Monday, September 18, 2017

Beneath the Depths by Bruce Robert Coffin

I like a good police procedure novel and Coffin is one of my favorite authors in that genre. His nearly thirty years in law enforcement shows. This novel is a good combination of character development and investigative technique. There is also a good balance of action and scene description.

I like that his detectives come across as real people, flawed but dedicated to their work. Byron is a good lead character. Many of his thoughts about the case, his work, and his personal life are included. That helped give depth to his character. It also revealed his struggle to continue the investigation when it became politically incorrect. He had to battle superiors who gave greater importance to protecting benefactors than solving the case.

This novel journeys through the darker side of Portland, Maine. It reveals some of the nastiness of a high power legal firm in the city. We are taken to some of the strip joints too and get a glimpse of the lives of some of the women working in them.

I recommend this novel to those who like a good combination of character development, scene description, and police investigative procedure. Readers who like the Harry Bosch series, like I do, will enjoy this John Byron series.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Bruce Robert Coffin retired from the Portland, Maine, police department in 2012, after more than twenty-seven years in law enforcement. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, he spend four years with the FBI. He lives and writes in Maine. You can find out more at http://www.brucerobertcoffin.com/.

Witness Impulse, 432 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

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