Relentless

Strong entry into a very crowded field as hard-boiled cops and murders can be found in abundance. But Wilson’s entry is welcomed. The plot development and characters are well-developed. The story moves at a a quick pace, and keeps the reader coming back for more. Hopefully there will be more stories to come as well.

It took me a little while to get into the story but once I connected with the character of Brick, I wanted to know what would happen next. In many ways, this was a mystery novel like many others. In some ways, it felt like I might have read it before; but there were enough twists in the plot to keep the book interesting. Some unexpected and sad developments caught me off guard. Overall, a pretty good read.

Actually, this isn't a bad effort overall - certainly for a debut novel. At the same time, I have to say that compared with top-rated police series writers like Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware) or Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), this one reads more like Dick and Jane.

In part that's because I just can't relate to a guy knicknamed "Brick" - even if (or maybe because) it comes as a result of his red hair. Beyond that, I'll compare it to old commercial for pasta sauce that proclaimed, "It's in there." That's true here as well, but the pot needs stronger ingredients - whether that be more adult-like dialogue, smoother transitions or more fleshed-out characters - before I can call the result delicious and, perhaps more importantly, truly be eager to read the next installment.

The main character's real name is Brian Kavanagh; at age 42, he works with his partner Ron Hayes in Washington, D.C. (somewhere I read that Ron's hair is in "dark dreads," so I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that he's African-American). Early on, they get called in when the body of a young woman turns up in the Tidal Basin; her ID can't be determined at the scene, but she's got a birthmark that may prove relevant. Not long after, Brian (yes, I really do refuse to call him Brick) and Ron get involved with the case of a missing immigrant worker at their favorite watering hole. Not long after that, the officers realize that his case and that of the murdered woman may be linked. As if all this weren't enough to keep them busy, they have to deal with a pair of police partners known to be in cahoots with a high-level muckety-muck who will stop at nothing to get his next promotion - prompting Brian to take an action that could forever change the course of his life.

Then another body turns up in another jurisdiction, making Brian suspect that a serial killer may be on the loose. That's underscored by a couple of chapters seemingly written by said serial killer, although they're inserted rather haphazardly and really don't add anything to the plot. When a man unexpectedly pleads guilty to a couple of the murders, Brian gets even more suspicious and teams up with the man's beautiful, intelligent defense attorney (oh gosh, can you guess where that will go)? Compounding the confusion, a medical examiner overlooks a crucial clue that would have stood out like a sore thumb to even the most inexperienced newbie. All that said, everything gets resolved in the end - most things satisfactorily, one not so much.

As I said early on, taken as a whole this book really is quite readable and definitely, positively shows promise - but it's sort of like a steak without much sizzle. Admittedly, this one won't make my Top 20 list of favorites for 2019, but I do thank the publisher for offering it to me to read and review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for a review copy of Relentless, the first novel to feature Washington Metro PD detective Brian “Brick” Kavanagh.

When the body of a young woman is found floating in the Tidal Basin Brick and his partner, Ron Hayes, are assigned the case. The discovery of a second body links the cases together and suddenly Brick is involved in a task force, but not for long as a quick arrest seems to resolve the case although he’s not so sure.

I enjoyed Relentless which I was keen to read, having seen it recommended in an American newspaper article. I wouldn’t say that it lives up to the hype, being rather low key until the action packed ending and slightly too American for me, among other things the constant references to baseball went way over my head. Nevertheless I found the plot interesting enough to keep turning the pages. It is a gradual accumulation of knowledge, although not in the sense of a straightforward investigation as the plot takes an interesting turn I’m not going to reveal, rather than a series of dramatic reveals until a final explosive flurry of action and reveals at the end. I had no idea of the perpetrator until then but a few chapters from his point of view over the course of the novel hint at the motive.

I don’t know anything about the author but this has the feel of a debut about it. It isn’t slick and tends to get bogged down in minutiae, like what Brick eats and drinks to the detriment of the investigation. I did, however, enjoy the storyline and would be interested in reading a follow up to see not only where Brick goes next but if it has a little extra polish.

Relentless is a solid novel and an easy way to pass a few hours.