By Any Means
An Ash Rashid Mystery by Chris Culver
Review: Returning home from work, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Detective Sergeant Ash Rashid comes upon an automobile driven into a tree. Phoning 911 for assistance, he rushes to see if he can help. But the two people inside didn't die from the accident; they were both shot to death. He later learns that a women who identified herself as a nurse had also called 911 to report the accident, but the call was cut off and it seemed, at least to Ash when he heard the call later, that the caller was struggling with someone else, though she cannot be located so he can't be sure. Ash is assigned to investigate the case, in By Any Means, the third mystery in this series by Chris Culver.
Ash Rashid is a family man, true to his wife and children, and a devout Muslim. With one exception. He drinks. Or at least he used to. He's often tempted, especially in a case like this, where there are so many questions yet so few answers. And Ash is the type of man who get results "by any means" within the bounds of the law. His colleagues don't often understand him and his superiors don't often agree with his conclusions, but he sees clues others don't and follows them. In this case, the unidentified dead couple lead him into an age-old mystery that has implications for his current case.
By Any Means is far more than just a standard police procedural or typical chase thriller. Ash Rashid is a very appealing, multi-faceted character, who brings life to this complex story. There is no black and white for Ash; rather he sometimes makes choices that may seem contrary to what is in the best interest of himself, his family, and his department, but are "right" in the moment. There's a nice balance of mystery/suspense to family dynamics, with the latter just enough to give depth to the character without overwhelming or detracting from the primary storyline. This is a fine entry in this series, one that doesn't require having read the previous books to appreciate, but also one that may have new readers seeking out the earlier books anyway.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of By Any Means.
Acknowledgment: Grand Central provided an eARC of By Any Means for this review.
Review Copyright © 2014 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in By Any Means: Indianapolis
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By Any Means by Chris Culver — An Ash Rashid Mystery
Publisher: Grand Central
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-4555-2598-0
Publication Date: May 2014
List Price: $15.00

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Page Author: Lance Wright Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews
Mysterious Reviews is a Division of The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and a Business Unit of the Omnimystery Family of Mystery Websites
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