A sinister private detective agency, a shady shell corporation, and a dead friend—Rick Cahill is on his most dangerous mission yet

Private investigator Rick Cahill has been running from his past and chasing the truth his whole life. But his past is relentless—and so is his CTE, a disease caused by repeated head traumas that has attacked his body and his mind. As his CTE progresses, he realizes that the disease not only threatens his life but also endangers his family’s wellbeing.

As Rick struggles to keep his family together, he does a favor for Sara Ansari, a business contact. Then, Sara is murdered, and the police believe her to be yet another victim of a serial rapist who has been terrorizing greater San Diego. But Rick has reason to question their theory. Determined to find the truth at any cost, and against his wife’s warnings, he investigates on his own.

Along the way, he bumps up against a sinister private investigative agency and a shady shell corporation that may be hiding more than company secrets. As Rick digs for the truth about Sara’s death, he risks his own life and the lives of countless innocents caught in his relentless crusade. Ultimately, Rick must decide if his quest is worth the risk of losing his family forever.

Thank you so much to Swell Media and NetGalley for the eARC of the ninth novel in Rick Cahill’s legacy– doomed as it well may be. This was my first introduction to the detective’s story, and I felt as though I could slip into the narrative like a snug pair of pajamas. This is very much a series where you can just jump in; and the author does a masterful job of catching you up in a way that does not feel like a ton of boring exposition. I learned so much about Rick even in the first chapter.

We meet the private detective as his personal life is taking a nosedive. He has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), caused by many head traumas from things like football as he was growing up, and the disease has progressed to a point where it makes him incredibly hotheaded over small things. Rick has decided not to tell his wife how bad the condition is getting; therefore, she had no idea why he was having random outbursts– and one night, it was too much. On the other side of things though, his professional life started ramping up when a past contact is murdered… and he finds the body.

So, Rick is juggling this case and his own ailments, and it makes for a very interesting plot where the detective goes out on his own to solve both the case and his tense home life. It is a very fast-paced tale with a feeling of desperation that will keep you up at night; unable to put the book down. I definitely want to go back and read the rest of the saga now– because Rick is a character that you will inexplicably root for. He has a dogged determination and truly cares about people, which is hard to find in this world. If you like gritty noir stories– this one is for you!

5/5 stars