First Deadly Conspiracy - Box Set

McRyan Mystery Series, Books 1-3

By: Roger Stelljes

Narrated by: Johnny Peppers

Length: 26 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

The first three books of the New York Times and USA Today best-selling McRyan Mystery series:

• First Case - prequel novella
• The St. Paul Conspiracy
• Deadly Stillwater

Fans of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense will enjoy these fast-moving stories of murder, greed, and treason, the cast of colorful characters, and their setting in and around historic St. Paul, Minnesota.

First Case: Murder Alley: novella

In an emotionally charged investigation full of unexpected twists and turns, Mac McRyan will need to follow a convoluted trail of evidence, secrets, and hidden agendas to help solve a murder mystery that is his First Case.

The St. Paul Conspiracy

A complex murder investigation with repercussions far beyond an ordinary serial killer case - national and political security concerns lie at the root of this tangled, fast-paced, gritty crime novel. The Merit Award winner for Commercial Fiction for the Midwest Independent Publishers (MIPA) Book Awards and a Minnesota Book Awards nominee.

Deadly Stillwater

Two girls gone... A complicated, brazen daytime kidnapping is just the beginning in a case of betrayal and revenge that will ultimately strike at the soul of the St. Paul Police Department. From the searing streets of St. Paul to the murky waters of the St. Croix River, Deadly Stillwater is a book you won't be able to pause until its last gripping minute. Midwest Book Awards winner - Genre Fiction for the Midwest Independent Publishers (MIPA) Book Awards.

©2012 Roger Stelljes (P)2015 Roger Stelljes

3.5 stars OK Series

Mostly enjoyable mystery series. All three, including the novella prequel, have well developed plots, interesting characters, and satisfying conclusions. Mac MacRyan is a smart, young detective that uses his mind more than his braun to solve mysteries. The interplay among him and the three detectives on his team is light yet serious when necessary. The stories have the required supportive boss with the supportive political hierarchy above him. The plots are involved but not so complex as to confuse the reader.

I'm going for the next in the series.

The issue I found distracting was the great deal of descriptive explanation or background interspersed by often repetitive narrative.It made me feel that the story was being told to me rather than the characters playing their part of the story.

Johnny Peppers was very good with the delivery of the story

Sensational Police Procedurals

Loved the 3 books together. Mac is a great main character with Dick Lick his off sider who makes you laugh - I cringe at the descriptions of his 'Brown" suits.
The stories are easy reading with enough intrigue to keep you going and turning the pages. They are great classic police procedurals and I enjoyed them so much I have wish listed the next two instalments.

Adventure

My first Mac McRyan mystery was book four. From there I went to book five, and then discovered book six. Fortunately I found books 1 to 3.
Obviously it would have been better to read them in sequence. As in every series there is a necessity to repeat some pertinent information in each book. I found that they included mystery, humor, romance, and intrigue. I found it difficult to put them down. I will wait anxiously for book 7 to appear. For anyone who enjoys mystery, this is a really pleasant read.

Strong plots

I envied the first story I read enough to get the box set. However if great dialogue is important to you forget this series. The language is often trite and the relationships are as hackneyed as the conversations

Great loved it

Very entertaining. Well read and written would recommend reading can't wait to read the rest

McRyan

I enjoyed this series thusfar and look forward to hearing more from this author bravo

One hell of a story

Enjoyed the story very much. Highly recommend. Keeps you interested throughout. This was a very good series of books .

Great Series!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. McRyan is a neat guy and a good cop. The story lines are interesting and believable.

Which character – as performed by Johnny Peppers – was your favorite?

McRyan.

Any additional comments?

Roger Stelljes is a good author.

Too bad it was a set, even one would have been too much

All the same. As if the author wrote from a template. Not at all believable. This author will be on my "nevermore". List. I'd give him Raven, except I like them too much.

Best credit spent so far!

This book catch me! I couldn't stop listening.

Narration is excellent, the histories are full of surprises and it is not easily predictive.

I will buy the rest of the series.

Worth a listen but ...

Three reasonably good books and I’ve enjoyed them BUT the narrator is appalling. He has no intonation in his voice and his changing from character to character was poor. Most of the time I felt I was being lectured to. If you can put up with this, get the package.

Only listened to about 30 minutes

It is not really fair to judge on such a short listen but there does seem to be something wrong with the way this is marketed. I bought it because it said it was the First Deadly Conspiracy and I started with Book 1. But there was so much back story in the first 30 minutes that I assume there are several books before this one. I also didn't like the writing style for a reason I can't put my finger on.

Fooled By Reviews!

I was expecting so much more from these books than I got. Mediocre writing, typical sexist viewpoints concerning women (yawn)
Weak characters with no diversity or interesting features. The main protagonist is written as an intelligent man, but I'm waiting to see why.
At first, I was thinking that this series was a letdown as it was written in 2013, but I've read plenty of other works from the same time or earlier, which I enjoyed. Luckily, I got a free book in exchange for an honest review. I wouldn't read anything else from this author!