Eric Rickstand takes readers on a journey of missing teenage girls that will take the readers to a place that they least expect:
Frank Rath thought that he was done investigating murders when he handed in his detective badge after the murder of his sister and her husband by a serial killer many years ago. He has since focused on raising his daughter. When the police find an abandoned vehicle that belonged to a teenage girl who seems to have disappeared without a trace, Rath is brought in to help, as one of the detectives believes that there is more than one missing girl across the counties. Rath embarks on an investigation that takes him along a path he never thought he would encounter again and the missing teenage girl may not be at the end of it alive.
I struggled to finish this book as it was not able to really intrigue me, therefore it could not hold my attention and for the most part just fell flat. I found there were too many side stories that the main mystery suffers. I also think that there should have been a book before this one that has Rath chasing The Preacher who was responsible for killing his sister and her husband. I not only think that would have been an interesting read but it possibly could have set things up for this book better.
The second half of this book better than the first, as things finally started to unfold. In the second half of the book Rickstand was able to find his stride as he started to really focus more on the mystery of the missing girls and not Rath's personal life. That said I found the police and private investigator work really ho-hum; I guess I'll look over here for evidence/information, oh nothing there, oh maybe I'll look over here; Oh I feel like I am no longer close to my daughter so I'll tell her the details of the case to see if she can think of anything. I know that the police and Rath are supposed to work together on this case but they never do and keep information from each other which hinders everything, which is funny because Rath is a former police officer and on good terms with the force. It actually seemed that the police were more forthcoming with information than he was. I will say that I was surprised who the bad guy was in this book, and that does give this book some bonus points but not really enough for me to enjoy the book overall.
While I like the main character I felt like I never really got to know
him, other than he is a really good family man as an over
protective father of his grown daughter, but I think there are a lot of Dads
who are especially when they leave for collage. He is a very closed off character because of the events from the past that have happened to him, but he also felt closed off to the reader as well. As I said before I felt like there was a book before this one that shaped Rath as a character and he would have made more sense in this book because of it (I have checked and there is not a book before this one).
If you would have asked me part way through this book if I would read another book by Rickstand I probably would have said No; however, the ending of this book had me really intrigued as it was events outside of the missing girls that it pertains to.
Cheers!!!
Instead Of This,
Check Out These Books:
The first book in this series, Married with Zombies, is a cute and funny read with some zombie killing action, plus it sets up this book, so you'll want to read it first book before this one.
In the second book in Jesse Petersen's Living With the Dead series, there is a glimmer of hope that they may be able to help save the world:
The Zombie Apocalypse has been really good for Sarah and David as it literally saved their marriage and they are now closer than ever. Not only is their relationship surviving this new world but they are prospering with a new business of Zombie extermination. Well as there are lots of Zombies out there, there are a lot of business opportunities for them to bargain for supplies and survival gear. However, normally Zombie extermination involves killing the Zombies but when a scientist asks them to bring him live zombies to test the cure that he has developed, things take on a whole new aspect of danger. Sarah is excited to have some hope that they could be part of saving the world, while David gets more of a Mad scientist feel from him. Can Sarah and David survive the Zombie extermination business as now they are looking for trouble instead of avoiding it.
Once again this book was a cute and funny read with zombie killing (I know those word do not normally go together) and some fun ides thrown in. Why not start a business of Zombie extermination when the world has gone to the zombies, seems like a smart business decision as you would never be out of business. I like that Peterson took this fun idea in this book, and it makes me think why more people haven't offered their services up this way in other zombie books. Seems like a smart way to barter for supplies and killing zombies seems to be the only skills that David and Sarah have in this new world. I also liked that Peterson introduced the concept of a cure for "zombieism" and with this the concept of hope, as in most of the zombie books I have read, hope is never really encountered in the form of a cure. Additionally, I enjoyed the concept ofbionic zombies, which are a different type of zombies that appear to have the ability to think and work in teams. This makes zombie busting a lot more dangerous as these zombies put up more of challenge.
I like that the zombie apocalypse is not able to save everything in Sarah and David's relationship. You really do start to see some of the cracks in their relationship as they challenge each others beliefs, so I guess the zombie apocalypse does not fix everything. We also get to see a big difference between the two when it comes to hope. Sarah really wants to think that life can go back to normal and will do anything to help make it happen, while David does not believe in hope, more just wants to take everything a day at a time and just focus on surviving. Still the banter between the two of them is always funny as the dry humour they have needed to develop.
This is a good addition to the series and I like the ideas that Peterson presented in this book. This series is for those who want a fun and easy read set in the zombie apocalypses but not skimping on the zombie killing. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Enjoy!!!
If You Like This,
Check These Out Too:
You need to read the first book in this series, The 500, to understand who Michael Ford is, his past and the relationships that he has in this book. The 500 is a great read and I highly recommend it (especially if you like the TV show Suits).
Mike Ford is about to get married to the love of his life, even though her family does not approve, but she has seen him as his best and worst and no one can break them apart (even though her father tries several times). Along with getting married you need a Best Man and Mike has decided to ask his brother, Jack, who has also gone straight, to stand up with him as a little salute to how far the family has come. However, all good intentions come to an end when Mike discovers that Jack is in way over his head in a powerful conspiracy to steal a billion dollar secret. In an effort to help him get out of the situation, Mike finds himself trapped by some dangerous men, who are holding all the cards. Mike and his brother now have to achieve the impossible and they are going to need all the skills they left behind in order to even attempt to stay alive.
The main aspect that makes this series such a success for me is the main character Michael Ford. I love that he has moved on from his life of crime growing up to become a lawyer but uses the tricks that he learned as a con man to find and get the information that he needs. Mike is not afraid to use manipulation and social niceties to show the vulnerabilities in how to gain access to building and gain trust or really any information required. The way that Mike's mind works as he processes through all the information and scenarios is amazing, and really genius and you as the reader get to see how his mind works (for the most part, as the book is told in third person point of view, so some things are left in Mike's mind). Like I said Mike is what makes this book for me, I just love him as a character overall.
The mystery in this book was okay, I personally was able to figure quite a few things out before the big reveals, but it was still a fun roller coaster ride as Mike tries to figure out how to steal one of the most trusted and important piece of information in the USA. I liked that Mike was not asked to steal money directly in this book but more information. The process and planning that goes into stealing the information is impressive and with details that make it seem possible for it to happen. Quirk must have done some interesting research in his time to get all the aspects right and feel real for this book.I know I compared the first book in this series to the TV show Suits, this book is far from that TV show and what is expected of Mike. I'm glad that Quirk moved away from this similarity and has created something that is more of his own.
I like that the ending was not so cookie cutter and Quirk realized that in this type of crime things gets quite grey in the end in the real world, so this book may not end as you expect. Really a great installment to this series and I look forward to the next installment in this series and what Quirk can come up with next.
Enjoy!!!
If You Like This,
Check These Out Too:
