The Easy Way Out by Axel Blackwell - Book Review

The Easy Way Out is the second installment in the Detective McDaniel Thriller series and boy, are you in for another wild ride! No outright spoilers will be given for the first book.

Also before I begin I would like to let you know that I was sent a ebook ARC copy by the author but this in no way affects my review. This is also a spoiler free review.

The Characters

We had the usual Detective McDaniel and Vanderwyk and I love this co-worker duo so much! I throughly enjoyed seeing (ahem I mean reading) more of Griggs and the background of how him and McDaniel met. I really enjoyed seeing the inner anguish that McDaniel was going through from the previous book and how he worked through it. 

The Plot

Another great murder mystery case with enough spins to keep the reader guessing and right along there with Detective McDaniel, wondering who dun it?!? Loose ends always get tied up in the end with a satisfying message but of course there will always be murder so of course there's always going to be another until Detective McDaniel has filled his cup.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

Still reeling from his encounter with a depraved child killer and a professional hitman on the city’s waterfront, Homicide Detective Darren McDaniel is thrown back into the fray. A headless corpse washes up in a secluded cove near the industrial district. The body shows signs of extreme trauma – torture – prior to being tossed into the sea.

The brutal excess of violence disturbs McDaniel, pulling him into the investigation. But, with no head, no usable fingerprints, and advanced decomposition, the remains offer few clues to the identity of the victim, or the perpetrator.

McDaniel, and his partner, Brent Vanderwyk, begin investigating reports of missing persons, hoping to match an open case with their victim. A disturbing pattern soon emerges - multiple subjects on the fringes of society have disappeared over the past few years.

The case that started with a headless corpse on the beach quickly spins out of control, expanding to include at least five men, dead or missing. All of them are directly connected to a treacherously entangled trio – a petty drug-lord, a sheriff’s detective, and a bombshell femme fatale.

McDaniel and Vanderwyk slowly unravel the tangled mess of lies, deception, trickery, and murder. As the pieces fall into place, they learn that a sixth victim has been taken.

The detectives formulate a plan to capture the killer and save his latest victim before it’s too late. But as they race to the rescue, the mission quickly unravels, plunging the detectives into gunfights, car chases, mayhem on the high seas, and a nail-biting conclusion that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

The Pacing

It has the same rich settings and descriptions as the first one that plunge the reader straight into the story. There was a bit of a lag in later middle part but nothing alarming or anything. The ending didn't feel too rushed either like most books tend to do, especially with series. 

Like I've said with the first one, these books seemed to have been researched throughly. From the setting locations to police proceedings and teh like. Things aren't left in the blank for the reader to guess what in the heck is going on and there doesn't seem to be any far fetched guessings on what is what either.

Research

Like I've said with the first one, these books seemed to have been researched throughly. From the setting locations to police proceedings and teh like. Things aren't left in the blank for the reader to guess what in the heck is going on and there doesn't seem to be any far fetched guessings on what is what either.

The Publishing Side of Things

A clean cut genre-fitting cover much like the first one and they pair well together to keep a consistent genre theme going on. Absolutely no grammar problems whatsoever! So it's definitely one of the cleanest copies I've read in regards to that. All the plot and happenings seemed to fit and nothing seemed to stick out oddly.

Overall

Another fun and thrilling ride from a great and respectable author. Can't wait to keep digging in this sereis and discovering more of the adventures of Detective McDaniel. 

I also can now understand the meaning behind the title and love it when they connect at the end!

Book Links! (these are not affiliate links)

Goodreads

Amazon

💀 Related Post ➡️ Hold Back the Night by Axel Blackwell - Book Review

Will you be adding The Easy Way Out to your to-read list?? Please give your answer in the comment section below so we can have a chat!

This blog post is curated, created, and copyrighted to and by R. A. Myers 2019 ©. Do not copy post without author’s permission. Any without permission will be taken down.

Hold Back the Night by Axel Blackwell - Book Review

Are you one for detective mystery/thrillers? I haven't read so much of the genre but when my friend Axel Blackwell got in contact with me, I was in for a good whirl and now a growing love for the genre.

Hold Back The Night is a new detective thriller series by a budding author who has also written paranormal thrillers, two: Sisters of Sorrow and The Timeweaver's Wager, which are two of some of my most favorite books I've ever read! He's also co-authored along side of Dawn Lee McKenna in the Still Waters series.

Also before I begin I would like to let you know that I was sent a ebook ARC copy by the author but this in no way affects my review. This is also a spoiler free review.

The Characters

The book starts off with the point of view of the main character and this is the only time her point of view is in the story. It was much like a prologue (might have been classified as one but I can't remember), but I really enjoyed this. Again, since I am kinda new to this genre I am not sure if this is common, but I liked it none the less. We continued in Detective McDaniel's point of view the rest of the time. It's in third person past as well.

So firstly, our main character is Detective Darren McDaniel. He's set on justice and has a colorful history that lets the reader get to know him without any sudden dumping, it's very well thought out and sprinkled well. Something I noticed was home the name of him changed. For example in the police field he was known as McDaniel, whereas at his home or with his family off duty he was Darren. This was a very minor detail, but an important one that I loved seeing.

The minor characters all played an important part and I really enjoyed his co-workers, especially his partner Vanderwyk and there back and forth joking but ability to work together as a team and get things done.

The Plot

Here is the synopsis from Amazon:

4:23 a.m. The phone rings. The officer on the other end says, “It’s a bad one, Darren. Can you come?”

Darren McDaniel has worked dozens of homicides in his years as a detective. It’s a dark and gritty business, and he’s prepared to handle whatever it throws at him. Or so he once believed.

The pre-teen girl is dead, dressed in a white princess gown, lying on a bus stop bench. There’s a steel chain clamped to her ankle. A cryptic message scrawled across the booth’s dusty glass wall may be the only clue.

As McDaniel plunges into the case, he isn’t surprised to discover the girl had been held somewhere horrible before her death. But, his blood chills when the evidence shows she wasn’t alone. Other children were with her. Are they still there? Can McDaniel save them in time?

The detective races against the clock, but the closer he gets, the deadlier the chase becomes. Secrets this dark fight back. When those secrets turn their murderous attention on McDaniel’s family, he faces an impossible decision – let the killer walk free or risk losing his own daughter.

***

This story was interesting and tugged at the heart string right away, pulling you into the story and being there with McDaniel. I loved how everything sort of circled around at the end.

The Pacing

The story has the perfect dose between detailing and giving info. It offers rich settings and descriptions. But it doesn't lag and make the reader fall asleep either. It offers the perfect medium: wasn't such a quick read that I felt like it was missing more and wasn't boring where I snoozed off. I was actually in fact trying to stay awake once I had taken my sleep medication just so I could finish a chapter!

Research

For me, it didn't seem like it was drawing a lot of blanks like intentionally leaving out details because of lack of research or grasping at straws. It felt like I was watching a crime TV show with the amount that you learned about the police life, without it being pushed at you or worldbuilding dumped.

The Publishing Side of Things

I was very impressed with the simple yet beautiful formatting. There were stormy cloud headers and these seemed like a very neat choice for this book. The book cover is sleek and fitting to the story. The price is very good for new readers. One thing I did wish was that I could find more digital retailers for this story.

The story also flowed well without any noticeable grammar issues or plot holes. The voice reigned the same and strong throughout the book, making me enjoy this character and genre choice and craving for more.

Overall

This was a fun ride to read! I enjoyed the reference to one of my favorite bands (The Birthday Massacre), which if I remember right Axel is one of the people that told me about the band and got me into it, so ha!

This story was truly addictive because of the anticipation and rooting for the characters. I can't wait to get into the rest of the series!

Book Links! (these are not affiliate links)

Goodreads
Amazon


💀 Related Post ➡️ Milk & Teeth

Will you be adding Hold Back The Night to your to-read list?? Please give your answer in the comment section below so we can have a chat!

This blog post is curated, created, and copyrighted to and by R. A. Myers 2019 ©. Do not copy post without author’s permission. Any without permission will be taken down.