Murder Around the Bend

Stone County Justice, Book 1

By: John C. Dalglish

Narrated by: Steven A. Gannett

Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

From the author of The City Murders, The Detective Jason Strong Mysteries, and Deadly Secrets, comes a new series - Stone County Justice.

A body is reported lying on an isolated country road. The Stone County sheriff's department sends out its newest homicide investigator - Dan Cutter. Cutter discovers a baffling scene that leaves him with few clues and no obvious motive.

Experienced at working on murder cases, Cutter finds himself with a different problem: He's in unfamiliar territory. Stone County isn't the big city he came from, and finding the killer will test him in ways he never expected.

Can he adapt and solve this complicated case of a murder around the bend?

©2019 John C. Dalglish (P)2019 John C. Dalglish

A great start to a new series.

I really enjoyed this first audiobook in the Stone County Justice series. Dan Cutter, a retired St Louis homicide detective, is drawn back into his old role when he accepts the reserve deputy position offered by his old friend, Sheriff Joe Logan. Paired with Detective Bennett, Dan investigates the murder of Frank Martinez whose body was found on an isolated road in Stone County, Missouri.
This story pulls you in from the start and keeps you enthralled to the end. Dan Cutter is a great character with a lot of heart, he feels for the victims and is saddened by the discoveries made in this case. I enjoyed how his newbie detective partner is helping him learn the difference between working in a city and working in a small, rural town. I will look forward to seeing how their partnership progresses in future books. The narrator fit the story nicely and matched voices well to both the characters personalities and their sex. This clean, murder mystery had lots of twist, red herrings and deception. It is fast paced and will keep you guessing who the culprit is right until the end.

Rural Detective Mystery

This was a good mystery. To be honest I read it right after several British police procedurals so this was kind of a shocking change of pace. However, the pace fits perfectly with the setting. The narrator, too, adds to the effect of a location with a slower pace.

It is fairly short - only 4 hours 39 mins - so the mystery and characterization had to be brief. I'm hoping for a sequel. I really liked the main characters and am hoping to learn more about them in future books.

Wonderful New series moves to the country

John Dalglish always delivers a top notch detective novel. Contrary to his City Murders novels (Dallas, Boston, Memphis, etc) this new series occurs in rural Missouri which adds a unique twist. Detective Cutter, fresh from retirement as a homicide detective in St. Louis agrees to help his long time friend and former coworker, now the sherif of Stone County solve a murder. The case takes many turns as Dalglish expertly layers the evidence
along with Detective Cutter’s growing adaptation to his new crime fighting environment. I found the descriptions of rural Missouri just as fascinating as the cities he detailed in the last series.
The result is a throughly enjoyable, clean who -done - it that I highly recommend! Can’t wait for the next novel.

Good start to a new mystery series

St. Louis police homicide detective Dan Cutter has retired from that high-stress position to a rural life in Stone County, where his old friend is the sheriff--and an on-call job as the county's homicide detective. He's had a little time to get to know his new colleagues and neighbors, but is still "You moved here from St. Louis, right?" when a well-like businessman turns up dead near his truck some miles from home, shot to death almost execution-style.

Dan soon finds himself comforting the grieving wife and daughter, while he and his partner, Liz, a full time detective in this slower-paced community, start piecing together the evidence.

Who knew Frank? Everyone. Who were his enemies? The only one with a motive that looks strong enough to kill over was sitting in jail at the time, and had been for several weeks.

Yet, clearly, someone did kill him.

A lug wrench has a thumb print that doesn't match anything in the criminal fingerprint database. Both wife and daughter had handled the threatening note they received, and only has their fingerprints recoverable on it.

Stone County may have a slower pace than St. Louis, but it's not any less complicated.

I like the characters who are clearly going to be the regulars, and everyone gets enough characterization to seem human and plausible. This looks like a good start to an enjoyable new mystery series. Recommended.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

realistically simple way to tell a good story

it's possible to keep the interest of the listener without having to portrait people with supernatural abilities. This, and most of J Dalglish books, can tell a good story with normal people in normal investigation circumstances, making them more believable.