The life and death of Rose Doucette was an interesting and easy read. The synopsis was eye-catching. I loved how the author could write each emotion, such as guilt, corruption, and betrayal. The plot was good and kept me hooked.

thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I love that others loved this and I am an outlier. If you are curious by the synopsis and looking to enjoy this read - go check out those 4 and 5 star reviews.

This is purely personal - but I just did not connect with this story right from the start. Rose Doucette is gunned down in the road while with her ex-husband. Her ex-husband is not only struck by a car but he's also bashed over the head at the same time. When he regains consciousness, he rushes over to his ex-wife and begins lifesaving measures until the police arrive. He's an ex cop turned PI and was previously in Internal Affairs.

So the first thing the arriving officers do. . .is arrest him? I just struggled to believe this. And from there, the story went off the rails. When they were shocking him with a cattle prod, I just couldn't anymore. If there's one thing I believe, it's that the police would have at least backed their own and since he was an previous officer, I just couldn't believe all the police corruption to get to the point they were after him.

So, while I think the cover is so good, the story just wasn't for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own. As it was archived before I reviewed it, I purchased a finished copy.

I hadn't heard too much buzz about this one. Dallas PI, Dylan is contacted by his ex-wife, a police officer who is investigating a case that ends up with her shot and Dylan the main suspect. But who was Rose Doucette?

The novel contains compelling characters and punchy chapters that keep the plot moving. Plenty of action and a satisfying conclusion kept me reading. It was a decent enough thriller. The description made it sound like Dylan and Tito( Rose's current husband) team up immediately to work together but it was more at the 45% mark that the vein of the storyline gets underway.

This was my first Harry Hunsicker read and I felt he writes in a similar vein to Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben.





#TheLifeandDeathofRoseDoucette #NetGalley
Publication Date 01/12/24
Goodreads Review 10/12/24

I really felt like this story had me hooked from the very beginning. Rose reaches out to her ex, Dylan who is ex police and a private investigator, and after some hedging she eventually tells him that she needs him to investigate a murder that the force is trying to label as suicide. When Rose his then killed and he is the main/only suspect things really get interesting.

I enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down.

Wild, twisted and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could. This was a new Author for me and I will read Harry again.

I always forget how much I love a more procedure mystery until I pick one up like The Life and Death of Rose Doucette. This story gave me vibes similar to that of Lisa Gardner, who is the Queen of Mystery!

I really loved the main character, Dylan and his overall personality. I like the mystery behind the characters that lessened a little as we got to know them. The story picked up almost instantly. Right from the first chapter there was intrigue and I wanted to know what was happening next. Hunsicker knew exactly how to keep the suspense high enough to have me turning the pages every chance I got. Another great thing about the book was the flow. We got high-intensity moments with lots of drama, and then really good character building moments that were quieter and had more feelings involved. I love a book that is balanced and not all just one thing. It really keeps me as a reader wanting more and interested.

Hunsicker writes characters you want to see win and have an array of emotions for as you read through the story. I was constantly stressed out, anxious, happy, devastated and more. I loved all the different feelings I felt and that is the sign of good writing to me. I cannot wait to read more from Hunsicker in the very near future.

BOOK: The Life and Death of Rose Doucette
AUTHOR: Harry Hunsicker
PUB DATE: October 1, 2024, by Oceanview Publishing
PAGES: 320
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
GENRE: Fiction/Crime Thriller

A BIG Thank You to @netgalley, @OceanPublishing, and the author for gifting me an advanced digital in exchange for my honest review!

QUICK & SPOILER-FREE REVIEW: This was my first read by this author and I gobbled it up AND ate the crumbs! I really enjoyed his descriptive writing style and appreciated all the nods to various (and very real) Dallas destinations. He also brings to light some Dallas world events throughout, which only added depth to this story. This was a fast-paced suspense thriller with a twist ending, and I didn’t want to put it down. It’s said that this is perfect for fans of Michael Connelly & Robert Crais. I will absolutely be reading more by this author. Just excellent!

I ended up DNFing this book. I think it had good bones but it missed the mark. I think there needed to be better character development and a bit of a faster start to grab the reader and keep them interested.

Thanks for the ARC on this one! Very quick, easy read. I hate that no one believed Rose and that she hid much about her past her whole life, and ultimately lost her life because of it. Loved Dylan’s persistence to find answers and clear his name. I think my favorite thing of the whole book might be Dylan and Tito pretty much becoming besties. Lessons from this one - money is very dangerous and the lengths people will go to protect it are staggering.

4.5★s
The Life and Death of Rose Doucette is a novel by American author, Harry Hunsicker. Former Dallas cop, now PI, Dylan Fisher is curious when the ex-wife he hasn’t seen for three years, Homicide Detective Sergeant Rose Doucette wants his input on a case that has been deemed suicide by her colleagues. She’s convinced that Josh Gannon, fresh out of prison, has been murdered.

But Dylan is shocked when someone from the grey Chevy Tahoe following her shoots her dead. Grief mix with frustration when a corrupt Dallas cop who bears Dylan a grudge, Detective Lutz tries to pin her murder on him. Luckily, he has a very competent lawyer on tap, and Mia Kapoor has him out on bail quick smart. But the judge’s warning that he refrain from investigating will be impossible for Dylan to obey.

Those investigations attract the attention of some nasty characters, ex-military types who are clearly in the employ of whoever wants to suppress the information that Rose had. These men demonstrate that they have no qualms about killing, and the body-count of those who might know something steadily rises.

An added complication is Rose’s second husband who is determined to see Dylan punished for killing his wife. When the danger threatens those he cares most about, Mia and her baby son Caleb, it crystallises Dylan’s resolve to uncover what is behind the killings. When her ex and her widower eventually join forces, they begin to understand how little they knew about Rose’s past, and the sort of power and influence they’re up against.

Hunsicker gives the reader believeable characters and a twisty plot with a hefty body count and an exciting climax. This is a gripping crime thriller and more of this cast would be welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing.

The life and Death of Rose Doucette: A Novel by Harry Hunsicker brings readers to Dallas, Texas, and private investigator Dylan Fisher. His ex-wife asked to meet a bar in a certain hotel. They have not seen each other in three years, and while it has been a long time, neither is ready to forgive.

While he left the force a few years ago, Rose is still a homicide detective with the Dallas Police Department. From the first look at her, he can tell things are off with her. Further proof is the fact that she wants to hire him. She’s willing to do that because she is scared. A 20-year officer with the DPD is scared over a case. She had a gunshot victim, white guy, early 40’s, was found dead in a cabana out by the pool at the same hotel they are meeting at today.

The dead man was Josh Gannon. He had been out of Huntsville for a few days. He had no income, no job, and no reason to be staying at an expensive hotel. He was shot in the chest. From the top down, the DPD brass want her to call it a suicide and let it go. So does the staff of the hotel who made sure to clean up all the evidence anything happened. She’s been pulled off their case. She wants to hire Fisher to find the killer. As they discuss the scene, the hotel mamanger and security show up to boot them off the property.

She was already mad at Fisher for the direction of the conversation, and getting booted off the property despite her badge, is the last straw. She takes off and Dylan realizes that she is being followed. He gets in his car and follows. He keeps following and trying to reach her on her cell phone and getting voice mail. He trails her to the Northeast Dallas police substation where he is in time to see her killed.

Arrested as a suspect, because he has her blood on him as he tried to save her, it gives a chance for old enemies on the force to go after him. Some would love to see him in state prison and are not going to do anything but help it happen. Obviously, he isn’t going to let that happen. Before long, he and people he cares about are in deep to their eyeballs in a mess that goes back decades.

As one expects from a Henry Hunsicker book, it is a complicated and mighty good read. Not only is the The Life and Death of Rose Doucette: A Novel a superb mystery, it is full of Dallas area landmarks. References that are often not positive and may bring a snicker while delighting those of born and raised in this city. A city where not everything is golden and good. A great read and well worth your time.




My reading copy came as an ARC by way of Oceanview Publishing through NetGalley.



Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

From the cover to the story to the ending...this was fantastic!

I loved the story, was hooked from page 1 and couldn't ever put it down.

A friend recommended this book to me. She said I'd love it.....she was right! An excellent thriller with a cast of characters that shouldn't have worked but most definitely make a team that I'd want on my side. There are shades of some of the best series out there, Spencer, Bosch, any Harlan Coben and more. The twists are enough to keep you watching carefully for clues and loving it when they come out of the blue. This is a must read for everyone looking for a mystery/ thriller.

Three years after their divorce, Dylan's ex-wife Rose calls out of the blue. He's a private investigator and she wants to hire him. She's a cop, he's an ex-cop turned PI. She's afraid, a trait he hadn't seen in her before, and the case has to do with a suicide that she doesn't believe was a suicide. Pages later, she's killed.

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette is a propulsive page-turner. With little to go on, Dylan investigates and peels back layer by layer. He's good at his job. The case gets weirder and weirder as odd characters and strange backstories enter the fray.

Crime thriller isn't my usual go-to genre, but this one had me engaged. Strong characters, a dark mystery, a tight case that is expertly revealed kept me guessing. I'd read more Dylan Fisher books if they happen to appear!

My thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the digital ARC.

Dylan and Rose were married for awhile, enjoying life as decorated and respected cops. Three years ago, Rose decided she was ready to move on and left Dylan for a lawyer named Tito. Brokenhearted and bitter, Dylan avoids his ex as much as possible and settles into a new life as a PI. One day, out of the blue, Rose requests a meeting at a hotel with Dylan to discuss a case she is working on. She wants his help to prove that her victim was murdered and did not commit suicide as her chain of command is pushing her to do. Rose looks drained and seems flighty, and he is trying to get as much information as he can before they get kicked off the hotel property. As she leaves, Dylan notices a car following her, so her joins the chase. They make it to a secluded area in a park where he sees Rose gunned down. The assailant clobber's him over the head, dazing him. When the cops show up., Rose is dead with Dylan being the main suspect. Now he must prove his innocence. Can he do this without putting anyone else in danger?

This was a very fast paced, twisty book that I really enjoyed. There were a lot of layers of secrets revealed along the way, and it is easy to ask "how well do you really know someone, even the person you are married to". I liked how the layers were unfolded in a way that made me just want to read "one more chapter" to figure out what would happen next. I liked the progression of the relationship between Dylan and Tito, from mutual hatred to a deep understanding and respect. I felt so much sorrow for what Rose went through. Even though she was more of a "background" character as there wasn't much interaction with an alive her past the first couple chapters, it was still easy to emotionally connect with her. I do wish there was more information into Rose's brother Boyd, especially towards the end. I also wish there was more at the end around Dylan's relationship with Mia. One thing that made me uncomfortable about the book was the overt racism with some of the villain characters. I know it was used to make the reader dislike them even more, and unfortunately these things are happening in today's society.

Former police detective, now PI, Dylan Fisher is tasked by his ex-wife Rose to investigate a supposed suicide of her old friend. Immediately afterwards, Rose is killed and Dylan witnesses the execution. Dylan is charged with her murder. Free on bond, he attempts to clear his name by finding the real killer. The tension builds as Dylan becomes a target as well, yet has little sympathy from the police. Rose’s present husband, Tito, comes into play. Although Dylan and Tito were rivals for Rose’s affection, the two make peace with one another and team up to work together to solve Rose’s murder and the mystery surrounding it, stemming from something that happened two decades earlier! Indeed, the plot is complex but not convoluted. There are many twists and the twist at the end was thoroughly unexpected.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Ocean Publishing for this e-arc.*

I finished this book a couple of days ago, and I still am not sure what to say about it.

It's a good book. I don't dislike it in the slightly. I just... don't know what to say.

As someone who has always been interested in crime thrillers, I really liked that this book is from the perspective of a PI (and former police officer). It allowed a more in-depth knowledge to shine through, and it didn't feel like the author was talking down to people that maybe don't understand or have previous knowledge of the area. It had a beautiful balance of knowledge, information, and description.

As the mystery unfolds, I'm not overly keen on the new founded friendship. I don't really think that that type of bond would form that fast, even with trauma bonding.

Overall, like I mentioned earlier it's a good book. It's also not a bad book either. I think of this as a neutral book, and I'm content with saying that. I will most definitely look up other books by the author and give them a shot!


#netgalley #netgalleyarc #arc #arcreview #bookreview #booksof2024 #netgalleyreview #book #thelifeanddeathofrosedoucette #harryhunsicker

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette by Harry Hunsicker is a very highly recommended PI novel with serious noir undertones. I enjoyed this novel a lot!

Dallas private investigator and former police detective Dylan Fisher hasn't seen Rose Doucette, his ex-wife and a homicide detective, for three years so he is surprised when she asks him to meet her at an exclusive hotel. Rose wants him to investigate a murder that happened at the hotel. Josh Gannon, a drug dealer fresh out of prison, was shot on the grounds a few days earlier. Now it's all cleaned up and Rose has been taken her off the case claiming it was a suicide. While talking on the grounds where the body was found the two are told to leave by hotel management.

As Rose leaves, Dylan notices a car following her, so he follows both cars while trying to text Rose to warn her. Once she parks, the driver of the car shoots Rose and sets up the evidence to implicate Dylan in the crime. Now Dylan is charged with murder. The lawyer he works for, Mia, gets him released and must find out who really killed Rose. Along the way Dylan teams up with Rose’s second husband, defense attorney Tito Mullins to solve the murder.

The Life and Death of Rose Doucette is a well-written, fast-paced, compelling investigative novel that is full of secrets and surprises as the progressively dangerous investigation unfolds. Since Rose's murder happens early in the novel, a sense of urgency and danger is immediately present and is followed by increasingly tense situations and twists. The underlying mystery that needs to be solved becomes more complex as the risks increase.

The narrative unfold through Dylan's first person account, which works quite well and helps create the noir atmosphere in the mystery. Dylan is a fully realized character with a great personality. The rest of the cast of characters are realistic, varied, and unique in the novel. As the narrative continues Rose's backstory brings her to life.

This is an engrossing mystery that held my complete attention right up to the surprising twist at the end. Thanks to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers. All opinions are my own.

What a quick fun read! I don't know that I've read a noir style detective book before, so this is my first. I love how ex-husband and current husband tag teamed to find the killer of Rose. The pacing was good, the little sub plot romance was good, twists and turns with a good ending. It felt like watching an episode of Burn Notice or Criminal Minds. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

A terrific noirish mystery. Usually in a straight mystery like this, I’ll suss the “who-done-it” fairly early on. In this one I didn’t, possibly because I was enjoying the story so much I never let my mind roam enough to figure it out. Highly recommended.