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It is always a risk picking up a debut police procedural
thriller with a female main character written by a man. Kenneth Hoss' Storm Rising-a Kelli Storm Novel is definitely worth it!
Kelli Storm, is a sharp and capable New York City Detective.
Too bad that doesn’t carry-over to her personal life, which is nothing short of
a mess. Kelli and her partner Bill investigate a series of drug-related murders
tied to a Mexican-Colombian cartel in the Washington Heights section of New
York. Kelli knows she is getting close when informants and witnesses turn up
dead. Then evidence points to a connection between the events of today and her
father’s murder twenty years ago and
things get even more interesting. When the cartel comes after her she figures
that’s just part of the job. But when they attack her family and friends, Kelli
will test her commitment to proper procedure even as events resurrect hurts,
demons and perhaps an old love from her past.
This terrific novel is tightly paced with well drawn characters
and a finely crafted plot. Mr. Hoss has
introduced us to a female detective that is an experienced and somewhat jaded
police officer who is at the same time vulnerable. Mr. Hoss pulls off a fine balance of these
qualities so that at no time did I feel like Kelli Storm was a cliché or
stereotype. He even handles the romance
(no spoilers here) well.
I am not an expert on police procedurals so I will only say
that it worked for me. I do know that in fiction, including top rated television
shows, license with procedure is taken for the sake of moving the plot
along. In real life, toxicology and DNA
reports NEVER come back that quickly. I also know that there are patterns of
dialogue in this genre and from what I can see Mr. Hoss has captured them.
But I have lived in New York City and grew up in Jersey City
and Bayonne, all settings in the novel. So I will offer my opinion on that. I
will say that Mr. Hoss gets the flavor of these locations just right. He
captures the gritty darkness that surrounds them and all the shadows where the
bad guys can hide.
To make this novel perfect, I would only make suggestions
around minor editing and formatting.
This is a terrific first novel and one of three in a series.
The next Kelli Storm book, Storm Warning is
due out in September. While I’m told you don’t have to read this first…. don’t
miss seeing where it all began. From what I have heard, Storm Warning will be even better.
I give Storm Rising
4.5 triskeles
Kenneth Hoss was born at Carswell
Air Force Base in Fort Worth, Texas in 1957 to Albert and Mary Hoss. He served
a combined total of fourteen years on active duty from 1974 to 1987 in both the
U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. His tour in the Army took him to Frankfurt, Germany
where he had the opportunity to travel Europe. While in the Navy, Kenneth spent
most of his time stationed in San Diego and Long Beach. His Navy travels took
him to Hawaii, Guam, The Philippines, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Okinawa, the
Middle East and Pakistan. He has lived in several States, including South
Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington and California.
Kenneth currently lives in Irving, Texas.
Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel is a
Police Procedural and is the first book in a three book series. Storm Warning,
the next book, has a planned release of 9/15/12.
You may purchase Storm Rising at these online
retailers:
Amazon:
Barnes & Noble:
Connect with Kenneth:
Twitter: @kenhoss
Independent Authors Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/kenneth-hoss.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKenHoss
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