“A fast-paced, fascinating mystery. Readers will find themselves rooting for Hank, as he struggles with murder and his own personal crisis, to save his beloved town and himself from imploding. Highly recommended.” ~Alice Duncan, author of Angel’s Flight –Present Day – Long Island, New York, and New York City– When syndicated romance columnist John Hunter is found dead from an apparent … Hunter is found dead from an apparent overdose, the townspeople of the sleepy hamlet of Eastpoint accept the outsider’s death in stride, until Police Chief Hank Reed discovers a secret room filled with lewd paintings featuring local married women.
Now faced with a town full of suspects, Hank is investigating a crime no one wants solved when a second murder points to his own wife as prime suspect.
His marriage crumbling, the townspeople enraged, and a murderer willing to kill to protect everyone’s dignity, Hank Reed is face-to-face with a crisis he may not survive.
”. . . a novel with bizarre twists and turns that keeps you turning pages. His smooth writing style and use of humor makes for a great read!” ~Judy Lucas, author of The Good Assassin
”. . . tears apart small-town life on Long Island with murder and scandalous secrets that could destroy more than one resident. The shocking ending is anything but “small town”.” ~Michael Haskins, author of Chasin’ the Wind and Free Range Institution
The Hank Reed Mystery Series
The Art of Murder
Murder on the Rocks
Mental Case
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This is one of those old fashioned hardboiled detective stories. It’s full of the darker sides of human nature. However it is gripping and keeps you guessing what will possibly happen next?! Hank is a retired homicide detective now police chief in a small town where nothing ever happens until one night there’s a murder. Not just any murder the murder of a prominent and as you’ll discover highly duplicitous man Hank though was his friend. The characters are well written and come alive as you read and get caught up in the investigation. There’s a couple cliches Hank is a cop with a bad marriage. Also a seemingly clueless deputy. But other than a few minor details like that this is a definite winner!
I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
Great story – hard to put down. The characters and plot are well developed and very believable. I hope there is a sequel!
I am so glad I read book 2 in the series before this one or I might have missed a great series. This is a very good story with plenty of twists and turns but it’s written in first person present (which I almost hate) and there is more explicit sex here than in the next book. I enjoyed the way Mr. Litchenberg throws out plenty of red herrings to keep the reader on their toes and guessing as to whom the perpetrator would wind up being. Most of the characters here are likable and relatable, even though Hank makes some rookie mistakes (leaving the crime scene unguarded, telling suspects more details than he should, etc.) which was surprising given his previous experience as a homicide detective. I think Mr. Lichtenberg showed a great detail of growth as an author between book 1 and book 2, so I’m looking forward to reading book 3, and hope there will be more to come.
I received a review copy from eBookDiscovery and this is my honest opinion.
This book has so much packed in it. Murder, intrigue, mystery, and lots of twists.
Could not put it down
“I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.”
Author Fred Lichtenberg pulled me into the first mystery in his Hank Reed Series and kept me so engrossed in the story, I forgot to eat dinner, inhaled a big bag of pretzels, and stayed up reading all night, trying to figure out who did it. The surprise ending was so well-crafted, I never saw it coming. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
A small town infiltrated by the summer crowd every year and then later, the peace and quiet. You have the wealthy with their homes along the beaches, the plumbers, bars, store keepers and the tiny police force under sheriff Hank.
His crew of police is small and deals with every day matters until a muder is reported over the phone. Hank arrives at his friend’s home to find him dead and the detectives leaving it to him as a suicide. Never assume.
John Hunt was a one time psychologist and write a romance column, hint…sex column.
Good looking, healthy, wealthy and without family, so Hank looks around for addresses of kin or lawyers.
Hank finds an attic full of paintings, of people he knows, and if that isn’t bad enough, his wife Susan is in a painting. Unfortunately, he leaves the paintings behind to remove later but later is after realizing Hunter had been murdered.
Add a nosey lady, Carol, a stalker from Hunter’s past and a beautiful ex wife, Maggie.
Throw in the towns people and the gossip about pornography and the women involved, toss in irate husbands and Hank is worried about his own wife. Everyone prefers the crime be left unsolved and the pictures destroyed.
You meet Jackie, the judge, Sheryl, Susan Paddy and Pete to name a few. Everyone is lying by omission and doesn’t want to be involved. Meanwhile Hank is horrible to his wife as he feels she cheated on him, is lying, and is still in love with Hunter. Oh, and Hunter was not a nice guy, seems he abused patients and then left New York. Hank instead of using the detectives, investigates with Wayne, his subordinate and lonely cop.
Another murder takes place and the town is thrown into turmoil. Hank doesn’t know who to believe and makes it his mission to solve the deaths. Small town feel, great character studies, and a tattered marital situation…who do you trust?
There are sex scenes described but they are needed for the plot. Several surprises take place making you aware that just maybe, you don’t know your neighbor as well as you thought!
Could have kicked Hank several times for the way he investigated and assumed things without proof…..small town sheriff.
Enjoyable mystery that reads like a mature cozy. 4 stars