A story ripped from real-life headlines.A police detective is found in an alley, standing over the body of an unarmed African-American boy. Groggy from a concussion, he has no memory of what happened, and he is literally holding the smoking gun.To the Baltimore County Internal Affairs division, it’s a slam-dunk. But various forces push psychotherapist Kate Huntington and her P.I. husband to … husband to investigate behind the scenes, and what they find doesn’t add up. Why did the boy’s oldest brother disappear on the same day? And did the third brother, who’s on the autism spectrum and nonverbal, witness something relevant?
When seemingly unrelated events emerge as a pattern of intentional obstruction and diversion, it becomes apparent that what happened in that alley was more than just a bad shoot by a stressed-out cop. And for Kate, the case has become personal as she’s connected with the grieving mother, whose dead son was the same age as her Billy.
The answers may come from unexpected sources, but she and Skip better find them soon… before another life is lost.
(All books in this series can be read and enjoyed as stand-alones.)
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This brilliantly written procedural is, sadly, one that could have been taken from today’s headlines and takes only a day to read. I read an Advance Reader Copy and this voluntary review is my own opinion.
A police detective wakes up and finds a dead African-American lying on the ground in an alley. There is no gun other than the one the detective is holding, and he doesn’t remember what happened. This is where Kate and her P.I. husband comes in. They are trying to find out exactly what happened in that alley. The more they look into it, the more things are not adding up, and someone is trying to stop them from finding the truth. Will they get the answers everyone is asking for or will more lives be lost? You will have to read the book to find out. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
“Kate had a momentary flashback to earlier times when they had brainstormed around tables, big and small, and used this poor man’s version of a conference call to include those missing from the room. Those memories were bittersweet. More often than not they were brainstorming because they were in danger. But the strength of the bond between these people—she scanned the faces around her—it was forged through those bad times.”
Dr. Kate Huntington Canfield is burning out enough so even she knows it. So, she’s slowly shifting gears, closing her private practice, has begun teaching at the local college, and now finds herself smack in the middle of a case involving people she cares about, including new “friends” as another college employee’s youngest son is killed in what looks like a white cop shooting a black kid simply because he was black.
Throw her two growing kids into the mix, her husband’s job as a P.I. and her recent appointment as temporary head of her governor’s task force on PTSD among the police in Maryland, mixed in with her manipulative ex mother-in-law and something that could put them all in danger, and Kate just seems tired of the whole thing.
This is my first Kate Huntington mystery, although I have read 2 of the author’s Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries. I think I like those better. This procedural mystery wrapped in the constant headlines of cops behaving badly is draining to read, and I, who might normally inhale this type of book, dragged my feet in reading this.
Kassandra Lamb is a wonderful writer. However, I can’t give this a full 5 stars. I recommend it, but the story itself is a 4 and a half star read.
[I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
Thought provoking, complex, uniquely
plotted and intriguing Kate Huntington
Mystery.
The storyline is emotional, gripping plus
addresses several social issues of today’s
world very tactfully within an intriguing story.
Kate plus her husband’s investigative firm
become involved in a shooting incident which
becomes a complex puzzle with many facets
presented.
Action packed, dramatic, fast paced story
with many twists and turns.
The characters are all well developed, colorful,
and very cleverly crafted both the good and
bad ones. Each character adds their own flavor
to the book.
This is book # 10 in the Kate Huntington
Mysteries Series but can be read easily as a
stand alone.
I volunteered to read Police Protection. Thanks
to the author for the opportunity.
My opinion is my own.
A Highly Recommended Read!!!