Loose Ends (California Corwin P. I. Mystery Series Book 1)
Author: D. D. VanDyke
5 out of 5 stars
After being injured in a bomb blast, former police detective California “Cal” Corwin opens her own private detective agency. Her newest case introduces her to Miranda Sorkin, whose daughter, Talia, has been taken by a group of thieves. They want Miranda to help them access the pharmaceutical warehouse that she manages. She does, but the theft has not happened and Talia has not been returned. Will Cal be able to find Talia and return her safely to her mother? Or is there more to this case than Cal realizes?
This story was well written and got off to a strong start. There was plenty of action, including two fantastic car chase scenes. It also had an intriguing ending as there were still some lingering questions about some of the characters. And there was one character in particular that I wondered if he would return in another book.
This was a good case to use for the first book as the reader is introduced to Cal and learns about her personality. We learn how far she can be willing to go as she is a little loose with the law and morality, like being willing to beat up someone who is connected to the kidnapper for answers. Cal’s past as a police detective and her determination to do whatever it takes to save Talia make her a very compelling and intriguing character. The other characters were also interesting, like Cal’s mother who’s a hippie, and Cal’s assistant, Mickey, who’s a hacker.
My only complaint is about one minor plot point about Cal’s character. It’s mentioned in chapter one that due to injuries from the bomb blast, her brain had been “rewired” and that she sometimes get what Cal describes as “weird flashes of insight.” But it’s never really brought up again, instead anything she notices is played off as her detective instinct. This dropped aspect of her character doesn’t matter for the plot, but I do wonder if it will play a bigger part in future books.
Overall, there was nothing I truly disliked about this book, so I’m rating it 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend it to readers who like action-focused crime and mystery books with no romance in them.
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Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P83903M
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