Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details until an unexpected break gives March one last chance to save his career. And his humanity.
All he has to do? Find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. Battling a new partner, an old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.
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"This is a quality hard-boiled detective story. Look for author Mark Bertrand to receive (and deserve!) Michael Connelly comparisons if he continues pumping out books this good. (Also, I enjoyed the Houston setting; the protaganist is an HPD detective. While not necessary, it's beneficial to know the area because these involve such specific geographic details. In fact, this story is set around Hurricane Ike.) Summary: Strong work."
— Alex (4 out of 5 stars)
" I give the book a 3 out of 5 rating because although it flowed well I felt the story was a little choppy. There were hints that something had happened to the main character's family, so many so that I just kept thinking 'come on and tell me already' in frustration not anticipation. I had the hardest time finishing the book because of outside distractions and the inability to keep me enthralled. The backstory of the main character also made me feel like I must have started the series with at least the 2nd or 3rd book not the 1st. "
— Lonnie, 2/17/2014" I enjoyed this book because it wasn't perfectly neat. I actually felt myself pulling for Roland March to succeed among all the nay sayers in his office. March is no longer in his prime, but has to fight just to continue doing what he loves. Most books show the story of up and coming star detectives, not detectives who already have two feet out the door. Different, and I loved it. "
— Lane, 2/16/2014" I don't usually read detective novels, but a friend gave this book to me as a "house warming" present. I was reading another novel and set it aside to thumb through a few pages of this book and I couldn't put it down. I'm going to have to rethink this genre. "
— Vondraya, 2/11/2014" Good entertainment. Get the paper edition as the electronic is badly converted. "
— Leandro, 1/3/2014" Good Cop? Bad Cop? Two stories in one with enough suspense to make you lose sleep! "
— Barbara, 1/2/2014" Good Book. A differnt insight into homicide "
— Tblueba, 12/30/2013" An interesting who-dun-it with a few too many characters and sudden twists to give it a higher ranking. I would read book 2 when it comes out though. "
— Janet, 12/25/2013" One of the best crime dramas I've read in a long time. Looking forward to the next novel in the series. "
— Verena, 12/22/2013" I really enjoyed this story. If you like Crime stories, you will enjoy this book. I look to reading more novels by this author. "
— Nikki, 12/18/2013" I got this for free on the Kindle and so far I like it. "
— Kim, 12/13/2013" I found this book to be very slow until about 2/3 the way in. At about this point it picked up and was good. The first 2/3 was slow, jumped around and really did not go anywhere. The last 1/3 really told the story. "
— Susan, 12/10/2013" I got this as a free download on my nook and ending up really enjoying it. Ill be looking for more from this author and in this series. Very pleasantly surprised!! "
— Ginny, 12/10/2013" Another freebie from CBD on my NOOK. I liked it. A Christian detective story that doesn't hit you over the head with the Gospel. "
— Jennifer, 12/7/2013" Excellent mystery and the characters were well-drawn, especially Roland. I really felt like I understood him. At first he feels like an anti-hero, but he starts to grow throughout the book. I hope to read further in this series soon. "
— Michelle, 3/5/2013" Masterfully written. Had me holding my breath. Such a gifted writer. "
— Deeanne, 11/1/2012" This was not a horrible book, but the pacing was too slow for my taste. I was able to get invested into the characters but I was looking for a little more plot. "
— Doug, 8/1/2012" Great read - super suspense & interesting characters "
— Morag, 5/22/2012" Back on Murder by J. Mark Bertrand was really good. The author kept me reading just to see what was going to happen next. I will definitely be following this author. "
— Wanda, 3/16/2012J. Mark Bertrand is the author of the crime novel Back on Murder, Pattern of Wounds, and Nothing to Hide. He earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston and now lives in South Dakota with his wife, Laurie.
Tanya Eby is a novelist and an audiobook narrator who has earned several AudioFile Earphones Awards and been nominated for the Audie Award. She has a BA degree in English language and literature and an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.