I am not usually into books that are a part of a series, or detective stories, which this is, but I respect the author, E. Michael Helms, and agreed to review his novel. I quickly found myself liking the main character PI Mac McClellan, even though he gives his dog beer. This was the give away to me that the novel was written through a male’s perspective because it was something my husband used to do his dog, while I thought it was terrible. Helms has an engaging and very personal writing style. He incorporated his Marine background into his main character, which I especially enjoyed (since I read his memoir “Proud Bastards: One Marine’s Journey from Parris Island through the Hell of Vietnam”). I could hear the author’s own voice in this novel, and it is a pleasant voice to get to know.
In this novel, the protagonist’s girlfriend is part of a paranormal investigative group which is why this “whodunit” has ghosts with potential supernatural actions that lead to murders. Our skeptic PI suspects there are more than spirits doing the killing. There are strong shades of Philip Marlowe in this novel. I could almost see Bogie (Humphrey Bogart) with a cigarette between his teeth. Though, I personally found Mac to be more of a soft-hearted tough guy. My only criticism is that the characters seemed one dimensional, but that might be because I haven’t read the previous three novels in the series. All and all, this is a good beach book (if you don’t mind homicide on your beach) with likable characters and enough twists to keep you guessing. If you are into detective stories, give PI Mac McClellan a try, I do not think you will be disappointed.
I would like to thank the E. Michael Helms for giving me the opportunity to be able to say that he can write and excel in any genre.
Find all my reviews at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/4793025-martie-nees-record?shelf=read
