Rick Cahill #9

Private Investigator Rick Cahill has been running from his past and chasing the truth his whole life. But his past is relentless - so is his CTE, a disease caused by repeated head traumas that has attacked his body and his mind. As his CTE progresses, he realises that disease not only threatens his life, but also endangers his family's wellbeing. As Rick struggles to keep his family together, he does a favour for Sara Bhandari, a business contact. Then, Sara is murdered, and the police believe her to be yet another victim of a serial rapist who has been terrorising greater San Diego. But Rick has a reason to question their theory.

Rick Cahill is an ex-cop turned Private Investigator. I've never heard of CTE before, but the wat its portrayed in this book is heartbreaking. This is another good reason for reading, it educates without the stresses. partner, Rick is helped by his friend and occasional partner, PI Mara MacFarlane. This is a fast paced, well written and gripping read. The characters are well developed, the plotline has been cleverly crafted. This book can be read as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #OceanviewPublishing and the author #MattCoyle for my ARC of #DoomedLegacy in exchange for an honest review,

Rick Cahill is struggling with his rage, a consequence of his CTE. It's gotten so bad that his wife Leah, who he thought didn't know about it, has taken their daughter and gone to Santa Barbara to stay with her parents (and where, to be fair, her business is based). He's frustrated, too, with doing desk work where once he was an active PI so when Sara, his contact at a defense contractor, approaches him because she thinks there is something funky about its hiring practices, he's all in. Except that she's murdered and not, Rick thinks, by the serial rapist the police have fingered. Luckily, his old pal Moira also thinks there's something odd about Leveraged Investigations and the two of them do what PIs do best. I thought the mystery got a little muddled and was less compelling than Rick's personal issues but this is a fast paced entry into a long running series I'd always enjoyed. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Fans will welcome this one and new readers will like it as well.

Doomed Legacy by Matt Coyle is a very highly recommended crime novel and the ninth in the series featuring private investigator Rick Cahill. This is another outstanding addition to the series.

Rick Cahill has been trying to take things easy these days and focus on background checks for businesses. His CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) is progressing and he is having a new symptom that he is scared to share with Leah, his wife. He and Leah now have a fourteen month old daughter, Krista, and they are living in San Diego, California. At the last minute an incident has Leah taking Krista up to Santa Barbara. This same day, a distraught Rick receives a phone call from Sara Bhandari. Sara is with the human resources at Fulcrum Security and Rick conducts background checks on potential employees for the business. Sara wants to meet him in an out of the way place to discuss some irregularities which concern her.

The next thing Rick knows Sara is found murdered. The police think it is the work of a serial rapist, but Rick thinks there is something, or someone, else responsible. Although he had promised his wife to avoid risking his life to pursue the truth and justice, he begins to investigate Sara's death. His quest starts with a shady PI agency and proceeds to uncover deeper, more sinister secrets.

It is always thrilling to read a Rick Cahill novel. For fans, Rick is a known, fully realized character. His is flawed, compassionate, principled, intelligent, and observant. He experiences growth and challenges in the novel while following the clues in his investigation and his conscience.

This is an excellent addition to the series. The riveting, complex novel is very tightly plotted and fast-paced. The new revelations and discoveries Rick uncovers will keep readers engrossed in the narrative. Doomed Legacy is the ninth novel in this outstanding series. Although the novels can be read as a stand-alone since any needed background information is provided in the context of the plot, the order of the series is: Yesterday’s Echo, Night Tremors, Dark, Blood Truth, Wrong Light, Lost Tomorrows, Blind Vigil, Last Redemption, and Doomed Legacy.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Oceanview Publishing.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Matt Coyle writes gripping thrillers that I've discovered for myself with his latest story about relatable, complex, and so very human Rick Cahill in DOOMED LEGACY. Entering his world of twisty, windy intrigue was an immediate plunge into mystery, suspense, and gripping moments. I enjoyed not being able to predict or do anything other than follow this well-crafted, well-paced story. I particularly liked sharing the mind and heart of an intelligent, creative, and resilient investigator who is driven by love, grief, and a commitment to resolve rather than a flat-footed, single-minded individual who likes to right wrongs. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased truth.

This is the 9th instalment of the PI Rick Cahill series but can easily be read as a stand alone.

Rick's life has somewhat calmed down since having his baby daughter Krista, no more hunting out the bad guys and putting his family in danger. He enjoys running background checks for a few well,paid employers.

But Rick's continuing CTE is getting worse and not only has he had deal with the constant headaches but now he is suffering from uncontrollable rage, all of this he is keeping from his wife Leah.
When things come to a head Leah decides to take herself and Krista to visit her parents.

When the morning of Leah's leaving Rick gets a call from a associate that Rick does business for. Sara Bandari, she needs to see Rick as a matter of urgency but away from her place of work.
Rick agrees to the meeting even if his head isn't in the right place.
Sara is convinced that something is very wrong with the company she works for after meeting with Sara Rick isn't so convinced.
But when Sara turns up dead and Rivk being the one who finds her he takes a personal responsibility to find out who murdered her and why.

This is a fast paced book and had me gripped yo the end.

Rick Cahill is a former cop and a successful P.I., who finally had what he wanted out of life. He is married and has a beautiful daughter, but then he was diagnosed with CTE. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a diagnosis that he has yet to share with his wife, causes him to feel such rage, at times, and it is getting harder to control. When he is asked to investigate the firm that processed background checks for a defense contractor, his contact is murdered. He won’t rest until he finds the person who killed her…she deserves justice. When he teams up with another private investigator, they realize that someone is trying to destroy their businesses. A twisted and dark mystery as Rick tries to prove that his contact was murdered to allow specific individuals to infiltrate the company, but for what purpose? Will he lose his family in his unending pursuit for justice? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

This is the 9th book in the multi-Shamus Award winning Rick Cahill series. Cahill is a PI now based in San Diego who has been through more traumatic events in his life than the average Joe. He’s a complex character with a tendency to rub people the wrong way, often due to his dogged determination to seek out the truth.

And now he suffers from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) caused by the many head injuries he suffered over the years. One of the side effects of his disease is the speed with which he’s inclined to go into a rage over minor things.

“The last couple months a barely controllable, irrational rage infected my brain and sizzled along the nerve synapses throughout my body. Its trigger was often just the micro irritations of everyday life…This was new. Unrecognizable and malevolent. A fury unconnected to thought. And its reins loosened from my grasp a little more with each smothered internal explosion.”

The major problem with this development for Cahill is that he has kept it to himself rather than communicating it to Leah, his wife. In fact, he’s not as successful in hiding the rage that comes over him, the look in his eyes gives him away and it scares Leah enough for her to take herself and their daughter away for a short break.

But there are two prongs to this Rick Cahill story - the personal, which is not going great for him, and the professional. Soon after a clandestine meeting with a client who works for Fulcrum Security, for whom he has performed background checks on prospective employees, she is found dead in her home. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss some concerns over other background checks that were performed by another PI firm called Leveraged Investigations and the fact there were some troubling anomalies surrounding them. She’s clearly spooked by the events she describes while Cahill is largely dismissive and uninterested in her concerns.

The police want to put the murder down to the work of a serial rapist who has been active in the area. Cahill begs to differ. Disturbingly, he’s the one who discovers the body (something of a regular thing throughout the series) and this brings him to the attention of the local police (again, not an uncommon event).

Next thing he knows he is being fired by Fulcrum Security for some alleged lewd and unethical behaviour. Digging into this unexpected turn of events he can link it back to Leveraged Investigations.

He contacts good friend and fellow PI Moira MacFalane to raise his suspicions about Leveraged; she comes back with her own unsettling experiences with the company. Then there’s news that a third PI has had a similar experience. It turns out that not only is this company going all out to discredit its competitors, they also appear to be resorting to murder to cover their tracks.

From here a full on investigation into this enigmatic company ensues with Rick and Moira teaming up against an unknown but dangerous enemy.

Rick Cahill’s strength is looking at pieces of information and putting them together to form accurate pictures of what has happened. Unfortunately, one of his weaknesses is conveying his suppositions in a convincing way to the police. This has always created a maddening divide, particularly when the police stick rigidly to their mantra of operating based on evidence and not on someone else’s theories.

The significant role of Moira in this story is a welcome inclusion thanks to her calm, level-headed demeanor compared to Cahill’s more hot-headed approach. She plays the much-needed voice of reason to Cahill’s impetuous nature with her air of trustworthiness prompting people to be more likely to answer questions when confronted. Not only that, she provides the clout when it comes to working with the police.

Although there are aspects to this particular investigation that I found to be somewhat vague and nebulous it moved along with great pace and a significant level of desperation. Cahill has always been a difficult character to pin down, hard to like but impressive in his tenacity and willingness to fight for what he considers justice. He is no different in Doomed Legacy.

This is another strong entry in an already strong PI series that is inexorably slipping from hardboiled into the darker grittier realm of noir.

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the reading copy.

I was delighted to find this title as I read Coyle's books years ago as they're set in my hometown and I love being able to picture the settings! This one features Rick, famed PI who is now working in the background, battling CTE and the rage that erupts suddenly without warning. But that won't slow him down as he loves his wife, Leah and adores their infant daughter, Krista. So when a young woman, Sara asks for his help he is all in...until, of course things go sideways and it's the inevitable domino effect! High stakes, tension-filled scenes, and heartbreaking family drama all kept me reading late into the night! This is one you won't want to miss as Coyle is a master at mis-direction and mind-blowing conclusions! So happy to have re-discovered his novels!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

It is a rare treasure to find a character who will keep you coming back for more, year after year, story after story. I have a few detective / PI’s that have reeled me in over the years: James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux, Tony Hillerman’s Chee and Leaphorn, Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch, and Ken Bruen’s Irish scoundrel Jack Taylor. These characters are tough as nails, have their scarred hearts in the right place, and often find themselves fighting against a very dark side within themselves.

Last year I stumbled onto the Rick Cahill series, noticing author Matt Coyle had been recognized with Seamus Awards for the best detective fiction. I loved “Last Redemption,” and quickly devoured a copy of “Blind Vigil,” as well. This character has the goods. He is no longer a superman and is trying to compensate for decades of hard living, now having been diagnosed with CTE, a degenerative brain disease

In “Doomed Legacy,” Rick has slowed things down, mostly working in the office running background checks for companies. He is trying to conceal from his wife the latest physical setback– a hair-trigger temper he is finding more difficult to control. In the meantime, one of his business associates is brutally murdered and, true to his nature, he finds himself tangled in another violent and dangerous investigation.

Matt Coyle knows how to keep the pulse rate racing to the very end. Rick’s support cast is excellent, too, from his long-time associate Moira to his wife and daughter– and his canine companion Midnight is essential. Highly recommended. At this point I am happy I have only read three of the nine books…there is so much more to look forward to in this franchise.

Thank you to Oceanview Publishing, Swell Media, and NetGalley for providing the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #DoomedLegacy #NetGalley

Rate 3.37
An interesting read, .and easy to get into regardless that this book is well into the series.
He's a good character and you feel for his condition. The love for his daughter is boundless and deep..it's concerning to a point. but given his brain condition understandable.

In this series installment, the ninth, P.I. Rick Cahill is struggling with the worsening effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE for short) and not so happily earning his keep mostly behind a desk. His wife Leah and young daughter Krista live with him in San Diego, but Leah's successful business remains in Santa Barbara - a bit too far away for commuting very often. They're trying to make things work, but clearly, the only one truly happy with the situation is Krista, who's too young to care. Rick is especially worried, since he has yet to tell Leah about the frightening direction his disease seems to be taking.

While Leah and Krista are back in Santa Barbara, where they live with Leah's parents, Rick gets a call from Sara Bhanderis, his contact at Fulcrum Security, a client for which he conducts background checks on potential employees. She tries to convey her concern over some altered background reports done by a newly hired but suspiciously shady company, but for the most part Rick blows her off because he's worried about the future of his marriage. Shortly thereafter, Sara is murdered - with all clues pointing to her being the victim of an on-the-loose serial rapist.

Soon thereafter, Sara's sister, who (like Rick) isn't convinced the serial rapist is the culprit, hires him to investigate. Once he starts to dig in at Fulcrum, though, the company fires him as a P.I. firm on what Rick knows is a trumped-up reason. That, in turn, gets him fired by Sara's sister - but Rick being Rick (and needing something to occupy his time while he worries about the status of his marriage), he calls in old friend and partner Moira to help.

I can't exactly say all's well that ends well, but the case gets both involved and resolved as a result of some highly effective sleuthing by Rick and Moira. All told, it's another easy-to-read, attention-holding story. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Another one well done!

I received an ARC and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

The story begins with Rick at home looking in on his daughter when his wife wants him to come back to bed. It was at that time that his emotions exploded and he had to go for a run. The next morning Leah, his wife, told him she was going to her parents and taking Krista their daughter. After Leah leaves he receives a call from one of his clients requesting a meeting. At the meeting she tells him that she found a problem at work and needed his help. Later on when he tried to reach her and getting no response, he went to her house where he found her dead. After the police arrived he told them his story and later learned that they tied the murder to a rapist that was in the area.

Rick believed that it was something else and when following up with the company where she worked, and for whom he was doing backgound checks, learned of a smear campaign being waged against him. Rick along with another P.I. friend, Moira, who had also had the same thing done to her began looking into the agency that they believed was responsible.

As they did their investigation other events happened that reinforced that they were on the right track.

To find out who the killer was, what was causing Rick's emotion swings, what they discovered about the agency and what other events happened, then you need to raed this book. It is a winner.


READING PROGRESS

Matt Coyle continues his Rick Cahill series (my favorite PI!) with Doomed Legacy, the ninth book in the series. While this book, as is true of the others in the series, can stand on its own, readers will no doubt enjoy them a bit more if they have some history with the characters.

Rick is up against some of his biggest challenges - his CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) caused by too many head traumas in his past, is progressing to the point where it is threatening both his career and his beloved family. Yet when a friend asks for his help to verify suspected wrong-doing at her job, Rick is immediately in. To his dismay, his friend is murdered soon after he shares his findings with her. Feeling responsible for getting her justice, he is determined to get to the bottom of what's really going on with the help of best friend, occasional partner, and fellow PI, Mara MacFarlane.

Together they follow leads that show things to be far more complex and dangerous than either of them imagined. Will they get to the truth and right the wrongs? Will Rick be able to save his marriage and family? Coyle presents twists and turns galore in this fast-paced novel which is sure to entertain. I rate it 4 stars and highly recommend it.

My thanks to Oceanview Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this novel via NetGalley. the novel is scheduled to be published on 11/15/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

We've known for awhile that things are going downhill for poor Rick Cahill. A title with the word "doomed" in it - well, things aren't looking good.

PI Rick Cahill, previously diagnosed with CTE thanks to all the various head injuries he's sustained over the years, is not getting much better. He isn't dead - not quite yet, anyhow - and this leaves him some time to work, be there for his family, and all those things in life people wish they did more of when they lay dying.

But he isn't doing much in the way of working beyond doing mundane, routine things that keep him of the streets, behind his desk, and bored out of his mind. That includes things like background checks on new hires for various companies.

A business acquaintance contacts him, requesting a rather secretive meeting at an out of the way location. Why? Cahill isn't sure, but agrees to it anyway. He humors her, as she talks to him about - what else? - background checks for her company, something they've always done through him, but she's found a couple of irregulars: employees whose checks were done through another company with whom she's not familiar and never heard of.

Cahill doesn't think much of it, and tells her he can look into it, but it's probably nothing. He can tell she isn't happy, and when she ends up dead - the presumed latest victim of a violent, serial rapist in the area - he isn't very happy either, especially when he's explaining to the police (again) why he's on the scene, discovering another dead body (again).

With guilt weighing on him, Cahill accepts a contract from her mother to look into her death.

Thus begins Cahill as we know him: obsessed with the case,he goes up against cops, what seems to be the evil company now doing those background checks (and who may very well be doing much more, sinister things), threats, attempts to pay him of the case, and all the things that put strain on his already strained marriage - and put his family in danger, again.

There really are two stories here, both equally good, both devastating: the actual investigatory job, at which Cahill excels, and the fallout there is to his family and how to deal with it, at which he does not. While he's capable of unwinding the former, the latter seems beyond his grasp, and it's rather sad, really.

Another excellent entry into the series, which makes its inevitable end, whenever that may be, sadder.

Five out of five stars.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the reading copy.

First in the series for me and it wasn't great, it wasn't bad. Nothing memorable and nothing to motivate the reader to seek out other books in the series or even finish this one.

This is the first book by Matt Coyle that I am reading. This is the ninth book in the Rick Cahil PI Crime series.
Rick Cahil is a family man with a wife and a two-year-old daughter fighting an illness - CTE, that he cannot control and there is no cure other than suppressing it and reducing its effects.
The illness leads to uncontrollable rage and to escape this he runs away from the family till it subsides.
He is extremely fond of his daughter and very possessive constantly worrying about her safety as he expects his adversaries to get at him through his family. He is so obsessed with this thought that he practically keeps a gun in every room so it is available when needed for defending his family. His wife wonders about this obsession and suspects something is wrong but is unable to identify exactly what is the problem.
As a PI he attends a call from one of his clients who wish to meet him personally at a discreet place. This begins the story that the book is all about. The woman who meets him and describes that something is wrong in her office is killed the same night brutally after being abused. He starts investigating the murder at the express wish of his sister who later on asks him to withdraw from the case.
The pace of the book is quick and the story becomes more and more complicated with more characters thrown in added to a Chinese espionage angle.
He is ably assisted by his former employee who helps him out occasionally to do some checks. Both of them get sucked deep into this murder case with a mix of Chinese espionage ring and biotech and defence secrets thrown in.
On the whole, a fast-paced mystery thriller that you cannot put down till the last page. The entire story is pretty rough and the solution seems too easy considering the building and the characters involved.
This is an excellent book for a weekend reading or a quick read when travelling overnight, especially by train. It keeps you engrossed and turning the pages till you finish the book.

After years of unrelenting trauma, Rick Cahill has the perfect life. In "Doomed Legacy," the ninth book of the series, he has a devoted wife, a beautiful baby, and a faithful dog, all of whom he loves more than anything in the world. And he’s got an almost-thriving, non-life-threatening business providing background checks for various corporations. He is settled. His family is safe. Life is good.

But Rick has always been shadowed by danger and a darkness he’s never been able to escape. Plagued by CTE disease—a result of numerous head injuries over the years—Rick experiences increasing headaches, fugue states and rage. Worse, he has yet to share his deteriorating condition with Leah. Alarmed by his increasingly erratic actions, she takes the baby to Santa Barbara for an extended visit with her parents and stops taking his calls.

When his client Sara Bhandari asks to meet privately, and away from her office, Rick is too distracted to give her concerns over business irregularities his undivided attention. When Rick finds her dead body sprawled across her bed, horrendous violence on full display, he fears he could have prevented her death.

Then a shady PI firm’s smear campaign blindsides Rick, threatening his livelihood. Clients drop him and potential clients won’t take his calls.

Pushed into a corner, Rick Cahill does what he does best and goes on the offense. Whoever is behind the efforts to destroy him doesn’t know what a destructive force they have unleashed. No matter the personal cost, Rick Cahill will not stop until those responsible are either brought to justice or dead.

"Doomed Legacy" is a heart-pounding, page-turner that leaves the reader breathless. Fans of the series will be anxiously awaiting the release of book ten. Thank you to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy.

Rick Cahill book # 9

This author is definitely growing on me or should I say Rick Cahill does. Rick is a private investigator who has been running from his past. His has CTE, a disease caused by repeated head trauma that threatens his life and endangers those around him.

In this latest, Rick looks into Sara Bhandari, a business contact, who was murdered not long after he met her on a business lunch. The police believe she was another case of a serial rapist who has been terrorizing San Diego but Rick thinks otherwise and is determined to find the truth at any cost.....

My thoughts:

This 9th book reads well as a stand-alone. The author gives us just enough back stories to orient us without overwhelming the narrative.

This story is one tense and entertaining saga where the protagonist not only sets to know the truth but needs to deal with a dilapidating disease and personal drama at the same time. The tightly plotted story is fast-paced and entertaining. It centers on the murder of Sara who had asked Rick to look into abnormalities in handling background checks for the Defense Department. Of course this opened a huge can of worms: a serial rapist, police cover-ups, Chinese spies and a vast cast of bad guys as well as good ones. So much is going on but Mr. Coyle doesn’t miss a beat in his style: solid, active and mostly engaging. I love Rick, he is flawed but adorable. As a reader I soon was touched by his marital situation as well as his health issues, I wonder how long his life as a P.I will last.....

“Doomed Legacy” is definitely a winner that gives us a great story of suspense, intrigue and action...well-done Mr. Coyle.

This ninth entry in the Rick Cahill series is the first I’ve read, and I’ll definitely search out the others now. Rick is a complex character with an interesting backstory and this novel makes me want to know more about his wife, Leah, and their relationship, and also about his friendship with Moira. As for the story itself, the mystery grabbed me from the beginning and the pace was great—I finished the novel in two days. The plot is a bit out there in some ways but it was totally believable while I was immersed in the novel. The building of suspense as the story propelled to its climax was just right. The hard-bitten PI trope is not something I read a lot of, but this one had me hooked!

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me review Doomed Legacy by Matt Coyle.

I didn't realize this is book 9 in a series, but can be read alone too. I really enjoyed this book even though I never read the other 8 books. There was a lot of twists and turns and who done its. I loved the character Rick, even though he was going through some stuff.