Sarah CainCritiques

I wanted to love this book, but it ended up difficult for me to love. I did love reading of the names of places that I live near. But... the Evilness is just hard to read and I truly do not want to belive it is possible to happen in this Main Line well to do suburban area.

Beautiful artists' book visualizing the musical experience through color and shape.

4.5 stars.

In this second outing in Sarah Cain's Danny Ryan Thriller series, One by One, journalist Danny Ryan is once again embroiled in a complex murder investigation.

The novel opens with old high school acquaintance, Greg Moss, asking Danny to look into some ominous text messages he has been receiving. The request is immediately complicated by Greg's revelation that several of his old high buddies also received threatening texts before they were murdered. When Greg is then murdered, Danny's suspicions are raised by the lead detective on the case, Ted Eliot, and Danny, along with fellow journalist, Alex Burton, decide to do a little digging around. They quickly uncover Greg's ties with a development firm, Cromoca Partners, which is linked to Danny's ex-father-in-law Senator Robert Harlan and Congressman George Crossman. However, after Danny begins receiving mysterious texts, he cannot help but wonder if the murders in the present are somehow connected to the parties that Greg hosted back in high school. With assistance from both Alex and his detective brother Kevin, Danny tries to fit the pieces of the puzzle together before he becomes the killer's next victim.

There have been a few changes in Danny's life since readers met him in The 8th Circle. He is now a freelance journalist and he has moved into a new house. Since he is now living in the same neighborhood as ex-coworker Alex, he has become close to her and her husband, Sam. His relationship with Kevin is still a work in progress, but they are closer than they were in the past. Danny is still struggling with the loss of his wife and son but he is not as depressed as he has been.

Danny begins his investigation working off the idea that Greg's murder, along with the earlier deaths of his football buddies, are somehow linked to the past. When an attempt is made on the life of one of the people he interviews who knew Greg in high school and is still in touch with him in the present, Danny remains unsure what a possible motive for the murders. When another person from high school he interviews meets an untimely death, Danny knows he is on the right track but when his former classmates are less than forthcoming with him, his investigation hits a dead end.

Although he is not assigned to the case, Kevin does an little off the books digging around into Ted Eliot's background. While his relationship with Danny might be a little strained, he does take his brother seriously when he notices a few inconsistencies with the detective. Uncovering some rather interesting information about Ted, Kevin is still struggling to figure out if there is more to his story than he is telling.

Alex learns some troubling information about the Cromoca Partners latest business ventures but she is stonewalled when she tries to dig a little deeper. She is also a little curious about the long ago death of another classmate of Danny's and at first, her request for an interview is turned down. Alex is excited when the person reconsiders but is she making a mistake not talking to Danny before she sets out for the meeting?

One by One is another pulse-pounding installment in the Danny Ryan Thriller series. The investigation is compelling and Sarah Cain brings it to a close with an adrenaline-filled, action packed denouement. The novel ends on a very intriguing note and readers will be anxious to see what Danny decides to do with the curious information he has received. A riveting mystery that fans of the genre do not want to miss!

Sarah Cain's debut mystery, The 8th Circle, is a mesmerizing thriller that takes the reader into the dark and seedy underbelly of murder, sex and politics.

Danny Ryan is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who has been deeply depressed since the death of his wife Beth and their young son Conor a year earlier. Living in solitude, he has little interest in resuming his regular life until the inexplicable murder of his friend Michael Cohen. Before dying, Michael whispered the word "inferno" to Danny and that is just one of many puzzles surrounding his friend's death.

Danny cannot resist looking into the mysterious circumstances surrounding Michael's death. His interest is definitely piqued but he also feels guilty over pushing Michael away when he came to him for help months earlier. He suspects whatever Michael was into then has bearing on his murder but with little to go on except "inferno", Danny does not make much progress at first. But when his house is broken into and he receives a threatening phone call, he begins his investigation in earnest. The stakes become even higher after many the people Danny talks to are murdered.

During his investigation, Danny runs afoul of local cops, his ex-father-in-law ( who is also a senator with presidential aspirations) and a highly respected philanthropist. He receives help from unlikely sources such as his estranged cop brother Kevin and recovering addict sister Theresa in addition to his mentor and Michael's father, Andy and his wife, Linda. Another unexpected resource is his ex-father-in-law's assistant, Kate Reid, who has intimate knowledge of the organization Danny is investigating. His investigation also has a shocking connection to his cop father's last case and a serial killer known as the Sandman. But the most stunning revelation is exactly how Michael stumbled onto the case in the first place and who is responsible for his murder.

Danny's quest for answers takes him deep into the heart of an organization whose members are wealthy, privileged and hold positions of power. He is ill-prepared for the depths of their depravity and how far they will go to protect their identities and their secret society. Nothing is off limits for those wealthy enough to buy their way through the doors of the exclusive clubs where their every desire can be fulfilled (including murder and sexual acts so vile they are almost unspeakable). Dark, twisted and sickening acts of perversion are just the tip of the iceberg as Danny searches for the truth about Michael's murder.

The 8th Circle is a compelling and suspense-laden mystery that is not for the faint of heart. Violence and evil permeate the story but Danny proves to be a formidable foe as he fights for justice for his slain friend. Startling twists and turns bring the novel to a shocking and completely unexpected but harshly realistic conclusion. A brilliant debut which features a surprisingly likeable protagonist that I hope to see again in future novels by Sarah Cain.

The debut of new author Sarah Cain. I was interested to see if this new author could be added to a rather short, personal list of authors whom write creepy good stories. No. At least, not yet. The story of secret sex clubs, interwoven with politics and journalism, was not written with a fresh look. The story of love, betrayal, and murder was also present, but, again, not special. The story jumped too much, both in time and setting, leaving the book to contain 80+ chapters. The protagonist was hard to pin down; likeable? relatable? sympathetic? No. No. No. Having said this, perhaps with better editing...? Maybe.
The narrator was not bad, but didn't assist in making this a more likable story.½

The first Danny Ryan mystery by Sarah Cain had me hooked nearly from page one--the plot was intricate, the writing strong, and the characters believable. I was excited to jump into this second book in the series, too, but I have to admit that it just didn't have the same punch as the first one. The plot felt overly intricate--maybe partly because there were a few too many characters that seemed to require depth, but weren't given much beyond backstory and what you'd expect in the present--and although it pulled together by the end, it just didn't have the same feel of inertia or import that the plot of the first book held. And as for the characters... well, Danny Ryan was the same, but I was left wanting more. Too often, it felt like he was primarily reacting instead of acting, as if the plot and chance were pulling the strings more than anything.

So, did I enjoy it? It was a nice escape, and I'm glad I read it. Will I read the next Danny Ryan book? I honestly have no idea. I wanted more character here, and a bit more depth, so whether or not I read the third may just depend on whether I happen across it, much as I hate to say it. It's not going to be something I wait on the edge of my seat for, I'm afraid.

Dark and careful, this book is the best crime thriller I've read in ages.

Cain's characters are brilliantly drawn, both flawed and engaging, and the book is almost impossible to put down once it gets started. It won't be for everyone--the plot is dark the and violence is graphic, and there are moments of reality that you almost hate because they're so hard, even if they make it more real--but for readers who like dark crime thrillers or suspense novels that draw in everything from journalism to politics to sex and drugs, and all of the details in between... this is a book not to be missed.

I can't wait to read the next book in Cain's Danny Ryan series, honestly.

If you like your crime and suspense books to be dark, thrilling, and dripping danger that's just a bit too realistic to allow you to be comfortable... then yes, I absolutely recommend this one.