I'm a huge fan of Matt Coyle and has read several of his Rick Cahill novels. This is again a fantastic read, Cahill returns to his childhood home for the first time in 18 years and this sets the scene for a look into his past

Good Until The Last…Well, Only Until The Last Drop

The novel starts with Rick Cahill going back to his childhood home of 18 years ago. He is to pick up a wall safe that was found when the house was being demolished to make room for a new home to be built on the site. Upon returning home, he receives a call from his ex-girlfriend. After they broke up, she married the biggest realtor in La Jolla, CA. She believes that he may be cheating on her and wants Rick to find out if it is true. He teams up with Moira, a PI with whom he periodically works, to find out. Rick is able to photograph the husband and a very stunning woman on the balcony of a hotel. The two did spend enough side in the room for an afternoon delight. After the husband leaves, Peter Stone, an old nemesis of Rick, arrives with a briefcase and leaves shortly after arriving. This piques Rick interest, and he follows her. This main storyline develops quickly into an ever more complex storyline.

The second and concurrent main story develops from the wall safe that contains $15,000 dollars, a Saturday Night Special whose clip is two rounds short of being full, and a key to a safe deposit box. The gun and money may be related to a crime that occurred some 27 years ago that lead to his father being disgraced and fired from the La Jolla Police Department. Rick decides to investigate where the money and, especially, the key leads.

The novel quickly captured my interest and every time I stopped, it was with much reluctance. While the novel presented much complexity with the two intertwining storylines, I found reading the novel quite effortless and quite enjoyable.

The B-storyline compliments the main storylines quite well. There were two major B-storylines. The first is the relationship with his married ex-girlfriend, and the second is with his Moira. These storylines are rich and complex, and the author also shows how these relationships changed over the span of the novel.

There are not any graphic sex scenes. There are some f-bombs and lesser vulgar language. Most of the violence is described after the fact. The levels of all of these should not be an issue to the majority of readers. While this is the fourth novel in this Rick Cahill series, I did not sense any left unexplained because I had not read the previous three novels. You can read this novel as I did as the first novel of the series and enjoy it.

I had already decided to rate this novel with five stars when I started to read the last few chapters. The last unexplained threads were tied up in these chapters. Unfortunately, it reminded me of the car insurance TV commercial where the villain tells the hero his entire dastardly plan before killing him with a laser. That is what I thought as I read the end of this novel. Based upon this, I revised my rating to four stars. I still recommend reading this novel. I am glad that I did read it.

Great story by Matt Coyle. Always great stories!! Really thrilling read, great characters and an enjoyable story. Highly recommend to others!!

Rick Cahill has lived under a cloud due to his father. So when he discovers a safe with a pistol and $15,000, this is just confirmation of his father's guilt. But the discovery of an active bank account in the name of his father who has been dead 18 years makes him wonder what is going on. However, he still has his PI clients to work for and they are a varied lot: an old girlfriend and a most-likely dirty realtor. Then Rick discovers his house has been bugged and life just gets more interesting for Rick. Plenty of action, a bit of sleuthing, and lots of angst make this a satisfying California PI read.

As soon as I finish this review I am looking up every other book in the Rick Cahill series and any writing by author Matt Coyle. This book was amazing!
Yes, it is #4 in a series, but I read as a stand alone without any issues. Rick Cahill is a bad*** PI and this story begins with two different story lines that seems worlds apart but somehow Matt Coyle tells this story flawlessly and ties everything together.
I don't want to give too much away but Kim, was Rick's ex-girlfriend, whom he still has strong feelings for. She is currently married to a huge realtor in the La Jolla, CA area and hires Rick to investigate her husband as she is concerned he is cheating on her. The second story line involes Rick's father, a police officer who died 18 years ago and Rick finding a 25 caliber pistol with 2 bullets missing in the chamber, $15k cash, and a safety deposit box key in a wall safe in his father's home. I won't go into anymore detail as I don't want to spoil this amazing story. But, what starts as a simple investigation quickly becomes intense and quite a page turner.

*** Special thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for providing me an advance read copy in exchange for an honest review."""

Wonderful story had me from page one. Did not realize that this was part of a series so I felt a little lost with the characters but was able to still follow along.

A very exciting read about a likable PI who is down on his luck. My first by this author but it will not be my last. I enjoyed the gritty details and well plotted mystery of a guy who struggles to be professional and yet cannot get his life together to be who he wants to be. . A very enjoyable series !


Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my review.

This is the first book I have read from Matt Coyle and his detective Rick Cahill but you don't need to read the previous ones to enjoy this book. Really enjoyed the story and liked the way it joined the past and present. The characters were strong and could relate to them. Reminded me a little of a Mike Hammer type PI, would definitely recommend this one.

This is the fourth installment of the Rick Cahill PI series. It does not disappoint! Truth and justice can be hard to come by, but Rick does not stop until all is right. This comes at a cost and not all the loose ends are wrapped nicely. At least Rick was able to get to the bottom of a cold case over 2 decades in the making. Looking forward to Rick's next case! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The action in Blood Truth sizzles! Main character Rick Cahill doggedly goes after the truth, even if it means heartbreak for himself or if it means he must operate outside the law at times. Rick is an interesting character. He loves, but he does not seem to have friends or meaningful relationships. I can't help but wonder if the ending of this book will enable him to be able to develop and maintain friendships in the future.

Great story, a flawed hero searching for the truth about his father's fall from grace. Excellent intertwining of two stories. Well written. Can't wat ifor the next one.

Blood Truth

When Private Detective Joe Cahill is asked by his ex to trail her husband to find out whether he is cheating on her, he finds himself on a case which soon starts to involve a whole lot more. Corrupt property deals and an encounter with an old and dangerous enemy. And then murder. Eventually he finds himself up against a lethal goth Russian mobster who wants something vital back from the scene of the murder. But will Cahill be able to find it in time?
Like many modern detectives, Cahill is painted as a fairly three-dimensional character. He is too damaged emotionally to be capable of sustaining either genuine friendships or to remain in a long-term relationship – this becomes an issue when dealing both with the ex and his working partner, once she realises he is in danger. Joe Cahill's name is tainted – his father was a disgraced cop who was rumoured to have helped the Mob in concealing a much earlier murder. The shame drove his father to drink himself to death.
He is to find out that this is a case where there are those still prepared to kill to make sure old secrets remain old secrets.
Cahill is a tough survivor with a strong sense of integrity. The field seems to be open for him to continue his heroic fight against bad guys of every stripe.
This was a most satisfactory read, with a good, brooding feel. Unaddressed injustice can be a deeply corrosive thing. It seems we do need heroes, however much we fall short of righting wrongs and rising from the ashes in real life.

This is another good read from Matt Coyle. P.I. Rick Cahill finds a safe hidden in his childhood home. The contents would indicate that his late father was a corrupt cop. A very good, modern private eye story. Matt Coyle is a gifted storyteller and this book has excellent characterisation, a great plot and a lovely setting in San Diego. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for a review copy of Blood Truth, the fourth novel in the La Jolla based PI Rick Cahill series.

Rick is a busy man. His ex, Kim, has hired him to find out if her new husband, Jeff, is having an affair. Keen to protect Kim he investigates further than he strictly has to and uncovers something more than affair although he's not quite sure what that something is. In the meantime the owner of his childhood home has discovered a hidden safe belonging to his dad. He is in two minds about investigating further as his dad died an alcoholic 18 years previously after being dismissed from the La Jolla Police Department amid a swirl of rumours about corruption and the mob.

I thoroughly enjoyed Blood Truth which is the first novel in the series that I have read although it won't be the last. The novel is a great read with a well paced plot as each plot line gradually builds to a crescendo, not that gradually implies a slow burner as there is plenty of action, developments and unexpected twists and turns throughout. Rick's first person narrative adds an immediacy and poignancy to the novel in his quest to uncover his father's past.

The two plot lines intersect tangentially as the novel progresses but are mostly separate. I think the first person narrative helps to keep them clear in the reader's mind and, at the same time, keeps the novel flowing without any awkward change of focus or point of view. It is an easy novel to read despite the fairly complicated plot and it held my attention from start to finish. The plot is interesting and logical with a certain amount of violence which probably pushes the boundaries of plausibility but makes for a good read.

Of course, in a first person narrative characterisation becomes more important as the reader lives the novel with that voice. It's not an easy thing to pull off successfully but Mr Coyle manages it with aplomb. Rick Cahill is not an easy character to like. He is obviously damaged and is rude, insensitive and not very good at friendship and yet he is blisteringly honest in his self appraisal. I came to admire both him and Mr Coyle's skill by the end of the novel. The only odd note is his relationship or lack of one with the La Jolla Police Department who hate him. It makes for good reading but seems facile in comparison with the depth of Rick's character.

Blood Truth is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

This was my first experience with Matt Coyle's Rick Cahill series and I LOVED it!! Not having read any of the prior books in the series did not diminish my enjoyment of this book one bit.

Blood Truth has Rick, a disgraced former policeman and now a straight-shooting, get-it-done PI, taking a case for a former could-have-married-her girlfriend, as well as following an unexpected lead that may finally tell him the truth about his father.

Rick is brought evidence regarding his father, which pushes him into investigating a cold-case that led to his father's dismissal from the police force after 22 years of service. The dismissal caused his father to go into a subsequent downward spiral until his death nine years later. Rick is determined to know the truth about his father, good or bad.

Meanwhile, his investigation into ex-girlfriend Kim's husband whom she suspects of having an affair, leads him into places neither one of them expected and gets Rick almost killed several times.

Real estate deals, murder, betrayals, the mob, conspiracies, romance, action this book has it all. Full of emotional attachments and conflicts in both well-plotted story lines; complex characters; and twists, turns and surprises that kept me guessing right up to the end all made for one heck of a read!! I definitely look forward to reading more of the Rick Cahill series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read an e-arc of this book. All opinions in this review are strictly my own.

BLOOD TRUTH by Matt Coyle is the 4th book in the Rick Cahill Series (the first novel in the series that I’ve read to date), and opens with a scene from his childhood playing catch in the yard with his father after he’s cut the grass, and after being hit by a ball that takes a bad bounce, his perfectionist and stubborn nature is revealed, along with a glimpse into his father’s qualities and personality.

Rick now an adult is currently running a one man investigation firm specializing in divorce cases, which provides him with a meager existence and lack of respectability in his town of La Jolla along with the cloud of his late father’s past as a dishonorable former policeman who died in the throes of alcoholism after years of shame and depression resulting from his troubled past.

Kim is Rick’s ex-girlfriend who remarried after he broke it off with her, and she contacts him in an effort to investigate her husband for the possibility of infidelity, pressuring Rick into taking on the case knowing it likely will not end well.

Further added to Rick’s plate is his interest in reopening the case that brought shame to his family and tarnished his father’s name based on new evidence in a hidden safe is discovered while renovating is being done by the new owner of the house he grew up in, also opening old wounds much like Kim’s case.

Moira is an investigator that Rick previously angered by getting a case she wanted to be hired for; yet afterwards the two reach a tenuous agreement for her to work with him on cases from time to time.

Rick finds several things on both cases that spell trouble and involving sketchy legalities, corruption, and eventually murder that place Rick and Kim in danger, as well as Kim’s husband Jeffery.

Will Rick succeed in digging to the bottom of one or both cases without finding himself and the woman he still loves in even more danger, or will it be impossible for him to find the truth in both cases based on the complexity of the current case and time passed in his father’s unsolved mystery?

Solid detective novel with a strong emphasis of involvement based on personal relationship and unwavering determination to find truth, this would be a great read for those who enjoy novels involving detectives, police, mobs, and those drawn into circumstances based on other’s greed.

4 stars.

Rick Cahill is a PI operating in the La Jolla, San Diego area. He hasn’t visited the home he grew up in since his father had died some eighteen years earlier because of the households so many bad memories. Memories of his dad, once a revered member of the La Jolla police, who ended up drinking himself to death.

The new owner of the house has called him as he has uncovered a safe that had been well hidden and only became apparent when building work started taking place. More out of curiosity than anything else, Rick decides to collect the safe and once he’s managed to open it, finds a safety deposit key and $15,000 and a gun. This sets off his investigation into how it could tie into his father being fired by the police.

He cannot give his undivided attention to this as his ex-girlfriend, Kim, has phoned begging him to find out if her husband Jeffrey Parker, the wealthy owner of Parker Real Estate, is having an affair. This job is going to lead Rick and his sometimes co-worker, Moira McFarlane (also a PI), with some very tense twists and turns, leaving a string of dead bodies in the process.

I enjoyed this book for lots of reasons. Rick Cahill is a laid-back character who seems to have, over the years, upset lots of people involved with the La Jolla police. Being the son of a man kicked off the force adds fuel to the fire and does not help. Moira McFarlane is the complete opposite, a no-nonsense “let’s get this job done” woman who treats Rick with disdain, but is a loyal and caring friend. There are other characters who add to the whole page-turning vibe of the book and add to the sheer enjoyment of reading a good, well-planned thriller with lots to ensure that you are never bored.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

It was interesting and different. He’s becoming a new favorite author.

Synopsis/blurb......

A hard-boiled PI novel for fans of Raymond Chandler, Ross MacDonald and Dashiell Hammett.

Rick Cahill has long feared the truth about his own blood - the blood of his father coursing through his veins.

When a long-hidden safe unlocks clues about why his father was kicked off the police force twenty-seven years ago and then spiraled into an early drunken death, Rick determines to find the truth even if it proves the one thing he's always feared.

But as he grapples with his father's past, the woman he still loves pleads with him to find out if her husband is having an affair - or is involved in something much more sinister. Could the truth send her back into Rick's arms? Would he have a last shot at happiness? He may never get the chance to find out, as killers who will do anything to protect their secrets lurk in the shadows.
----------------
My take.....

My second Matt Coyle read this month and the fourth time overall in the author's hands with his PI Rick Cahill. Another entertaining read and one which I enjoyed slightly more than the last one, Dark Fissures.

There's an intriguing premise at play when Cahill gets access to his late father's hidden safe and subsequently a bank deposit box that has been kept active for the near 20 years his father has been dead. Cahill has unresolved issues with his late father, an ex-cop and one who he shunned after he was drummed off the police force under a corruption cloud. Cahill Snr. turned away from his family and towards the bottle.

Two things come to light, dirty money and a gun with probable links to an unsolved murder in La Jolla, pre-dating his dad's exit from the force. Rick seeks affirmation that his father was responsible so he can finally close the dark chapter on his memories.

In the meanwhile, Kim Parker, the only women he ever loved since his wife died needs help. She's pregnant and the man she married, on the rebound after Rick pushed her away thinks her husband is playing the field. With marital infidelity, Rick's investigative specialty takes the gig.

I really liked the twin strands of dual mystery, particularly with the differing time lines. I know elements of the past and an overhanging threat to Rick's freedom irritated me in the last book, but not so this time.

Excellent pacing, and a superb blending of past and present as the stakes are raised in our ex-girlfriend "damsel in distress" story line. The husband is soon looking at a life behind bars for murder rather than a divorce bill for cheating. Rick still the supportive ex, tries to prove otherwise.

I liked seeing more of Rick's PI colleague Moira MacFarlane in this one. She's a firm friend to our main man and the only one he has other than his dog. That elements of the La Jolla PD seem to be open-minded towards Rick, rather than openly prejudiced against him, after Chief Moretti has flown the coop are also a welcome change.

A fantastic read - superb pacing, a familiar setting, great characters, interesting cases needing a resolution, with Cahill a bit more inclined to accept help rather than playing the go it alone wolf all the time. There's a convincing conclusion, all questions answered and a bit of finality regarding some family issues. Probably the best book in the series.

Matt Coyle has his website here. http://www.mattcoylebooks.com/
The previous books in the series are Yesterday's Echo, Night Tremors and Dark Fissures.
http://col2910.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/matt-coyle-yesterdays-echo-2013.html
http://col2910.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/matt-coyle-night-tremors-2015.html
http://col2910.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/matt-coyle-dark-fissures-2016.html

Read in November, 2017
Published - 2017 (any day now)
Page count - 390
Source - review copy from the author
Format - ARC paperback

https://col2910.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/matt-coyle-blood-truth-2017.html

Storytelling is a skill and Coyle has got it. This book is one that is easy to get into and keeps you interested till the end. It’s a story about bitterness and dying inside day by day. Its a story about wondering who your father really was inside and what the clues about him really mean. Was a hero or a crook? It’s a story about swindlers, cheats, and conspiracies. It’s a private eye story set in the modern age in San Diego and La Jolla with many of the traditional moorings such as a lone wolf st odds with the local police, run ins with the local scion of wealth, and mobsters hovering in the background. A lot of fun to read. Thanks to the publishing house for providing a copy for review.