The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

A quick entertaining read for fans of noir. When his old buddy is shot to death in front of him, Marshall Grade finds himself in the spotlight and also investigating, He spent two years undercover in the Mafia and still has some connections, as well as a bit of PTSD. This has a few plot holes and stuffs perhaps too much into a slim volume but I liked Grade's quirks and his commitment to finding the truth. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

Ben Sanders has been writing since his teens and he is good. His prose is tight and succinct, and he is very good at painting a picture with a few well placed words.
This is another Marshall Grade novel which surprised me as here in New Zealand we had one published not too long ago. Marshall is just out of the witness protection program and has agreed to meet a friend, Ray Vialoux, an ex cop who has become heavily in debt to a crime boss. But while they are in a restaurant, Ray is shot dead through the window. It is left to Marshall to work out what is going on. Why would a crime boss kill someone who owes him a lot of money? Or is it because of a case Vialoux was looking into. Marshall finds no one is interested in who or why Ray was killed, not the cops, or his wife and family.
I didn’t enjoy this as much as the previous book By any Means, but still a darn good read.
#netgalley #sometimesatnight

Excellent hard-boiled P. I. mystery/thriller. Hits the ground running and continues at a page turning low-boil, backing off when things get too hot then raising the heat again before it can cool down. An addictive read!

Private investigator Marshall Grade used to be a detective with NYPD. He spent two years, the worst years of his life, undercover with the mob. After blowing his cover in spectacular fashion he went into Witness Protection but has since left the Program and returned to New York. When a former NYPD associate reaches out for help Grade reluctantly agrees to a meeting.

Ray Vialoux, former narcotics detective, owes a lot of money to some very bad people and he's hoping Marshall Grade can act as go-between to broker some kind of deal. Before Ray can get all the details out he is gunned down right in front of Grade. Now the former police detective has to venture back among the mobsters he once betrayed to find answers. And the answers he finds just don't add up.

This is the third novel in the Marshall Grade series. I had no idea it was part of a series so, yes, it definitely works as a standalone. In some ways it reminds me a little of some of the early Matthew Scudder books by Lawrence Block, I think it probably has to do with the locale, New York City; the darker aspects of the city are definitely a factor.

The character of Marshall Grade is familiar in the "classic" P.I. way but at the same time unique. He has a touch of OCD (and likely PTSD) that manifests itself in a compulsion to organize things in geometric shapes and right angle alignments - his current obsession is a jigsaw puzzle of a Jackson Pollack painting.

With the exception of his Russian landlady, Vera, who is priceless and perfect, some of the secondary characters could use some more development but it works. There are a couple of minor plot holes but I enjoyed this one so much it was easy to overlook them.

I have absolutely no problem recommending this book to any fans of hard-boiled, gritty private detective stories. There is violence, and strong language - not a good fit for sensitive readers.

***I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley.

This book creates the atmosphere of gang war in New York and thereabouts very convincingly. Marshall is an interesting character. An ex-detective, he is obsessed with everything being placed at the right angle and by his passion for jigsaw puzzles. He meets an old friend Ray after a long gap and his dinner guest ends up shot as they eat. The story is not as straightforward as it seems and there appears to be a reluctance on the part of the police to process the case. The story is not gripping and as a reader it was hard to feel compelled to know the outcome. The are a lot of bits to the story and when the come together it is to no compelling outcome. The point of the title also escapes me.

Ray Vialoux is a guy in a lot of pain, his life is spiraling out of control. When he is shot in front of Grade Marshall , a cop he used to work with many years ago while asking for help, things take a turn for the worse and Ray ends up dead.
There are a lot of shady characters in this book and this is what makes it most appealing, as well as a strong plot and well drafted storyline. Mob guys, drug dealers and bent cops, I love it, just my kind of book. Ray's family are holding secrets and Marshall also has a past with them. Why was Ray shot and is there a whole lot more behind his death than meets the eye? I loved Marshall, everyone may have a past but he is really a good guy trying to ascertain what happened to his friend and make sure those responsible they are held accountable.
I have not read this author before but I read this book in an afternoon as I was hooked from the start, I will definitely be looking for more books by Ben Sanders. If you like a fast moving story that grabs you from the first page I highly recommend you pick up this book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Five stars from me.