Reviewed by Karen Pirnot for Readers' Favorite

In his latest Matt Royal series, author H. Terrell Griffin provides a fast-paced mystery jammed full of mostly believable characters, with a bit of confusion and excitement thrown in for good measure. When three murders occur on the normally docile island of Longboat Key, Florida, retired attorney Matt Royal is called in to find out who shot one of the victims, the son of a Viet Nam Special Forces buddy. Toward this purpose, he brings in the police forces of surrounding counties, as well as out-of-state agencies and the CIA. In a first-person narrative, Matt Royal comes across as a fun-loving guy who would just as soon kick butt as enjoy a stroll on the beaches of Southwest Florida. This personality characteristic naturally leads him to some pretty seedy characters who are more than willing to drop him in the ocean attached to a concrete block.

As it develops, the novel becomes a bit confusing for the reader because of all the potential perpetrators who must be remembered in order to attempt to figure out the main mystery: what is the connection of all the murder victims?

Griffin has a no-holds-barred manner of story telling which keeps the interest of the reader from start to finish. There are gangsters galore, and part of the intrigue of the story is to try to distinguish the good guy from the bad guys. If you are a diehard mystery fan, you'll need to keep track of all the evidence and seemingly unimportant details in order to crack this crime.