When Shepherds Kill

by James Hammonds

Chicago residents are accustomed to a high murder rate and police officers shooting unarmed citizens, but killing a council member-now that is something else.

When Earl Williams is found slumped over his office desk, Detective Harry Johnson persuaded Councilman David Strong to assist in the murder investigation of their mutual friend. Williams’ constituents are angry, so the city’s mayor has the police make a quick arrest. This strategy to keep the city calm goes south fast, as demonstrators demand the release of the incarcerated young man.

David Strong, a reluctant sleuth, investigates Williams’ death while supporting the protestors. His efforts put him in the crosshairs of the police, Russian mobsters, Mexican drug dealers, and local street gangs.

If Strong is going to unravel this murder mystery and come out alive, he must use all of his wits.

413 pages, Hardcover

Published March 8, 2022

Reviews

[Elana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited about the book because of the Chicago setting, but unfortunately this book didn’t live up to my expectations. Without going on and on, there’s some things that I want to point out that contributed to my low rating. 1)
The author seemed to forget that he introduced characters in previous pages, thus adding confusion to the story line. 2) There were so many typos that I wondered if he had someone proofread it. I started counting the typos from page 188 and on, totaling about 35. I have no doubt that there were more before I started counting. 3) Too many characters. 4) I didn’t like the way he described women in the book; it felt like it has a sexist undertone. Overall, this book would have been better with more originality and a proofreader!

[Marie Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story line was good but the grammar and misspellings were a little distracting.