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Every Secret Crime: A Reno McCarthy Novel    by Doug M. Cummings Amazon.com order for
Every Secret Crime
by Doug M. Cummings
Order:  USA  Can
iUniverse, 2007 (2007)
Softcover
* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

Trey Hayden, son of celebrity attorneys, is shot to death by an intruder in their posh Chicago area home. TV reporter Reno McCarthy, feeling the shooting was more than an aborted robbery, follows leads in an exciting, quickly moving, gritty novel that has more turns and bends than a snake beating a hasty retreat.

McCarthy also starred in Doug Cummings' first book, Deader by the Lake. Reno is savvy, pugnacious, and determined to right wrong, which makes for a good story. His many contacts seem to like the man and try to help him. Of course, he returns the favors, sometimes to his disadvantage.

The convoluted plot uses many clues, none of which I picked up on. Well, maybe a few. Corruption of the local police force - going back thirty years - plays a large role. Blackmail and greed show their ugly faces, not surprisingly, relating to wealth and social standing. Power does corrupt. Avarice, and a lack of caring abound.

I had trouble putting Every Secret Crime down, and look forward to Reno McCarthy's return to the printed page.

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