C.T. Ferguson Private Investigator Mysteries: Books 1–3

The C.T. Ferguson Series:
The Reluctant Detective #1 – This is my first read by this author and I like it. This story fits into one of my all-time favorite genres with plenty of humor, action and investigations. The storylines are good and realistic, and I like that the PI is a privileged person instead of a Mickey Spillane stereotype. C.T. also has an interesting past that plays a large part in this introduction. Add in his parents, his older police Detective cousin and a good supporting cast, which all make it difficult to put the book down. The pace is steady without any boring bits. This is one of the better edited books I’ve seen from an Indie author. 4*

The Unknown Devil #2 – Another difficult to put down fast paced pages full of intrigue, suspense and action. Unfortunately, this is my fourth read, instead of my second, but that did not detract from the meshing of previous storylines with the current lines. This book is well thought out in plot and character development along with realistic dialogues, realistic fight scenes and a smart mouthed character full of himself with plenty of good humor. There is infrequent use of vulgar language considering the criminal elements involved. Interesting information about the hacking of cellphones and other electronics. There is a bit too much detailing of insignificant information: clothing; cooking; etc., but still a worthy read. 4*

The Workers of Iniquity #3 – Even with the relaxed pace, this is another hard to put down book. There are multiple storylines happening and if that is not enough to hold your interest, here are a few more added. The characters are interesting and they have good dialogues and work in their roles. C. T. has been a PI for almost a year at this point. The solutions and the way problems are handled are entertaining; some have a good revenge edge and others bring rewards. The crime topics are more than loan sharking. 4*

Already Guilty #4 – I could not put this book down. Well written, fasted paced, and intriguing with great storylines and characters, a real page-turner. Bits reminded me of Lithgow and Denzel’s revenge movie, but the author does well making this his work. There are plenty of good characters, old and new, and the storylines merge well with the story’s plot and the past books. Of course, there is always something or someone to mess up the flow, but that is what makes the series interesting. C.T. is C.T. and you cannot help but respect him and his efforts, and he has a hard row to hoe this time with his special case. I do not know how the previous books flowed since I have only read the first of this series. 5*

Daughters and Sons #5 – I enjoy reading this series. Even though I have not read all of them, I have not missed anything due to the author’s talent for storytelling. The past is not thrown at the reader to figure out or reminisce over. C.T. continues to develop as more of his personality appears. He has good supporting characters, which is perfect to go along with the intriguing and interesting storylines. There is enough detail to make the reader a fly on the wall without the Hollywood dramatics or the usual stupidity found in this genre. Realistic with storylines, dialog and actions while immersed with good humor and quite a bit of smart mouth from C.T. 5*

A March From Innocence #6 – This story picks up a couple of weeks after Daughters ended. Well thought out storylines; good action scenes; intelligent dialogues; well developed characters on both sides of the law; and good humor with some romance. Clean but the topic is disgusting. Young children. Older men. Add some interesting ways that C. T. handles things makes this a difficult book to put down. 5*

Inside Cut #7 – Oh, dear. My first C. T. book that did not work for me. It felt incomplete, like not everything was there, no enthusiasm on Mr. Fowler’s end. True, I do not care much for college sports so the topic was not my cup of tea. I did like a past method coming to play; never think if something (or someone) is outdated that it cannot work in the present or future. Lack of education and experience is easy to beat. The storylines dragged a bit for me but the characters were good, like always. I disagree with the outcome on Eddie, the old family friend should have his due. Although, the way the storyline went on involving Bruno in the first place did not work for me. C. T. came through and did his usual good work helping others and correcting the outcome of an uncovered crime. While this story is not on par with the others in this series, it is still an OK read. 3*

The Next Girl #8 – C. T. is back again with new storylines that move at a fast pace through the frustrations, the investigations and the pain of his newest case. Well thought out and vividly told, this is a difficult story to put down. The new characters run the gamut while the old do their jobs. It is easy to figure out the who and the why, but it is still an interesting, intriguing read. 5*

Novellas:
Hong Kong Dangerous, prequel – This is an interesting introduction to C.T. and his cousin Rick. The events in this short, quickly read novella lays the path to C. T. becoming PI. C.T. is in HK hacking and being a nuisance to the Chinese government. He and his cohorts are arrested and C.T. finds himself in prison. Rick is a sergeant in the Bmore police force working hard to become a detective. A few of the other repeat characters are mentioned but not in detail. 4*

3.5 Red City Blues – This is an interesting read perfect for quick getaway. The timeline is a year after he starts his PI business. A basic well told story with none of the usual detailed cooking or running scenes. 4*
The C.T. Ferguson Series end.

I really enjoyed this collection of the first three full length novels about the hacker turned private investigator, C. T. Ferguson.
C. T. is a very interesting character, very full of himself and very opinionated, when he is more or less forced into his role as a P.I. he actually finds that helping people is very rewarding, and that he enjoys the job.
There are some excellent secondary characters, his girlfriend, his cousin Rich (a genuine police detective) and several others, all of whom serve to bring the stories to light.
The plots of the books are all different and original and have some very exciting action passages. What more can you ask of an action/detective series?
I received an advance copy of this book, but this honest review is based on my honest opinions.

These are the first three stories about C.T. Ferguson. He is a computer hacker who got caught while living in Hong Kong and working against the Chinese government. They found him, put him in jail, then kicked him out and he landed in Baltimore. There C.T. started his private investigative business. He deals with many unsavory characters. There is humor, there are thrilling adventures, there is just about everything you could want in a great story in this box set. I have read each story separately. Give them a try! I highly recommend them to any mystery lover.