Review: NYPD Detective Kelli Storm Returns in Storm Warning by Kenneth Hoss

Author’s Synopsis: When her new partner is shot during a botched robbery, Detective Kelli Storm never expected that the trail of the shooter would lead her to Colombian drug lord Miguel Garcia; the man who’s cousin she had killed months earlier, and had made numerous attempts on her life. A man she had believed to be dead.

Detectives Kelli Storm and Eric Ryder follow the bloody trail of a notorious drug kingpin from the streets of Washington Heights, New York and south to Medellin, Colombia.
When the suspect in her partner’s shooting is killed while in custody, the man makes a startling deathbed confession. With this revelation, Kelli finds herself unwillingly thrown back into the world of the drug cartels. With the aid of DEA Special Agent Gregory Larsen and Narcotics Detective Javier Vasquez, Kelli works to stop the Cartel’s operations in the city, and bring down the notorious drug lord.

Storm Warning is the second book in the Kelli Storm Series. The first in series, Storm Rising was previously reviewed here. In Storm Warning, we meet again Kelli Storm, NYPD detective with a complicated personal life, and her new partner, Eric Ryder. The action kicks of immediately with Ryder being shot in what at first appears to be a robbery gone wrong. But nothing is ever simple for Storm. This seemingly freak event opens an investigation that resurrects a supposedly dead drug lord, Miguel Garcia, who is hell-bent on killing Kelli and anyone else in his way.

If I had to suggest areas for improvement it would be in pacing and, in particular, tension. There are key scenes where the writing is more laid back than it should be. Tension can be created by the artful use of shorter sentences, clipped dialogue and vivid verbs. I found the ending to not be the climax I was hoping for in terms of tension and action. I wanted to be more on the edge of my seat and right there with Storm.

However, the action scenes are vivid without being as gory as they could be. Mr. Hoss, to these non-expert eyes, seems to have a handle on police procedure and daily life issues. The plot proceeds logically without any holes. There are no noticeable unnecessary point of view slips and with the exception of a few errors it is adequately edited, although it could use a second read through.  Kelli Storm continues to unfold as a three dimensional character and I hope to see her “issues” rise even further to surface in the future.

I give Storm Warning 4 of 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.

Storm Rising - A Kelli Storm Novel is a Police Procedural and is the first book in a three book series. Storm Warning, book two in the series is now available on Amazon. Deadly Storm, book three has just been released and is now available on Amazon.

Kenneth currently lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Blog: http://kenhoss.blogspot.com
Twitter: @kenhoss
Independent Authors Network: http://www.independentauthornetwork.com/kenneth-hoss.html