Blood Truth

September 18, 2017
In Anthony Award–winner Coyle’s well-crafted fourth Rick Cahill novel (after 2016’s Dark Fissures), Rick deals with killers, corruption, and his own past. A former girlfriend of the La Jolla, Calif., PI, hires Rick to find out whether her real estate mogul husband, Jeffrey Parker, is cheating on her. Rick enlists the aid of fellow PI Moira McFarlane to help tail Parker. Rick observes not only Parker meeting a woman at the Pacific Terrace Hotel but also the same woman subsequently meeting with power broker Peter Stone and a lobbyist with links to Stone. Moira later identifies her as Sophia Domingo, a divorcée with no record of employment in recent years; the stakes rise after Rick discovers Sophia’s body and Jeffrey becomes a suspect in her murder. Meanwhile, Rick pursues new clues related to his disgraced and deceased father that lead him to investigate a 20-year-old murder. Coyle manages both stories nicely in this strong addition to this hard-boiled series. Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron & Associates.

October 1, 2017

When PI Rick Cahill's ex-girlfriend comes to him with a problem, he cannot deny her request for help. She fears her husband is cheating on her, and Rick's forte is tailing wayward spouses. But as he digs deeper, a simple case of philandering becomes something more complicated. Simultaneously, Rick receives a phone call from a contractor who has found a hidden safe while demolishing Rick's boyhood home. Upon opening it, Rick finds a gun, $15,000 in cash, and a safe deposit box key. His father, a disgraced La Jolla, CA, cop who died a broken man after years of ostracism and alcohol, was rumored to be on the mob payroll, but Rick has always held out hope that the rumors were false. Could this be evidence that they were indeed true? Rick's antagonistic relationship with the local police continues unabated from previous books (Dark Fissure). VERDICT Coyle's latest hard-boiled series entry provides plenty of fast-paced action and smart sidekick repartee from Rick's part-time partner Moira. While some background would have been nice, its absence does not hinder enjoyment of this solid book for new readers.--Edward Goldberg, Syosset P.L., NY

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2017
Thirty years ago, Rick Cahill's father was a hero in the La Jolla Police Department. Until he was booted for corruption and died a drunkard. Cahill is a PI now, wondering what went wrong in his father's life. Answers seem close when a safe is unearthed on Dad's property. But the contentsa key, a handgun, a large wad of cash only make things murkier. Coyle sends Cahill on a quest that's right out of classic hard-boiled fiction. He talks the talk, too: You do whatever you want, legal or not, to satisfy your sense of justice. Cahill's digging into the past fascinates as he calls up old filesand old peopleand makes connections. Readers may rebel a bit, though, when he drops everything for a bout of keyhole peeping that leads to greedy developers, civic corruption, and Russian money men. These side trips into the present make the book at least a third longer than it needs to be, though they offer chances for fights, chases, and confrontations. Still, the main appeal here is the old-time mood and language. Like the woman with a voice like pebbles in a clothes dryer. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)