I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for a review copy of Relentless, the first novel to feature Washington Metro PD detective Brian “Brick” Kavanagh.

When the body of a young woman is found floating in the Tidal Basin Brick and his partner, Ron Hayes, are assigned the case. The discovery of a second body links the cases together and suddenly Brick is involved in a task force, but not for long as a quick arrest seems to resolve the case although he’s not so sure.

I enjoyed Relentless which I was keen to read, having seen it recommended in an American newspaper article. I wouldn’t say that it lives up to the hype, being rather low key until the action packed ending and slightly too American for me, among other things the constant references to baseball went way over my head. Nevertheless I found the plot interesting enough to keep turning the pages. It is a gradual accumulation of knowledge, although not in the sense of a straightforward investigation as the plot takes an interesting turn I’m not going to reveal, rather than a series of dramatic reveals until a final explosive flurry of action and reveals at the end. I had no idea of the perpetrator until then but a few chapters from his point of view over the course of the novel hint at the motive.

I don’t know anything about the author but this has the feel of a debut about it. It isn’t slick and tends to get bogged down in minutiae, like what Brick eats and drinks to the detriment of the investigation. I did, however, enjoy the storyline and would be interested in reading a follow up to see not only where Brick goes next but if it has a little extra polish.

Relentless is a solid novel and an easy way to pass a few hours.