Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

We love a hardboiled P.I. story and Matt Coyle delivers in this next installment in the Rick Cahill books! Fast paced and extremely entertaining, this is an entire series that any fan of the genre definitely needs. Coyle has a great ability to make characters multidimensional and totally relatable.

Wrong Light by Matt Coyle
A Rick Cahill Novel
Great pacing, strong opening. Good writing. I cared about the characters. I’ve read Matt Coyle’s writing before and liked it.
The book opens with a threat against a late night radio host. Cahill is hired to find out who authored a threatening letter.
The second plot starts with Cahill and a demand from the Russian mafia in San Diego. He owes a debt that will cost him his life if he doesn’t pay.
The second plot is a separate story, not a subplot. It interferes with Cahill fulfilling his obligation on his private detective contract.
For me, this was an unsatisfying read. I read it a few years ago about the time it was first published, and did not write a review. Because I committed to NetGalley that I would review this novel in exchange for an advanced copy, and I couldn’t remember what the novel was about, I reread it over the last three days.
I now know why it has taken me so long to get to this review. While the writing is good, the pace and tension are on target for a thriller, the ending left me very disappointed. I personally dislike books where an author does not have enough material on one case, so adds another story to make the required word count. The conclusions of both cases left me feeling empty, therefore I’m only giving this book 3***.

While I think I would truly like this series, I actually had no idea that Matt Coyle’s Wrong Light was book #5 in a series! Therefore I’m going to back up and start at the beginning.

I can always count on Matt Coyle's Rick Cahill series for excitment and non stop action . This book was not my first by the author and will not be my last. .i enjoyed his style of writing and how he weaves a mystery into a fast paced thriller.
Former cop Rick is now working as a private investigator. He is a tortured soul and that is part of his appeal in this series. He has a past he is not proud of and that he struggles with daily. He is hired by a radio station to look into a possible stalking of their host Naomi who broadcasts a successful late night talk show and has someone following her . Rick's best friend Moira, also a private investigator helps him work the case. Of concern is a secondary case he is working with her help involving a Russian mob. These two main plot lines created significant action and interest of a fast paced plot to a satisfying conclusion. ,

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the authors writing . This series holds the readers interest until the last page is done. I look forward to the next in series.

This was an interesting mystery read. The first book I have read from this author. I did not particularly like the basic storyline and the main character had no redeeming qualities but not having everything turn out 'perfect' as many mysteries do led me to a five-star rating.

Non-Stop Action!


This is my first book by Matt Coyle but it certainly will not be my last!


The storyline revolves around former cop now a private investigator (Rick Cahill) who is hired by a radio station to look into a possible stalking of their gorgeous and sexy moneymaker Naomi who broadcasts a late night talk show and has more nighttime listeners than any other radio station in the city. There is also another job that Rick must work at the same time without pay in order to keep his life due to an incident involving the Russian mafia. Rick's best and only friend Moira who is also a private investigator helps him work both cases. There is so much action and suspense taking place yet it was easy to follow and the book was finished before I knew it.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the characters even though some were very unlikable. Rick seems to be a tortured soul who is trying to find his own redemption for many mistakes he has made along life's path. The story hints at different events that have taken place in his life (previous books), yet they do not interfere with this book, the hints just make a reader want to learn more about Rick's prior history.

I have given a rating of 4 Investigative 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!!

I want to thank the Oceanview Publishing and Netgally for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion!

This was an easy read to get into. It caught my attention right at the very beginning, it was very fast paced and had lots of action. To make it even more interesting, there were multiple stories going on simultaneously, but it’s very easy to follow the storylines. I really fell in love with the main character PI Rick Cahill and I really hope this becomes a series.
I absolutely loved everything about this novel, until I got to the end. For me, personal the ending ruined it a little bit. It was still a really great read, but for some reason, I really wasn’t happy about the way it ended.
Thank you to Oceanview Publishing for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.

“Wrong Light” by Matt Coyle is part of The Rick Cahill series. Rick Cahill has a past, and the past never stays in the past. Coyle weaves details from previous books into the context of this story so new readers can get up to speed without endless pages of rehashing of old plots. Cahill’s first person narrative provides all the background anyone needs at the time it is needed.
Rick Cahill is a PI with a long and troubled history, but he seems to be adjusting to life and doing his job. He is trying to cope, trying to be competent, and attempting to accept responsibility for his past and his present. “My whole job depended on people acting differently in their secret lives than they did in public.”
“Wrong Light” opens with a voice that grabs readers as well as Cahill.
“Her voice, a low purr ripe with memories of long ago crushes, vibrated along the night’s spine. It pulled you close and whispered in your ear. You’re not alone. We’ll get through this. I won’t abandon you.” I’d listened to it on the radio during nighttime stakeouts. Nine til midnight. Five nights a week. 1350 Heart of San Diego on your AM dial. Naomi at Night. No last name. None needed. Her voice was all that mattered. And your imagination.”
The radio station had received an unusual fan letter; someone was threatening “Naomi at Night.” The police did not see the letter as a threat, but something was not right, so the station hired Cahill to find out what was going on.
Coyle pulls readers into Cahill’s world of uncertainty, doubt, and conflicting information. The narrative is casual, matter of fact, as if Cahill and the reader were sharing stories over dinner. He talks to readers and to himself; he shares his thoughts. Things do not always go well, and readers learn what he learns, question what he questions, and fear what he fears. Piece by piece information comes to light but that “light” brings more questions and few answers. Cahill seems to have enemies wherever he goes, and he uncovers only more lies and more secrets. “Maybe it was time to stop thinking. Was I wrong? Or maybe, I was wrong about everything.”
Coyle develops a sense of place with geographic details that astute readers can follow on Google maps. His shout out to football fans of “the Traitors— I mean, Chargers” immediately grounds the narrative in San Diego. The descriptions make such contributions that this would not be the same story if it were set somewhere else.
“The morning sun sparkled across the San Elijo Lagoon. The northern end of paradise. But paradise was just a pretty bow around the eighth largest city in the country that had its fair share of kooks and psychopaths. They just had golden suntans and blond hair.”
Coyle’s realism, logistics, action, and ordinary, tedious, and mundane things combine to make “Wrong Light” an incredibly normal and incredibly complicated book. I received a copy of “Wrong Light” from Matt Coyle, Oceanview Publishing, and NetGalley. The “wrong Light” shines on many characters in the book, but that “wrong light” falls mainly on Rick Cahill. Will there be a better light for Rick in the future? I hope so, and I cannot wait for the next book to find out.

PI Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect Naomi Hendrix, the sultry voice that has everyone in awe on a nightly basis. It seems like she's picked up a stalker who calls himself Pluto. He has a fantasy and he has a plan.

While Cahill accepts the job, he has misgivings about Naomi .... she seems to have secrets from her past that she's not sharing.

Meanwhile a missing person puts him at odds with the police and then he gets a call from an old enemy ... one that he owes a favor to.

While Rick pursues Naomi’s stalker and battles the police, evil ricochets from his own past and embroils Rick in a race to find the truth about an old nemesis. Is settling the score worth losing everything?

This is a well written, action-packed, page turner. Although 5th in a series, this reads well as a stand alone. I literally could not put this one down until I finished reading every single page .. I was riveted by the story and the action. There are twists and turns that seem to appear out of nowhere. I was not prepared for the surprising, yet fitting, ending.

Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / Netgalley / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Naomi Hendrix's nighttime radio show is a hit among many Southern California listeners. But one listener called "Pluto" seems to be stalking Naomi, so the radio station manager hires PI Rick Cahill to track him down. Naomi is hiding secrets about her past and is reluctant to help Cahill find "Pluto". When a potential witness goes missing, Cahill feels responsible for her disappearance. His persistence in wanting to solve both Naomi's stalker case and finding the missing woman put him at odds with the investigating detective, strains his other friendships and almost costs him his life. Another subplot involving Cahill, a debt he owes Russian mobster Sergei Voklov and his deadly daughter Tatiana, and a medical stem-cell company complicates things.

This was another thrilling read in the Rick Cahill PI series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

This is the fifth book in a series with which I'm unfamiliar, but the description sounded right up my alley. It got that close and then some; I absolutely loved it and am hoping the next one will be heading for my street before too long. Private detective Rick Cahill is the perfect combination of a flawed (sometimes seriously) but likable character, and the straightforward, no-nonsense plot is a refreshing change from the head games of many of today's thrillers that leave you thinking, "What just happened here?"

At no time, I must add, did I feel the least bit left out because I hadn't read the previous books; in fact, I was impressed with the subtle effectiveness in which the author provides background details (that's not to say, however, that finishing this one didn't make me wish I'd heard about the series much earlier). In this one, told in first-person narrative, we first "meet" Rick as he listens to the sultry, soothing voice of "Naomi at Night" offering consolation and advice to midnight callers to her popular radio show. She's been the subject of somewhat veiled threats, and the station's bigwigs have hired Rick to investigate as surreptitiously as possible to avoid negative media attention.

As the story progresses, we learn that he's a former Santa Barbara, California, cop who once managed a restaurant. As for Naomi, it seems she, too, has a background that she doesn't want anyone else to know about; although the police were shown the latest threatening letter, they claimed there was insufficient evidence to take on the case - making Naomi, who has gone to great lengths to protect her real identify - very happy. When the gun she owns illegally is stolen, she of course doesn't file a police report and insists that Rick keep her secret as well.

Meantime, Rick is forced to deal with issues from his own past - a detente with a Russian mobster and his viciously dangerous daughter suddenly returns to haunt him, demanding repayment of a favor owed. Especially given that he's no fan of the local police, he's limited in who he can call for help (happily, one of his old buddies, Moira, still likes him enough to help with both his investigations, albeit reluctantly). But when Rick's actions result in a young woman's abduction, he's got no choice but to go to the cops - and they're not thrilled to have his nose in their business again.

As Rick's investigation continues with help from Moira, his lack of a perfect moral compass rears its head on several occasions (making the story, and Rick, far more interesting, IMHO). Finally, both cases come to exciting, though not necessarily happy, endings - leaving me, as I mentioned earlier, wanting more. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy.

Wrong Light is a new book from the Rick Cahill series. Matt Coyle's novel is centered on Cahill who is a private investigator with a hard edge. In this book Cahill is hired to protect Naomi, a local radio celebrity with a sultry voice. Naomi has a stalker but she also has a past she would prefer stay hidden.

A second story line about Russia, the mob, and health fraud left me distracted. This story line felt forced to me, and the story wasn't as cogent as the first.

The novel is evocative of Hollywood noire, a style I quite like. Overall, this is an interesting book and I look forward to reading more from Coyle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this novel. This review is completely my own.

This book had a lot of hits with me, and also a couple of misses. I felt like it was kind of depressing, which was a miss. I would have liked a little bit more to go right with Rick. That being said, the story had a lot of mystery, suspense, and action along with solid writing-definitely hits. I also live in the San Diego area and I loved reading this as it is set in San Diego. I recognized the areas and I loved that aspect of it. Overall, I’d recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review it.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Set in present day San Diego

Naomi Hendrix, known only as the sultry voice every lonely man listens to late at night, until... someone begins leaving threatening love letters and a promise of a union.

Rick Cahill is hired for her security at the local radio station, meanwhile juggling dangerous people from his past. Somehow he music do both and quickly before more people die but Naomi does not want the police involved, which makes Rick’s job more difficult.

The novel is about stalking, murder and crime.I love dark thrillers and this certainly did not disappoint. The action mostly takes place at night. Rick is constantly under threat of being killed by some Russian’s who are trying to protect a secret. There is a lot of action and murders throughout this novel. There is conflict and not to mention attraction between Rick, Naomi and the police.

How Coyle swichted between the two crimes is perfect while staying focused on getting Naomi and Ricks story out there. Love it

Another great adventure for P.I. Rick Cahill who is balancing two cases and trying to survive. Throw in a missing person case in which he might also be involved and he is in a world of trouble. He was hired to find out who is stalking Naomi Hendrix, a night radio talk show hostess. Naomi has a complicated history and at first doesn’t believe she has a stalker. Her story keeps changing and she has an “I can take care of myself” attitude, but soon realizes that she does need Rick’s help. At the same time a former threat, from his past, has come back to add to Rick’s troubles. He calls in help from one of his best friends and an unwilling F.B.I agent. The action is non-stop in this sixth book in the Rick Cahill series. Will Rick be able to protect Naomi? Will he be able to stay alive long enough to not only find the stalker, but put an end to the threat from his past? I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to give an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Wrong Light – Matthew Coyle
I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley.com as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.
In southern California, a voice on the airwaves is soothing everyone in its paths, and there is talk of syndication in the future. Naomi Hendrix belongs to that sultry voice and has her fair share of fans. Fan mail arrives regularly, but recently, a letter arrived that concerned her producers. Concerned them enough that they contacted PI Rick Cahill to assess the situation.
As Rick arrives at the radio station, he can’t help but notice the lack of security. As he peruses the letter given to him by station manager Chip Evigan, he too, becomes concerned for Naomi’s safety. Naomi, however, is unimpressed. Until her handgun is stolen from her car – a handgun that she isn’t allowed to have, and therefore cannot report missing – but she does tell Rick. Then things really start happening!
A kidnapping, and a visit from a Russian mob member looking to collect on a promise round out the drama, and have Rick running on empty as he attempts to balance mob demands against protecting Naomi. Mix in some club action and you have an adventure that you won’t want to put down!
This was my first book by author Matthew Coyle, but it certainly won’t be my last! Fast paced, with unexpected plot twists – all that keeps you coming back for more! I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the Rick Cahill series!

Southern California, hard-boiled PI Rick Cahill returns in another investigation into dark, evil characters. The book is so suspenseful, you’ll be checking out shadows, studying who might be lurking there. If you want thrills, chills, and suspense, you’ll find it here.

#Suspense #PINoir #GrittyThriller #NetGalley

It took awhile to get into this book...could not quite figure out why...then it comes to me that is a series of books! Had I read any of the previous books, I would have likely been quite content from the beginning.
The author tells a good tale, and puts it all away at the end of the book. no Hanging storylines. A pretty good Private investigator novel

This novel is about Private Investigators, it is set in the present time in San Diego.
Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to find out who is stalking Naomi, a radio announcer. Naomi does not want the police involved, which makes Rick’s job more difficult. Rick takes on the job but is also trying to solve another crime. Rick hires two investigators to help.
The novel is about stalking, murder and crime. The action mostly takes place at night. Rick is constantly under threat of being killed by some Russian’s who are trying to protect a secret.
There is a lot of action and murders throughout this novel. There is conflict between Rick, Naomi and the police.