Rules of Crime by L. J. Sellers, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Detective Wade Jackson of the Eugene, Oregon Police Department. While vacationing in Hawaii with his current love interest, Wade Jackson — a detective with the Eugene (Oregon) Police Department — receives a frantic from his daughter, Katie, telling him her mother, Jackson's ex-wife Renee, is missing. He immediately returns to Oregon to help locate Renee, who he suspects may have started drinking again and simply needed a place to hide out until she became sober, not realizing how much danger she is in, in Rules of Crime, the seventh mystery in this series by L. J. Sellers.

Jackson and Katie soon learn Renee has been kidnapped, a ransom demanded from her wealthy fiancé Ivan Anderson, who agrees to pay. With the FBI watching the designated drop off point, a man collects the money, and attempts to flee via an innertube in the river. But he doesn't make it when the tube overturns, trapping and drowning him. With absolutely no leads to go on, they fear the worst for Renee.

Meanwhile, Detective Lara Evans, who works with Wade Jackson, has her own case to solve: the brutal beating of a college student, who may have been linked to a secret sorority. As the days go by, these two cases seem to overlap in strange and unexpected ways. Though unlikely they are, in fact, connected, every angle must be scrutinized in an effort to solve both.

There's a nice mix of roles here; though nominally a "Wade Jackson" mystery, several different characters take the lead here at different times, sharing the spotlight, as it were. There's also an interesting character — and plot — twist that comes into play. Ivan Anderson's daughter Dakota is mauled by a dog in a park, another case for the detective to solve. But this crime hits a little close to home for Jack: as a child, a dog attacked him leaving a deep scar on his face, a daily reminder of the fear he has for the animal.

Rules of Crime is an exciting police procedural-style thriller, with a strong cast of characters and a well developed, suspenseful storyline.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Rules of Crime.

Acknowledgment: Thomas & Mercer provided a copy of Rules of Crime for this review.

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Spellbinder Press (Mass Market Paperback), October 2007
ISBN-13: 9780979518201; ISBN-10: 0979518202

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Thomas & Mercer (Trade Paperback), August 2014
ISBN-13: 9781477824306; ISBN-10: 1477824308

Rules of Crime

A Wade Jackson Mystery by L. J. Sellers