The Reluctant Detective

I did not enjoy this book,I found it very slow paced and I would not read any more Tom Fowler

I have read and enjoyed all the CT Ferguson books, novels and novellas, and this is where it all began for CT. He never wanted to be a Private Investigator, in fact he never wanted to 'work', but preferred using his considerable skills hacking organisations on the internet. After some trouble where he was held in a Chinese prison, which his parents helped him leave, he's home and working for their foundation. He works as a P.I. ; they pay him for helping somebody for free. His first case is anything but the simple straight forward cheating husband he thinks it is. Tom Fowler has created a wonderfully entertaining character with CT who has sarcasm and wit to spare. The story takes many twists and turns along the way. Tom Fowler writes in such a way that's free flowing and never gets 'bogged down' with overly complicated scene setting. This helps the story move along a quite a pace. There are even some exciting action sections too. One thing to note with this book, and the series too, it that each book works as a stand alone thriller. There's never a reliance on having read any of the others and no cliff hanger ending.

With this book you get a free prequel novella and an epilogue to read

The book itself is fast-paced and entertaining. Set in Baltimore, it mixes wealth, violence, gangsters and guns in a way that surprises. (Not what we would expect in the UK but presumably normal there.). The reaction of the heavies at the end takes some swallowing given what they have done and the limited evidence against them but perhaps that, too, is an accurate description of what happens in Baltimore.

It is not a city I shall be putting on my bucket list but I will look out for another novel by this author.