And Let There Be A Hero

Synopsis: Psycho killers are detective Kalen Gatt's bailiwick. But when he belly flops into the middle of a terrorist plot, he may be in over his head in And Let There Be a Hero.

St. George, UT – A homicide detective turned private eye tracks a deadly duo, only to stumble on a sinister plot that may be way out of his league. It's a thrilling tale told in white-knuckle fashion in the new crime novel, And Let There Be a Hero.

Kalen Gatt is scarred. The detective has learned to live with his physical handicap – but his psyche is another matter entirely. Chief Danforth of homicide becomes too much for him to deal with daily, so he leaves homicide and becomes a private detective.

It is the personal losses that bring a hero to his knees, and Kale suffers more than his fair share. To top it off, a pair of serial killers test his skills and try his endurance. The plucky private eye holds his own … until he discovers himself neck-deep in a terrorist plot. Can the small-town P.I. with physical challenges and a chip on his shoulder hold his own? (Synopsis provided by the author)

Review: Unfortunately, it took me a great deal of effort to get through this book. With the other reviews that I read on it, I was expecting something different than what I experienced. I have no doubt that R.M. Kidwell is a good writer, but I had some issues with it from the start that jaded my feelings.

What I did like about the book was that the characters were developed and Kidwell put a great deal of effort into making them realistic. He also put great deal of development into the police procedures and camaraderie within the department itself. However, there seemed to be this overwhelming sense of overacting in the way that the characters were written that I did not enjoy. Especially with regards to the main character and how he used the same phrases over and over. I am a big fan of Die Hard, so I tried to let all that slide as I went through the book.

The one thing that I did not really enjoy was the way the book was set up. There was quite a bit of extra information in it, which I understand was there to set up the character from the first book in this particular series. However, with over 500 pages, it may have been beneficial to cut about a quarter of it out to make it a more cohesive and smoother read.

Overall, there was a good storyline that continued throughout the book and kept my interest just enough to get over several of the quirky pet peeves that I have acquired over the years. It definitely picked up speed  as the plot progressed, but it did seem at times that there was too much going on. Also, one of the harder things to write is dialogue and I thought that Kidwell did a decent job of that and making it sound realistic, even if some of it was a little over animated at times.

If you enjoy detective novels that are written almost like an action movie, then the book is for you. If you prefer ones in which the main detective is a little more humble or do not like detective novels, then this book is not for you.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I was given a copy of the book by the author; I was not paid to give this review.