I really enjoyed Firewatching and was greatly looking forward to the follow up. Nighthawking was fine, but not quite up to the same standards.

This is a slow burn series, which I don’t mind at all provided there’s a good payoff in the end. This book lacked the crispness of its predecessor throughout, and ended with a bit of a whimper and fairly improbably.

The best part of this series is the dynamic between Tyler and Rabbani, which was fantastic in the first book and largely shoved aside in the second. They’re both excellent, interesting characters and I wish more of that had come through this time around.

The mystery itself was fine, both in terms of the unfolding and the solving of it. More frustrating is the ongoing plot line regarding the (probable) murder of Tyler’s father, which seems like it ought to feel more compelling than it does.

Nighthawking is the second book in what is a welcome addition to the Adam Tyler series that began with Firestarter. The book was made more enjoyable by my having read Firestarter. The author presumes knowledge of the events that occurred in the first book, although this works as a stand alone as well. Adam Tyler is still reeling from the untimely death of his father which greatly interferes with his ability to perform his job well. He is thrust into a very complex case, and at the same time is drawn into various conspiracy webs within the department. An interesting read for those who like police procedurals. I am greatly looking forward to the next installment!

Amazing story. Well developed characters that are in a twisted engrossing thriller. Highly recommended. Super suspense that comes to a satisfying end! Highly recommended . A true roller coaster thrill ride

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Nighthawking.

I've read the first book in the DS Adam Tyler series and was pleased when my request was approved because I was interested to see how this series is moving forward.

When the body of a young Asian woman from an affluent and politically connected family in China is found in the Botanical Gardens, DS Adam Tyler and his protege, DC Amina Rabbani are pulled from the Cold Case Review to assist with the investigation.

The case is complicated by several matters, a popular and vibrant young student involved with various men, domestic drama involving the victim's sister and partner, and a subplot involving nighthawkers, a metal detectorist hobby group.

The mystery takes a backseat to Tyler's personal life once again; his older, troublemaking brother, Jude, is back in town; a superior has admitted that Tyler's father's death by suicide is extremely suspicious which could mean possible police corruption and conspiracy, Tyler's on/off relationship with his boyfriend is on the rocks and Tyler's kind efforts to help a young man brings him into contact with the local gangster in town.

Also, he's not really teaching Amina anything, leaving her to fend for herself. Amina is the only person who is really doing any 'detective' work, actually.

Oh, and a rival colleague Tyler constantly butts heads with is back from medical leave and is not handling his return to the police force that well.

There's a lot going on, multiple storylines and subplots and the culprit isn't revealed until the last few pages.

I wish the focus was on the mystery itself and a typical police procedural and not bogged down with subplots.

This could have used an edit, or at least, trimmed some of the character POVs like Dave and the nighthawkers.

Once again, I found Tyler hard to like; he's not a bad guy, though he has a chip on his shoulder and seems to flaunt it.

The author portrays him as 'too cool for school' and he's not. He's not Sherlock. He's not Poirot. He continuously disobeys orders from his superiors until he's reprimanded, disappearing from work to attend to his personal matters, leaving Amina alone to cover for his absences, he doesn't get along with his colleagues and that suits him just fine.

I would like Tyler if he actually did his job; he spends most of the book worrying about his father's death and his wayward brother and his cold case. Overall, I estimate he spends about 15% of the book doing actual detective work.

By the end, all the storylines are wrapped up, more or less, with a cliffhanger that might make me check out the next book.

The writing is good, but there are too many subplots and unnecessary details that take away from the mystery.

I don't mind character development but I read mysteries because I enjoy a police procedural and solving it alongside the detectives/protagonists.