The Boat Man

A Thriller

By: Dustin Stevens

Narrated by: Charles Constant

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

Detective Reed Mattox, just three months removed from the death of his partner, has turned invisibility into an art form. Switching to the K-9, taking over the graveyard shift, moving to a farmhouse miles outside of Columbus - his every move has become predicated on putting as much distance between himself and the outside world as possible.

That distance is shattered, though, when bodies begin turning up in The Bottoms, the poverty-stricken section of town he is assigned to patrol. Grisly, horrific scenes start to pop up in the middle of the night, and the overburdened precinct has no choice but to put Reed on it.

Now operating far outside of his comfort zone with a Belgian Malinois for a partner that attracts attention wherever they go, Reed is forced to unravel the murders, taking him clear across the city and back years in time, to an event that some very influential people will do anything to keep buried.

©2016 Dustin Stevens (P)2016 Tantor

Gritty police drama, NOT!

If you like flowery prose, this just might be for you. "His skin became moisture ladened". Why can't you just say he started to sweat? Then the long, long plea to stop trying to hurt/ kill his dog, explaining, hey that's a police officer don't ya know. Two chapters to go, just couldn't take anymore.

Macabre Mythological Mystery

After reading the reviews and listening to the "sample," I knew I had to listen to this book. It is one that does not disappoint. I like a story I can visualize in my head. This one adapts to my need easily. Slowly ( not boringly) the story unwind as the killer is found. Both the killer and the detective have been "deeply hurt." There is a certain amount of respect for one to the other. Good story, good descriptions, good flow to this audio book. Good narration.

boring

This book was boring and not very well written. I would say the characters were two dimensional, but that would be generous. The dialogue was wooden and completely unreal. I'm disappointed that a series I had hopes for won't be worth wasting time and money on after all.

Had me thinking

When I have to sit in my driveway for an extra 10 minutes to listen... I know I have a great story. Really liked the way this went. So much so I looked for the next book, but wasn't as entertained.

Not K9

Story was ok but calling it a “K-9 mystery” is a misnomer. Dog was hardly mentioned at all, tacked on as an afterthought once in a while.

Amazing narration

Enjoyed this book a lot! The narration kept me interested and the story was great too!

The reader is very good

Good plot and characters are nice. The story was was nice. Worth the read or listen.

Lots of Potential Here

While the damaged-cop-with-damaged-K9 is not exactly a new trope, I'll admit it's one I'm a sucker for. I love it when heroes who have suffered extreme trauma find their healing with others who have faced similar struggles. It's especially enjoyable to me when one of those struggling heroes happens to be a formerly superior K9 officer. Welcome to the world of Reed & Billie.

Detective Reed Mattox is still recouping (and not well) from the loss of his partner three months ago. Rather than accept another human partner, he chose a 4-legged one. Billie, a former Marine bomb-detecting dog, was washed out for the horrors she faced in the line of duty. She's on her last chance to find a partner and make it as a K9 officer. Reed can appreciate that. While these two are not a coherent unit yet, they're working on it. But, since Billie is often stuck in the car as Reed does his work, it's a slow and frustrating process- especially for Billie, who only wants to work.

As if their day-to-day issues weren't enough, they've been assigned a ghastly high-profile case with an antagonist known as The Boatman. Yeesh. This guy is more than a bubble off plumb, although he's very intelligent and organized. Oh, and creepy, too. Great.

The Reed character is pretty enigmatic so getting comfortable with him isn't immediate. He's keeping everyone at arms' length for a reason. But there's a sense that there's a lot going on with this detective. More than just a man in pain. At this point in the process, I felt like this first book was good, but not as good as it's going to be. I'll be grabbing the second book in the series to see if there's good growth and healing with both Reed and Billie. If there is, this could be a terrific series.

Just meh, not really a K-9 story

There are far better characters that have k-9 partners. The story was disjointed and the character didn’t make me like him.

Great story

Was a really good listen. No off the wall stuff just straight up detective and criminal work. Reader did a great job of conveying all characters.