Mortal Dilemma: A Matt Royal Mystery

Matt Royal is back for this 10th book that also features his girlfriend, Detective J. D. Duncan and his best friend, Josh Algren. Josh is staying at Matt's house temporarily trying to shake the depression of his job ... basically working for a government agency with lots of initials, he's an assassin. J. D. is looking into a 3-year-old cold case, A brother of the victim shows up and does nothing but complicate the investigation .. until he, too, is found dead. Josh winds up in the hospital with a gunshot to the arm. Someone has tried to kill J. D. And a sailor lands his boat in the marina .. and bodies seem to mount up. Are these all connected? Or is each being targeted for a different reason? If you like a lot of action, you will absolutely love this book. Guns, bodies, possible terrorists abound all over the place. The characters have evolved over time and their interpersonal relationships work well. The author has captured the background of Key West in an authentic way. Even though this is 10th in the series, it does well as a stand-alone. There are a few short references to things that have happened in the past ... but it will only whet your appetite to start with Book 1 and have a reading marathon. Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Jock Algren arrives on Longboat Key in a state of depression and hopelessness. His most recent mission for his secretive U.S. government intelligence agency has been disastrous and his friends Matt Royal and J. D. Duncan aren't sure they'll be able to pull him out of his despair then the bad guys show up and danger erupts on all fronts. Longboat Key Detective J. D. Duncan is investigating a cold case when the brother of the victim shows up on the island and complicates the investigation. A grizzled sailor described by Matt as 'the meanest man I'd ever known' brings his boat into a local marina and bodies begin to accumulate. A Middle East jihadist intent on revenge locks on to Jock's clandestine past, bringing a deadly chase to the last outpost in the continental U.S. Key West. Three prongs of evil descend, clashing violently. How could all this malice be interconnected?