Until Death

By: James L Thane

Narrated by: Jeff Cummings

Length: 9 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

It’s summer in the Valley of the Sun; the temperature’s rising and so is the body count.

One of the city’s most exclusive escorts has lost her little black book - and a brutal killer has turned it into a hit list. One after another, some of Phoenix’s richest and most respectable men are turning up dead.

Troubled homicide detective Sean Richardson and his partner, Maggie McClinton, take lead on the hunt for a brutal, methodical killer stalking Phoenix’s elite and meting out a very personal brand of justice. But when so many people share a secret that just might get them killed, the next victim - and the killer - could be anyone.

In this thrilling sequel to No Place to Die, the Valley of the Sun scorches even the cold-blooded.

©2014 James L. Thane (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Set in Phoenix

I use those words as a headline because I lived in the valley for close to a dozen years and treasure the time and relationships I made there; it's a special place. Therefore whenever there is a book set in the valley, or even just in Arizona, whether fiction or non-fiction I give it a shot. Even if I don't purchase it, I give it consideration.
My opening prelude completed; I approached this book with cautious optimism. It was rewarded with a work of mystery fiction that falls just short of earning five stars. The police officers act like real people; the villains are just human beings who're trying to get by in the world. No Hannibal Lecter's here. The pivotal character in this selection would be easy to blame or dislike; instead she comes across as a vulnerable, caring person who's made a questionable choice in her life.
A couple of reservations. The first is that The killer is revealed pretty early in this mystery; thus removing much of the mystery. The too quick conclusion by the lead character as to the identity of the killer. I mean he could have at least stated his reasoning as "we're desperate here," or "we don't have any better suspects."
In short I'm recommending this audio without reservation.