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Jared McKean Mystery #1
Racing the Devil
Nashville private investigator Jared McKean has a son with Down's Syndrome, a best friend with AIDS, an ex-wife he can't seem to fall out of love with, and a weakness for women in jeopardy - until one frames him for muder.
His DNA and fingerprints are found at the murder scene. His voice is on the victim's answering machine, and the victim was killed with a bullet from his gun. To make matters worse, his teen-aged nephew comes out of the closet and runs away to join a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture.
Now Jared must find a way to clear his name, hold his family together, and solve a case that could cost him his life.
His DNA and fingerprints are found at the murder scene. His voice is on the victim's answering machine, and the victim was killed with a bullet from his gun. To make matters worse, his teen-aged nephew comes out of the closet and runs away to join a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture.
Now Jared must find a way to clear his name, hold his family together, and solve a case that could cost him his life.
264 pages, Hardcover
First published December 13, 2010
3 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Jaden Terrell
14 books74 followersJaden Terrell is a Shamus award finalist and the internationally published author of four novels private detective novels (Racing the Devil, A Cup Full of Midnight, River of Glass, and A Taste of Blood and Ashes) and one cozy black cat detective romantic mystery. Trouble Most Faire, set at a Renaissance Faire. Terrell is also a contributor to >i>Now Write! Mysteries a collection of exercises published by Tarcher/Penguin for writers of crime fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Killer Nashville Noir: Coldblooded and Year-Round Trouble.
A Nashville-based writing coach & consultant, Terrell also teaches a series of workshops and online courses for writers.
The former special education teacher has attended the Metro Nashville, FBI/TBI, and TBI Citizen Academies and is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Women's National Book Association, and Private Eye Writers of America.
Terrell is a recipient of the 2009 Magnolia Award and the 2016 Silver Quill Award for service to the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and of the 2016 Killer Nashville Builder Award.
A Nashville-based writing coach & consultant, Terrell also teaches a series of workshops and online courses for writers.
The former special education teacher has attended the Metro Nashville, FBI/TBI, and TBI Citizen Academies and is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, Women's National Book Association, and Private Eye Writers of America.
Terrell is a recipient of the 2009 Magnolia Award and the 2016 Silver Quill Award for service to the Southeastern Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, and of the 2016 Killer Nashville Builder Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
May 12, 2014
Rating: 3.5* of five
The Book Report: Nashville private investigator Jared McKean has a son with Down syndrome, a best friend with AIDS, an ex-wife he can’t seem to fall out of love with, and a weakness for women in jeopardy—until one frames him for murder. His DNA and fingerprints are found at the murder scene. His voice is on the victim’s answering machine, and the victim was killed by a bullet from his gun. To make matters worse, his teen-aged nephew comes out of the closet and runs away to join a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture. Now Jared must find a way to clear his name, hold his family together—and solve a case that could cost him his life.
My Review: What Jared McKean needs is a break. Not in a case, though that would certainly make a nice change; no, he needs Life to cut him a break. The, well let's be polite and call her a lady, who came on to him like gangbusters in the bar? A set-up. For...we don't know, neither does he, but it all feels hinky even as he's disporting himself.
And then we do. The former cop and now PI Jared is framed pretty damned thoroughly for murder, fingerprints, DNA, gun, every damn thing perfect. Except he didn't do it, wouldn't do it, and even his suspicious buddies in the Nashville, Tennessee, police detective squad are having a hard time seeing Jared as a murderer. But they have to go where the evidence leads them, and that's directly to Jared. Who needs to know who framed him, why they framed him, and what's at stake that makes it all make sense.
He has to go to some pretty seedy places in his past, as well as some really surprisingly fancy ones in the present, to get his answers, and the picture that emerges of Nashville isn't all that nice, but it is all that interesting and involving and well-crafted. There aren't any dull moments in Jared's life. And that's exactly the way the reader wants it to be.
I like mysteries, which I suppose comes under the “no shit, Sherlock” heading in Revelationspeak. I like the way the author of this first-of-a-series layers in the details the reader can use to feel the character's three-dimensionality. It wasn't a surprise to me that I enjoyed this book but it was a surprise to me how involved I became in Jared's world. I was deep in it with Maria, the ex-wife and mother of his son Paul, and her believable love for the man she simply can't live with, and part of that is a sense of her own frailty for having given birth to a son with Down's syndrome.
Jared's queer best friend Jay comes off the page as a total flamer and a mouthy queen. It's a pity he's got AIDS. Except he manages to stay healthier than Jared does, poor bastard, as he's mangled in a few different and terrible ways. Frank, his cop-lifetime boss and bud, has more wrinkles than a cheap suit. It's all very engrossing, and that's precisely how it ought to be. If a noir-tinged Nashville doesn't intrigue you, it's unlikely you're a mystery reader. If it does, hasten to your favorite bookery and get you one of these here. A solid, winning debut for the series.
Ratin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Book Report: Nashville private investigator Jared McKean has a son with Down syndrome, a best friend with AIDS, an ex-wife he can’t seem to fall out of love with, and a weakness for women in jeopardy—until one frames him for murder. His DNA and fingerprints are found at the murder scene. His voice is on the victim’s answering machine, and the victim was killed by a bullet from his gun. To make matters worse, his teen-aged nephew comes out of the closet and runs away to join a dangerous fringe of the Goth subculture. Now Jared must find a way to clear his name, hold his family together—and solve a case that could cost him his life.
My Review: What Jared McKean needs is a break. Not in a case, though that would certainly make a nice change; no, he needs Life to cut him a break. The, well let's be polite and call her a lady, who came on to him like gangbusters in the bar? A set-up. For...we don't know, neither does he, but it all feels hinky even as he's disporting himself.
And then we do. The former cop and now PI Jared is framed pretty damned thoroughly for murder, fingerprints, DNA, gun, every damn thing perfect. Except he didn't do it, wouldn't do it, and even his suspicious buddies in the Nashville, Tennessee, police detective squad are having a hard time seeing Jared as a murderer. But they have to go where the evidence leads them, and that's directly to Jared. Who needs to know who framed him, why they framed him, and what's at stake that makes it all make sense.
He has to go to some pretty seedy places in his past, as well as some really surprisingly fancy ones in the present, to get his answers, and the picture that emerges of Nashville isn't all that nice, but it is all that interesting and involving and well-crafted. There aren't any dull moments in Jared's life. And that's exactly the way the reader wants it to be.
I like mysteries, which I suppose comes under the “no shit, Sherlock” heading in Revelationspeak. I like the way the author of this first-of-a-series layers in the details the reader can use to feel the character's three-dimensionality. It wasn't a surprise to me that I enjoyed this book but it was a surprise to me how involved I became in Jared's world. I was deep in it with Maria, the ex-wife and mother of his son Paul, and her believable love for the man she simply can't live with, and part of that is a sense of her own frailty for having given birth to a son with Down's syndrome.
Jared's queer best friend Jay comes off the page as a total flamer and a mouthy queen. It's a pity he's got AIDS. Except he manages to stay healthier than Jared does, poor bastard, as he's mangled in a few different and terrible ways. Frank, his cop-lifetime boss and bud, has more wrinkles than a cheap suit. It's all very engrossing, and that's precisely how it ought to be. If a noir-tinged Nashville doesn't intrigue you, it's unlikely you're a mystery reader. If it does, hasten to your favorite bookery and get you one of these here. A solid, winning debut for the series.
Ratin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
June 3, 2015
PROTAGONIST: Jared McKean, PI
SETTING: Nashville
SERIES: #1
RATING: 4.5
Jared McKean is a private investigator in Nashville who was formerly a cop. He’s having a drink at a local bar when he meets a woman who looks like she’s been the victim of abuse. He feels protective toward her, and they end up having sex in a motel. That may sound like a typical guy-meets-girl-in-bar scenario, but this situation is definitely different. Jared doesn’t wake up for a day and a half since he’s been drugged. He then finds that he is the prime suspect in the murder of another woman, Amy Hartwell, who seems to have led an exemplary life. The evidence against him is incontrovertible—she was killed with a bullet from his gun; his DNA and fingerprints are all over the scene; and his voice is on her answering machine. The only trouble is that he never met her before, although everyone believes that she was cheating on her husband with him.
McKean’s investigation immediately focuses on the victim’s husband, who is a successful businessman and a bit of a religious zealot, with strong beliefs about a woman’s role in marriage. Jared comes to believe that the minister of the church that the Hartwell family attended is operating under an assumed identity and in reality is a convicted child molestor who supposedly died years earlier. Another avenue that he pursues involves Amy’s sister, with whom she had an uneasy relationship. That leads to even more complications. Jared is quite good at finding and following clues; the one thing that struck me as hokey was that he often donned disguises such as a false mustache and an different persona when interviewing people. He was good enough to just play it straight, without needing to resort that that kind of silliness.
Although the plot was excellent (and the frame-up especially so), the real strength of the book lies in the characterization. Although Jared is divorced from his first wife, they still have a lot of feelings for each other. She has remarried, and he tries hard to get along with her new husband. Their son, Paulie, has Down Syndrome; and the scenes between Paulie and Jared are heartwarming. Although Jared is straight, he is living with a roommate who has full-blown AIDS and supporting him as he struggles with his illness. And there is another somewhat tangled situation with his brother that is dealt with well. Terrell excels at depicting all of these relationships in a way that feels honest and real.
It’s hard to believe that this is a first novel. The writing is assured, and the lead character so well developed that I really look forward to meeting him again. I am a big fan of PI novels, and RACING THE DEVIL is certainly a good one!
SETTING: Nashville
SERIES: #1
RATING: 4.5
Jared McKean is a private investigator in Nashville who was formerly a cop. He’s having a drink at a local bar when he meets a woman who looks like she’s been the victim of abuse. He feels protective toward her, and they end up having sex in a motel. That may sound like a typical guy-meets-girl-in-bar scenario, but this situation is definitely different. Jared doesn’t wake up for a day and a half since he’s been drugged. He then finds that he is the prime suspect in the murder of another woman, Amy Hartwell, who seems to have led an exemplary life. The evidence against him is incontrovertible—she was killed with a bullet from his gun; his DNA and fingerprints are all over the scene; and his voice is on her answering machine. The only trouble is that he never met her before, although everyone believes that she was cheating on her husband with him.
McKean’s investigation immediately focuses on the victim’s husband, who is a successful businessman and a bit of a religious zealot, with strong beliefs about a woman’s role in marriage. Jared comes to believe that the minister of the church that the Hartwell family attended is operating under an assumed identity and in reality is a convicted child molestor who supposedly died years earlier. Another avenue that he pursues involves Amy’s sister, with whom she had an uneasy relationship. That leads to even more complications. Jared is quite good at finding and following clues; the one thing that struck me as hokey was that he often donned disguises such as a false mustache and an different persona when interviewing people. He was good enough to just play it straight, without needing to resort that that kind of silliness.
Although the plot was excellent (and the frame-up especially so), the real strength of the book lies in the characterization. Although Jared is divorced from his first wife, they still have a lot of feelings for each other. She has remarried, and he tries hard to get along with her new husband. Their son, Paulie, has Down Syndrome; and the scenes between Paulie and Jared are heartwarming. Although Jared is straight, he is living with a roommate who has full-blown AIDS and supporting him as he struggles with his illness. And there is another somewhat tangled situation with his brother that is dealt with well. Terrell excels at depicting all of these relationships in a way that feels honest and real.
It’s hard to believe that this is a first novel. The writing is assured, and the lead character so well developed that I really look forward to meeting him again. I am a big fan of PI novels, and RACING THE DEVIL is certainly a good one!
February 1, 2011
As the title implies, a fast-paced book with many twists and turns. Great characters, dialog and sense of place (Nashville). I know it's corny, but I couldn't put it down because I had to find out who set the protagonist up and why.
June 26, 2012
OK, so it's not a Horror novel, kill me...no wait, I take that back. Sue me instead. At least that way if someone takes me literally, I have nothing to lose.
I picked this up a few months back as a free read from LibraryThing.com. It's a Mystery novel, not that there's anything wrong with that. I just prefer Horror and well it does mention the Devil, in the title.
At 246 pages, it was a pretty quick read and an excellent one, at that. Racing the Devil introduces the reader to Jared McKean, a Nashville PI and former homicide detective.
At first I was getting a Raymond Chandler vibe from the words on the page, stuff like, "There were a thousand reasons why a woman might come into a bar with bruises on her cheeks and tears in her eyes. Not all of them involved some jerk with a sour temper and heavy fists." and later when Jared and the lady find a motel, "Nothing classy about it, but that was just as well. Class would have been wasted on us."
But that film noir feel ended as soon as our hero discovered he's been framed for murder. By the way, that should be "Framed" with a capital 'F". He was Framed so hard, he might have believed himself guilty, if he didn't know better.
Just a quick aside, having grown up in The Church of the Nazarene, I got a big kick out of Jared's comment, "Dancing is a sexually stimulating activity. At least that's what they told us Nazarenes." As a matter of fact, I think that's a direct quote from the church's manual when I was a teenager in the 60's.
The author, Jaden Terrell, does a really nice job with his characters. They all are embued with a touch of authenticity. I was particularly fond Jared's relationship with his, soon to be, 8 year old son, Paulie, who has Downs Syndrome.
Racing the Devil, is a murder mystery where we are pretty sure who didn't do it, even though the police are nearly certain he did and Jared McKean needs to solve the case to save his ass.
I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the occasional murder mystery. Racing the Devl is available in a wide variety of formats from The Permanent Press and look for the next Jared McKean Mystery A Cup Full of Midnight coming in September.
I picked this up a few months back as a free read from LibraryThing.com. It's a Mystery novel, not that there's anything wrong with that. I just prefer Horror and well it does mention the Devil, in the title.
At 246 pages, it was a pretty quick read and an excellent one, at that. Racing the Devil introduces the reader to Jared McKean, a Nashville PI and former homicide detective.
At first I was getting a Raymond Chandler vibe from the words on the page, stuff like, "There were a thousand reasons why a woman might come into a bar with bruises on her cheeks and tears in her eyes. Not all of them involved some jerk with a sour temper and heavy fists." and later when Jared and the lady find a motel, "Nothing classy about it, but that was just as well. Class would have been wasted on us."
But that film noir feel ended as soon as our hero discovered he's been framed for murder. By the way, that should be "Framed" with a capital 'F". He was Framed so hard, he might have believed himself guilty, if he didn't know better.
Just a quick aside, having grown up in The Church of the Nazarene, I got a big kick out of Jared's comment, "Dancing is a sexually stimulating activity. At least that's what they told us Nazarenes." As a matter of fact, I think that's a direct quote from the church's manual when I was a teenager in the 60's.
The author, Jaden Terrell, does a really nice job with his characters. They all are embued with a touch of authenticity. I was particularly fond Jared's relationship with his, soon to be, 8 year old son, Paulie, who has Downs Syndrome.
Racing the Devil, is a murder mystery where we are pretty sure who didn't do it, even though the police are nearly certain he did and Jared McKean needs to solve the case to save his ass.
I'd definitely recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the occasional murder mystery. Racing the Devl is available in a wide variety of formats from The Permanent Press and look for the next Jared McKean Mystery A Cup Full of Midnight coming in September.
December 16, 2011
Jaden Terrell's excellent debut mystery novel RACING THE DEVIL provides freshness to the niche genre that is the noir male private eye, while still giving the readers of niche everything they look for. Characters with troubled pasts, women with ulterior motives, sudden violence, but unlike much of noir, the protagonist, Jared McKean is far from a loner and has rich and interesting relationships with is family, child, roommate, friends and even horses.
Racing the Devil starts with the novel's protagonist, Jared McKean, having an amorous encounter with a woman in a bar only to wake up two days later and discover he's been framed for the murder of a woman he doesn't know and it's a doozy, witnesses, fingerprints, DNA, etc..
If that wasn't bad enough, his personal life is maze of difficult relationships: his brother, who abandoned a promising dream career to raise Jared, is having issues with his Goth son; Jared's roommate has AIDs; a duplicitous local hotshot reporter who had once been Jared's girlfriend is all over the murder case; and the woman Jared loves is married to another man and she has custody of his beloved son Paul who has Down Syndrome. He also owns and loves horses, which plays nicely into the storyline. While Jared rushes to prove his innocence, his personal life is imploding.
The only weakness would be is that some of the action, though realistic and character revealing, was not tied tightly into the storyline. The strongest part of the novel is the way Terrell weaves in Jared's murder case with his personal problems and tells the story in forward motion using only short, pertinent, and compelling back-flashes sparsely, and saving backstory for when you need to know it. Terrell also rarely relies on clichés and that makes her prose is richer and more engrossing.
Highly recommended for those who like mysteries and/or characters that have strong emotional connections to others.
(This review is based on an Advanced Review Copy provided by the publisher)
Racing the Devil starts with the novel's protagonist, Jared McKean, having an amorous encounter with a woman in a bar only to wake up two days later and discover he's been framed for the murder of a woman he doesn't know and it's a doozy, witnesses, fingerprints, DNA, etc..
If that wasn't bad enough, his personal life is maze of difficult relationships: his brother, who abandoned a promising dream career to raise Jared, is having issues with his Goth son; Jared's roommate has AIDs; a duplicitous local hotshot reporter who had once been Jared's girlfriend is all over the murder case; and the woman Jared loves is married to another man and she has custody of his beloved son Paul who has Down Syndrome. He also owns and loves horses, which plays nicely into the storyline. While Jared rushes to prove his innocence, his personal life is imploding.
The only weakness would be is that some of the action, though realistic and character revealing, was not tied tightly into the storyline. The strongest part of the novel is the way Terrell weaves in Jared's murder case with his personal problems and tells the story in forward motion using only short, pertinent, and compelling back-flashes sparsely, and saving backstory for when you need to know it. Terrell also rarely relies on clichés and that makes her prose is richer and more engrossing.
Highly recommended for those who like mysteries and/or characters that have strong emotional connections to others.
(This review is based on an Advanced Review Copy provided by the publisher)
February 18, 2012
Carve out a chunk of free time to read this novel, because you won’t be able to put it down until you reach the end of this tale.
Set in Nashville, Tennessee, Racing the Devil is the first in the Jared McKean mystery series by Jaden Terrell. McKean is an ex-cop turned private detective who is framed for murder, in what looks like the perfect crime.
Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to create what looks like solid evidence of McKean’s guilt. But even as he works to untangle the strands of evidence that he knows is false, he still can’t budge a legal system that wants to believe in his guilt. McKean takes on himself as a client and sets out to investigate the connections to the murdered woman and her family, and runs afoul of the pastor of the Church of the Reclamation, a decidedly chauvinistic individual who just may have a criminal past.
Author Jaden Terrell has created a protagonist whose humanity emerges with each page. Besides clearing his own name of murder, he has a network of family and friends who help him when they can, but they all need Jared McKean, too. McKean’s roommate is dying of AIDS, his seven year old son has Down’s Syndrome, and his teenage nephew has joined a Goth sub-culture and is breaking his father’s heart. Jared McKean does it all, but he is no superman.
Author Terrell writes in a tight, concise style that maintains the suspenseful pace throughout the book. Terrell – and main character McKean – are able to deal with issues such as prostitution and sexual abuse of children without descending into ugliness. Jared McKean is still good, and there is hope for him, and hope in his world.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series, A Cup Full of Midnight, which is due to be published later this year.
Set in Nashville, Tennessee, Racing the Devil is the first in the Jared McKean mystery series by Jaden Terrell. McKean is an ex-cop turned private detective who is framed for murder, in what looks like the perfect crime.
Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to create what looks like solid evidence of McKean’s guilt. But even as he works to untangle the strands of evidence that he knows is false, he still can’t budge a legal system that wants to believe in his guilt. McKean takes on himself as a client and sets out to investigate the connections to the murdered woman and her family, and runs afoul of the pastor of the Church of the Reclamation, a decidedly chauvinistic individual who just may have a criminal past.
Author Jaden Terrell has created a protagonist whose humanity emerges with each page. Besides clearing his own name of murder, he has a network of family and friends who help him when they can, but they all need Jared McKean, too. McKean’s roommate is dying of AIDS, his seven year old son has Down’s Syndrome, and his teenage nephew has joined a Goth sub-culture and is breaking his father’s heart. Jared McKean does it all, but he is no superman.
Author Terrell writes in a tight, concise style that maintains the suspenseful pace throughout the book. Terrell – and main character McKean – are able to deal with issues such as prostitution and sexual abuse of children without descending into ugliness. Jared McKean is still good, and there is hope for him, and hope in his world.
I look forward to reading the next book in the series, A Cup Full of Midnight, which is due to be published later this year.
November 1, 2011
Racing the Devil is the first of the Jared McKean mystery series written by Nashville native, Jaden Terrell. It is a top-notch PI novel that drops a former cop turned private investigator in to a nightmare that few would have the ability to escape from.
Jared McKean awakens to find himself framed for the murder of a young Christian housewife. The Police have his DNA, prints and eyewitness testimony to prove he was the killer. Thing is, McKean isn’t the type of man to go down without a fight.
Through a well-paced and wonderfully written story, we follow along as the DA’s case builds against him. Even old friends and family question his guilty while he picks at the few threads to unravel the elaborate framing job that has ended one life so far. Humor and action as well as well-placed steamy moments move the story along to an unexpected ending. All the clues and suspects are in place and only a mind as sharp as McKean can put the parts together for the reader to easily understand in one of those forehead slapping moments when the reader says, ‘Of course it was…’
The characters, especially McKean were well rounded and believable. The plot has enough twists to keep the reader’s attention and the description of Nashville made you feel as if you were riding through the city. But almost as important to the read as the murder and frame-job, was McKean’s family life with really brought a since of humanity to the nightmare he was embroiled within.
Ms. Terrell’s first outing with Jared McKean is certainly a must read.
Jared McKean awakens to find himself framed for the murder of a young Christian housewife. The Police have his DNA, prints and eyewitness testimony to prove he was the killer. Thing is, McKean isn’t the type of man to go down without a fight.
Through a well-paced and wonderfully written story, we follow along as the DA’s case builds against him. Even old friends and family question his guilty while he picks at the few threads to unravel the elaborate framing job that has ended one life so far. Humor and action as well as well-placed steamy moments move the story along to an unexpected ending. All the clues and suspects are in place and only a mind as sharp as McKean can put the parts together for the reader to easily understand in one of those forehead slapping moments when the reader says, ‘Of course it was…’
The characters, especially McKean were well rounded and believable. The plot has enough twists to keep the reader’s attention and the description of Nashville made you feel as if you were riding through the city. But almost as important to the read as the murder and frame-job, was McKean’s family life with really brought a since of humanity to the nightmare he was embroiled within.
Ms. Terrell’s first outing with Jared McKean is certainly a must read.
December 28, 2011
When private investigator Jared McKean wakes up from a one-night stand he's got one more problem than he went to bed with. Besides having a best friend with AIDS, being fired from the Nashville PD Homicide department and still being in love with his ex-wife he's now being framed for murder. Once he makes bail he has to track down the real murderer while the body count keeps rising and deal with his own family drama.
Racing the Devil is book one in the new Jared McKean series and it's a fairly good series start. The characters are real and I was pulled in from the opening scene. I was fully engaged in the story and loved the ending but some of the story line was a little bit forced as if Terrell meant to go in a different direction and changed his mind but not the details. Overall I recommend this one for anyone who loves a good suspense thriller and look forward to book two which will be out August 2012.
Racing the Devil is book one in the new Jared McKean series and it's a fairly good series start. The characters are real and I was pulled in from the opening scene. I was fully engaged in the story and loved the ending but some of the story line was a little bit forced as if Terrell meant to go in a different direction and changed his mind but not the details. Overall I recommend this one for anyone who loves a good suspense thriller and look forward to book two which will be out August 2012.
June 16, 2015
TPB/Mystery: A disclaimer first: I got this free bound galley from GoodReads. I did, however, like it a lot and finished it in two days. The story is about a PI who is framed for murder after a one-night stand in a hotel room. Jared McKean is a lonely guy and uses bad judgement, several times. The only issue I had with this book was that as a former cop and homicide detective, he makes some big mistakes in the beginning after realizing he's been framed. If he had handled things differently, he would not have been in so much trouble. You wonder why he was picked, but by the end of the book, you understand why. Still, I would have picked a different dupe.
This is the first book in a new series and a great beginning. Terrell is the voice of Jared and he does it well.
This is the first book in a new series and a great beginning. Terrell is the voice of Jared and he does it well.
November 26, 2011
I won this as a first-read so I was skeptical. Liked it from the first page. Kept me interested throughout the whole book. Easy to read. Letting my husband read it now because I knew he would like it.
February 5, 2017
I was browsing my library's audio-books for one that I could download and listen to while driving around over the next couple of days. None of the available books looked interesting until I came across "Racing the Devil" by Jaden Terrell. Having never heard of Jaden Terrell I did some investigating and found most reviews of his work warranted taking a chance. Immediately I was hooked. First, the mystery takes place in Nashville, TN and since I am familiar with Nashville, it made the book that more enjoyable. Not LA where I've never been and have no desire to ever go or NYC that I once visited 50+ years ago and don't have any need to see ever again. The characters were well developed - particularly Jared McKean, the main character, dismissed from the Nashville Police Department now PI, his best friend is gay and has Aids, his son whom he loves dearly has Down Syndrome and lives with his ex-wife (whom he still loves) and her new husband. His trust and lust for beautiful women is what gets him in trouble. The suspense throughout is fast and furious. I even learned a little bit about how music and recordings are mixed by recording studios. I guarantee this is a hard one to figure out until the end. I had an idea just short of the end, which was correct, but I was really surprised when full disclosure of who done it came at the end. Be warned, there is a lot of sexual encounters and profanity in the book, which I could do without, but I don't think this tale could have been as successful without it. I guess I will have to go to confession now :) I would like to give it 5 stars, it is very good, but I try to give 5 stars to only those I think are the best of the best. So this one gets 4.5 stars.
December 27, 2011
A man walks into a bar. Observant ex-cop, he sees the stories behind the people there. Divorced and lonely, he sees the needy woman too. But soon he’s bitten off more than he can chew. Charged with a murder that’s got his fingerprints all over it, Jared McKean finds his world falling apart. Luckily he has some true and valiant friends who rally to defend him from the most unlikely places, sending him off on a race to clear his name.
Jaden Terrell’s Racing the Devil is no cut-and-dried who-dun-it. Life doesn’t stop just because disaster looms, and protagonist Jared McKean still has family, ex-family and friends with calls on his time. His son has Down’s syndrome, his closest friend has AIDS, and his nephew’s suddenly going off the rails. Jared’s ex-wife battles bravely for those impossible happy-ever-afters while a sweet lonely housewife lies brutally dead.
Page-turning mystery and enthralling family drama combine to make Racing the Devil a perfect mix. Dark and light blend into the confusion of modern life with wholly believable characters, real-world dilemmas, and a captivating mix of ethical challenge and genuine human kindness. The result is a book that’s seriously hard to put down with a protagonist the reader will be eager to meet again, wanting to know how he solves his life as well as his mysteries.
Disclosure: I received a Bound Galley of this novel from the publisher, the Permanent Press, in exchange for an honest review.
Jaden Terrell’s Racing the Devil is no cut-and-dried who-dun-it. Life doesn’t stop just because disaster looms, and protagonist Jared McKean still has family, ex-family and friends with calls on his time. His son has Down’s syndrome, his closest friend has AIDS, and his nephew’s suddenly going off the rails. Jared’s ex-wife battles bravely for those impossible happy-ever-afters while a sweet lonely housewife lies brutally dead.
Page-turning mystery and enthralling family drama combine to make Racing the Devil a perfect mix. Dark and light blend into the confusion of modern life with wholly believable characters, real-world dilemmas, and a captivating mix of ethical challenge and genuine human kindness. The result is a book that’s seriously hard to put down with a protagonist the reader will be eager to meet again, wanting to know how he solves his life as well as his mysteries.
Disclosure: I received a Bound Galley of this novel from the publisher, the Permanent Press, in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2012
Jaden Terrell's "Racing the Devil" (a Jared McKean mystery) is a real winner. Beautifully written, this story set in Nashville has everything good going for it: engaging, well-drawn characters that don't fit the standard mold (Jared has a young son with Down's syndrome, and his best friend, roommate, and staunchest supporter, Jay, has AIDS) and a storyline that will keep you guessing till the end. From the moment Jared—who is still in love with his married ex-wife—enters a motel room with the woman he just met at a bar, till she is later found dead from a bullet fired from Jared's gun, Terrell shoots us around twists and curves with a wry sense of humor that makes it all work like a charm as Jared, an ex-cop turned private investigator, unravels the mystery of who has framed him and why. Next in the series is "A Cup Full of Midnight," and I can't wait to read it.August 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this mystery and look forward to the next installment in the series. The primary character Jared McKean is a former police officer turned private eye. His relationship with the police is strained, he is divorced but is still in love with his ex-wife who has remarried, he is thoroughly devoted to his 8 year old son who has Downs, and he lives with a good friend who is gay and has Aids (although Jared is heterosexual). Jared is set-up for a brutal murder and must prove his innocence against very difficult odds. Thank goodness he still has a friend on the police force. The characters are well developed, the plot twists are excellent, and while I was not totally surprised by the ending it did come with a twist I did not expect. This is another book I found very hard to put down. I encourage you to give this one a try.
December 16, 2011
An engaging story with a typically flawed private detective principal character drawn into a temporary liaison where evidence is collected to frame him for murder. The characters are well developed and largely sympathetic where the reader is drawn into their individual lives and forms and emotional connection. Occasionally, I had to ask "could her really be this dumb" after he stepped into yet another frame-up but, the P.I. did have a lovable naive nature and was basically honorable and honest and in his heart, a Dudley DoRight. The story was action packed and developed entertaining plot twists concluding in a satisfying fashion. This book was brought to me by the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and was a GREAT first book by a new author. Enough to say, I enjoyed it thoroughly.
December 28, 2011
Racing the devil is a fast paced book that keeps your attention and wondering if Jared McKean will figure out who set him up for murder. Jared is an ex cop turned private detective who wakes up after a night with a women who is in need of a good honest man.
While he is fighting the charge of murder his ex wife is pregnant with her new husband's child, his nephew is gay and runs away. As Jared tries to solve his own case he worries about his family and friends.
This is the first book in the Jared mmMcKean mystery series. I know I will be looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
While he is fighting the charge of murder his ex wife is pregnant with her new husband's child, his nephew is gay and runs away. As Jared tries to solve his own case he worries about his family and friends.
This is the first book in the Jared mmMcKean mystery series. I know I will be looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
December 26, 2011
Racing the Devil by Jaden Terrell is an excellent mystery by a new writer. It is a really nicely crafted mystery, but I really enjoyed the characters, and hope to read more about them in future books. This book is a well-written murder mystery, with likeable (for the most part) characters placed in a dangerous, complex situation. I'll definitely be looking for more books by Terrell.
Thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewers for a chance to read this bound galley.
Thanks to LibraryThing's Early Reviewers for a chance to read this bound galley.
December 20, 2011
I won this amazing book on Goodreads. The author brought his own life experiences and areas of knowledge into the writing which made the story authentic. The plot, with all its twists and turns and suspense made the book impossible to put down, and of course, the good guy coming out as a winner in spite of all the challenges is always satisfying.
December 10, 2011
The book was awesome!! Fast paced and kept me guessing til the end!! What a shock, never saw it coming.
St first I thought it was going to be another boring PI book, but this one has mystery, suspense, family drama, etc.. Story line made Jared seem like a real life person. Thumbs up to Jaden Terrell. You have a winner with "Racing The Devil."
I received this book through GoodReads!!
St first I thought it was going to be another boring PI book, but this one has mystery, suspense, family drama, etc.. Story line made Jared seem like a real life person. Thumbs up to Jaden Terrell. You have a winner with "Racing The Devil."
I received this book through GoodReads!!
February 12, 2012
A mystery in Music City from Jaden Terrell, who knows all about mystery and she is the Executive Director of Killer Nashville! And, here again, is a mystery from a master in who-dun-its.
This one will keep you up at night, turning the pages, and turning over the plot and subplot!
A book not to be missed!
This one will keep you up at night, turning the pages, and turning over the plot and subplot!
A book not to be missed!
December 31, 2011
I was hooked as soon as I picked it up. Finished it that night. Great story. Would love to read more.Passing it on to family now to read. Thanks for the book will look up more from Jaden Terrell now to read.
Want to read
November 16, 2011I won this book in a giveaway. Thank you.
April 19, 2012
I received this book free from Goodreads. This was an excellently written book that grabs your attention from the very beginning. Looking forward to the next title in the series.
December 7, 2011
I could not put this book down, it was a fast paced book with lots of twists. I highly recommend this book!
December 25, 2019
This was a great plot, the protagonist is set up for murder.
I really don't enjoy the violence, Jared getting beaten in jail and elsewhere.
But the plotting was excellent and although it looked like there were several possible suspects, he was able to narrow it to the correct one.
This wouldn't have been possible without some help from his friends.
Another thing that bothers me, why must the male protagonist go to bed with every available female? Don't they know they should be more circumspect? After all, that is what lead to his murder charges in the first place. Some men never learn.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
I really don't enjoy the violence, Jared getting beaten in jail and elsewhere.
But the plotting was excellent and although it looked like there were several possible suspects, he was able to narrow it to the correct one.
This wouldn't have been possible without some help from his friends.
Another thing that bothers me, why must the male protagonist go to bed with every available female? Don't they know they should be more circumspect? After all, that is what lead to his murder charges in the first place. Some men never learn.
I borrowed a copy from the public library.
November 14, 2025
RACING THE DEVIL
Jaden Terrell has crafted a crackling murder mystery full of tension, suspense, and intrigue! This novel is written at a breathless pace (perfect considering the title). It’s what I call un-put-downable. I kept turning the pages long after bedtime because I wanted to know what happened next, and I didn’t want the enjoyment to end!
Terrell’s detective, Jared McKean, a former Nashville police officer is the perfect flawed hero, racing to solve the murder of which he’s been accused. This is the ideal story for horse lovers and for fans of country music, Nashville, and the South!
A delight!! Five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Jaden Terrell has crafted a crackling murder mystery full of tension, suspense, and intrigue! This novel is written at a breathless pace (perfect considering the title). It’s what I call un-put-downable. I kept turning the pages long after bedtime because I wanted to know what happened next, and I didn’t want the enjoyment to end!
Terrell’s detective, Jared McKean, a former Nashville police officer is the perfect flawed hero, racing to solve the murder of which he’s been accused. This is the ideal story for horse lovers and for fans of country music, Nashville, and the South!
A delight!! Five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
November 8, 2016
Really a 2.5. I didn't know at first if this was written by a man or a woman. Once I found out it was written by a woman, I felt she really didn't have a handle on how a man would think, and the book was written in the first person. Too many deep descriptions of clothes.
July 30, 2025
a Jared McKean mystery
Jared was framed for a murder he didn't commit. Good story: hypocrisy, male entitlement, and subjugation of women.
I'm assuming the author is a lesbian: a very gay positive book.
Jared was framed for a murder he didn't commit. Good story: hypocrisy, male entitlement, and subjugation of women.
I'm assuming the author is a lesbian: a very gay positive book.
June 23, 2020
Trashy novel, great for being stuck indoors. Unbelievable plot, characters that are comical in their stereotypes. Mindless entertainment, like binge watching 70s detective shows.
September 21, 2024
I needed to read a book about a detective from Tennessee for my Every State Challenge. The mystery was okay but I didn’t care for the writing. 2 1/2
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