Nothing To Hide

Nothing to Hide is the latest novel from J. Mark Bertrand where the reader is once more following the detective Roland March who has been called to the scene of a grisly murder. This time its a decapitated body where all visible signs of identification have been removed, no tattoos, no skin left on either hand and no head, with any possible dental record identifications long gone. Only one clue remains on the body, a finger pointing into the woods. Is that where the head is? Is that the direction Detective March must begin this investigation? Or is there something someone really wants to hide?

As he launches into a confusing investigation that turn up more questions than answers, Detective March injures himself while trying to cross a gully and resolves to self medicate himself over seeing a doctor, even though this injury seems to cause him immeasurable pain. A meeting with FBI leads him to Agent Bea Kuykendahl who informs him that she knows who his John Doe murder victim is, but insists on keeping his identity a secret to prevent another undercover agent from being murdered in the process of an ongoing sting operation.

She provides him with a folder filled with false information she requires him to investigate to ensure whoever has murdered John Doe, feels that they made a huge mistake. She believes it's only with March's help, that together they can bring this case to a close. However when the information that March begins to uncover doesn't make sense, he can only conclude that someone else besides the murderer has something to hide, something they will do anything to prevent from being revealed.

I received Nothing to Hide from J. Mark Bertrand compliments of Christian Fiction Blog Alliance for my honest review. This one was a bit confusing for me to understand. Having read the prior Roland March mystery's, I was determined to follow this one through to the end. I have to say however that this one did not resonate with me like the ones before, and with so many various leads that Roland spent chasing, encounters with the FBI, people from his past with ties to the Mexican cartel, and the time spent at the Gun Club, left me wanting so much more from this one. I would rate this one a 4 out of 5 stars and for those of you who love crime/mystery novels, then you will undoubtedly will want to pick up this series.

For more information on this book, the author and where to purchase a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

Nothing to Hide by J. Mark Bertrand

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Pattern of Wounds

This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is introducing Pattern of Wounds Bethany House (July 1, 2011) by J. Mark Bertrand
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

J. Mark Bertrand lived in Houston, where the series is set, for fifteen years, earning an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Houston. But after one hurricane too many he relocated with his wife Laurie to the plains of South Dakota. Mark has been arrested for a crime he didn't commit, was the foreman of one hung jury and served on another that acquitted Vinnie Jones of assault. In 1972, he won an honorable mention in a child modeling contest, but pursued writing instead.


ABOUT THE BOOK

It's Christmas in Houston, and homicide detective Roland March is on the hunt for a killer. A young woman's brutal stabbing in an affluent neighborhood bears all the hallmarks of a serial murder. The only problem is that March sent the murderer to prison ten years ago. Is it a copycat -- or did March convict the wrong man?

Alienated from his colleagues and with a growing rift in his marriage, March receives messages from the killer. The bodies pile up, the pressure builds, and the violence reaches too close to home. Up against an unfathomable evil, March struggles against the clock to understand the hidden message in the pattern of wounds.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pattern of Wounds, go HERE.

My Review:

This was an amazing piece of criminal suspense fiction. I had to read it a lot slower than most because not only am I looking for the clues behind the murders but also trying to solve the crime before the end. Forget it, I now see that I am not a police detective. This one had me guessing, re-guessing, second guessing and in the end, I got it wrong.

There are some unique aspects of serial killings in this book and the twists and turns make you feel like you have arrived at a location thinking you have the map in hand but after looking at it more than once, you realize it's the wrong map after all.

Kudos once more to J. Mark Bertrand for writing his sequel using the character of Detective Roland March. While he tries hard to succumb to the rules as much as he can, he finds that sometimes you have to bend the rules in order to solve the tougher crimes. LOVED this one and can easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars for making me work at finding out who did it. Now I have to wait to read the next one before the manhunt begins again.

If like me, you love trying to solve a great mystery, then this is the book for you. I received this book compliments of Christian Blog Alliance for my honest review and will make sure to add this reader to my personal watch list.