Kerley, Jack – A GARDEN OF VIPERS

[LJ Roberts]

A GARDEN OF VIPERS (Police Proc-Mobile, Al, Cont) – G
Kerley, Jack – 3^rd in series
Dutton, 2006- US Hardcover – ISBN: 0525949526

Detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus pick up a call from dispatch and beat another pair of detectives to the scene of a reporter found murdered in her car. The reporter is a friend of Carson’s girlfriend, Dani Danbury. The trail soon leads to other murders, a police cover-up and to the very wealthy, influential Kincannon family, including Buck who is counting Carson’s girlfriend.

This book lacked the spark of the previous two novels by Kerley. I found the plot implausible and imminently forgettable. Even to write this review, one week after reading the book, I had to go back and leaf through it to remember the plot. The best part of the book was the relationship between the two detectives, although even that didn’t have quite the impact of previous books and the growing relationship between Carson and Claire Peltier, a forensic pathologist 11 years his senior. There is a suspenseful scene toward the end that does make the book exciting. It’s still a good series, but this wasn’t Kerley’s best effort.