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Rick Cahill #5
Wrong Light
Perfect for hard-boiled PI and Noir fans who like a tainted hero living by his own code.
Naomi Hendrix’s sexy voice hovering over the radio waves isn’t the only thing haunting the Southern California nights. A demented soul is stalking Naomi, hiding in the shadows of the night, waiting for the right moment to snatch her and fulfill a twisted fantasy.
When Naomi’s radio station hires PI Rick Cahill to protect Naomi and track down the stalker, he discovers that Naomi is hiding secrets about her past that could help unmask the man. However, before Rick can extract the truth from Naomi, he is thrust into a missing person’s case—an abduction he may have unwittingly caused. The investigating detective questions Rick’s motives for getting involved and pressures him to stop meddling. While Rick pursues Naomi’s stalker and battles the police, evil ricochets from his own past and embroils Rick in a race to find the truth about an old nemesis. Is settling the score worth losing everything?
Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2018
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About the author
Matt Coyle
20 books319 followersMatt Coyle is the bestselling author of the Rick Cahill crime series. His books have won the Anthony, Shamus, Lefty, Ben Franklin Silver, Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Silver, and San Diego Book Awards, and have accrued nominations for the Macavity, Anthony, Shamus, Lefty, WRONG LIGHT, his latest novel and came out in December and has been nominated for the Lefty Award and been named a Bookreporter.com Top Pick for 2018. Matt lives in San Diego with his yellow Lab, Angus, where he is writing the sixth Rick Cahill novel. You can find him online at: www.mattcoylebooks.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
June 13, 2019
Updated 6/12/19
2019 Best Private Eye Novel - Shamus Award Nominees:
• Wrong Light, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
• What You Want to See, by Kristen Lepionka (Minotaur)
• The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime)
• Baby’s First Felony, by John Straley (Soho Crime)
• Cut You Down, by Sam Wiebe (Quercus)
--
This book is an advanced reading copy in the form of an uncorrected proof. The sale date for the book is 12-04-18. Note: I paid for this copy, no one sent it to me free of charge or offered the book to me for review. My choice.
I seem to be vacillating on how many stars to give the book “Wrong Light” by Matt Coyle between three and four. “Wrong Light” is the fifth book in Coyle’s PI Rick Cahill series, following last year’s (2017) “Blood Truth”. After reading “Blood Truth” I had to fix that, so I purchased the missing volumes in the series, and was lucky enough to find this, the ‘newest’ book.
Now the conundrum exists of reviewing a book I think less favorably of. Like its predecessor “Wrong Light” concerns two distinct story lines. First Rick is hired to protect the sultry voiced radio personality who is being stalked. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for PI Rick, the sultry voiced Naomi wants to bed Rick within the first four chapters of the book, on the day the two first meet.
The second story line continues “Blood Truth’s” Russian story line whereby Rick must repay his promised debt to a Russian crime boss in order to assist him at his beckoning call. This story line leads the reader into discovering more about the medical tech industry, the collection of stem cells, and the Russian plot to collect the fetuses of aborted Russian prostitute babies. Rick’s interaction with the F.B.I., whom he attempts to enlist in his discoveries, is totally unfeasible.
What saddens me most is Rick’s treatment of those around him (who are trying to help him) as less than low level unpaid hirelings. Even his wonderful dog is largely ignored,.Perhaps Mr. Coyle’s longer range plan of recording the life and times of his character Rick Cahill is growing weary after five books in five years and a course change is due.
The book still reads well as we travel the roads, highways and byways of La Jolla and even explore a bit of the cave system near the town. The pacing of the book seems to accelerate approximately a third of the way through the book perhaps indicating a nearing mandatory deadline. Regardless, I will still buy and read the next effort of Mr. Coyle.
2019 Best Private Eye Novel - Shamus Award Nominees:
• Wrong Light, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
• What You Want to See, by Kristen Lepionka (Minotaur)
• The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime)
• Baby’s First Felony, by John Straley (Soho Crime)
• Cut You Down, by Sam Wiebe (Quercus)
--
This book is an advanced reading copy in the form of an uncorrected proof. The sale date for the book is 12-04-18. Note: I paid for this copy, no one sent it to me free of charge or offered the book to me for review. My choice.
I seem to be vacillating on how many stars to give the book “Wrong Light” by Matt Coyle between three and four. “Wrong Light” is the fifth book in Coyle’s PI Rick Cahill series, following last year’s (2017) “Blood Truth”. After reading “Blood Truth” I had to fix that, so I purchased the missing volumes in the series, and was lucky enough to find this, the ‘newest’ book.
Now the conundrum exists of reviewing a book I think less favorably of. Like its predecessor “Wrong Light” concerns two distinct story lines. First Rick is hired to protect the sultry voiced radio personality who is being stalked. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for PI Rick, the sultry voiced Naomi wants to bed Rick within the first four chapters of the book, on the day the two first meet.
The second story line continues “Blood Truth’s” Russian story line whereby Rick must repay his promised debt to a Russian crime boss in order to assist him at his beckoning call. This story line leads the reader into discovering more about the medical tech industry, the collection of stem cells, and the Russian plot to collect the fetuses of aborted Russian prostitute babies. Rick’s interaction with the F.B.I., whom he attempts to enlist in his discoveries, is totally unfeasible.
What saddens me most is Rick’s treatment of those around him (who are trying to help him) as less than low level unpaid hirelings. Even his wonderful dog is largely ignored,.Perhaps Mr. Coyle’s longer range plan of recording the life and times of his character Rick Cahill is growing weary after five books in five years and a course change is due.
The book still reads well as we travel the roads, highways and byways of La Jolla and even explore a bit of the cave system near the town. The pacing of the book seems to accelerate approximately a third of the way through the book perhaps indicating a nearing mandatory deadline. Regardless, I will still buy and read the next effort of Mr. Coyle.
December 4, 2018
San Diego P.I. Rick Cahill is among the most tortured protagonists in modern crime fiction. He's haunted by events from his past; he's on the outs with virtually every law enforcement agency he encounters; as a practical matter, he has no one in his life, save for his faithful dog, and there always seems to be a group of Very Bad People who are intent on doing him serious harm. And yet, fortunately for his clients and even more so for the readers who follow his cases, Cahill soldiers on, trying as best he can to do right by his clients while at the same time struggling to survive and to somehow maintain a very tenuous grip on his place in the world.
In this case, Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect its most valuable personality, the sultry host of "Naomi At Night," who has a huge following. Inevitably, though, that following also includes any number of creeps and weirdos who imagine that Naomi is speaking directly to them individually and who would like to get to know her in person. When one of them sends a message to the station that appears to threaten the star if she does not comply with his demands, the station manager steps in and hires Cahill.
Rick moves immediately to provide direct protection for Naomi while at the same time he attempts to identify and neutralize the potential threat. This will not be easy. Cahill understands that the threat could come from someone who just recently tuned in to Naomi's radio show. On the other hand, it could also have come from someone out of her past. But the radio star effectively handcuffs Rick by initially refusing to tell him anything about her life before she suddenly showed up on the radio only a couple of years earlier. She also refuses to allow him to involve the police, even though it's apparent early on that they should be involved.
Just as Cahill takes this assignment, though, his past jumps up to grab him in the form of some Russian mobsters to whom he is indebted because of action that took place in an earlier novel. These are not people who take "no" for an answer, and they give Cahill a task which seems simple on the one hand but very confusing on the other. In order to protect himself, Rick will now have to dig into the mystery in an effort to determine what it is that the Russians are really attempting to accomplish.
As the book progresses, Cahill is pulled back and forth between the two cases, attempting to do the best he can, especially for Naomi, and getting virtually no sleep in the process. Both investigations turn out to be very complex, and each will take a number of unexpected twists and turns.
Matt Coyle has earlier demonstrated that he is a master of the modern noir novel, and Wrong Light will only enhance his reputation in this regard. This is a very dark story with a flawed but very appealing protagonist at its center. It will appeal to anyone who likes his or her crime fiction with a sharp, hard edge. 4.5 stars.
In this case, Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect its most valuable personality, the sultry host of "Naomi At Night," who has a huge following. Inevitably, though, that following also includes any number of creeps and weirdos who imagine that Naomi is speaking directly to them individually and who would like to get to know her in person. When one of them sends a message to the station that appears to threaten the star if she does not comply with his demands, the station manager steps in and hires Cahill.
Rick moves immediately to provide direct protection for Naomi while at the same time he attempts to identify and neutralize the potential threat. This will not be easy. Cahill understands that the threat could come from someone who just recently tuned in to Naomi's radio show. On the other hand, it could also have come from someone out of her past. But the radio star effectively handcuffs Rick by initially refusing to tell him anything about her life before she suddenly showed up on the radio only a couple of years earlier. She also refuses to allow him to involve the police, even though it's apparent early on that they should be involved.
Just as Cahill takes this assignment, though, his past jumps up to grab him in the form of some Russian mobsters to whom he is indebted because of action that took place in an earlier novel. These are not people who take "no" for an answer, and they give Cahill a task which seems simple on the one hand but very confusing on the other. In order to protect himself, Rick will now have to dig into the mystery in an effort to determine what it is that the Russians are really attempting to accomplish.
As the book progresses, Cahill is pulled back and forth between the two cases, attempting to do the best he can, especially for Naomi, and getting virtually no sleep in the process. Both investigations turn out to be very complex, and each will take a number of unexpected twists and turns.
Matt Coyle has earlier demonstrated that he is a master of the modern noir novel, and Wrong Light will only enhance his reputation in this regard. This is a very dark story with a flawed but very appealing protagonist at its center. It will appeal to anyone who likes his or her crime fiction with a sharp, hard edge. 4.5 stars.
December 27, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the characters even though some were very unlikable. Rick seems to be a tortured soul who is trying to find his own redemption for many mistakes he has made along life's path. The story hints at different events that have taken place in his life (previous books), yet they do not interfere with this book, the hints just make a reader want to learn more about Rick's prior history.
I have given a rating of 4 Investigative 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!!
I want to thank the publisher Oceanside and Netgally for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion!
I have given a rating of 4 Investigative 🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!!
I want to thank the publisher Oceanside and Netgally for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion!
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January 24, 2023
2.0-Stars - "It Was OK"
Wrong Light (Rick Cahill, #5) by Matt Coyle
An Audible audiobook - 08:38 Hours
Narrator: Travis Baldree
Blurb: Perfect for hard-boiled PI and noir fans who like a tainted hero living by his own code
This book was disappointing as I expected to enjoy it more than I did. It was a rambling, run-of-the-mill story featuring a verbose private investigator who was a walking, talking cliché of his species. What's more, there was an unlikely current story, interwoven with a different, historical story, with the latter having no connection with the former, even at the conclusion of the book - weird.
The first person narration was adequate, although it was frequently difficult to differentiate the PI character's mental musings and his actual dialogue. A quite tiresome audiobook overall, in my opinion.
Wrong Light (Rick Cahill, #5) by Matt Coyle
An Audible audiobook - 08:38 Hours
Narrator: Travis Baldree
Blurb: Perfect for hard-boiled PI and noir fans who like a tainted hero living by his own code
This book was disappointing as I expected to enjoy it more than I did. It was a rambling, run-of-the-mill story featuring a verbose private investigator who was a walking, talking cliché of his species. What's more, there was an unlikely current story, interwoven with a different, historical story, with the latter having no connection with the former, even at the conclusion of the book - weird.
The first person narration was adequate, although it was frequently difficult to differentiate the PI character's mental musings and his actual dialogue. A quite tiresome audiobook overall, in my opinion.
May 22, 2018
Wrong Light has all the trappings of a great private eye mystery from a sultry husky-voiced radio personality with a questionable past to mafiosos to a poetic psychotic stalker to steamy strip clubs to tail jobs. It is the fifth book in the Rick Cahill series and perhaps the most polished of the group. It is a very easy to read, filled with action, and great fun to read. Set in modern San Diego, which oddly enough has rarely been featured as a mystery setting at least rarely since Wade Miller's Max Thursday series, it features a private eye who has a long and difficult history with the La Jolla PD and is haunted by his past in Santa Barbara. This volume focuses less on the past and more on the present circumstances facing Cahill.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
December 4, 2018
PI Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect Naomi Hendrix, the sultry voice that has everyone in awe on a nightly basis. It seems like she's picked up a stalker who calls himself Pluto. He has a fantasy and he has a plan.
While Cahill accepts the job, he has misgivings about Naomi .... she seems to have secrets from her past that she's not sharing.
Meanwhile a missing person puts him at odds with the police and then he gets a call from an old enemy ... one that he owes a favor to.
While Rick pursues Naomi’s stalker and battles the police, evil ricochets from his own past and embroils Rick in a race to find the truth about an old nemesis. Is settling the score worth losing everything?
This is a well written, action-packed, page turner. Although 5th in a series, this reads well as a stand alone. I literally could not put this one down until I finished reading every single page .. I was riveted by the story and the action. There are twists and turns that seem to appear out of nowhere. I was not prepared for the surprising, yet fitting, ending.
Many thanks to the author / Oceanview Publishing / Netgalley / Edelweiss for the advanced digital copy of this crime fiction. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 23, 2018
This is the fifth book in a series with which I'm unfamiliar, but the description sounded right up my alley. It got that close and then some; I absolutely loved it and am hoping the next one will be heading for my street before too long. Private detective Rick Cahill is the perfect combination of a flawed (sometimes seriously) but likable character, and the straightforward, no-nonsense plot is a refreshing change from the head games of many of today's thrillers that leave you thinking, "What just happened here?"
At no time, I must add, did I feel the least bit left out because I hadn't read the previous books; in fact, I was impressed with the subtle effectiveness in which the author provides background details (that's not to say, however, that finishing this one didn't make me wish I'd heard about the series much earlier). In this one, told in first-person narrative, we first "meet" Rick as he listens to the sultry, soothing voice of "Naomi at Night" offering consolation and advice to midnight callers to her popular radio show. She's been the subject of somewhat veiled threats, and the station's bigwigs have hired Rick to investigate as surreptitiously as possible to avoid negative media attention.
As the story progresses, we learn that he's a former Santa Barbara, California, cop who once managed a restaurant. As for Naomi, it seems she, too, has a background that she doesn't want anyone else to know about; although the police were shown the latest threatening letter, they claimed there was insufficient evidence to take on the case - making Naomi, who has gone to great lengths to protect her real identify - very happy. When the gun she owns illegally is stolen, she of course doesn't file a police report and insists that Rick keep her secret as well.
Meantime, Rick is forced to deal with issues from his own past - a detente with a Russian mobster and his viciously dangerous daughter suddenly returns to haunt him, demanding repayment of a favor owed. Especially given that he's no fan of the local police, he's limited in who he can call for help (happily, one of his old buddies, Moira, still likes him enough to help with both his investigations, albeit reluctantly). But when Rick's actions result in a young woman's abduction, he's got no choice but to go to the cops - and they're not thrilled to have his nose in their business again.
As Rick's investigation continues with help from Moira, his lack of a perfect moral compass rears its head on several occasions (making the story, and Rick, far more interesting, IMHO). Finally, both cases come to exciting, though not necessarily happy, endings - leaving me, as I mentioned earlier, wanting more. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy.
At no time, I must add, did I feel the least bit left out because I hadn't read the previous books; in fact, I was impressed with the subtle effectiveness in which the author provides background details (that's not to say, however, that finishing this one didn't make me wish I'd heard about the series much earlier). In this one, told in first-person narrative, we first "meet" Rick as he listens to the sultry, soothing voice of "Naomi at Night" offering consolation and advice to midnight callers to her popular radio show. She's been the subject of somewhat veiled threats, and the station's bigwigs have hired Rick to investigate as surreptitiously as possible to avoid negative media attention.
As the story progresses, we learn that he's a former Santa Barbara, California, cop who once managed a restaurant. As for Naomi, it seems she, too, has a background that she doesn't want anyone else to know about; although the police were shown the latest threatening letter, they claimed there was insufficient evidence to take on the case - making Naomi, who has gone to great lengths to protect her real identify - very happy. When the gun she owns illegally is stolen, she of course doesn't file a police report and insists that Rick keep her secret as well.
Meantime, Rick is forced to deal with issues from his own past - a detente with a Russian mobster and his viciously dangerous daughter suddenly returns to haunt him, demanding repayment of a favor owed. Especially given that he's no fan of the local police, he's limited in who he can call for help (happily, one of his old buddies, Moira, still likes him enough to help with both his investigations, albeit reluctantly). But when Rick's actions result in a young woman's abduction, he's got no choice but to go to the cops - and they're not thrilled to have his nose in their business again.
As Rick's investigation continues with help from Moira, his lack of a perfect moral compass rears its head on several occasions (making the story, and Rick, far more interesting, IMHO). Finally, both cases come to exciting, though not necessarily happy, endings - leaving me, as I mentioned earlier, wanting more. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read an advance copy.
November 25, 2020
I bought several of these books featuring San Diego PI Cahill, man with a gun that gets used a lot and a dog called Midnight. There are quite a few dead bodies in this episode, Russian mafia, FBI and all the rest that goes with it. I can't say I really enjoy this man's tortured existence and penchant for finding trouble. I guess he is a stereotype rather than a real person? Yup, that would be it. Time will tell if I read the other one on the shelf. It will happen eventually when I run out of reading material.
May 15, 2019
Great Book. Keep on writing them.
August 17, 2024
Wrong Light by Matt Coyle is a very satisfying crime novel in the Rick Cahill series. It is in the tradition of world weary PI with intertwined plots to keep you guessing and involved in understanding the overall mysteries.
The story is set in Southern California and it was interesting to follow the development of the two basic plots ... one involving a radio personality and a stalker and the other an abduction / missing person case. Rick Cahill uses his knowledge and detective skills to work these two areas as well as a great deal of his own past.
Overall, a satisfying detective story, the fifth Rick Cahill novel. If you like traditional PI stories, give the Rick Cahill series a try. I think you will enjoy them.
The story is set in Southern California and it was interesting to follow the development of the two basic plots ... one involving a radio personality and a stalker and the other an abduction / missing person case. Rick Cahill uses his knowledge and detective skills to work these two areas as well as a great deal of his own past.
Overall, a satisfying detective story, the fifth Rick Cahill novel. If you like traditional PI stories, give the Rick Cahill series a try. I think you will enjoy them.
June 24, 2018
Wrong light by Matt Coyle.
Rick Cahill has come to 1350 radio station to see Chip Evigan. He has contacted Rick about threats to Naomi. He is the program director. Naomi is Naomi at heart on the radio from 9 til midnight. She has been sent a letter. The police don't think it's a threat. But it has been sent by someone who named themselves pluto. A fantastic read. I loved the story and the characters especially Rick. He got things done. Didn't see that coming. Loved the ending too. 5*.
Rick Cahill has come to 1350 radio station to see Chip Evigan. He has contacted Rick about threats to Naomi. He is the program director. Naomi is Naomi at heart on the radio from 9 til midnight. She has been sent a letter. The police don't think it's a threat. But it has been sent by someone who named themselves pluto. A fantastic read. I loved the story and the characters especially Rick. He got things done. Didn't see that coming. Loved the ending too. 5*.
December 4, 2018
“Wrong Light” by Matt Coyle is part of The Rick Cahill series. Rick Cahill has a past, and the past never stays in the past. Coyle weaves details from previous books into the context of this story so new readers can get up to speed without endless pages of rehashing of old plots. Cahill’s first person narrative provides all the background anyone needs at the time it is needed.
Rick Cahill is a PI with a long and troubled history, but he seems to be adjusting to life and doing his job. He is trying to cope, trying to be competent, and attempting to accept responsibility for his past and his present. “My whole job depended on people acting differently in their secret lives than they did in public.”
“Wrong Light” opens with a voice that grabs readers as well as Cahill.
The radio station had received an unusual fan letter; someone was threatening “Naomi at Night.” The police did not see the letter as a threat, but something was not right, so the station hired Cahill to find out what was going on.
Coyle pulls readers into Cahill’s world of uncertainty, doubt, and conflicting information. The narrative is casual, matter of fact, as if Cahill and the reader were sharing stories over dinner. He talks to readers and to himself; he shares his thoughts. Things do not always go well, and readers learn what he learns, question what he questions, and fear what he fears. Piece by piece information comes to light but that “light” brings more questions and few answers. Cahill seems to have enemies wherever he goes, and he uncovers only more lies and more secrets. “Maybe it was time to stop thinking. Was I wrong? Or maybe, I was wrong about everything.”
Coyle develops a sense of place with geographic details that astute readers can follow on Google maps. His shout out to football fans of “the Traitors— I mean, Chargers” immediately grounds the narrative in San Diego. The descriptions make such contributions that this would not be the same story if it were set somewhere else.
Coyle’s realism, logistics, action, and ordinary, tedious, and mundane things combine to make “Wrong Light” an incredibly normal and incredibly complicated book. I received a copy of “Wrong Light” from Matt Coyle, and Oceanview Publishing. The “Wrong Light” shines on many characters in the book, but that “Wrong Light” falls mainly on troubled Rick Cahill. Will there be a better light for Rick in the future? I hope so, and I cannot wait for the next book to find out.
Rick Cahill is a PI with a long and troubled history, but he seems to be adjusting to life and doing his job. He is trying to cope, trying to be competent, and attempting to accept responsibility for his past and his present. “My whole job depended on people acting differently in their secret lives than they did in public.”
“Wrong Light” opens with a voice that grabs readers as well as Cahill.
“Her voice, a low purr ripe with memories of long ago crushes, vibrated along the night’s spine. It pulled you close and whispered in your ear. You’re not alone. We’ll get through this. I won’t abandon you.” I’d listened to it on the radio during nighttime stakeouts. Nine til midnight. Five nights a week. 1350 Heart of San Diego on your AM dial. Naomi at Night. No last name. None needed. Her voice was all that mattered. And your imagination.”
The radio station had received an unusual fan letter; someone was threatening “Naomi at Night.” The police did not see the letter as a threat, but something was not right, so the station hired Cahill to find out what was going on.
Coyle pulls readers into Cahill’s world of uncertainty, doubt, and conflicting information. The narrative is casual, matter of fact, as if Cahill and the reader were sharing stories over dinner. He talks to readers and to himself; he shares his thoughts. Things do not always go well, and readers learn what he learns, question what he questions, and fear what he fears. Piece by piece information comes to light but that “light” brings more questions and few answers. Cahill seems to have enemies wherever he goes, and he uncovers only more lies and more secrets. “Maybe it was time to stop thinking. Was I wrong? Or maybe, I was wrong about everything.”
Coyle develops a sense of place with geographic details that astute readers can follow on Google maps. His shout out to football fans of “the Traitors— I mean, Chargers” immediately grounds the narrative in San Diego. The descriptions make such contributions that this would not be the same story if it were set somewhere else.
“The morning sun sparkled across the San Elijo Lagoon. The northern end of paradise. But paradise was just a pretty bow around the eighth largest city in the country that had its fair share of kooks and psychopaths. They just had golden suntans and blond hair.”
Coyle’s realism, logistics, action, and ordinary, tedious, and mundane things combine to make “Wrong Light” an incredibly normal and incredibly complicated book. I received a copy of “Wrong Light” from Matt Coyle, and Oceanview Publishing. The “Wrong Light” shines on many characters in the book, but that “Wrong Light” falls mainly on troubled Rick Cahill. Will there be a better light for Rick in the future? I hope so, and I cannot wait for the next book to find out.
July 17, 2020
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A San Diego PI is hired to find a stalker of a female radio talk show host. She's strange and secretive, and for good reason. At the same time, a Russian mobster calls in a favor he can't refuse.
It seemed a little too long.
A San Diego PI is hired to find a stalker of a female radio talk show host. She's strange and secretive, and for good reason. At the same time, a Russian mobster calls in a favor he can't refuse.
It seemed a little too long.
December 26, 2018
Here are a few things I have to say about WRONG LIGHT in addition to my summary of: I Loved It.
A genuine hard-boiled PI story. Meticulously plotted. Continuous action. Twists and turns abound.
But mostly, I love Rick Cahill, a tortured, haunted character that will stop at nothing to do the right thing - at least as it appears on his moral radar screen. So when the Naomi Hendricks, the popular, sultry nighttime talk radio personality needs help, Rick jumps in to find her stalker and as he does, cleans up a personal vendetta of his own.
A genuine hard-boiled PI story. Meticulously plotted. Continuous action. Twists and turns abound.
But mostly, I love Rick Cahill, a tortured, haunted character that will stop at nothing to do the right thing - at least as it appears on his moral radar screen. So when the Naomi Hendricks, the popular, sultry nighttime talk radio personality needs help, Rick jumps in to find her stalker and as he does, cleans up a personal vendetta of his own.
February 25, 2019
Matt Coyle’s Rick Cahill faces his darkest demons in Wrong Light, the fifth in the series. Like Prometheus’ punishment for bringing knowledge to humans, where an eagle devours his liver each day only to have it grow back each night and happen again, Rick Cahill’s reward for solving the problems of others is the punishment his guilt brings that makes him relive over and over trying to save his dead wife. Instead of a reward, he loses his heart – that comes back only to get ripped out again, no more so than in Wrong Light. In this book, he is nearly in a frenzy with the guilt, and it pushes the story to the very edge. I read this book over a few days, trying to savor it. Matt’s deft and efficient writing let’s nothing get in the way of the story as it unfolds. This is a not to be missed novel by this award winning San Diego author.
February 23, 2023
Rambles on and on circuitously with the same scenarios. Finally, at the climax, there is some exciting action. However, the falling action proves to be EXTREMELY depressing. This reader can take some disappointment but there is no redemptive upside to the good guy characters. VERY sad and depressing; therefore not a satisfying read. Way too dark and gritty.And SAD.
December 22, 2018
This is the first book by Matt Coyle that I have read in the Rick Cahill series. Although one of the storyline threads refers to something that happened in a previous book, I had no problem starting with this book. I really enjoyed the writing and the pacing, but I did suspect whodunit before the reveal.
Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect Naomi, a sexy-voiced DJ, from a stalker. Naomi will not allow Rick to reveal certain secrets from her past that might help him solve the case and work with the police. At the same time he is working on her case, he is forcibly pulled into a case involving the Russian mob. So he is barely sleeping and calling in the few friends he has left on the police force and the FBI to help him.
This was an above-average noir-tinged mystery, and I would read other books by Coyle.
Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect Naomi, a sexy-voiced DJ, from a stalker. Naomi will not allow Rick to reveal certain secrets from her past that might help him solve the case and work with the police. At the same time he is working on her case, he is forcibly pulled into a case involving the Russian mob. So he is barely sleeping and calling in the few friends he has left on the police force and the FBI to help him.
This was an above-average noir-tinged mystery, and I would read other books by Coyle.
July 7, 2019
A new favorite mystery writer.
PI Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect its star from a stalker. While trying to protect her, the Russian mafia calls in a debt that he owes - evidently from a previos book. things go haywire as he tries to juggle both.
It was a gripping page turner.
I can't wait for his next book and I plan on reading the ones previus to this in the Rick Cahill series.
Reminded me of Harry Bosch series by Mike Connelly
PI Rick Cahill is hired by a radio station to protect its star from a stalker. While trying to protect her, the Russian mafia calls in a debt that he owes - evidently from a previos book. things go haywire as he tries to juggle both.
It was a gripping page turner.
I can't wait for his next book and I plan on reading the ones previus to this in the Rick Cahill series.
Reminded me of Harry Bosch series by Mike Connelly
November 13, 2018
The fifth in a series that never disappoints, this latest has P.I. Rick Cahill investigating threats to sexy nighttime radio personality, Naomi Hendrix. The investigation leads to a deranged stalker who calls himself Pluto. As the threats escalate, Rick knows it’s time to go to the cops but Naomi insists on protecting her shadowy past. When a young woman disappears, all clues point to Pluto and Rick feels responsible. Meanwhile, Russian mobsters call in a favor and Rick finds himself tailing a nemesis from his past. The tension builds as Rick juggles the two cases and the bodies pile up. Is his dogged pursuit of the truth worth the cost? A fast-paced thrill ride with plenty of action and well-drawn characters. Fans of hard-boiled P.I. novels will find much to love with Wrong Light and should check out the entire series, if they haven’t already.
July 9, 2018
I flip flopped on how I felt about this book. It kept my interest for certain but time and again I found myself disappointed. I do not want to input any spoilers, so I will need to be vague. This Rick Cahill is a train wreck. Who would ever hire him as a private dectective, escapes me. He creates more damage than he repairs! The insertion, of the Russian mob into the plot, only served to make this novel even more convoluted than it was.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
December 13, 2018
Rick Cahill is a hard-boiled Southern California private investigator who skirts the law a lot to follow his own moral code. If you like Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer, you’re gonna love Cahill. WRONG LIGHT is the fifth book in Matt Coyle’s series about the PI, which finds him investigating two cases - one for a client and another involving dark secrets from his own past. No more spoilers, but here’s plenty of action, plenty of drama and plenty of excellent writing here. This is the first Rick Cahill book I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last. Highly recommended!
December 2, 2021
Southern California, hard-boiled PI Rick Cahill returns in another investigation into dark, evil characters. The book is so suspenseful, you’ll be checking out shadows, studying who might be lurking there. If you want thrills, chills, and suspense, you’ll find it here.
#Suspense #PINoir #GrittyThriller #NetGalley
#Suspense #PINoir #GrittyThriller #NetGalley
August 5, 2025
Rick is hired by a local talk radio station to protect the golden goose who fell into their lap, a sultry late-night pseudo-self-helper with a velvet voice who has attracted a stalker. Naturally she's got plenty of secrets and nobody (her, her boss) is being completely upfront with Rick, but sucker that he is, he takes the job. Things get complicated when his old friends, the Russian mob, decide to call in their marker.
We've got two plot threads here that are totally separate and don't tie together, which can sometimes give the reader a bit of whiplash. Also, not to put too fine a point on this, but it's all very grim. Rick has a drive to find the truth but that ends up costing a lot of people their lives - and frankly the women in this story get the short end of the stick time and again. I zipped through it, and it kept me engaged, but it's one of those books that definitely ends on a depressing downbeat of a note.
We've got two plot threads here that are totally separate and don't tie together, which can sometimes give the reader a bit of whiplash. Also, not to put too fine a point on this, but it's all very grim. Rick has a drive to find the truth but that ends up costing a lot of people their lives - and frankly the women in this story get the short end of the stick time and again. I zipped through it, and it kept me engaged, but it's one of those books that definitely ends on a depressing downbeat of a note.
March 22, 2019
Even though it is the 5th book in the series it definitely can standalone. I fell in love with this book when reading it! I made the mistake of reading it late at night and then it kept me up all night 🤦🏻♀️ haha but regardless I highly recommend it and I am looking forward to checking out more from this series.
Read
February 26, 2020DNF'd at 32% and skimmed from 80% to the end. At another time I might have liked this but honestly, another story about a dead wife and a cop turned private detective who gets involved with women who end up dead... it's a little too trite and tiring for me. It's not badly written but nothing I read was all that compelling or new, including the characters.
February 27, 2019
I can always count on Matt Coyle's Rick Cahill series for excitment and non stop action . This book was not my first by the author and will not be my last. . I enjoyed his style of writing and how he weaves a mystery into a fast paced thriller. This is book five in the series.
Former cop Rick is now working as a private investigator. He is a tortured soul and that is part of his appeal in this series. He has a past he is not proud of and that he struggles with daily. He is hired by a radio station to look into a possible stalking of their host Naomi who broadcasts a successful late night talk show and has someone following her . Rick's best friend Moira, also a private investigator helps him work the case. Of concern is a secondary case he is working with her help involving a Russian mob. These two main plot lines created significant action and interest of a fast paced plot to a satisfying conclusion. ,
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the authors writing . This series holds the readers interest until the last page is done. I look forward to the next in series.
Former cop Rick is now working as a private investigator. He is a tortured soul and that is part of his appeal in this series. He has a past he is not proud of and that he struggles with daily. He is hired by a radio station to look into a possible stalking of their host Naomi who broadcasts a successful late night talk show and has someone following her . Rick's best friend Moira, also a private investigator helps him work the case. Of concern is a secondary case he is working with her help involving a Russian mob. These two main plot lines created significant action and interest of a fast paced plot to a satisfying conclusion. ,
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all the authors writing . This series holds the readers interest until the last page is done. I look forward to the next in series.
February 2, 2019
Riveting
Rick isn't a smooth talking, well liked PI. He doesn't always save the day. He's smart, with good instincts, though, they don't always get him to his target in time. He's stuck between the Russian mafia on one case, and a deadly serious stalker on another. He doesn't have many friends or law enforcement contacts. He has to take the fight to the bad guys, before they get to him. This is in a league of its own.
Rick isn't a smooth talking, well liked PI. He doesn't always save the day. He's smart, with good instincts, though, they don't always get him to his target in time. He's stuck between the Russian mafia on one case, and a deadly serious stalker on another. He doesn't have many friends or law enforcement contacts. He has to take the fight to the bad guys, before they get to him. This is in a league of its own.
February 4, 2022
3-1/2
December 26, 2018
Following 2017’s spectacular BLOOD TRUTH, incidents in the fifth Rick Cahill escapade rattle burgeoning San Diego radio personality, Naomi Hendrix. The Naomi at Night talk show host has the “kind of voice that inspires fantasies in lonely men trying to hold back reality.” The loneliest one sends cryptic and disturbing missives to Naomi’s station, which engages Rick to identify the stalker and protect the talent.
Naomi does not, however, want protection causing Rick to view “the truth through life’s kaleidoscope, shaded and ever changing.” She has her own defense, a Glock 19 stowed in her vintage 1969 Camaro. When the pistol vanishes, Rick learns the theft can’t be reported to police. “Something was off with the whole scenario.”
In a binary yet entwined plot, “Sergei Volkov. Head of the Russian Mafia in San Diego [and] Tatiana. The devil’s daughter,” offer a deal Rick can’t refuse: “If you don’t do as I say, you’ll die. Painfully. If you go to the police, you’ll die more painfully.” The deal? Espionage regarding Rick’s nemesis, de facto mob boss Peter Stone, putting the PI between a stone and a hard place. His dilemma is that Naomi faces death but if Tatiana kills Rick, who protects Naomi?
Rick is “really pushing this friendship thing” with compatriot PI Moira MacFarlane’s “TNT wrapped in a hundred-pound frame” persona. She says he “can be a real passive aggressive jerk.” Niceties aside, Moira lessens the probability of his painful death by tailing Stone, who “lived life straddling both sides of the law,” while Rick works the Naomi case. Reluctantly he becomes Tatiana’s lapdog and spins the Russian roulette wheel, fortunately not encountering the green zero. Yet, can he avoid the loaded chamber?
The road leading to the identity of Naomi’s stalker and Rick’s brush with Russian collusion has twists and turns that rival a California cloverleaf. WRONG LIGHT is the most rewarding and complex Cahill series installment, making it my numero uno Bookreporter.com Top Pick for 2018.
Macavity finalist and Anthony Award-winning Matt Coyle is Raymond Chandler reincarnate, and will be Left Coast Crime San Diego 2020 convention Toastmaster. In addition to the comprehensive list of accomplishments identified at this link, BLOOD TRUTH was nominated for Lefty and Shamus awards, and took home the Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Silver Award.
Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy
Naomi does not, however, want protection causing Rick to view “the truth through life’s kaleidoscope, shaded and ever changing.” She has her own defense, a Glock 19 stowed in her vintage 1969 Camaro. When the pistol vanishes, Rick learns the theft can’t be reported to police. “Something was off with the whole scenario.”
In a binary yet entwined plot, “Sergei Volkov. Head of the Russian Mafia in San Diego [and] Tatiana. The devil’s daughter,” offer a deal Rick can’t refuse: “If you don’t do as I say, you’ll die. Painfully. If you go to the police, you’ll die more painfully.” The deal? Espionage regarding Rick’s nemesis, de facto mob boss Peter Stone, putting the PI between a stone and a hard place. His dilemma is that Naomi faces death but if Tatiana kills Rick, who protects Naomi?
Rick is “really pushing this friendship thing” with compatriot PI Moira MacFarlane’s “TNT wrapped in a hundred-pound frame” persona. She says he “can be a real passive aggressive jerk.” Niceties aside, Moira lessens the probability of his painful death by tailing Stone, who “lived life straddling both sides of the law,” while Rick works the Naomi case. Reluctantly he becomes Tatiana’s lapdog and spins the Russian roulette wheel, fortunately not encountering the green zero. Yet, can he avoid the loaded chamber?
The road leading to the identity of Naomi’s stalker and Rick’s brush with Russian collusion has twists and turns that rival a California cloverleaf. WRONG LIGHT is the most rewarding and complex Cahill series installment, making it my numero uno Bookreporter.com Top Pick for 2018.
Macavity finalist and Anthony Award-winning Matt Coyle is Raymond Chandler reincarnate, and will be Left Coast Crime San Diego 2020 convention Toastmaster. In addition to the comprehensive list of accomplishments identified at this link, BLOOD TRUTH was nominated for Lefty and Shamus awards, and took home the Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Silver Award.
Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy
June 16, 2018
This is my introduction to the Rick Cahill series by Matt Coyle. Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for introducing me to this hard-boiled detective and I hope to read some of the previous books in the series to learn more about his troubled past.
This is a brilliant example of modern noir, reminiscent of the detectives in 1940’s fiction by Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler. This could be an old fashioned film noir movie starring Humphrey Bogart except for the laptops, GPS, surveillance cameras, smart cel phones and stem cells. There is a beautiful, seductive lead female plus other damsels in distress needing rescue by our hero. Rick plays by his own rules and has no fans in the police department where he worked for a couple of years.
Late at night Naomi Hendrix’s sultry voice echoes through the airwaves giving solace to all the lonely souls out there, and listening to their problems. One seems to be a dangerous psychopath who may be stalking her. Rick is called on by the radio stations’ management to protect her, but they don’t seem very concerned that it is an actual threat. They want to keep her as a valuable employee who is bringing them high ratings. Like all femme fatales in noir fiction she has a mysterious past. Is there really a stalker and is he connected with her past? Rick is forbidden to contact the police, but may break these rules to protect Naomi. As he carries out his investigation two other women with only slight connection to the case may be in mortal danger. Rick feels responsible.
There was plenty of suspense and action. There was a second plot involving medical fraud and the Russian Mafia. Rick is forced to carry out surveillance for them under threat for his life. This was an interesting and informative plot, but I felt the story focusing on Naomi and the possible stalker was strong enough to stand on its own. Perhaps if I had been familiar with the previous books it wouldn’t prove so distracting to me. Rick was now in danger on both fronts as well as being warned by the police not to interfere. He may be arrested himself before solving the cases.
3.5 stars.
Recommended to anyone interested in noir detectives and their investigations.
This is a brilliant example of modern noir, reminiscent of the detectives in 1940’s fiction by Dashiell Hammett or Raymond Chandler. This could be an old fashioned film noir movie starring Humphrey Bogart except for the laptops, GPS, surveillance cameras, smart cel phones and stem cells. There is a beautiful, seductive lead female plus other damsels in distress needing rescue by our hero. Rick plays by his own rules and has no fans in the police department where he worked for a couple of years.
Late at night Naomi Hendrix’s sultry voice echoes through the airwaves giving solace to all the lonely souls out there, and listening to their problems. One seems to be a dangerous psychopath who may be stalking her. Rick is called on by the radio stations’ management to protect her, but they don’t seem very concerned that it is an actual threat. They want to keep her as a valuable employee who is bringing them high ratings. Like all femme fatales in noir fiction she has a mysterious past. Is there really a stalker and is he connected with her past? Rick is forbidden to contact the police, but may break these rules to protect Naomi. As he carries out his investigation two other women with only slight connection to the case may be in mortal danger. Rick feels responsible.
There was plenty of suspense and action. There was a second plot involving medical fraud and the Russian Mafia. Rick is forced to carry out surveillance for them under threat for his life. This was an interesting and informative plot, but I felt the story focusing on Naomi and the possible stalker was strong enough to stand on its own. Perhaps if I had been familiar with the previous books it wouldn’t prove so distracting to me. Rick was now in danger on both fronts as well as being warned by the police not to interfere. He may be arrested himself before solving the cases.
3.5 stars.
Recommended to anyone interested in noir detectives and their investigations.
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