CTE, private-investigators, anger-issues, family-dynamics, family-drama, California, unputdownable, murder, murder-investigation, corporate-corruption, suspense, thriller, ex-cop, due-diligence, friendship, frustration, intense, series, rage, mutilation, hard-boiled, hard-reality, noir, international-crime-and-mystery*****

Multiple episodes of Closed Cranial Trauma result in the devastating symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Football and boxing helmets are no proof against Traumatic Brain Injury. Just ask Rick Cahill.
Is it paranoia if somebody Really is out to get you? Cahill's friend and client is brutally murdered and he is the one to find the body (after several days). Then his (and her) employer fires him at about the same time as other issues begin to surface. Excellent fast-paced read that has me looking for earlier books in the series! PS. I used to work in a facility that served TBI patients.
I requested and received an EARC from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

This novel focuses more on the character of the PI, Rick, than it does on the investigation. Rick has had an anger problem because of his brain injuries and it is getting worse. His marriage is in jeopardy because of his uncontrolled anxiety about his daughter. He hasn't been honest with his wife about his condition. His anger threatens to harm his investigation too. Rick also seems a little dense at the beginning of this investigation although he does put the information together eventually.

This is a novel for readers who like one focusing on the character of a committed but flawed hero. It is the ninth in a series about Rick but does read relatively well on its own. There is a good exploration of the personality changes possible from repeated brain injury. Coyle's writing style is good and the pace moves along pretty well.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Doomed Legacy although part of a series can be read as a standalone. I haven't read all books in the series but I could understand the story well. Our main character is a PI who is sick, suffers from rage, and is devoted to helping others leaving his family in second place (which is a huge problem). This story is fast-paced, well-written, and full of mystery and suspense. As always Matt Coyle did not disappoint!
Thank you the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC

This was book nine in the Rick Cahill series. It reads fine as a standalone. Most of the story is told thru Rick, who is a PI. After many head injuries he suffers from rage. Not my usual read, but I enjoyed the story and inevitable ‘happy ending’. Mystery fans will enjoy this story. There’s drama, and sleuthing, and murder. Rick seems to have excellent determination to solve cases that the regular police do not. His marriage is on thin ice. He cares about others first. He is willing to venture into the danger zone to get results.

This book is well into a series (9th) about..... kind of a troubled P.I., who has a bit of a 'short fuse' due to previous head trauma. It's the 1st book I've read in this series, but it wasn't hard to follow....& I think that's a plus. It's a pretty fast moving story, with some pretty good chase scenes & there are characters around him that I might guess might be recurring in the series, & they are a 'plus' too! It looks like a pretty good continuing investigative drama & I'll look for more in this series.....that ends up being a pretty good review!
I received an e-ARC of the book from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley in return for reading it & posting my own fair & honest review.

“ Doomed Legacy” came to me as an advanced reader copy from Net Galley, the author and publisher Ron return for an honest review

“ Doomed Legacy” is the ninth novel in the series featuring P.I. Rick Cahill, by Matt Coyle. Although the story in a connected, on- going tale, It is possible to read each book independently .
Rick embodies the title: he has a legacy of a dogged, indeed, a fixation , on getting justice for his clients . This leads him into places when a more reasonable person would back off and wait for the police. He seems himself as an avenging , unstoppable presence. Rick is also doomed because he has an advancing brain disease, CTE, which occurs to boxes, football players and others who have taken repeated blows to the head. The condition makes Rick susceptible to vision problems , violent mood swings and “ red-outs” when rage controls him. It has become so bad that his wife fears for herself and their infant daughter and gone home for a long visit to her parents.
With that as background, the novel begins as Rick learns that a regular , and well-paying, client has dropped him because of an obscene email attachment to a file sent by Rick to their office. This is followed by loss of more clients, for the same reason . When Rick connects to the person who first received the emails, she tells him that something strange is going on at her office. Soon after she is found dead, by him , at her home.
So begins a story that involves a serial rapist, murder, cyber spying and possibly, espionage.
Coyle keeps up a swift pace to the investigation as Cahill picks apart a web of deceit. His customer base is deserting him, his home life is disappearing , his mind is dim and paranoid . Can he control his rages enough to regain his family? Or will his instinct for seeking justice at a high cost to himself and those he loves . bring an end to Rick Cahill ? Good entry in the series and recommended to fans of dark drama.
Cautions- Violence.

I didn’t always like Coyle’s main character, but he kept me engaged on every page. Not the ending I was hoping for, but it was true to the story. A must read for anyone who loves Ed McBain and Lawrence Block.
4.5 Stars

Private investigator Rick Cahill has made plenty of changes to his life since settling down in San Diego with his beloved wife Leah and their fourteen month-old daughter Krista. As a concession to Leah's decision to move from where her design business is based in Santa Barbara, Rick has tried to keep his work desk-bound, so as to soothe her fears regarding his safety doing fieldwork. But some cases just can't be solved from his office chair.

Take the case of Sara Bhandari. Sara is Rick's contact at his biggest client, Fulcrum Security. Usually, he just runs background checks for the commercial side of their enterprise, with background for the military side run by a government entity. Rick and Sara's relationship is conducted almost entirely via e-mail and phone, so he's surprised when she asks to meet in person one day. Even more surprising is her request to meet at a restaurant far away from her office, as if to lessen the chance of being seen by her co-workers.

When Sara tells Rick that she has some concerns regarding another private investigator hired by her boss to run commercial background checks, an already preoccupied Rick is dismissive, considering this an issue of office politics. He promises to look into it though, so is concerned when Sara doesn't return his calls on the matter later. After a few uncharacteristic days of silence, followed by a notification of her full voicemail box, he decides to visit her at home. She doesn’t answer the door, but a yowling cat inside raises his already heightened concerns:

QUOTE
Decision time. To trespass or not. A thought that wouldn't have entered my mind eighteen months ago. I would have gone into the backyard without a second thought. Or a first one. Moving forward. Always moving forward. Led by my sense of right and wrong. I broke the law often back then. In pursuit of the truth. My truth. Before I was married and had a child. Now such decisions had consequences for people beyond just me.

But Sara Bhandari was my responsibility. I went through the gate.
END QUOTE

Rick is stunned to discover that the worst has happened and that Sara has been brutally killed. The cops attribute her death to a serial rapist but Rick thinks the timing is way too coincidental. Driven by guilt at not having taken her more seriously, Rick throws himself into uncovering what's going on at Fulcrum and how that might have led to her death.

Assisting his focus is the fact that Leah has had enough of his recent strange behavior, and has taken Krista to go stay with her parents in Santa Barbara. Before they were married, Rick was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that affects his memory and general functioning. While Leah is well aware of this, Rick has hidden from her the emotional effect it has recently had on him too, with the disease inflaming his emotions such that he flies into rages at the smallest things:

QUOTE
Things that settled spirits let go as quickly as they arose.

I did not have a settled spirit. Even years before the CTE diagnosis, my soul was scarred from the shrapnel my actions had wrought. But those actions, those decisions came after consideration. Thought. This was new. Unrecognizable and malevolent. A fury unconnected to thought. And its reins loosened from my grasp a little more with each smothered internal explosion.
END QUOTE

Rick tries to control these rages by withdrawing, a tactic that spurs Leah to retaliate in kind. But at least the space she’s given him allows him to work unencumbered, or so he believes. What will he do when his pursuit of evildoers puts innocents in the crosshairs once more, and when his desire for justice could be the final wedge in his relationship with his own family?

Rick is a very sympathetic hero as he battles with an undersung disease, trying to juggle his commitments to personal honor with his desire to keep his family together. I thought it was deeply silly of him to hide the truth of his symptoms from Leah, and thought she completely overreacted in turn – this is a couple in dire need of counseling. His professional life, though, makes for absorbing reading, as he seeks to avenge Sara and, to a certain extent, himself and the people he holds dear.

Doomed Legacy is a terrific modern PI noir that doesn’t shy away from the costs of violence. For all that I complained about Rick and Leah’s lack of communication, the depiction of their marriage is a realistic look at how outside stresses can ruin relationships, especially when both partners refuse to communicate. I was also impressed with how easy it was to get into this book despite it being the ninth in the series: it’s a great jumping-on point for newcomers to these absorbing, award-winning novels.

Rick is a private investigator in the San Diego area. He does quite a bit of work for several of the local businesses. When one of his business contacts ends up murdered, Rick knows something is very wrong. He ends up investigating the murder on the sly. But, as you can guess, this leads to more questions than answers.

Rick is a very damaged character and I loved him. He is smart when it comes to investigations but pretty dang dumb when it comes to family. But he is so endearing in his efforts.

This story is complex with all the twists and turns. It definitely keeps the readers on their toes. I mean…I thought I had it figured out but it twisted again!

Since we went to San Diego for vacation this year, I loved the setting of this book. Now, this book is number 9 in a series. I have not read a single one. How I have missed this, I have no idea. I did not feel lost at all during this novel but I do want to pick up some if the others. I want to know more about Rick and his background.

Need a good intricate mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for an honest opinion.

Rick Cahill is a great guy who happens to have most if not all odds against him. And even though he struggles with personal health issues he is still dedicated and concerned for victims and finding justice for them. This was a fast paced, amazingly entertaining and easy to follow book. It kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Great characters and a fast paced plot kept me reading late into the night. It grabbed my interest in the first chapter and never relented. I read through this in one sitting. Highly recommended

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview publishing for an advanced reader copy.

Story of the book-

Rick Cahill is on his most perilous job yet thanks to a nefarious private detective firm, a dubious shell business, and a deceased friend. Rick Cahill, a private eye, has spent his whole life eluding his past and seeking the truth. However, his background is unforgiving, as is CTE, a condition brought on by repeated brain blows that have assaulted both his body and his psyche. He learns as his CTE worsens that the condition not only puts his life in peril but also jeopardizes the welfare of his family.

While struggling to keep his family together, Rick helps out a business contact named Sara Ansari. Then Sara is killed, and the police think she was another victim of the serial rapist plaguing greater San Diego. Rick, though, has a good reason to doubt their notion. He conducts his investigation against his wife’s cautions since he is adamant about getting to the bottom of it.

Along the way, he runs across a murky shell organization that could be concealing more than just business secrets, as well as a dangerous private investigation firm. Rick is putting his own life in danger along with the lives of numerous innocent people as he searches for the truth about Sara’s death. In the end, Rick will have to decide if his journey is worthwhile given the possibility of permanently losing his family.

My review-

This ninth book may be read independently. Just enough backstory is provided by the author to orient us without taking away from the story. I’m curious to learn more about Rick’s wife Leah and their connection, as well as about his friendship with Moira because he is a multifaceted guy with an intriguing past. There are two tales in this book, both as compelling and devastating: the investigation itself, at which Cahill excels, and the consequences for his family and how to handle them, which he fails to do. He can unravel the former, but, tragically, he appears unable to unravel the latter.

The reader is instantly thrust into a fast-paced tour of the West Coast as Cahill chased down several subplots, including a serial rapist, DOD employee background checks, police cover-ups, and Chinese spies. Cahill traveled from San Diego to Santa Barbara to Monterrey during this time. I was captivated by this novel right away, anxiously flipping the pages to see what would happen next. In addition to exploring Rick’s connection with his family, his health concerns, and some background hints about his history, the novel revolves around the murder of one of Rick’s customers and his efforts to learn the truth about her death. I was pondering and discussing it when I was unable to read it. A magnificent movie might be made from Doomed Legacy. Because of Matt Coyle’s exceptional writing, this book will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

In case it appears like the suspense is finished, there is one last twist toward the conclusion. The conclusion didn’t let me down, which was a bonus, and I would be pleased to see Cahill again in previous tales. It also works just as well as a standalone, which is a significant plus. The concept is so well thought out that it holds together even in a setting with lots of action and competing storylines. All in all, it’s another captivating novel that’s simple to read. To learn more about Rick Cahill, you might now want to go back and read some of his previous books. This is a engaging, raw, and emotional book to read if you enjoy police crime that is urban, dramatic, full of mystery, treachery, and introspection.

This book was a disappointment for me. The writing was rather amateurish, there was too much tell as opposed to show, and I did not connect with the characters. It was a slog to read.

Readers of detective fiction are used to seeing terrible things keep happening to a favorite protagonist—the more obstacles, the juicier the story. We like seeing our hero overcome whatever difficulties the author throws at him and still manage to solve the case. The dark twist with the excellent Rick Cahill series is that at the end of each book, the case may be solved, but the detective’s ever-more-serious problems (health, marital, etc.) will just keep getting worse. This sounds (and is) bleak, but Rick’s compulsion to solve cases and help people, even at great personal cost, keeps him from dwelling on his inevitable physical decline from CTE. In Doomed Legacy, Rick tries to preserve his relationship with his wife and beloved infant daughter while suppressing the newest development in his disease progression: uncontrollable rages that come over him when he is upset. At great personal risk, he gets out from behind his desk and feels like an active investigator again as he tries to figure out who killed his contact at the firm for which he has been doing corporate background checks. When his wife withdraws with their daughter to her parents’ house, Rick pursues his case with the help of his loyal buddy Moira. The story is engaging, suspenseful, and well-paced. The ending (at least the ending to the investigation) is satisfying; unfortunately, Rick’s health problems can’t be so neatly resolved.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for a digital advance review copy.

Private investigator Rick Cahill has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease that is altering his behavior, threatening his marriage and newfound happiness as a new dad, and will eventually kill him. When someone who asked for his help is later found dead, Rick feels compelled to leave the safety of his home office and go back into the field to make sure the police are on the right track to identify the killer. Although this is the 9th book in the series, it's the first one I've read and I am hooked! Doomed Legacy is well written with a unique premise, with the CTE angle, and the plot is interesting and fast-moving. The characters feel real and I quickly found myself caring about Rick and his future.

This is my first of the Rick Cahill series and I can’t wait to go back and read from book #1! Cahill is a P.I. In San Diego and once he gets wind of a case, he can’t let it go—even when he knows it will endanger him and the people he loves.

I loved how I was drawn immediately into the mystery and the fast-paced writing continued until the very end. I loved the authenticity of the setting—legit freeway exits and and city references that are true to life. If you’re a fan of authors like Michael Connelly, John Sanford, etc., I would recommend this series!

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Rick is a private investigator whose life seems to be falling apart. He has CTE which is getting worse, and it’s affecting his relationship with his wife, Leah, especially since he hasn’t told her how bad it’s gotten. She’s also angry at him because after playing it safe for a couple of years by not taking cases “out in the field,” he feels he has to investigate the murder of a client. It scares her because she doesn’t want him (or her and their child) to be put in danger.

Although Rick has plenty of problems, deep down he’s a good guy. He takes responsibility for things even when he doesn’t have to. His character is well-developed, and I felt so sad for him.

The conversations in Doomed Legacy need to be formatted better. It was difficult to follow them sometimes, especially when a new paragraph wasn’t started for a new speaker.

I enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down at times. The ending was particularly exciting! I look forward to reading more by Matt Coyle.

Thank you so much to Swell Media and NetGalley for the eARC of the ninth novel in Rick Cahill's legacy-- doomed as it well may be. This was my first introduction to the detective's story, and I felt as though I could slip into the narrative like a snug pair of pajamas. This is very much a series where you can just jump in; and the author does a masterful job of catching you up in a way that does not feel like a ton of boring exposition. I learned so much about Rick even in the first chapter.

We meet the private detective as his personal life is taking a nosedive. He has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), caused by many head traumas from things like football as he was growing up, and the disease has progressed to a point where it makes him incredibly hotheaded over small things. Rick has decided not to tell his wife how bad the condition is getting; therefore, she had no idea why he was having random outbursts-- and one night, it was too much. On the other side of things though, his professional life started ramping up when a past contact is murdered... and he finds the body.

So, Rick is juggling this case and his own ailments, and it makes for a very interesting plot where the detective goes out on his own to solve both the case and his tense home life. It is a very fast-paced tale with a feeling of desperation that will keep you up at night; unable to put the book down. I definitely want to go back and read the rest of the saga now-- because Rick is a character that you will inexplicably root for. He has a dogged determination and truly cares about people, which is hard to find in this world. If you like gritty noir stories-- this one is for you!

Matt Coyle’s Doomed Legacy opens with the tender scene of Rick Cahill standing over his daughter’s crib, watching her sleep and reflecting on the wonders of fatherhood. Moments later he is in an uncontrollable rage because of an observation by his wife. Rick suffers from CTE, a brain disease that causes these rages and they have been getting worse, making him fear for his family’s future as his marriage begins to fail. He works from home doing background checks for companies’ prospective employees. Sara Bandhari, his HR contact at one of the companies, wants to hire him to investigate another firm that has done checks for them. She has detected irregularities in their work that has her worried. Several days later Sara is murdered. Police believe that it is the work of a man who has recently attacked a number of women, but Rick believes that it is tied to her work.

Rick has a deep sense of responsibility to his clients and is determined to find justice for Sara. Suddenly his livelihood is in jeopardy. He is accused of sending Sara disturbing e-mails and potential clients are being warned not to hire him. His friend Moira, who is also a PI, has come up against the same firm and suffered the same fate. Now they have joined forces to investigate the firm and the elusive group that has been supporting them. Murder, intimidation and espionage are all in play as Rick tries to control his rage and find Sara’s killer. Moira is not just an associate, but also a friend who provides support and a calming influence. Their investigation is a tangled web that will keep you on the edge of your seat as Rick allows his sense of responsibility to put his family in jeopardy. I would like to thank NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for allowing my review of this book.

An Administrative Anomaly Leads To Murder

This novel opens with Rick Cahill becoming more and more angry and aggressive often over the smallest of things. His neurologist believes that he has serious neurological condition. The effects of this condition are seriously starting to affect his relationship with Leah. The first two chapters are devoted to this B-storyline thread. The difference in this novel’s start goes to the importance of this aspect of Cahill to the story. The main storyline starts after this beginning. Cahill’s PI business now consists mainly of performing background investigations on job applicants for commercial companies. His point of contact at one at his companies calls and wants to meet him away from her office. She tells him about three background investigations, not performed by Cahill, that went missing and then reappeared with a different signature. He does not believe that this issue was significant. Over the weekend she is killed. From these starts the main and B-storylines start.

The main storyline consists of two closely related threads that both are narrated by Cahill. The first thread starts with the meeting mentioned above. The police believe that this death was the latest work by a serial predator of women. Cahill starts his own investigation and enlists his PI friend, Moira MacFarlane. It took some time to find enough information for his investigation to gain purchase, but then the flow quickens and blooms into an interesting and very complex investigation. There are many twists and turns that for me raised to the level of literary grenades that changed the complexion of the investigation significantly and several times. The second thread deals with someone sabotaging Cahill as a person and by destroying his reputation. Some PIs, which MacFarlane knows, also have suffered similar attacks so she assists in the investigation find out who is responsible. The deaths and attacks against Cahill and MacFarlane raise the tension and suspense. My interest was immediately captured and held tight through to the end.

The B-storyline on Cahill is exceptionally rich. The author’s poignant and effective portrayal of a person fighting to stay normal with a terrible neurological condition was very moving. To see the effects of this condition through the eyes and thoughts of Cahill was captivating. While Cahill always seems to have a major obstacle to overcome, this one is the most serious. Cahill’s interaction with MacFarlane and the other characters in the novel reveal his base character. The B-storyline enhanced my reading enjoyment.

As for the aspects to which some readers object, there are two issues that may cause trouble. The first was the description of the murder scene, and the second is how Cahill’s character is attacked. Just let the reader be forewarned. As for intimate scenes, there are none. Vulgar language is near nonexistent, and rude language occurs just a little more. The last aspect is that this novel is the ninth book in the series. I believe that this novel can be read first as I saw adequate backfill for events mentioned that occurred in previous novels in this series.

Cahill’s personal battle, which I enjoyed the most, was also what gave me mixed feelings at the end of the novel from the B-storyline point of view. For me, it was a very realistic ending. This was the only aspect of this novel with which I had an issue not from a literary point of view but emotional. For the main storyline, I enjoyed how what appears to be an administrative error turns into such a complex story. I enjoyed reading this novel so much, I kept reading late into the night. I have read half of the previous novels in this series, but with this novel the main storyline was still fresh and different. For me the author has confirmed my rating of Must-Read. I am looking forward to reading his next novel. I rate this novel with five stars and a strong recommendation to read it.

I received a free prepublication e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Oceanview Publishing. My review is based only on my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.