Record Scratch

I waited several days after reading Record Scratch to give myself time to think about what I read. Trevor Galloway was a good police officer who was kidnapped by drug dealers, forcibly injected with heroin and became addicted. He gave up information about the narcotics undercover operation and the identities of their confidential informants. Needless to say, he now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.and is a pariah to the department personnel.

Trevor now works as an unlicensed private investigator. He has been hired by the sister of Jimmy Spartan, a musical legend, to find out what really happened when he was murdered. The case was closed many months ago without a suspect arrest. Things go wrong pretty quickly in the investigation but Trevor has been payed and Jimmy deserves justice.

One thought kept going through my mind as I read, How hard it must be to live the life of Trevor Galloway. The characters are well written and the story felt real. The mystery developed into more than I expected and that's always a positive. This is a little more hard boiled than I usually read but it's a solid four star book.

Record Scratch, the second novel in the Trevor Galloway series, is every bit as enthralling and exhilarating an experience as Bolt Action Remedy. What makes this series more authentic feeling than most is that J.J. Hensley infuses his fiction with his experiences from his time working as both a police officer and a U.S. Secret Service Special Agent. Masterfully crafted, perfectly paced and wonderfully written, this belongs on every crime buffs bookshelf. One of the aspects I thought was inspired was that each chapter is named after a song and hints at what is about to happen in each particular chapter. I have never seen this before and felt it added to the intrigue.

With surprises and action aplenty and an ending that will truly shock, this is one of my favourite reads of the year. I am always on the lookout for unique protagonists as quite a lot of those in crime fiction are stereotypical but you certainly can't accuse private investigator and former police officer Trevor Galloway of being that way. He is a fascinating and highly developed character who you join on his journey of ups and downs and feel all he feels. If you enjoy unpredictable novels then this is up there with some of the best, and although this does work fine as a standalone, because Galloway's struggle and trials and tribulations make up a substantial part of the plot, I would recommend reading the first book before this one so that you can understand how he ended up where he currently is. If hard-boiled, street-smart crime fiction is your bag, this is certainly worthy of your time.

Many thanks to Down & Out Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Trey Galloway is a down on his luck ex-cop with a tarnished badge, a history that include drug addiction, and he's haunted by ghosts. He has an Eastern European drug gang still after him and he has severe PTSD. Sometimes he isn't sure if what he's seeing is real and if he's not. That can lead to some pretty nerve wracking situations. He's a lone wolf, a disgraced cop with a chip on his shoulder, and no PI license. And things are just going to get dicier as he gets involved in a case where nothing makes any sense. But, like the classic down on his luck PI, Galloway is forever getting his butt kicked. This is a realistic, thrill ride of a crime story that is well-plotted and absorbing.