Lenny Oliver’s secrets ended his life-lies he dressed up in detailed and occasionally elaborate finery. But only the secret holder is fooled in the long run, as Lenny discovered in a dark alley in the Wall Street neighborhood. Michael McKaybees is a private investigator working in New York’s five boroughs. He specializes in money crimes like insurance fraud, with the occasional cheating spouse … (his partner’s favorite since she thinks all cheaters should be flogged in public). Now, however, he has been forced to expand his investigative work to include homicide. Implicated in his best friend Lenny’s death, Michael finds himself entangled in a web carefully woven by someone who wants to destroy him-and there’s no doubt he’s up to his neck in shit. Then there’s his father, Marlowe Black, who has decided now is the right time to show up after an absence of more than three decades. Hell, Michael didn’t even know he was still alive. Marlowe’s reputation as a combat-hardened PI is well-known among the City’s criminal element, making him a hated man. And he, too, is a suspect in Lenny’s murder. When McKaybees discovers the body of Lenny’s wife, Jill-Michael’s childhood sweetheart-hidden in his apartment, murder becomes seriously personal and the need for vengeance demanding.
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This book starts off intense and remains suspenseful throughout. The author gives clues and details throughout the book but even when you think you’ve got it all figured out there are more surprises no one could see coming. And Come Days End is packed full of action, thrills and violence and it’s definitely worth a read for any crime/thriller fan.
Multiple award winning writer and photographer Gabriel F.W. Koch has published six books to date – the WOMEN WHO DEFY TIME MAKE HISTORY SET (PARADOX EFFECT and EMMA AND THE DRAGON TOOTH SWORD), BEHOLDEN and DEATH LEAVES A SHADOW of his MARLOWE BLACK MYSTERY series, NO ESCAPING THE STORM, and AND COME DAY’S END of his MICHAEL MCKAYBEES Mystery set. Of note, the Michael McKaybees character is the son of his Marlowe Black character! And the mysteries roll on.
Finishing the last pages of this novel left one major question: How has this superb book been with the public since 2018 and not sailed to the top of the Best Book charts? Gabriel’s gifts as writer are as impressive as those of his extraordinary nature photography. Perhaps there is a reason for the lack of notice…maybe writing a mystery about the son of his excellent Marlowe Black character needed gestation time. But now the novel is here and deserves our attention – in a major manner!
Piquing our interest about the core character Lenny happens as Prologue opens: “It’ll work out if you stay calm and don’t let him know what you’ve got. This is only a first meeting, so relax, dude.” Lenny Oliver muttered nervously as he turned into an alley in lower Manhattan. His lights slashed a battered green dumpster. Three cats jumped from inside, balanced on its rim, and then waited for him to leave. At first glance, he saw their eyes, and then their tiger stripe markings. The cats continued staring like Giza goddesses. Oliver switched off the lights and blinked against the afterimage. [expletive], they’re bolder than rats, he thought with a nervous chuckle, and wiped sweat from his forehead with the edge of his sleeve…”Damn stupid location for a clandestine meeting…” This degree of animated tension and raw scenic painting suffuses this story.
To share where Gabriel will take us is suggested in the synopsis: ‘Lenny Oliver’s secrets ended his life–lies he dressed up in detailed and occasionally elaborate finery. But only the secret holder is fooled in the long run, as Lenny discovered in a dark alley in the Wall Street neighborhood. Michael McKaybees is a private investigator working in New York’s five boroughs. He specializes in money crimes like insurance fraud, with the occasional cheating spouse (his partner’s favorite since she thinks all cheaters should be flogged in public). Now, however, he has been forced to expand his investigative work to include homicide. Implicated in his best friend Lenny’s death, Michael finds himself entangled in a web carefully woven by someone who wants to destroy him–and there’s no doubt he’s up to his neck in shit. Then there’s his father, Marlowe Black, who has decided now is the right time to show up after an absence of more than three decades. Hell, Michael didn’t even know he was still alive. Marlowe’s reputation as a combat-hardened PI is well known among the City’s criminal element, making him a hated man. And he, too, is a suspect in Lenny’s murder. When McKaybees discovers the body of Lenny’s wife, Jill–Michael’s childhood sweetheart–hidden in his apartment, murder becomes seriously personal and the need for vengeance demanding.’
Writing of this quality is a treasure: combining keen storyline with philosophical overtones makes it a true gem. Very highly recommended!!!
And Come Days End is a very exciting book full of shocking twists. I found it impossible to predict what would come next. The book is very well written and I was hooked from the start. The characters were fantastic, exactly what you would expect from a classic PI novel. I think this book is a must read for crime genre lovers.
I knew I was going to love this book as soon as I read the blurb. One of the best crime thrillers, mystery plots I’ve enjoyed in a long time. The twists and turns throughout the book are shocking and hard to see coming. The characters are dark and brooding and the setting too. The author does a great job of building anticipation and I was gripped. Highly recommend.
And Come Day’s End: A Michael MacKaybees Mystery by Gabriel F W Koch is another amazing novel from this award-winning author. It brings private Investigator Michael MacKaybees face to face with his past when his best friend Lenny is murdered. Michael’s estranged father, Marlowe Black, is accused of killing Lenny and setting up the hit for the police officer assigned to protect him. While Michael searches for clues to clear his father, Lenny’s missing wife falls dead in his arms. This looks like a father/son killing spree and the NYPD chief is hunting them down.
Gabriel F W Koch has a unique way of presenting a story that leaves the reader hanging on his every word. And Come Day’s End is no different. The characters speak to you through their hopes and disappointments as Michael and Marlowe meet and settle their differences in why Marlowe was an absentee in Michael’s life. This well-written novel focuses on the mystery of who the killer is and why Michael is singled out, but also the reconciliation of a father and son. If only they can stay out of prison long enough.
Gabriel F W Koch clearly knows how to write. From what I can see the awards Koch has won are justified. The most interesting part of this story is the writing, and it Koch reminded me why I love mystery stories (even if I abandoned them for true-crime podcasts). He’s definitely bringing me back to the genre with this book. My only gripe here is that the story starts off with too many compounded action sentences and it takes a minute to get immersed because of that (for example the second paragraph is literally just one sentence of Michael opening the door, this can be broken up into a few sentences). I really do enjoy the first-person perspective being done well in this story, too. I’m often disappointed when authors use this POV because it almost always gets broken. It works best in mystery stories, and Koch really did a fantastic job using it properly.
Koch hops right into the action, before we even get a chance to get to know Michael the inciting moment kicks off, and the story gets moving. Michael is forced to face his demons before his morning coffee.
I think that any fiction reader should grab this book and give it a shot. It’s not a long read (you can get through it in a day if you wanted to, though I spread it over a few days), but it’ll sit on your mind long after you close the final page.
And Come Days End by Gabriel FW Koch is a detective/crime novel that opens the story with suspense and action, keeping you guessing and wondering until the end. The characters and their relationships were perfectly crafted to play the parts they needed to play in this twisty detective novel. I found the pacing to be great for holding the reader’s interest in a plot that is packed with interest and excitement.
If you enjoy well-written crime novels with action, violence, suspense, and a mysterious plot, I recommend this book!
really enjoyed ‘And Come Day’s End’ by Gabriel F.W. Koch, in fact, I enjoyed it so much that I read it in just two days over a lazy weekend. I love crime and thriller fiction, but it can be quite difficult to find a novel with a plot that isn’t predictable or has cliched characters. That’s not the case with ‘And Come Day’s End’, I had no idea how the story would end, and as a protagonist, PI Michael was well-rounded and likable.
The twisting plot sees the PI a prime suspect in his friend, Lenny’s murder. But when the body of Lenny’s wife (and childhood sweetheart) appears in his apartment, he knows he is in big trouble. Someone is out to destroy him, but will they succeed.
This is an incredibly exciting book full of so many twists it’s sure to keep you guessing. I originally wondered if the blurb gave too much away but I shouldn’t have worried -there’s still plenty to discover. The book is violent and effective. The author clearly has a lot of talent and I am keen to see what else he has to offer.
And Come Day’s End by Gabriel F W Koch
Story of Michael and he’s all over town learning of how deals go down and how he and his father have been implemented in the many deaths over a period of time.
Lots of action in this one, first one I’ve read and feel just a bit lost as the characters are brand new to me and not a lot of back story to go on.
Good story, plot, travel, clues and love Ray and his high tech rooms and what he has to offer. Makes Michael’s job more easier to solve.
Can’t wait to read more, wish I read them from the first one.
I received this review copy from the author and this is my honest opinion.