10-7 Out of Service
Vicki and Mary have been to the casino and drinking and having fun. They ran into a friend of theirs, Doug, and persuaded him to take them home, as it was well known that Doug would have one one beer the entire evening, thus was safe to drive.
In the parking lot, a man approaches the car they've all just got it. He walks up to the car, asks a question of Doug, then calmly pulls a gun and shoots him in the face.
The assault becomes a murder investigation when Doug dies later in the hospital. The witnesses are of little help.. they never saw the shooter's face. Detective Doc Dougherty starts interviewing casino employees who knew the victim
Leads show promise and fall apart with depressing frequency until the local prosecutor turns a minor charge into a statement that leads Doc and the rest of the police force to a surprising conclusion, though not before tragedy strikes one of their own.
It’s another week in Penns River, with distractions that range from petty vandalism to a bridge jumper keeping the cops’ full attention away from the critical task at hand.
Book 4 of the Penns River Crime Series is as action packed as the previous books in this particular series. It reads okay as a stand-alone, but would be more potent having read the entire series. This is a well - written police procedural with credible characters filled with suspense, danger, even some wry humor here and there.
Many thanks to the author / Down and Out Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.