Greed, Betrayal, and Murder Stain an Ivied Mansion Community Along Newport, Rhode Island’s Rugged Shores in Murder on the Rocks, a Crime Mystery by Fred Lichtenberg –Present Day – Paris, Rhode Island, and New York City– While flying to New York from Paris, Detective Hank Reed is approached by Patrice Dubois, who fears her American fiancé, Luke Dupont, an investigative reporter, is in danger. … an investigative reporter, is in danger. Intrigued by the beautiful Parisian and her plight, Reed agrees to help find the reporter who is in the thick of a whistleblower investigation in Newport, Rhode Island.
But Hank’s investigation quickly reveals that Luke doesn’t want to be found and is traveling with an attractive woman named Elena, who is an informant, a lover, or both. At Luke’s betrayal, Patrice returns to Paris, but Hank suspects there’s more than romance at play.
As an elaborate multi-million dollar Medicare fraud unfolds, the body of the apparent whistleblower washes up below Newport’s Cliff Walk convincing Hank that Luke and Elena are in serious danger.
With millions at stake, the body count rising, and perpetrators willing to stop at nothing, a determined killer sets sights on Hank.
The Hank Reed Mystery Series
The Art of Murder
Murder on the Rocks
Mental Case
more
I received a review copy from eBook Discovery and this is my honest opinion. This book has all the elements of a great, classical detective story. I could so see Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall playing the parts of Hank and Patrice. Mr. Bogart would have to lose a bit of his cynicism and Ms. Bacall would have to work on her French accent, but it would totally work. There is plenty of confusion (is he a good guy or a bad guy? [this one shows up more than once.] Who killed the victims?) There is plenty of good, solid detective work going on, both private, local, federal, and international. Everybody wants in this game. And even with all of the cast of characters, never knowing for sure who the bad guys/gals were, the story never became confusing as far as what was taking place. (Motivation and exactly which team a particular character was playing for at the moment could give the reader pause, but never the end goal. That was always clear.
This could very easily be a Dashiel Hammett novel brought into modern times. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be looking to read the other two books in the series. I highly recommend it.
Great mystery with lots of twists and plots within the story. Great characters! Could not put it down. Definitely worth reading
“I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.”
Detective Hank Reed is sent on a simple police mission to Paris where he meets a beautiful woman who works for INTERPOL. He is surprised when she sits next to him on the flight back to the States. She explains her fiancé has gone missing while working a sensitive whistle-blower case. She fears the worst and asks Hank to help her find him. The simple missing-person case morphs into a complex maze of crimes. Hank gets drawn in deeper as his feelings for the woman grow, and the case takes one unexpected turn after another. A must-read for mystery lovers.
I enjoyed this book very much. Hank is torn between a very good looking Interpol lady who is looking for her missing fiance. That is just the beginning of a wild ride! There is murder, lies, fraud, all kinds of things going on in this book. Plus poor Hank is going through a divorce. How does it all end? Well, that’s for you to read the book to find out. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book.
I found the book to be fast paced and I enjoyed the story for the most part. The downside was it seemed to be overly complex and in a few areas it twisted and turned so much that I was lost for a bit and had to backtrack. I felt that the main character Hank was a little gullible with regard to Patrice, for a detective. It was still an enjoyable read and I’m sure I will be reading it again. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
Enjoyable but sometimes overly complex. This story has tons of twists and turns, ups and downs and occasionally is a bit much. However it’s a good mystery that will keep you guessing. Hank is a homicide detective tasked with going to Paris to ID a possible escaped convict. Once there he meets the mysterious Patrice Dubois and his life takes a turn for the weird. He meets up with her again on the plane hone and gets drawn into the mystery of her fiancée’s disappearance. Hank is sincere and thorough if a bit ruled by hormones. Patrice is a bit of a femme fatale. I enjoyed it, your mileage may vary.
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.