The Night Watchman

 (Ray Quinn Series, Book 1)

Mark Mynheir

Author Website

Published By: Multnomah Books

Ray Quinn’s detective career was shattered, along with his pelvis and a few other body parts, thanks to the bullets that also took out his partner. The booze he pours down helps wash out some of the memories, but only long enough to help him sleep. Now, the most exciting thing in his life is the Sudoku puzzle he does each night at his job as a night watchman for an upscale condominium complex.

Ray figures life couldn’t be any more mundane and miserable–but he was wrong. An exotic dancer and a pastor turn up dead in one of the condo units where he works, an apparent murder-suicide. The pastor’s sister, Pam, can’t believe her brother would end his own life, let alone take another’s and begs Ray to help her restore her brother’s reputation.

Grudgingly and armed with a surly attitude and less-than-enthusiastic desire, Ray takes a look into the case. Before he knows what’s hit him, the case spirals out of control and gets more downright dirty and dangerous than he thought possible, the roots of which lie within his much-cherished Orlando Police Department.

Mark Mynheir’s The Night Watchman is the first in a new series and Mark’s true-life experiences in law enforcement shine through in this novel of Christian crime suspense. The language, actions and police procedures shown by the characters are so realistic you feel as though you are being led behind the scenes into the world that cops live each and every day. Also noteworthy is Mark’s remarkable ability to capture the very real emotional aspect of one’s faith and the turmoil we encounter in life that can lead us into and out of it.

There is a Reader’s Guide in the back of the book as a nice added feature.



I admire this talented author’s ability to write realistic crime fiction laced with Christian beliefs and would recommend this book to anyone looking for such.

In a Gilded Cage: Molly Murphy series

By: Rhys Bowen

Author Website

Published By: Minotaur Books

Determined, spirited and tenacious are just a few of the qualities that describe Miss Molly Murphy. After all, it is not just any young woman that can support the women’s suffrage movement, run a detective agency–and keep the attentions of her dashing, attractive, police captain beau all while just recovering from a nasty bout of influenza that has been sweeping its deathly hand across New York City.

At the encouragement of her neighbors, Molly marches headstrong in the Easter parade in a show of protest that women do not have the right to vote. There, she makes the acquaintance of Emily Boswell. Miss Boswell, although a Vassar alumni, has the unfortunate background of being orphaned and was raised by her aunt and uncle. She hires Molly to discover more about her parents and their regrettable end.

Molly takes the case and during her investigation meets another of Emily’s Vassar friends, Fanny. Fanny is wealthy, beautiful and spoiled. She also believes she has an adulterous husband. Fanny enlists Molly to solidify her suspicions, but as soon as Molly has a few findings to report, Fanny is stricken with illness and quickly dies.

Fanny is just the first death of several that are blamed on the ghastly epidemic but Molly isn’t totally convinced and she is determined to find out the truth and bring justice to her clients.

In a Gilded Cage is the eighth in the Molly Murphy series, by Rhys Bowen but it was the first I have read. I found that as I turned the pages I was able to step back in time right alongside Molly and share with her the discomfiture and prejudices of the time. Her inquisitive mind and gutsy determination makes her a character that you can’t help but admire.

I will look for the next in the series with much anticipation.

This review was originally posted on Armchair Interviews

Crescendo (Inola Walela & Steven Hawk #3)

by Deborah J. Ledford
 Christina Cox (Narrator)

Author Website

Officer Inola Wilela finds herself amidst a tumultuous sea of havoc and uncertainty that begins with what seems like a straightforward traffic stop and turns into a battle to save a young boy. The father of the boy, a manipulative mad-man, begins a relentless pursuit to find his son so he can cash in on his inheritance. Inola vows to keep the boy safe but he is determined to locate the boy at any cost, no matter how much violence and bloodshed ensues.

Inola, being the only female police officer for the Bryson City force in North Carolina, is no stranger to psychological competition, but can her fortitude and strength of mind help her “keep it together “ through the raging chaos in both her professional and personal life? Together, with the help of her fiancé Sheriff Hawk, an ex-con of a computer whiz and a streak of luck or two, Inola vows to bring the mad-man down even if it means costing her the badge she so dearly loves.

This police procedural hits the ground running and keeps the action moving. During the few breaks in the action, readers learn more about Inola, what makes her tick, her thoughts and her dreams. I appreciate the author’s ability to capture that we, as humans, often misjudge what others think of us and that sometimes we must take chances to rectify the mistakes we make.
The story moves along quickly, but even so, I was routing for Inola and her comrades and finding myself getting more and more attached to their personalities and abhorring the “villain” increasingly as the story went on; all signs of a well-written story. The last scene admittedly made me cry indicating I was definitely in tune with the characters.

It was a first read for me by Deborah Ledford and I would definitely read another especially if it meant I could find out how Inola and Steven Hawk’s relationship develops.

I would warn readers that there is some strong language in this one, but violence and crime usually lend themselves to this in general.

Christina Cox narrates and does quite a good job “reading” the story, but if you are expecting much in the way of character voices it is not quite there. I found her tone and pace to be right on the mark, but I had hoped for a bit more when it came to the actual voices. This is my personal preference and I would not discourage anyone from this narration as she does a fine job of relaying the story in a genuine manner.

Overall I would rate this one at 4 stars which for me means …Very good book. I enjoyed it, perhaps even had a hard time "putting it down". I would recommend this book to others.

Dare to Die

Carolyn Hart
Published By: William Morrow



“She came in the rain. Alone. On a bicycle.” These are the words that start a chain reaction of diabolic events on the quaint little seaside island, Broward’s Rock, where Max and Annie Darling reside in their much-loved Franklin house.

Because of worrisome repair work to their home, Max and Annie have had to take up temporary residence in a modern cabin and move their long-planned picnic party to the harbor pavilion. Not being natives to the island, they are unaware of the troublesome and upsetting past that the pavilion holds for so many of the island’s residents.

The usually blissful inhabitants of Broward’s Rock are feeling the strain of this new arrival, the tragic party setting and all that it could mean, especially for the murderer hiding among them.

One by one, disturbing events begin to take place making things cloudier rather than clearer for Annie. Her instincts beckon for answers and she gives forth great effort to let the authorities do the investigating, but when she and Max are nearly killed in a horrific fire that was definitely no accident, things get too personal for that. Will she discover the truth to both the past and the present before it’s too late?

I found the complicated web of suspects and unpredictable characters that litter this Death on Demand series mystery by Carolyn Hart most enjoyable. I particularly took pleasure in those characters that brought a bit of levity to the mix. Peppered throughout Dare to Die are the names of other authors along with the titles of their books.

What a delightful tribute Carolyn Hart has given them. To me, this speaks volumes to the caliber of author that she is.

Original review done through Armchair Interviews

Author’s Web site: http://www.CarolynHart.com