Terminal Secret

Dan Lord is a lawyer and sometime private investigator for hire by word-of-mouth only. His latest client, Sherry Wellington, is the wife of an up-and-coming senator who fears for her life after a visit from her ex-husband. Earl Wallace and Emily Fields are new partners working the shooting death of an EPA lawyer and the apparent drowning death of a woman with terminal cancer. The evidence connecting the two is a shell casing in the pocket of the drowning victim that matches the bullet used to murder the lawyer. When their cases converge, they know this is looking to be a difficult case to break. The variables are just too diverse and distant. When all three end up in the thick of it, they realize the case might just break all of them instead.

The author deftly weaves his story with a few hints at his previous tale, Favors and Lies, including both Lord and Wallace. Incredibly, rather than creating confusion, it has the opposite effect of establishing previous experiences between the two characters and encouraging a reading of the first book in the series. The characters are likable, even when their choices are not, and the banter is witty and intellectually cutting. It is a masterful tale of death, loss, murder, conspiracies, and more, and the cover is just one puzzling scene of many. The switch between characters is natural and easy to follow, and Lord’s methods, though not always law-abiding, get the job done believably well. Gilleo leaves the reader with hope in their hearts for a sequel, as there are hints at romance and unfinished business that need to be addressed. This is truly a pleasure to read, reminiscent of books by James Patterson or a tamer Lee Child.