"What Falls Away" by Carl Filbrich is a captivating novel that intricately weaves together the threads of love, loss, and a mysterious conspiracy. The story revolves around Mike Ramsey, a man whose life takes a dramatic turn when his former lover, Gina Robson, is found murdered six years after their intense love affair during law school.

The narrative skillfully unfolds as Mike embarks on a perilous journey to unravel the truth behind Gina's murder. The stakes are high as he discovers his own name and address tucked away in her coat pocket, thrusting him into the center of a complex and dangerous web. Filbrich masterfully builds suspense, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they follow Mike's quest for answers.

One of the strengths of the novel lies in its exploration of the intricacies of love. Through Mike's experiences, the author delves into the profound impact that the people we love and lose can have on our lives. The emotional depth portrayed in the characters adds a poignant layer to the suspenseful plot, making "What Falls Away" more than just a mystery novel.

The portrayal of the conspiracy is both chilling and thought-provoking. Filbrich introduces powerful men who seem to have lost touch with reality, financing a bizarre conspiracy that adds an element of unpredictability to the story. The author's ability to blend elements of mystery with a touch of psychological thriller elevates the narrative, making it a truly engaging read.

Furthermore, the novel skillfully explores themes of identity, trust, and the lengths one is willing to go for the truth. As Mike delves deeper into Gina's life, the reader is taken on a rollercoaster ride of emotions and revelations that culminate in a satisfying and unexpected conclusion.

In conclusion, "What Falls Away" is a four-star masterpiece that combines a gripping mystery with a heartfelt exploration of love and its enduring impact. Carl Filbrich's writing is both eloquent and evocative, creating a literary experience that will linger in the reader's mind long after the final page. This is a must-read for those who appreciate a well-crafted mystery intertwined with the complexities of human relationships.

After reading plenty of thrillers it takes a lot these days for me to not work out the ending but this one totally got me. Overall really clever, well written and one I will be recommending.

While this book was not necessarily one of my favorites, I enjoyed it well enough. The characters were mostly likeable and the storyline was creative. It started off pretty strong but the ending just fell a little flat for me.

Mike Ramsey and Gina Robson had a brief, intense love affair in their first year of law school. Then Gina left Mike for another man and Mike left law school for something different—he wasn’t sure what.

Six years later, Gina is found murdered in the parking garage of a hotel, with Mike’s name and address on a slip of paper in her coat pocket. Mike takes on the dangerous task of trying to discover what was going on in Gina’s life. His search for answers leads him to a bizarre conspiracy financed by powerful men who seem to have lost touch with reality.

As Mike learns more about his old lover, he also learns something about love—that the people we have loved and lost never really leave us.

I really enjoyed this story. I felt a connection with the characters. The plot was easy to follow. Will recommend to others.

What Falls Away by Carl Filbrich
A Mike Ramsay Novel #2

Mystery that borders on a cozy as Mike Ramsay decides to find out who killed a college girlfriend. It easily stands alone as I have not read the first book and was able to follow this story but do wonder what I missed in book one.

Mike is a military veteran in a loving monogamous relationship with police detective Marie. They are together but allow one another a great deal of independence. Mike seems to be a chick-magnet with at least three or four women other than Marie indicating they would be with him if Marie and he were to break up. I did not understand why this was from the description in this book but perhaps it is in book one.

Mike makes several sleuth-related trips to the big city and one to Florida in search of answers, there are thugs that attack more than one person – including Mike, a group of friends are drawn into the story at various times, and glimpses of the life Mike and Marie live are seen.

The book is written in first person from Mike’s viewpoint and Mike seems rather ordinary in his life view without highs and lows in sharing what happens – at least not many of them. As he tells the story and we learn that he is generous, cares about others, seems to like a mystery, works out at a gym with other veterans he considers friends, is in my opinion a bit clueless about interacting with single women, is more accepting of at least one thing Marie tells him than I probably would have been, and that he is in search of what to do with his future. It is well plotted, ties in with current events, and was well edited but I did not feel a connection with the characters and doubt I will continue with the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

I did not care for this book. The actions of the main character are just too far-fetched. The relationship between the two characters are unrealistic and what occurred toward the end would not be resolved like it did in real life.

Are you ready for some action, mystery, and murder?

Me too, always.

What Falls Away is book two brought to you by Carl Filbrich in the Michael Ramsey series.

I have been switching up my reading between thrillers, police procedurals and then some RomCom to cleanse my palette.

I was scrolling through my Netgalley shelf looking for something to keep me awake and on my toes after a ROUGH weekend and came across What Falls Away. I had read No One's Daughter (book one) and thoroughly enjoyed it, so continuing on to the second book seemed only natural.

I'm a HUGE fan of fictional character, Mike Ramsey. Having served three tours in Afghanistan I have the utmost respect for our fictional hero.

In this second installment we see a softer side of Mike, we see him experience and talk about a past love. We also see Mike go to the ends of the earth to find out what had happened to his former lover, Gina.

Who would want Gina dead?

You are going to have to pick up a copy to find out!

Out of both books, I definitely favored this one and would love to see what Carl Filbrich comes up with next.

What Falls Away

Teaser :

Mike Ramsey and Gina Robson had a brief, intense love affair in their first year of law school. Then Gina left Mike for another man and Mike left law school for something different—he wasn’t sure what.

Six years later, Gina is found murdered in the parking garage of a hotel, with Mike’s name and address on a slip of paper in her coat pocket. Mike takes on the dangerous task of trying to discover what was going on in Gina’s life. His search for answers leads him to a bizarre conspiracy financed by powerful men who seem to have lost touch with reality.

As Mike learns more about his old lover, he also learns something about love—that the people we have loved and lost never really leave us.

Storyline is a little slow and anti-climactic. The storyline felt too political, like the author was trying divide sides. The ending was very weird with the female lead and how the male lead though it was normal.

As an avid Law & Order fan, the book summary appealed to me and I chose to read this without realizing that it’s book 2 of 2 in a series. I think that the story would’ve been better setup by developing the main character as having a hero complex — unless that was established in book 1.. He swoops in and lends a rather significant amount of money to someone he’s newly met and inserts himself front and center in the book’s investigation.

The storyline is relevant considering our current political climate but does read authentically. I’m unsure if I read a draft of the book by there were some contradictions in the book that made me feel like the author didn’t proofread his own work. (He asked Marie if she wanted children and then in a later chapter he avoided the topic while they were visiting her sister; the pill bottle was empty, but later they did forensics on the medication). There were nuances in the author’s language that were annoying to me, as the reader. In the latter part of the book, he said over and over that so-and-so “thought for a moment.” The repetition was prevalent enough to stand out in the text. There were several typos in the Kindle edition of the book that I documented in case you wish to fix it. Reach out to me if you’d like the list.

In general, I found this to be an enjoyable book to read. I kept coming back and wanted to know what happened. I liked the author's writing style and found it very easy to read. Although the plot included a number of complicated relationships, including more than one love interest, the book was a welcome departure from the romance thrillers that seem to fill the mystery/thriller shelves these days. The book certainly kept me guessing and I was not able to guess, at any point what was around the next turn. The political themes were very relevant to the times and yet managed to stay at enough of a distance that I feel readers with any political stance would still enjoy the book.

Some minor things I didn't love, but that would not keep me from recommending the book are as follows: There was a sense for me that the first part of the book moved a bit slowly while the second half was almost too fast. At times during the second half, I found myself needing to pause to remember who a character was, where somebody was or what was happening because it seemed to be developing quite quickly. The relationship between the two main characters was unusual, and while I liked it, I also found it hard to buy into as a result.

Thanks to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review the book!!

I really enjoyed this one. It starts with a bit oglf a bang and then slows.down quite a bit but I found it quite a fresh take on things and it wad a plot line I hadn't come across before so it didn't feel too repetitive. The characters were well written and likeable, the plot kept moving forward, even it was a bit slow to get going. Definitely worth a read, it keeps you engaged throughout, has plenty twists and turns and keeps you guessing til the end

did i enjoy this book? yes. it was very descriptive and easy to read and i fell right into the wild ride that this story pulls you into. it might have been a little too predictable, but thats not always a bad thing. sometimes its nice to read something and have it play out the way youre imagining it.
HOWEVER, i didnt like any of the characters. not a single one. ESPECIALLY the main character (pov). bleh.
i also feel like the ending was very rushed, but overall i enjoyed this book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

This book was a bit different for me?! It had the usual, it had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery and great sleuthing work lol the storyline was interesting and flowed nicely! It was definitely a decent read and I will recommend reading it but it was just ok for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!