Title: Dead Wood
(John Rockne Mysteries #1)
Author: Dan Ames
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: August 31st 2011
Finished reading: January 5th 2016
Pages: 204
“It was like a beautiful melody to him that ended in a blazing crescendo of blood and violence, capped off by the silent applause of a roaring crowd inside his head.”
I have been neglecting the mystery/thriller/crime genre last year, so I made myself a promise this year to read more books belonging to what is basically one of my favorite genres. During the read-a-thon last week I was in the mood for a crime read, so I decided to pick up one of my kindle crime freebies Dead Wood. It turned out to be a quick and quite entertaining read I was able to finish almost in one sitting. Dan Ames (pseudonym Dani Amore) writes in a way that keeps you interested throughout the story, using plot twists and full blown action to keep the pace fast. The characters are interesting enough, although I didn’t like all of them and some of their actions were not completely credible. In short: Dead Wood might not be a perfect masterpiece, but if you like a good crime story with some interesting music references I would definitely suggest picking this one up.
John Rockne used to be a cop, but he had to turn in his badge after making a fatal mistake. He now works as a private investigator in a small town named Grosse Pointe in Michigan. Nothing big ever happens ever there, but with Detroit around the corner things are never completely safe. When a woman who builds custom guitars is murdered, her father contacts Rockne to investigate the murder. The father believes her daughter’s ex is the killer even though he has an alibi. Rockne is not sure what to think, but he decides to investigate a little anyway. What he doesn’t know is that the case is more complicated than he first thought and he soon finds himself in danger… Will he be able to find the killer before the killer finds him first?
What made Dead Wood truly special were the many musical references throughout the story. A professional killer obsessed with music and The Rolling Stones; not something you read about every day in a crime novel. The rest of the story is good enough, although some of the plot twists and action scenes are a bit too fantastical to my taste. Still, in general I really enjoyed reading this story. If you are looking for a quick and entertaining crime read, Dead Wood would definitely do the job!
