She knew the truth now, but had to move closer to see for herself. When she did so, Helen struggled not to look away from the body.
She’d been with this woman just a few short hours before, had sat and talked with her, even semi-argued with her. They’d made a deal, practically shook hands on it, but it looked as if the dead woman had tried to renege on that deal.
“Did he make you a better offer?” Helen asked the room. “And why did you even for a minute think he’d honor it?”
The final work had been done with either hands or some sort of strap, the bulging eyes and distended tongue showed that, but there had been a fight here, for sure. The woman’s waist was a mess of ugly splotches, black, blue and green. Scratches ran across the face and one arm rested at such an angle as to suggest a break. Even now, only a few hours into the process, the eyes, though filmed over, told a story of struggle, fear, and ultimately, surrender to the inevitable.
Okay, then. Not the intended person she’d come here to question.
Clearly,
Helen’s job had just become a whole lot more complicated.
Another top-notch mystery from a new master of the genre.
And the Devil Walks Away is the third book in author Kevin R. Doyle’s The Group mystery series, however it can be easily read and greatly enjoyed on its own. There are references to events from the previous books, but it doesn’t hamper this one. (Still, you don’t want to miss them if you have the opportunity to pick them up; they are that good, too.) With the premise of a strong female protagonist investigating FOR a serial killer, you know you’re in for an unusual story and the promise of a plot twist or two.
Disgraced ex-cop, Helen Lipscomb, is the main character, and status-wise she’s in a kind of no-man’s land: no longer a cop and no PI license either. Still, she tends to walk the walk of her former profession, and knows how to do the job. She’s smart and capable but, of course, there is still trouble along the way.
The plot is fast-paced and easy to read. Character development is primo, and dialogue is very well-done. I was quickly and easily drawn into the story and before I knew it, time had just whizzed past. This author has become a must-read for me since I first read one his books last year. He never disappoints.
I recommend AND THE DEVIL WALKS AWAY to mystery readers who
enjoy police procedural style stories.
7 comments:
Thank you so much for reviewng this book today!
Good morning. Thanks so much for your kind words concerning this work. Wouldn't go so far as to call myself a "master," but it is appreciated, especially since when I first began writing decades ago I had no intention to do mysteries.
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
Thanks for sharing.
This looks like a great read.
Looks like a good read.
This story sounds really interesting.
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