Category: Book Review

Synopsis: In his sophomore novel, Detective Jacob Hayden is back. When Jack Smith doesn’t come home from a business trip, his wife, Erin Smith becomes concerned. Before she has a chance to call police, Detective Jacob Hayden and his new partner, Patricia Jennings, show up at the house and Erin immediately knows that something terrible has happened. Days later a body is found in the woods without its head or fingers and it’s determined that the body is that of Jack Smith. Erin Smith becomes the primary suspect. After her arraignment Erin posts bail and without anyone knowing, flees the city. 

 A man named Max leads a group through a string of bank robberies. Each bank robbery leaves the branch manager and their families murdered. FBI Agent Jadyn Davis and Detective Hayden have to find out who’s committing these robberies before more families are murdered. But what they don’t realize is that the bank robberies are only a small part of a larger plot that Max has planned.

My Review: I have to say I really enjoyed the first of Charles Prandy’s books in this series featuring DI Jacob Hayden. I was really looking forward to getting stuck into book 2 to see how he was faring after the trauma in the first book. I mentioned in the first book that there are certain similarities between this series and a certain other Washington DC cop, although I must say that this is a really good contender! Hayden is back and this time he is involved in a complex missing persons/murder case.

The story itself was so easy to fall into, and even if you haven’t read the first book there is enough background and history you don’t feel lost. Jack Smith is the person who goes missing and when Hayden meets the wife Erin Smith, she seems like a typical grieving wife concerned about her husband not returning home. Hayden has a new partner Pat Jennings and they make a good match, although I’m keen to see more of her in the next book. Together they have to revisit Erin Smith upon the discovery of a body and at that point everything changes.

In addition to this storyline we meet a man named Max who is committing bank robberies with particular brutality. Jacob feels like his return to work has now thrown him in at the deep end and I was completely absorbed by the numerous storylines going on. Towards the halfway mark, things ratchet up a notch and we see numerous plot threads begin to interweave making it much more exciting.

Overall I really liked this book, much the same as the first. Numerous people on Amazon have made complaints about the editing, but as I understand it this has now been rectified and I try not to let that affect my opinion on a book too much. I think that people who start reading this series will soon become attached to it and automatically want to read more; I know I do. It may be nothing new in terms of originality but in my opinion a solid book, with likeable characters and a series that I think will definitely improve with time. I’m now really looking forward to the next one.

Availability: Paperback and Kindle

Synopsis: Jacob Hayden is a homicide detective with the D.C. Police Department. His life is as great as it’s ever been. He’s married to a beautiful woman and works in a career that he loves. All of that changes when he’s assigned to the murder of Melvin Johnson, a seventeen year-old who was shot in the streets of D.C. Upon arrival, the murder scene looks like the typical drug deal gone wrong, however the clues tell a different story.

A calculating sniper sits on top of a building in D.C. His rifle is aimed towards Dupont Circle’s park. Through his scope he sees people walk by. His finger rests on the trigger, just waiting for the right moment. When he’s ready, he takes in a deep breath, steadies his aim, and squeezes the trigger.

Follow Jacob Hayden’s investigations and see how the Sniper and the Judge are linked to an underground operation that ultimately changes Jacob Hayden’s life forever. 

My Review: I liked the synopsis and was looking forward to reading Charles Prandy’s debut novel featuring Detective Jacob Hayden. I must say that the story starts off pretty fast paced and it didn’t take me long to like Hayden. He’s a solid cop with a great career and home life. However, as most fictional Detectives know, that status doesn’t normally last long and the same must be said for Jacob.

The chapters are short and sharp and I couldn’t help drawing comparisons with James Patterson’s Alex Cross series. I can only assume that Prandy has been heavily influenced by these sorts of books. That said, he has also delivered an incredibly good book. It only took me a day to finish and I instantly went on to purchase the second book in the series (both of which were under £1 on Kindle). Hayden is likeable, the story and plot involving what starts out as a simple murder, turns into something much more complex and had various elements which adds to the suspense.

Characters that heavily feature in the story such as Judge Frank Peter’s were sometimes verging on the clichéd, but it certainly didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. There were certain elements which were a little too close to the ‘far fetched’ side of the line, but again it’s Prandy’s debut and I can only see his books improving over time. Although the story and characters are nothing new, there is a certain likeability factor here and the writing also kept me focused and attentive. I think a solid 4 out of 5 is deserved for this book and think the majority of people will really like it. All in all, I really enjoyed this and think it won’t take long for Prandy to gain quite a big following. I can only hope that he continues with a good series and doesn’t become too predictable. This book is certainly for fans of the Patterson type of book and for the price it’s a bargain as well.