Deadly Catch by E. Michael Helms

By: Unknown on Saturday, February 21, 2015

Title:  Deadly Catch
Series:  Mac McClellan Mystery #1
Author:  E. Michael Helms
Published:  November 12/13 by Seventh Street Books
Length:  225pgs
Format:  ecopy
Genre:  mystery
Shelf:  review
Rating: ★★★★★

Back Cover Blurb:

“The first cast of the day turned my dream vacation into a nightmare. . .”

After twenty-four years in the U.S. Marines, recently retired Mac McClellan is happy to be a civilian again. He is enjoying a leisurely fishing vacation in the Florida panhandle when he hooks a badly decomposed body.

Then, when a bag of rare marijuana is discovered stashed aboard his rental boat, he realizes someone is setting him up to take the fall for murder and drug smuggling. Mac’s plans for a more laid-back life must be put on hold while he works to clear his name as the number one suspect.

Mac launches an investigation with the help of Kate Bell, a feisty saleslady at the local marina with whom he has struck up a promising relationship. Along the way he must butt heads and match wits with local law enforcement officials, shady politicians, and strong-armed thugs from the Eastern Seaboard to sniff out and bring the real smuggler and killer to justice.

My Review:

This novel is mystery at its finest. I couldn’t unravel it until the very end, and even then, I was stunned. Helms writes with graphic descriptions without ever being gory, but ones that you can’t help but picture. Helms has developed a completely interconnected plot. It was fabulous to delve into. This novel is at the same time funny, fun, and suspenseful. I even enjoyed the technical fishing aspects of the novel. It added that extra bit of realism to the tale.

Helms has a very personal writing style. I felt as if I were listening to the main character tell his story. It made it very easy to get to know him, and those he cares about (or those with whom he has a rather large beef). The well suited and entertaining dialogue brought the entire cast to life. The web of relationships in this novel was beyond compare. No action or reaction was without long reaching consequence. All of the interplay and byplay between characters deepens the plot.

This novel is a quick, fast paced read that’s easy to get lost in. I’m anxiously waiting to see what Mac gets up to next.

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