook clan?
When two more massacres decimate the Brookses’ ranks, Buddy’s hunt narrows. But his challenges grow as power, money, and secret crimes from the family’s past stand in the way. With Ben more and more at risk, Buddy steps closer to the edge, forcing a relentless killer to become more brazen, brutal, and cunning. Saving the boy will put all of Buddy’s skills to the test…and risk the lives of everyone he loves.
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A solid and engaging crime debut.
Troubled NYPD detective Buddy Lock is obsessive about his police work. He’s driven and a stickler for detail. It’s what makes him a good cop.
He is a fine addition to the pantheon of fictional investigators.
Ten-year-old Ben Brook’s family is savagely murdered on New Year’s Eve while celebrating the holidays at their compound in upstate New York.
Ben manages to escape.
I want to stop here and say that Ben is a wonderfully-drawn character. Shy, smart, vulnerable and resourceful. I really liked him.
Buddy is asked by a family friend to take a look at the crime scene even though he has no jurisdiction in the Adirondacks. His beat is New York City.
When the wife of Ben’s guardian in the city gets hatchet-ed to death, Buddy is officially on the case as lead detective.
As Ben’s billionaire uncles and their families start to get viciously slaughtered, Buddy looks for connections. Is it a family member angered over recent business decisions?
Is it an outsider with some kind of grudge?
Buddy thinks it has something to do with the priceless paintings that are in the Brook’s possession.
They were bought by their grandfather in Nazi Germany from Jews, under duress, that were being sent to Auschwitz.
Is having a 70-plus year grudge for something connected to the worst crimes in human history out of the question?
As the bodies pile up, it’s a race against time as Buddy must solve the crimes and protect the ones he holds dear.
The reveal of the killer will drop your jaw to the floor!
This book is brutal at times and occasionally graphic….it’s good.
I’m looking forward to reading “The Holdouts” (Buddy Lock #2).
A new Minneapolis author for me. Good story, characters and premise.
I found this book to be ok, not something that I couldn’t wait to get back to.
Really enjoyed the pace of this book. Action packed, but solid in other ways as well
This is the first book by the author and his idea for the mystery is great…..a young boy, Ben sneaks out after hearing the murders of his family and calls for help.
The location of the murders was interesting…a family compound of 4 homes surrounding a lodge in the Adirondacks. Its a unique set-up with four brother’s and their families staying at these homes…the wealthy at play. So the question is, did a family member just wipe out part of his family? Or could an outsider have past security and entered the home?
Buddy is a detective, a good cop living with his girlfriend Mei in a upper end townhome belonging to Mei. Then there is Ward, the half brother of Buddy..wealthy, handsome, and quiet. There is a past between Buddy and Ward that is hinted at but open to questions. And the child, Ben, that escaped the killer and is afraid of living with his uncle’s families for fear of being killed.
The three remaining families have to be investigated and they have high powered lawyers. And they all go back to the cities and their penthouses and have no fear of dying. Big mistake! It becomes a good police procedural checking into everyone and their mega business and any enemies. You get a peak into the lives of the very rich..their over the top riches, paintings, and exclusive schools.
I felt for Ben, losing his family and being stalked as he moves in with the family lawyer and later hides out with Ward and Mei and Buddy. The investigstion is interesting but the killer is a shocker as there were very few clues to even consider the killer….just thrown in. And Buddy is not the most loveable character, he needs to be given more personality and the why’s behind the way he thinks. Ward was a more interesting person and I cared for
Mei and the way she tries to protect Ben.
The ending was a shocker but a letdown as it didn’t seem believable..not enough background on the killer.