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CITY OF STONES by Robert Ellis

CITY OF STONES

A Detective Matt Jones Thriller: Book 4

From the Detective Matt Jones series, volume 4

by Robert Ellis

Pub Date: June 2nd, 2021
Publisher: Lippman & Hart

A Los Angeles police detective looks into the brutal slaying of a journalist and his family in this fourth installment of a thriller series.

After investigating a serial killer case, Detective Matt Jones is on medical leave, dodging reporters. Surprisingly, journalist Ryan Brooks simply wants Matt’s advice on a story, though he won’t go into details on the phone. When Matt arrives at Brooks’ home for a meeting, the detective discovers the journalist, his wife, and their infant daughter viciously murdered. Both Matt’s supervisor and the feds who snatch the case believe the killer is a psychopath without a motive. But Matt is convinced someone is trying to cover up whatever Brooks was working on. The FBI agents don’t want the detective anywhere near the investigation. Matt, feeling obligated to find the killer, quickly ties the homicides to an unsolved double murder from a few years back. This opens up a slew of questions, including why does some evidence from the older case appear fabricated? As it seems someone has committed murder to keep Brooks from spilling secrets, it’s almost a certainty that Matt and anyone who’s helping him are in danger. As in his previous appearances, Matt is a detective who doesn’t pull any punches. But he’s no antihero; he’s generally by-the-book and unmistakably concerned when his actions may put another in harm’s way. Ellis’ story moves at a steady beat; brief scenes and rapid-fire dialogue deftly showcase the detective methodically unraveling the mystery. Moreover, there’s a taut atmosphere, as Matt examines crime scenes alone; covertly meets someone at a fog-covered, darkened house; and even stumbles on another body. The narrative further intensifies once the villain becomes evident. Still, questions linger all the way to the end while the denouement will surely reverberate long after readers have finished this riveting book.

A moody, white-knuckle murder tale with an incisive, blunt hero.