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Matt Royal Mystery #6
Collateral Damage
The quiet beauty of Longboat Key is shattered when a young groom is shot to death on the beach the day after his wedding. His father is an old army buddy of Matt Royal, and Matt tries to soften the anguish of his friend by finding his sons murderer. Matts search takes on added complexity when there appears to be a link between this murder and three seemingly unrelated murders that occurred on board a dinner cruise on Sarasota Bay the same day. Fortunately for Matt, his old buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, show up to cover his back and to help investigate. But this case rekindles haunting events of Matts past and incites a web of doubt, deception, and even suspicion, among the closest of friends. When Longboat Key detective, Jennifer Diane (J.B.) Duncan joins the investigation, Matt loses a little focus as he drifts toward more than just a professional relationship. But this distraction could cost lives when they encounter a shady and very dangerous cabal .
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 5, 2011
356 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
H. Terrell Griffin
18 books91 followersAward-winning novelist H. Terrell Griffin is a board-certified trial lawyer who practiced in Orlando for thirty-eight years. He and his wife, Jean, divide their time between Longboat Key, Florida, and Maitland, Florida. Griffin is also the author of Blood Island, Murder Key, and Longboat Blues. Blood Island was named an award-winning finalist in the 2008 National Best Books Awards, Fiction & Literature: Mystery/Suspense category.
Series:
* Matt Royal Mystery
Series:
* Matt Royal Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
March 15, 2013
I was all set to give COLLATERAL DAMAGE two stars, write my review, and then move on with my life, or in this case the next book. But a little over halfway through the novel something changed for me. The cheesy dialogue suddenly became less cheesy, the checkbox character descriptions suddenly became a bit more vivid and lifelike, and this novel started to actually feel like a decent enough read. Not high quality, award-winning fiction, but still pleasurable in its own right, and I started to enjoy myself a bit.
The laid back attitude of Matt Royal certainly fits the Florida setting that takes over much of this novel. And the plot proved a bit more intricate than the loose threads I thought I had been initially handed. Jock Algren reminded me of Sylvester Stallone in full Rambo attire, looking for the next jerkoff to get out of line. Like the novel itself, Matt’s relationship with J.D. Duncan proved to have an additional layer or two.
By the end, I had actually reached a level of mild enjoyment. The pages flipped a wee bit easier in the final third than they did over the first two-thirds. I won’t go out of my way to seek out additional Matt Royal mysteries, but I did find some positive elements I hadn’t otherwise expected.
The laid back attitude of Matt Royal certainly fits the Florida setting that takes over much of this novel. And the plot proved a bit more intricate than the loose threads I thought I had been initially handed. Jock Algren reminded me of Sylvester Stallone in full Rambo attire, looking for the next jerkoff to get out of line. Like the novel itself, Matt’s relationship with J.D. Duncan proved to have an additional layer or two.
By the end, I had actually reached a level of mild enjoyment. The pages flipped a wee bit easier in the final third than they did over the first two-thirds. I won’t go out of my way to seek out additional Matt Royal mysteries, but I did find some positive elements I hadn’t otherwise expected.
July 20, 2019
Probably a 3 and 1/2. The appeal to me of the Matt Royal series is that he lives in my neck of the woods and I enjoy descriptions of our area, the scenes that take place in local bars and clubs. (Some out of business since, but hey, that's commerce.) I also enjoyed his descriptions of the Bahamas as I have sailed and dove those areas a few times. This story, however tends to be clogged up with two many characters, too many weird occurrences waiting to be tied together and a bit of plodding at points due to some strange complexity. Certain aspects tend to stretch credulity - all his friends seem to have been in military special forces - advancing in years but still able to break an arm or two. And of course one is a government operative so powerful his boss only answers to the president so he naturally brings research powers to the table that no one else can command. (Of course, he sometimes has to rely on his bartender buddy, a woman who seems to enjoy staying up at night hacking computers just for him.) Naturally, there has to be a rich buddy with a jet to loan Matt as he romps around the country interviewing folks. Good escapism for a summer read. By the way, just for fun, plug the title into the search field - evidently it appeals to a lot of writers!
February 11, 2021
Decent read but a bit unrealistic
I like the Matt Royal mysteries primarily because they are set in Longboat Key, Florida. I know the area well as we spend a month there every spring. It’s a beautiful area and the setting is accurately portrayed in the books. The stories themselves are fine, well written and the characters are fleshed out to be more or less believable. What is hard to take is that the hero, Matt Royal, has a best friend who is a big time, super secret agent for a super secret federal agency with direct access to the president. Needless to say, this level of federal involvement makes solving the crimes a lot easier than it would be for anyone else, anywhere. Also, the friend’s access to any agency and their people and work product is a nice bonus.
I think the stories would be much better without the secret agent involvement. They would be more plausible, and more difficult for Matt to solve since he wouldn’t have secret agent help all the time. Also, the mysteries themselves would be more believable. For instance, in this one a series of murders traces back to an event that happened in Vietnam. Of course this is possible, but not to the degree depicted here. This plot is further compromised by the secret agent involvement. This is why only 3 stars. I believe the author uses the secret agent’s super powers too much and this detracts from the realism of the books.
I like the Matt Royal mysteries primarily because they are set in Longboat Key, Florida. I know the area well as we spend a month there every spring. It’s a beautiful area and the setting is accurately portrayed in the books. The stories themselves are fine, well written and the characters are fleshed out to be more or less believable. What is hard to take is that the hero, Matt Royal, has a best friend who is a big time, super secret agent for a super secret federal agency with direct access to the president. Needless to say, this level of federal involvement makes solving the crimes a lot easier than it would be for anyone else, anywhere. Also, the friend’s access to any agency and their people and work product is a nice bonus.
I think the stories would be much better without the secret agent involvement. They would be more plausible, and more difficult for Matt to solve since he wouldn’t have secret agent help all the time. Also, the mysteries themselves would be more believable. For instance, in this one a series of murders traces back to an event that happened in Vietnam. Of course this is possible, but not to the degree depicted here. This plot is further compromised by the secret agent involvement. This is why only 3 stars. I believe the author uses the secret agent’s super powers too much and this detracts from the realism of the books.
February 4, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, because of History and Money Laundering. Matt Royal ( The Main Character) is an ex Vietnam War Veteran, living in a small Florida town. He's retired from a very successful Law Practice, and spends his days with a couple of Friends ( a Lady Police Officer) and Logan his best friend. Logan and Royal are in Matt s boat ( doing some light fishing) when his boat is almost crashed into by a Dinner Cruise ship. Matt and Logan rescue some people, but 2 people are murdered. This turns into a very strange situation for Matt. The man who saved his life in Vietnam needs His help finding out who killed his son. The author makes you wonder to this day why America was involved in Vietnam, Matt relives the war emotionally when he's forced to reach out to old members from his platoon. The author breaks down the Economics involved in Money Laundering, how to setup Charitable Organizations and used the Donations to make the money legit. Very good story and very good Ending
January 25, 2025
For the first 200 pages or so, you get a lot of:
I like to drink booze.
And coffee sometimes.
So do my friends.
Florida is hot.
Especially in the summer.
Okay, the writing is better than that, but still... And there's a good mystery here, but things become so convoluted, with a needlessly large cast of characters that by the end, I really wasn't interested in getting all the answers--which take 20 or more pages to slog through.
I really need to change the way that I pick my books (i.e., not just read anything that falls into my hands for free).
I like to drink booze.
And coffee sometimes.
So do my friends.
Florida is hot.
Especially in the summer.
Okay, the writing is better than that, but still... And there's a good mystery here, but things become so convoluted, with a needlessly large cast of characters that by the end, I really wasn't interested in getting all the answers--which take 20 or more pages to slog through.
I really need to change the way that I pick my books (i.e., not just read anything that falls into my hands for free).
October 28, 2020
Took a while to 'splain all that stuff.
The characters and their motivations had to be very complicated to make the narrative work. The characters and their motivations took up too much of the book. A little way into the denouement I just lost interest. Not a bad book. I hope he'll try again soon.
The characters and their motivations had to be very complicated to make the narrative work. The characters and their motivations took up too much of the book. A little way into the denouement I just lost interest. Not a bad book. I hope he'll try again soon.
May 8, 2022
This book should become a movie. While the writing at times was not the most exciting. the book was one that I could not put down. The story revolves around old Vietnam war buddies. The premise of the book was quite believable. The chapters were short which appealed to me and made the story seem to move quickly.
July 17, 2019
Another fun Matt Royal read. Three murders take place on the same day. Matt is hired by an old army buddy to look into one of them. Eventually it’s found that they tie together because.. A bit slow paced at times but a good read!
June 12, 2021
I have become hooked on this series, fun to read and the plots are just complicated enough to keep your interest. These are perfect lazy summer day beach reading. The stories are set in and near Long Boat key in FL that further absorbs you into the plots.
August 10, 2021
A typical murder mystery from this author, this one about the killings of the adult children of Vietnam veterans in the same unit. There were too many characters to keep straight in the reader's mind, and this distracted from the enjoyment of the novel. Otherwise, the prose flowed fluently.
July 9, 2023
A great read
The construction of the this book's plot was brilliantly done. The pace was never boring . Although there were many characters involved, the author wove them into the story in a way that the reader could keep track of them.
The construction of the this book's plot was brilliantly done. The pace was never boring . Although there were many characters involved, the author wove them into the story in a way that the reader could keep track of them.
December 23, 2023
I loved this book! The twists and turns kept me guessing. The puzzle pieces never quite fit so it kept me wanting to read on. The main character was likeable and admirable. I just wanted him and his team to solve the mystery. It's a tale of murders, money and drugs.
January 22, 2025
Another Great Matt Royal Mystery!!
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed yet another Matt Royal Action-Packed story! I just started Book 7 and had to stop shortly to complete this review! You too will love this book!
Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed yet another Matt Royal Action-Packed story! I just started Book 7 and had to stop shortly to complete this review! You too will love this book!
July 4, 2018
Not much depth and not much mystery, but decent dialogue and likable characters. Quick read. Some violence.
December 23, 2019
Good series, good setting, I like this series
April 17, 2020
Lynnie
Another good book. It did jump around but liked it very much. Always exciting,and surprising happenings.
All the characters mash so well together.
Another good book. It did jump around but liked it very much. Always exciting,and surprising happenings.
All the characters mash so well together.
October 11, 2020
Almost a 4. Fun because I grew up going to Longboat Key every summer.
August 7, 2021
Love this series.
June 4, 2022
Good read !
Vent complicated plot but still riveting. This book is the second I have read in the series and I will read at least one more.
Vent complicated plot but still riveting. This book is the second I have read in the series and I will read at least one more.
August 18, 2025
A Good Book
I really enjoyed reading this book. I don’t read a book twice but I would this one. Like I said. I really, really enjoyed this book and I hope you do to. ENJOY!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I don’t read a book twice but I would this one. Like I said. I really, really enjoyed this book and I hope you do to. ENJOY!
May 10, 2014
Within the first few pages of this 6th novel in the Matt Royal series, five people are murdered. Four are killed in one single day in the Longboat Key area – a bridegroom of one day gunned down on the beach by a sniper, the captain of a dinner cruise boat whose neck is broken during the evening’s sail, and a lawyer and a college student who are both knifed and thrown overboard as the boat runs aground. And then there’s the mechanic, 22 years old, gunned down about the same time in a small town in North Dakota, which, by the way, the Longboat Key police do not know about – yet.
Six weeks later, with no clues whatsoever as to the identities or motives of the killers and with no apparent connection between the victims, the police on Longboat Key are at a standstill. Now our main protagonist, Matt Royal, is not a cop nor a PI, but a retired attorney. He likes being retired and, even though two of his good friends are the Chief of Police and the lead detective, he lets them do their job while he does his – fishing and socializing. Then the bridegroom’s father shows up and turns out to be the medic who had saved Matt’s life once upon a time back in Vietnam. So when Charles “Doc” Desmond asks for Matt’s help in the stalled investigation, Matt readily agrees.
Needing to begin somewhere, Matt starts with three interviews. The first is with J. D. Duncan, the lead homicide detective on the case. Using his interrogative skills from his past profession and his Special Forces military skills, he leads J. D. to the existence of a back-up sniper, a hit team instead of a single shooter. His second interview is with the bride, who relates to Matt the details of the couple’s initial courtship in Laos while building a school through a charitable foundation. So Matt makes his third interview with the head of the Otto Foundation, a group that builds schools all over Southeast Asia.
The next morning, while on his daily jog down the beach, Matt is assaulted by a man with a Ka-Bar. Matt breaks the man’s elbow and has the knife at the man’s carotid artery when a woman with a gun descends the walkway. Apparently, the woman wants her partner back more than she wants to kill Matt, so they affect an exchange, one life for another. And Matt now has his first real clue in the case – the assault team is Asian. He figures his visit to the Otto Foundation tripped some wires involving national security and/or international covert dealings and that prompts him to call in Jock Algren for help.
H. Terrell Griffin writes characters who, while not your average worker-bees, are not super-endowed physically or mentally either. They are, however, above average in intelligence and well trained in the art of observation, strategy and warfare. They are not above lies, deceptions and threats to get results, but, essentially, Matt, J. D. And Logan color inside the lines until they can’t and still remain alive. Then they call in Jock Algren, who has the Federal authority to color any way he wants to.
In this novel, Griffin does something different from his previous works. He occasionally steps out of his normal first-person POV of Matt, and allows the reader to be omniscient in one area. We, as readers, know about the death of the young mechanic in North Dakota, while Matt’s team does not. As the storyline progresses, we are also witness to the murders of a young male law student in Birmingham and a newly minted female JAG lawyer in Charlottesville. Again, Matt’s team is ignorant of those deaths. But, the reader, by carefully perusing through these vignettes, is provided a thread that ties these young people together with those murdered in Longboat Key, even though they themselves have never met.
With this slim thread, we can evaluate the facts that Matt and his team uncover differently than they. Thus, I was able to figure out the identities of the real targets – remember, the title of the book is “Collateral Damage” – but I couldn’t figure out who was behind it or the real reason why.
Actually, there turned out to be an author-induced reason for that and I dropped the rating on this book one star because of it. A large part of the storyline has to do with finances and banks since a charitable foundation is involved. While Griffin has the character of Jock pull deep background checks on several people, including the director of the charity, he does not have Jock pull a background check on everyone who had access to the money or the accounting program. And we all know the two cardinal rules of investigation – follow the family members of the victim and follow the money.
Had Griffin let his characters do a better job on these basics, the murders would have been solved a lot earlier and without quite as many assaults and near-misses with death. But then again, I have to admit, that would have made the novel at least a hundred pages shorter and incredibly boring!
Six weeks later, with no clues whatsoever as to the identities or motives of the killers and with no apparent connection between the victims, the police on Longboat Key are at a standstill. Now our main protagonist, Matt Royal, is not a cop nor a PI, but a retired attorney. He likes being retired and, even though two of his good friends are the Chief of Police and the lead detective, he lets them do their job while he does his – fishing and socializing. Then the bridegroom’s father shows up and turns out to be the medic who had saved Matt’s life once upon a time back in Vietnam. So when Charles “Doc” Desmond asks for Matt’s help in the stalled investigation, Matt readily agrees.
Needing to begin somewhere, Matt starts with three interviews. The first is with J. D. Duncan, the lead homicide detective on the case. Using his interrogative skills from his past profession and his Special Forces military skills, he leads J. D. to the existence of a back-up sniper, a hit team instead of a single shooter. His second interview is with the bride, who relates to Matt the details of the couple’s initial courtship in Laos while building a school through a charitable foundation. So Matt makes his third interview with the head of the Otto Foundation, a group that builds schools all over Southeast Asia.
The next morning, while on his daily jog down the beach, Matt is assaulted by a man with a Ka-Bar. Matt breaks the man’s elbow and has the knife at the man’s carotid artery when a woman with a gun descends the walkway. Apparently, the woman wants her partner back more than she wants to kill Matt, so they affect an exchange, one life for another. And Matt now has his first real clue in the case – the assault team is Asian. He figures his visit to the Otto Foundation tripped some wires involving national security and/or international covert dealings and that prompts him to call in Jock Algren for help.
H. Terrell Griffin writes characters who, while not your average worker-bees, are not super-endowed physically or mentally either. They are, however, above average in intelligence and well trained in the art of observation, strategy and warfare. They are not above lies, deceptions and threats to get results, but, essentially, Matt, J. D. And Logan color inside the lines until they can’t and still remain alive. Then they call in Jock Algren, who has the Federal authority to color any way he wants to.
In this novel, Griffin does something different from his previous works. He occasionally steps out of his normal first-person POV of Matt, and allows the reader to be omniscient in one area. We, as readers, know about the death of the young mechanic in North Dakota, while Matt’s team does not. As the storyline progresses, we are also witness to the murders of a young male law student in Birmingham and a newly minted female JAG lawyer in Charlottesville. Again, Matt’s team is ignorant of those deaths. But, the reader, by carefully perusing through these vignettes, is provided a thread that ties these young people together with those murdered in Longboat Key, even though they themselves have never met.
With this slim thread, we can evaluate the facts that Matt and his team uncover differently than they. Thus, I was able to figure out the identities of the real targets – remember, the title of the book is “Collateral Damage” – but I couldn’t figure out who was behind it or the real reason why.
Actually, there turned out to be an author-induced reason for that and I dropped the rating on this book one star because of it. A large part of the storyline has to do with finances and banks since a charitable foundation is involved. While Griffin has the character of Jock pull deep background checks on several people, including the director of the charity, he does not have Jock pull a background check on everyone who had access to the money or the accounting program. And we all know the two cardinal rules of investigation – follow the family members of the victim and follow the money.
Had Griffin let his characters do a better job on these basics, the murders would have been solved a lot earlier and without quite as many assaults and near-misses with death. But then again, I have to admit, that would have made the novel at least a hundred pages shorter and incredibly boring!
January 27, 2012
When it comes to wrapping a traditional mystery inside an international espionage thriller novel, there is none better than, author H. Terrell Griffin and no better character than retired Florida lawyer and professional beach bum, Matt Royal. In this, the sixth Matt Royal Mystery, the whole cast of unforgettable characters are present. Longboat Key detective, Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan, who Matt is nursing a flame for, Jock Algren the mysterious “government agent” whose agency remains nameless, but Jock has the Presidents direct number. Then there is Logan Hamilton, a fellow Vietnam vet, and Matt’s old First Sergeant, Jimbo Merryman.
Life on Longboat Key, Florida is usually quiet. Fishing, happy hour, drinking and avoiding the mid-day sun in the heart of summer are the usual pass times. But when a young bride groom is shot dead on the beach the morning after his wedding, apparently by a sniper, the lazy days are interrupted. The local police, including J.D. Duncan are puzzled. But then when Matt and Logan are on an evening fishing trip and witness the grounding of a dinner cruise ship and several people are killed all involved wonder if the two events could be connected.
Then when Matt is contacted by an old army buddy, Charles “Chaz” Desmond. Desmond was a medic in Matt’s Ranger platoon, hence the nickname Doc. After Matt was severely wounded and Doc’s best friend was captured and tortured, Doc disappeared into a secret CIA special forces group. He’s now a wealthy business owner and the young groom that was shot on the beach was Doc’s son. Doc' wants to hire Matt to find the killer. when it turns out that two of the people on the cruise ship were knifed and not killed by being thrown overboard during the grounding, and that the Capt. of the ship, who died of a broken neck, was probably killed by a pro, the mystery deepens.
Matt and J.D. Duncan approach the investigation from separate angels, but share information and when an Asian assassin tries to knife Matt on the beach, and two Asian’s were seen on camera boarding the dinner cruise, Matt follows the lead along with his buddies, Logan and Jock, whose government contacts lead them to an aid group in Cambodia and a wealthy heroin exporter.
If you were to compare Griffin’s prose style to a runner, he’d be a marathon runner. The pace is steady and built for the long run. The “course” on the plot leads many places that may or may not lead to the finish line, but logic dictates that each step be explored. Along the way, the reader will have a hard time putting the book down. The dialog is relentless and hardboiled and to the point, the scenery of south Florida comes to life and even if you are reading in Alaska in the dead of winter you’ll find yourself unbuttoning your shirt.
A cross between Jimmy Buffett, John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee, and Tom Clancy, the characters are funky, but dangerous. The bad guys are a collection of characters that Griffin brings to life in a very real and evil way. And throw in the budding romance between Matt and JD Duncan, and you have all of the elements for a fantastic read and a romp through sandy beaches, funky bars and shady motives.
There is not anything missing in this story, it’s all here and will nail you to your chair and have you ordering margaritas and planning a trip to the Keys.
H. Terrell Griffin is another winner for Oceanview Publishing that readers will not want to miss. I want to thank Oceanview and NetGalley for providing the review copy.
Life on Longboat Key, Florida is usually quiet. Fishing, happy hour, drinking and avoiding the mid-day sun in the heart of summer are the usual pass times. But when a young bride groom is shot dead on the beach the morning after his wedding, apparently by a sniper, the lazy days are interrupted. The local police, including J.D. Duncan are puzzled. But then when Matt and Logan are on an evening fishing trip and witness the grounding of a dinner cruise ship and several people are killed all involved wonder if the two events could be connected.
Then when Matt is contacted by an old army buddy, Charles “Chaz” Desmond. Desmond was a medic in Matt’s Ranger platoon, hence the nickname Doc. After Matt was severely wounded and Doc’s best friend was captured and tortured, Doc disappeared into a secret CIA special forces group. He’s now a wealthy business owner and the young groom that was shot on the beach was Doc’s son. Doc' wants to hire Matt to find the killer. when it turns out that two of the people on the cruise ship were knifed and not killed by being thrown overboard during the grounding, and that the Capt. of the ship, who died of a broken neck, was probably killed by a pro, the mystery deepens.
Matt and J.D. Duncan approach the investigation from separate angels, but share information and when an Asian assassin tries to knife Matt on the beach, and two Asian’s were seen on camera boarding the dinner cruise, Matt follows the lead along with his buddies, Logan and Jock, whose government contacts lead them to an aid group in Cambodia and a wealthy heroin exporter.
If you were to compare Griffin’s prose style to a runner, he’d be a marathon runner. The pace is steady and built for the long run. The “course” on the plot leads many places that may or may not lead to the finish line, but logic dictates that each step be explored. Along the way, the reader will have a hard time putting the book down. The dialog is relentless and hardboiled and to the point, the scenery of south Florida comes to life and even if you are reading in Alaska in the dead of winter you’ll find yourself unbuttoning your shirt.
A cross between Jimmy Buffett, John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee, and Tom Clancy, the characters are funky, but dangerous. The bad guys are a collection of characters that Griffin brings to life in a very real and evil way. And throw in the budding romance between Matt and JD Duncan, and you have all of the elements for a fantastic read and a romp through sandy beaches, funky bars and shady motives.
There is not anything missing in this story, it’s all here and will nail you to your chair and have you ordering margaritas and planning a trip to the Keys.
H. Terrell Griffin is another winner for Oceanview Publishing that readers will not want to miss. I want to thank Oceanview and NetGalley for providing the review copy.
October 20, 2012
ANOTHER SUPER READ FROM OCEANVIEW PUBLISHING!!
"The quiet beauty of Longboat Key is shattered when a young groom is shot to death on the beach the day after his wedding. His father is an old army buddy of Matt Royal, and Matt tries to soften the anguish of his friend by finding his son's murderer. Matt's search takes on added complexity when there appears to be a link between this murder and three seemingly unrelated murders that occurred on board a dinner cruise on Sarasota Bay the same day. Fortunately for Matt, his old buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, show up to cover his back and to help investigate. But this case rekindles haunting events of Matt's past and incites a web of doubt, deception, and even suspicion, among the closest of friends"
Matt Royal is fast becoming a favorite series character for me!
Oceanview publishing consistently turnes out quality, gripping and unique page turners from their impressive roster of writers.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE is no different. Mr. Griffin has developed a truly superb character in Matt Royal..neither super human nor overly weak, Royal is the perfect bend of hero, very accesible to the reader and one I look forward to reading more and more with each new adventure.
As I live in Florida, this gives me a fine perspective on the location, and I must say that Mr. Griffin is SPOT ON! I feel that Longboat Key, Matt Royal's hometown literally bursts of the pages, with a broad array of wonderfully detailed characters and diverse twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the book.
I especially loved COLLATERAL DAMAGE in that it offers deep insight into Royal's past and allows us to better understand his present. The prose is fast paced yet never rushed, and the plot twists are never hackneyed.
In short,if you enjoy fast pasted, witty and very intelligent reads, this book is for you!!
Kudos to Oceanview for yet another winner!!
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER/MODERATOR
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOKCLUB
"The quiet beauty of Longboat Key is shattered when a young groom is shot to death on the beach the day after his wedding. His father is an old army buddy of Matt Royal, and Matt tries to soften the anguish of his friend by finding his son's murderer. Matt's search takes on added complexity when there appears to be a link between this murder and three seemingly unrelated murders that occurred on board a dinner cruise on Sarasota Bay the same day. Fortunately for Matt, his old buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, show up to cover his back and to help investigate. But this case rekindles haunting events of Matt's past and incites a web of doubt, deception, and even suspicion, among the closest of friends"
Matt Royal is fast becoming a favorite series character for me!
Oceanview publishing consistently turnes out quality, gripping and unique page turners from their impressive roster of writers.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE is no different. Mr. Griffin has developed a truly superb character in Matt Royal..neither super human nor overly weak, Royal is the perfect bend of hero, very accesible to the reader and one I look forward to reading more and more with each new adventure.
As I live in Florida, this gives me a fine perspective on the location, and I must say that Mr. Griffin is SPOT ON! I feel that Longboat Key, Matt Royal's hometown literally bursts of the pages, with a broad array of wonderfully detailed characters and diverse twists and turns that keep the reader glued to the book.
I especially loved COLLATERAL DAMAGE in that it offers deep insight into Royal's past and allows us to better understand his present. The prose is fast paced yet never rushed, and the plot twists are never hackneyed.
In short,if you enjoy fast pasted, witty and very intelligent reads, this book is for you!!
Kudos to Oceanview for yet another winner!!
AN OFFICIAL JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB MUST READ
RICK FRIEDMAN
FOUNDER/MODERATOR
THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOKCLUB
April 10, 2012
This newest addition to the Matt Royal series manages to keep the reader on pins and needles until the very end of the book. Matt is an attorney living in Longboat Key, Florida. Matt has pretty much given up the practice of law and is just enjoying a leisurely life.
Jim Desmond, a young groom, is killed on the beach in Longboat Key the day following his wedding. On the same day three other murders occur on a local dinner cruise. Longboat Key detective and close friend of Matt, Jennifer Diane Duncan (J. D.) isn't coming up with any answers. The groom was from Atlanta. One of the victims killed on the dinner cruise was a lawyer from Jacksonville, Peter Garrison. Another victim was a twenty-five year old woman from Charlotte, North Carolina. The third victim was the Captain of the dinner cruise.
Matt is puzzled by the deaths but has no reason to become involved until an old buddy from Matt's years in VietNam stops by for a visit. Charles T. Desmond ("Doc") reveals that the young man killed was his son. Doc pressures Matt to file a civil case in order to gather evidence that the police can't access and hopefully find out who killed Jim. Doc agrees that any evidence that is turned up from the civil action can be turned over to the prosecutors. Matt finds it difficult to say no to a man that saved his life so he agrees to take on the case.
Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, Matt's friends, join Matt to help with the investigation and the clues keep Matt on the move. More and more it seems that the deaths are part of some international plot. Before Matt and his friends can discover what is really going on there are more unexplained deaths and Matt fears for the life of J. D.
This sixth addition to the Matt Royal series is very good. It is not necessary to read previous Matt Royal novels prior to reading "Collateral Damage" but each book in the series reveals more about Matt Royal and the crew that usually steps up to help him out.
Jim Desmond, a young groom, is killed on the beach in Longboat Key the day following his wedding. On the same day three other murders occur on a local dinner cruise. Longboat Key detective and close friend of Matt, Jennifer Diane Duncan (J. D.) isn't coming up with any answers. The groom was from Atlanta. One of the victims killed on the dinner cruise was a lawyer from Jacksonville, Peter Garrison. Another victim was a twenty-five year old woman from Charlotte, North Carolina. The third victim was the Captain of the dinner cruise.
Matt is puzzled by the deaths but has no reason to become involved until an old buddy from Matt's years in VietNam stops by for a visit. Charles T. Desmond ("Doc") reveals that the young man killed was his son. Doc pressures Matt to file a civil case in order to gather evidence that the police can't access and hopefully find out who killed Jim. Doc agrees that any evidence that is turned up from the civil action can be turned over to the prosecutors. Matt finds it difficult to say no to a man that saved his life so he agrees to take on the case.
Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, Matt's friends, join Matt to help with the investigation and the clues keep Matt on the move. More and more it seems that the deaths are part of some international plot. Before Matt and his friends can discover what is really going on there are more unexplained deaths and Matt fears for the life of J. D.
This sixth addition to the Matt Royal series is very good. It is not necessary to read previous Matt Royal novels prior to reading "Collateral Damage" but each book in the series reveals more about Matt Royal and the crew that usually steps up to help him out.
June 3, 2012
Matt Royal attracts trouble. No matter what he is doing, the retired lawyer always seems to find himself in intriguing and life-threatening situations. In Collateral Damage, the latest installment in author H. Terrell Griffins series, Matt Royal, once again, finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation and a conspiracy that could date all the way back the Vietnam War.
Longboat Key, Florida is a quiet coastal town that sees little excitement outside of the tourist season. When a young groom is shot while running along the beach, the town is shaken. That same evening, while fishing with his good friend Logan, Matt witnesses strange events on a dinner cruise boat, sailing by them, that leads to two other deaths. When he receives an unexpected contact from an old war buddy, whose son happened to be the young murdered groom, Matt promises to help investigates the murder, and searches for a connection between the shooting and the mysterious murders aboard the cruise.
As in the previous novel, the supporting characters help to keep the plot moving. Matt's best friend, Jock Algren, works for a secretive government agency that gives him practically unlimited resources to assist in the investigation. This James Bond like character, while highly unbelievable, works well within the world of the novel, and allows for an easy way for Matt to have some credibility as an investigator. The love interest, Longboat P.D. Detective J.D. Duncan, is written with a subtle touch, allowing the budding relationship to simmer throughout the novel, without falling into the stereotypes of most thriller love elements.
Griffin’s love for the place and people of Florida permeates the novel, providing the fictional world with some much-needed reality. While the plot becomes a bit hard to follow at times, the story resolved nicely. This novel is a fun, escapist type read, that is sure to provide fans of mystery thriller novels with a great time.
Longboat Key, Florida is a quiet coastal town that sees little excitement outside of the tourist season. When a young groom is shot while running along the beach, the town is shaken. That same evening, while fishing with his good friend Logan, Matt witnesses strange events on a dinner cruise boat, sailing by them, that leads to two other deaths. When he receives an unexpected contact from an old war buddy, whose son happened to be the young murdered groom, Matt promises to help investigates the murder, and searches for a connection between the shooting and the mysterious murders aboard the cruise.
As in the previous novel, the supporting characters help to keep the plot moving. Matt's best friend, Jock Algren, works for a secretive government agency that gives him practically unlimited resources to assist in the investigation. This James Bond like character, while highly unbelievable, works well within the world of the novel, and allows for an easy way for Matt to have some credibility as an investigator. The love interest, Longboat P.D. Detective J.D. Duncan, is written with a subtle touch, allowing the budding relationship to simmer throughout the novel, without falling into the stereotypes of most thriller love elements.
Griffin’s love for the place and people of Florida permeates the novel, providing the fictional world with some much-needed reality. While the plot becomes a bit hard to follow at times, the story resolved nicely. This novel is a fun, escapist type read, that is sure to provide fans of mystery thriller novels with a great time.
January 16, 2013
Collateral Damage by H. Terrell Griffin
4 STARS
Collateral Damage is a Matt Royal Mystery.
It is full of drama,action, mystery. Matt is starting to really like J.D. Longboat's only police detective. Something is going on Longboat killing people. Thier is 4 murders on the same day.
The characters are still loyal and strong friendships tying them together. Doc. who served in Vietnam and saved Matt's life comes asking for help in solving his son's murder. Matt starts looking into them and then he is attacked. Logan and Jock start looking into it with him. Matt for being a retired lawyer and now a beach bum sure gets into a lot of trouble.
Collateral Damage book discription taken off of Netgalley web site.
Description
Matt Royal is in trouble and probably in love, but he's not sure. His buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, come to his aid and together they try to figure out why a young bridegroom was killed on the beach of their southwest Florida island and what, if anything, that murder has to do with other murders that took place aboard a dinner cruise boat the same day. Fun in the sun becomes a deadly chase when Matt and his friends run into some very bad guys who seem to have no compunction about killing people.
Collateral Damage has a bunch of strings that they are having a hard time untangling to find what is really going on. What is Doc. not telling Matt and J.D. It is fast paced story. You don't want to put down till you are through. At least I have not wanted to. This is the 5th Matt Royal story that I have read in the last few days. I think I have missed two of them that I will have to go get them.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review by Netgalley.
12/05/2011 Pub Oceanview Publishing
4 STARS
Collateral Damage is a Matt Royal Mystery.
It is full of drama,action, mystery. Matt is starting to really like J.D. Longboat's only police detective. Something is going on Longboat killing people. Thier is 4 murders on the same day.
The characters are still loyal and strong friendships tying them together. Doc. who served in Vietnam and saved Matt's life comes asking for help in solving his son's murder. Matt starts looking into them and then he is attacked. Logan and Jock start looking into it with him. Matt for being a retired lawyer and now a beach bum sure gets into a lot of trouble.
Collateral Damage book discription taken off of Netgalley web site.
Description
Matt Royal is in trouble and probably in love, but he's not sure. His buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, come to his aid and together they try to figure out why a young bridegroom was killed on the beach of their southwest Florida island and what, if anything, that murder has to do with other murders that took place aboard a dinner cruise boat the same day. Fun in the sun becomes a deadly chase when Matt and his friends run into some very bad guys who seem to have no compunction about killing people.
Collateral Damage has a bunch of strings that they are having a hard time untangling to find what is really going on. What is Doc. not telling Matt and J.D. It is fast paced story. You don't want to put down till you are through. At least I have not wanted to. This is the 5th Matt Royal story that I have read in the last few days. I think I have missed two of them that I will have to go get them.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review by Netgalley.
12/05/2011 Pub Oceanview Publishing
January 16, 2013
Collateral Damage by H. Terrell Griffin
4 STARS
Collateral Damage is a Matt Royal Mystery.
It is full of drama,action, mystery. Matt is starting to really like J.D. Longboat's only police detective. Something is going on Longboat killing people. Thier is 4 murders on the same day.
The characters are still loyal and strong friendships tying them together. Doc. who served in Vietnam and saved Matt's life comes asking for help in solving his son's murder. Matt starts looking into them and then he is attacked. Logan and Jock start looking into it with him. Matt for being a retired lawyer and now a beach bum sure gets into a lot of trouble.
Collateral Damage book discription taken off of Netgalley web site.
Description
Matt Royal is in trouble and probably in love, but he's not sure. His buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, come to his aid and together they try to figure out why a young bridegroom was killed on the beach of their southwest Florida island and what, if anything, that murder has to do with other murders that took place aboard a dinner cruise boat the same day. Fun in the sun becomes a deadly chase when Matt and his friends run into some very bad guys who seem to have no compunction about killing people.
Collateral Damage has a bunch of strings that they are having a hard time untangling to find what is really going on. What is Doc. not telling Matt and J.D. It is fast paced story. You don't want to put down till you are through. At least I have not wanted to. This is the 5th Matt Royal story that I have read in the last few days. I think I have missed two of them that I will have to go get them.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review by Netgalley.
12/05/2011 Pub Oceanview Publishing
4 STARS
Collateral Damage is a Matt Royal Mystery.
It is full of drama,action, mystery. Matt is starting to really like J.D. Longboat's only police detective. Something is going on Longboat killing people. Thier is 4 murders on the same day.
The characters are still loyal and strong friendships tying them together. Doc. who served in Vietnam and saved Matt's life comes asking for help in solving his son's murder. Matt starts looking into them and then he is attacked. Logan and Jock start looking into it with him. Matt for being a retired lawyer and now a beach bum sure gets into a lot of trouble.
Collateral Damage book discription taken off of Netgalley web site.
Description
Matt Royal is in trouble and probably in love, but he's not sure. His buddies, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren, come to his aid and together they try to figure out why a young bridegroom was killed on the beach of their southwest Florida island and what, if anything, that murder has to do with other murders that took place aboard a dinner cruise boat the same day. Fun in the sun becomes a deadly chase when Matt and his friends run into some very bad guys who seem to have no compunction about killing people.
Collateral Damage has a bunch of strings that they are having a hard time untangling to find what is really going on. What is Doc. not telling Matt and J.D. It is fast paced story. You don't want to put down till you are through. At least I have not wanted to. This is the 5th Matt Royal story that I have read in the last few days. I think I have missed two of them that I will have to go get them.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review by Netgalley.
12/05/2011 Pub Oceanview Publishing
October 26, 2012
Griffin pens another great mystery as he floods our senses with terrifying situations in “Collateral Damage.”
Once again, retired attorney Matt Royal is knee deep in a quagmire. His old U.S. Army Special Forces comrade Charles Desmond—who Matt called Doc back in their service days—needs his help. Desmond’s son is gunned down on a beach and hopes that Matt can use his skill and contacts from when he practiced law to find the killer(s).
But it’s more than finding out who killed Desmond’s son. Drugs are involved as are other murders, all mixed with a few Asians who try to kill Matt. His friend, who has more power than anyone other than the President of the United States, Jock Algren, comes to Longboat Key, Florida to help Matt.
Matt is plagued with clues meant to misdirect him from figuring out what was really going on. He uncovers heart wrenching information when he finds out Doc has been funding an entity that is suspected of illegal crimes for the past five years. His friend and someone he hopes to be eventually intimate with, J.D. Duncan, disappears and is shown on a bank camera withdrawing a large sum of money from an account also associated with those who are trying to kill Matt. Is Doc part of the drug running? Is J.D. really on the wrong side of the law?
Griffin takes us on one hell of a ride through some rocky waters to reach the conclusion. Just when you think you’ve reached a calm stream, you’re thrown back into calamitous seas, much like a river boat rafting.
As I have come to expect from Griffin, this novel is well done and keeps you on the edge the entire time.
Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “One Major Mistake”
Once again, retired attorney Matt Royal is knee deep in a quagmire. His old U.S. Army Special Forces comrade Charles Desmond—who Matt called Doc back in their service days—needs his help. Desmond’s son is gunned down on a beach and hopes that Matt can use his skill and contacts from when he practiced law to find the killer(s).
But it’s more than finding out who killed Desmond’s son. Drugs are involved as are other murders, all mixed with a few Asians who try to kill Matt. His friend, who has more power than anyone other than the President of the United States, Jock Algren, comes to Longboat Key, Florida to help Matt.
Matt is plagued with clues meant to misdirect him from figuring out what was really going on. He uncovers heart wrenching information when he finds out Doc has been funding an entity that is suspected of illegal crimes for the past five years. His friend and someone he hopes to be eventually intimate with, J.D. Duncan, disappears and is shown on a bank camera withdrawing a large sum of money from an account also associated with those who are trying to kill Matt. Is Doc part of the drug running? Is J.D. really on the wrong side of the law?
Griffin takes us on one hell of a ride through some rocky waters to reach the conclusion. Just when you think you’ve reached a calm stream, you’re thrown back into calamitous seas, much like a river boat rafting.
As I have come to expect from Griffin, this novel is well done and keeps you on the edge the entire time.
Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “One Major Mistake”
July 12, 2012
Collateral Damage is a fun read. The plot moves along quickly--this is a book that is plot driven more than character driven. The main character, Matt Royal, and his sidekicks Logan and Jock, are Jack Reacher-like in their skills and the development of their characters. All of the good guy characters are really good--skillful at their job, almost superhuman in their physical skills, and even when police detective J.D. Duncan, Matt's love interest, is set up as a bad guy, no one, including the readers, believes it. Because she's a good guy, and Matt likes her. The solution to the wide-ranging conspiracy and all the crimes in the novel go back to the Vietnam War, and the history and explanation of the crimes rings true.
Sometimes this is exactly the kind of book I want to read, and Collateral Damage does a great job at being this kind of book. I hadn't read any earlier books in the series, but I think I may try to find them and catch up before the next book comes out. They won't take long to read, but they should be enjoyable.
Sometimes this is exactly the kind of book I want to read, and Collateral Damage does a great job at being this kind of book. I hadn't read any earlier books in the series, but I think I may try to find them and catch up before the next book comes out. They won't take long to read, but they should be enjoyable.
January 20, 2012
a boat crashes on a sandbar (ironicly it actually happened in italy while im reading this book). the captain was murdered as well as a couple people on board. the fishing boat nearby had a vet in it and he saved a few people. someone who saved his life in the war came to his house. his son had been murdered on the beach (dont know how these two are connected yet). teh detective is a woman, they like each other, nothing more yet. he is looking into the sons murder with help from teh detective who hasnt been able to figure it out. takes place in FL.
this book was good, i liked the characters, but it got really too confusing for me. there were too many people, it jumped from the viet nam war to all different states and people . i liked what i understood and would read more from this author. i liked the retired lawyer, his friend in covert ops to the president and the lady cop.
this book was good, i liked the characters, but it got really too confusing for me. there were too many people, it jumped from the viet nam war to all different states and people . i liked what i understood and would read more from this author. i liked the retired lawyer, his friend in covert ops to the president and the lady cop.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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