'A State of Despair' review
A State Of Despair
When I read Trey Stone's first book, 'The Consequence of Loyalty', I was impressed by the fact that he was able to do something that few authors can... surprise me. As I read 'A State of Despair', the second in the Columbus Archives series, I found myself being led down yet another rabbit hole of mystery. Would Mr. Stone succeed in pulling the metaphorical wool over my eyes a second time?
The story starts simply enough. Undercover agent Jordan Greer is struggling with the realities of being undercover as he tries to track down a drug ring that is pushing a deadly new drug. We follow along as he has a hard time of it both physically and mentally. This could easily be a blueprint for how not to deal with substance abuse.
1/4th of the way through the book it looks like everything is nicely wrapped up. Another successful investigation, with the bad guys on their way to jail, close the file, another case solved. That's when it takes a hard turn, the metaphorical excrement hits the fan, and the real story is revealed.
The story does several flash-forwards through the interview process, just like the tv show NCIS, which does a wonderful job of creating intrigue and tension. It also weaves in some callbacks to the previous book that readers of 'The Consequence of Loyalty' will enjoy. Seeing both Callaway and Martin in more active roles this time around was a real treat.
Mr. Stone does a great job of balancing between a hardcore cop story and a story about how far you would go for your friends.
Calling A State of Despair a pageturner would be an understatement. I was hooked on this book from moment one and found it very difficult to put down.
In the end did Mr. Stone succeed in fooling me a second time? Yes and no. I had my suspicions, but he still managed to throw a curveball into the story which had me doubting my choice of who the 'bad guy' was.
This was a well-written book with an intriguing story that gripped me from moment one and didn't let go until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes crime books, cop stories, mysteries, or just a great pageturner.
When I read Trey Stone's first book, 'The Consequence of Loyalty', I was impressed by the fact that he was able to do something that few authors can... surprise me. As I read 'A State of Despair', the second in the Columbus Archives series, I found myself being led down yet another rabbit hole of mystery. Would Mr. Stone succeed in pulling the metaphorical wool over my eyes a second time?
The story starts simply enough. Undercover agent Jordan Greer is struggling with the realities of being undercover as he tries to track down a drug ring that is pushing a deadly new drug. We follow along as he has a hard time of it both physically and mentally. This could easily be a blueprint for how not to deal with substance abuse.
1/4th of the way through the book it looks like everything is nicely wrapped up. Another successful investigation, with the bad guys on their way to jail, close the file, another case solved. That's when it takes a hard turn, the metaphorical excrement hits the fan, and the real story is revealed.
The story does several flash-forwards through the interview process, just like the tv show NCIS, which does a wonderful job of creating intrigue and tension. It also weaves in some callbacks to the previous book that readers of 'The Consequence of Loyalty' will enjoy. Seeing both Callaway and Martin in more active roles this time around was a real treat.
Mr. Stone does a great job of balancing between a hardcore cop story and a story about how far you would go for your friends.
Calling A State of Despair a pageturner would be an understatement. I was hooked on this book from moment one and found it very difficult to put down.
In the end did Mr. Stone succeed in fooling me a second time? Yes and no. I had my suspicions, but he still managed to throw a curveball into the story which had me doubting my choice of who the 'bad guy' was.
This was a well-written book with an intriguing story that gripped me from moment one and didn't let go until the end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes crime books, cop stories, mysteries, or just a great pageturner.
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