Eight stars
Having recently completed the Jim McGill series to date, I wanted more from Joseph Flynn. This series has all the elements for a great police procedural, with strong characters and a plot that keeps the reader in the middle of the action. Flynn delivers another great novel in the Ron Ketchum series, which introduces many new and exciting people who will appear in other of Flynn’s work. When Chief of Police Ron Ketchum is working shorthanded, he could not have expected to have such a set of cases fall into his lap. A dirty bomb is almost detonated on the local lake, sending federal agents to assist. They soon discover a rich socialite around town has been found dead, under some odd circumstances. Chief Ketchum finds himself in the middle of yet another collection of violent acts that shock the bucolic California community. Flynn delves deeply and keeps the reader engaged until the final pages.
Mondays usually were not this troublesome for Ron Ketchum. Chief of Police to the small resort town of Goldstrike, California, Ketchum will have to handle things shorthanded, after his deputy chief departs to look for a new job. An urgent call has Chief Ketchum discover a ‘dirty bomb’ on Lake Adeline. The C4 explosive connected to a radioactive canister would surely have done significant damage to the California community, had it not been caught in time. This is yet another oddity that befell the chief that fine morning. With the discovery of real estate magnate, Hale Tibbot, the town is abuzz with activity, none of it great for a police force.
All of Ketchum’s experience with the LAPD does not prepare him for this intensity. Ketchum thinks outside the box and invites his former LAPD partner, Keely Powell, to come help him for a time. The dirty bomb attracts the interest of the feds, sending. Special Agent John Tall Wolf of the BIA—Bureau of Indian Affairs—which baffles Chief Ketchum to no end. If that were not enough Special Agent Abra Benjamin makes her presence known from the FBI, vowing that she will solve the case and leave Tall Wolf in her dust. A little competition never hurt anyone.
As Tall Wolf feels that there is an eco-terrorist in their midst, he begins his work analysing the explosive device, which adds a little concern to all involved. The murder of Hale Tibbot is oddly unique, with but a pinprick in his neck and no blood at the scene. Working all the angles he can with his ragtag group of helpers, Chief Ketchum must allay the fears of the town and keep the mayor at bay, all while trying to keep his composure. With a sordid past of his own, Chief Ketchum is forced to come to terms with a number of things as he discovers there is one more piece about which he needs to worry, one he cold not have predicted. Many crimes, numerous suspects, and a a town that is anything but typical in its running, this will be a busy week for everyone. Flynn does a wonderful job once more with this piece, that had me hooked from the outset.
After a long reading journey through Joseph Flynn’s stellar Jim McGill political thriller series, this was a great change of pace (and topic). Premised on the same great storytelling, Flynn takes readers through a strong police procedural series with elements of greatness wherever one turns. A strong narrative base helps propel the story forward and keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. The story gains momentum as Flynn adds great characters, some of whom I have seen before in the McGill series, but this helps differentiate them from their political positions. The introduction of John Tall Wolf, a stellar character here, will help position him to be even better when I tackle the series where he is the protagonist. Off-handed and full of surprises, the tale would not have been the same without Tall Wolf’s flavouring. This also helps complement Ron Ketchum and his development, which is key to this short series.
As with previous novels, Flynn grounds the story with solid plot points, shaping things for all to see. While the mystery element was surely on offer, I felt that the numerous characters and their personalities proved to be the greatest twists. Perhaps, as I have read the entire Jim McGill series to date, I felt it more, but the surprises and twists in the story were helped along by o many faces that I have come to know in my longer reading experience with Joseph Flynn. I could not get enough of them and am eager to see if they will return in the last novel to date in this series as well. Mixing small town policing with large city issues helps push the story along and keep the surprises plentiful. Some of the sub-plots that did not impact the story as much were also refreshing, which only goes to help shape the person that Ron Ketchum is and how he will handle them in the upcoming story. I am ready for most anything and Ron Ketchum has me eager to keep reading. Flynn did a stellar job once more and I cannot get enough of his writing.
Kudos, Mr. Flynn, for wonderful story development across the board.
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