A good book. Well written with great characters and a good plot. The storyline flows and the mystery is enjoyable. I highly recommend.,

“The Second Goodbye” by Patricia Smiley is the third book in the Pacific Homicide series featuring Detective Davie Richards. The book stands on its own merits, and it is not necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this one. Any background information about the characters is included seamlessly within the current narrative. The book opens with a crime, a murder, but an unusual one that grabs readers.
Knowing she would not pass a background check, Sara Montaine had never tried to buy a gun. Instead, she stole one. In the store, she asked to see a gun, and when the phone rang, she saw her chance. The storeowner stepped out to take the call; she slipped behind the counter and turned the key to unlock the gun case. She reached in and grasped the handle of the gun, a perfect fit. The gunshot jolted the owner. He returned to the showroom and saw the woman on the floor. He immediately called 911.
LAPD Homicide Detective Davie Richards was sifting through the division’s unsolved murders, and her boss directed her to a death in a gun store, but not a murder. The case had been closed as a suicide, but the coroner did not find any gunshot residue on the victim’s hands and ruled the death undetermined. Readers follow as Richards carefully and methodically reviews two unsolved cases, the gun store shooting, and a gang murder. These are cold cases with few cooperating witnesses, second hand evidence, and an increasing number of unanswered questions.
Smiley masterfully intertwines the two main story lines along with additional material that increases the richness of the novel. The pace is steady, purposeful, and not without surprising twists and turns. The characters are well developed, and each is distinctive and thought provoking. Richards is focused and strong, and the supporting characters are discrete and interesting, adding color and depth to the story. There is also a nice shout out to a long-standing event for California and Nevada law enforcement, the Baker to Las Vegas relay race.
“The Second Goodbye” is a captivating novel with a strong female central character and a plot that will hold a reader’s interest to the end. I received a copy of “The Second Goodbye” from Patricia Smiley, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley. I have enjoyed the previous books in the Pacific Homicide series, and this book was no exception. I recommend the entire series and eagerly await the next book in the series.

An interesting and exciting police procedural. It is obvious the author has an intimate knowledge of police procedures and the Los Angeles area. The fires, the streets, etc., all made it seem so real. I look forward to reading the next one. Entertaining reading.

This was my first read by Patricia Smiley, although this is the third book in the series, I felt she gave enough background to read it as a standalone, although in saying that, I thrive on finding a good detective series so will definitely be adding this one to my list and going back to the start!

Detective Davie Richards is assigned two cold cases as her Boss is under pressure to close cases and there are too many still open, unsolved…. As there is a lull at the moment workwise, Davie can give these cases her all…. The first case is of a woman, Sara Montaine who died in a gun shop, apparently by suicide but her death has been ruled at the inquest as undetermined, the second case is of a gang banger who was stabbed to death at an apartment complex and as would often be the case, nobody is talking, no witnesses, no one saw anything!!!

The more Davie investigates Sara Montaine’s death, the more layers are found, more questions than answers, can you get enough evidence to get her case turned into a murder investigation as she believes it is? This is a police procedural based series and gives a great insight into the laborious task of uncovering evidence, getting to the truth, the red tape that has to be dealt with, Davie is a passionate detective, she lets her personal feelings get into each case, she has the hunger to solve at any cost. With the help of her partner Vaughn and Det Jon Striker, can they get to the truth?

As I said above, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and only too delighted to have found another series to sink my teeth into.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Captivating Novel Where Det. Richards Juggles Multiple Cold Cases

The Second Goodbye opens up with the heroine, Homicide Detective Davie Richards experiencing a lull of homicides, so her boss distributed some open cases to his detectives. Richards receives two. One was a five year old strangulation where the prime suspect recently committed suicide and crucial evidence was missing, and the second was a two-year old brutal murder of a gangbanger. Since the first case appeared to be a dead-end, her boss gave her another case. It was a woman shot to death in a gun store. It was ruled a suicide, but the medical examiner ruled it undetermined. This case caught her interest, as it did mine.

The gangbanger murder was challenging because, as would be expected, there were not many cooperating witnesses! The gun store death quickly unraveled with more questions that needed to be investigated. This storyline was very captivating and held my interest throughout the entire novel.

As a surprise, a third storyline pops up and starts with the word, “ENGAGEMENT.” Someone is following Detective Richards, but this storyline is not what I originally thought. The author really challenged me to figure out how this fit into the regular storyline.

The B-storyline brings back a previous character, Detective Joh Striker, from the Robbery Homicide Division. He is tall, handsome, and there is more than police work in his interaction with Richards. Also, the reader learns more about the person of her partner, Detective Jason Vaughn, and the relationship between him and Richards. There is even insight into her boss, Detective Frank Giordano. The author weaves all of this B-storyline material seamlessly into the main storylines so that they add to the richness of the story and enjoyment in reading this novel.

For readers who are sensitive to vulgar language and graphic sex scenes, there is only one sex scene and not that graphic, and only a few less offensive expletives. Also, if this is your first book of this series to read, not having read the previous novels should not be a problem as the author provides adequate background required for previous novels.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this novel. I now have read the last two novels in this series, but not the first. While writing this review, I purchased that first book and will be reading it in the future. As the multiple storylines captured my interest, and I wanted to keep reading, I rate this novel with five stars. Do give it a try if it sounds interesting. I believe you will enjoy reading it also.

I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Midnight Ink with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Midnight Ink for the opportunity to read this novel early.

I really enjoyed this third-police procedural in the Pacific Homicide series by Patricia Smiley. I have read all of her books and if you are looking for a strong female detective then this book and author is for you. Ms. Smiley will take you through the day to day hard work and process of gathering evidence and solving a mystery. Detective Davie Richards is assigned to work cold cases and receives the case of Sara Montaine, a suicide victim. The more she delves in to the case, the more questions arise. When fingerprint results reveal a startling fact about Sara, Davie knows that Sara's death was not a suicide. She will have assistance from Detective Jon Striker from the Homicide Special Section of the elite Robbery Homicide Division. She has worked with him in the past and is glad she is not taken off the case when it is turned over to his department. As they work together, an attraction develops between Davie and Jon. This does not detract from the seriousness of their work, but adds a wonderful touch of warmth to the characters. As Davie follows new leads, you realize that someone is watching Davie and is determined to keep her from uncovering the truth. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Top-notch Crime Fiction with great characters and a nice twisty plot. 5 star read. This is a series to love and a writer to follow. #NetGalley

I just finished The Second Goodbye by Patricia Smiley. It was an enjoyable read all the way around with engaging characters, good plotting and a satisfying conclusion. This is my first read and the third book in the Pacific Homicide series. The story is self-contained, with a few recurring characters. It is not necessary that you read the books in order, although in this one there is the beginning of a possible future relationship between Davie and one of the secondary character.

The pacing of this book is excellent, unfolding evenly, in a way that captures and maintains your interest throughout. While there are no big twists in the plot, it is enjoyable to read about good, solid detective work that “peels the onion” of a case. There is just enough tension in the book to add an extra dimension without derailing the primary focus of Davie’s investigations. While there are two concurrent investigations Davie is conducting, one is the central focus of the story while the other assists in adding depth to her character and increasing the reader’s understanding of what drives her.

This book will probably appeal to a broad range of readers. It has a strong female detective, and as such will intrigue fans of detectives such as Kinsey Millhone, protagonist in Sue Grafton’s alphabet series. It also is a strong police procedural, with emphasis on detective work and only modest amounts of blood, guts, and gore. This combination may make it more appealing to a larger audience than many hard-boiled detective series.

I’m putting this book high on a list of new novels to try. I don’t feel I missed anything by not reading the first two books in the series, but if you like reading in series, I expect you wouldn’t be disappointed starting at the first book and working your way through the series. My thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink Publishing for providing an advance digital copy in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed here are wholly my own.

This is a really good book. I think the author spent as much time trying to figure out the victim as she did finding the killer and I loved that idea. In true crime you want to know about the victim and if their lifestyle in any way might have led to there killing, so why not in a fiction book. I read this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. I’ve let my friends know bout the book which I don’t do unless I REALLY liked the book. Great job!

Detective Davie Richards is a young eager detective trying to solve two old murders, one of a young woman shot in a gun store, and another of a young gang-banger. Are the two mysteries related? Davie along with her partner in the police dept. Vaughn and an FBI agent John Striker all work together to solve the mysteries. I enjoyed reading about Davie's work relationships and promising personal relationship with John along with the solving of the murders.