Monday Book Review: Deadly Stillwater (McRyan Mystery Series)

 

Deadly Stillwater (McRyan Mystery Series) by Roger Stelljes

Amazon BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Deadly Stillwater delivers…
GRITTY and REAL DIALOGUE… behind the scenes banter & slang of the detectives.
VIVID YET QUIRKY CHARACTERS… likeable characters faults and all.
A STORY THAT BUILDS…with clues that puts you in the middle of the action.

An abduction is just the beginning in a case of betrayal and revenge that will ultimately strike at the soul of the St. Paul Police Department.The ruggedly handsome Mac McRyan, a fourth-generation cop, is faced with a complicated brazen daytime kidnapping, a media storm surrounding the case, and political scrutiny. It is a case of betrayal and revenge that will ultimately strike at the soul of the St. Paul Police Department. From the searing streets of St. Paul to the murky waters of the St. Croix River, DEADLY STILLWATER is a book you won’t be able to put down until its last gripping minute.

My Take:

Found this as  a free book on Amazon and and forgotten the plot when the Monday Book Review came around weeks after. After browsing the book and other reviews, it came flooding back to me.

Roger creates such masculine, stereotypical testosterone-filled men, it makes one wonder if he is covering for a self-conscience lack of it himself? One could almost feel the thick fog of testosterone of the 15 or so characters he creates in the police/FBI departments, it’s a wonder they all didn’t need gas masks to just breathe. I’m also he didn’t describe swimsuit model posters and calendars covering every square inch of the walls.

The plot itself is a tried (trite?) and true one: kidnapping, taunting, game of tag with the police and the clincher no-one-saw-coming of broken trust and betrayal. I agree with other reviewers, the rough language is a tad gratuitous, however, i’m taking for granted Roger is showing the rough and tumbleness of police and FBI employees, like the strut and swagger of their masculinity. Yes, at times, over the top.

Still, having said that, I found the ebook quite enjoyable, engaging and enchanting. I could see the background, the buildings, the grass even. He does have a gift for storytelling, setting up a scene and delivering dialogue that feels believable in the ‘now’. His characters are shown how to be gracious to civilians and rough with the ‘bad guys’, fully 3 dimensional characters.

Sometimes the plot does feel long in the tooth, there could easily be 3-4 different books written from this one tome, but Roger put it all in one book.  Deadly Stillwater is an enjoyable book for a weekend read with a glass of your favorite beverage.

I give Deadly Stillwater 4 stars.