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In this third book of the series, Private investigator Jim Knighthorse finds himself on the trail of his mother's killer, a cold case spanning two decades. While on the hunt, he takes on a brutal case that takes him into shark-infested waters and deep into the heart of Mexico.

All the while, Knighthorse comes closer and closer to finding his mother's killer...and there's going to be hell to pay

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

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About the author

J.R. Rain

656 books1,727 followers
J.R. Rain is the author of 110 novels and counting. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he's hard at work on his next novel... and fighting off sparkly vampires.

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397 (36%)
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202 (18%)
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30 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
Profile Image for Marsha.
3,053 reviews58 followers
February 12, 2012
Jim Knighthouse is at a pivotal point in his life. He has the love of the perfect woman, Cindy. He is pretty well established in his P.I. business; however, the one thing that he has not done is deliver justice to the criminal for the rape and murder of his mother.

While sitting in his modest office, Jim is approached by a tearful woman seeking his assistance in locating her missing boyfriend. The boyfriend and business partner has been missing for a week now and the woman is pretty sure that he is dead. They worked together to stop shark fin poachers. These poachers are the vilest of creatures who use live dogs and cats as bait to lure in the sharks. Jim is so moved by this story that he agrees to take on the case.

In addition to this case, Jim is also hired by a little old lady who liveds at Leisure World to capture a flasher who has been exposing himself to hoards of old people. Jim takes on this case for free although he does not let the little old lady know this.

While attempting to solve these cases, Jim decides it is time to begin doing research into the background of the man he is convinced killed his mother. This cause will reunite Jim with his father who he despises but will tolerate for this. I am also happy to report that the character of God or 'Jack' is back in this installment and I enjoyed him imensely as always. The story line is great and there is the usual snarky humor that unique to Jim. Although there was not as much action as the other books, everything about this book was right on target. My only criticism is that I wished Rain had provided a little more insight as to what the fins are used for. Yea, Yea I know it is my ignorance of the subject and not his. I just feel that he could have educated the few of us who do not know these things. Oh well, I guess I will have to look it up on the internet.

The last page in the book indicated that Jim Knighthorse will return. I hope that this is true because I really enjoy this character and I can imagine quite a few more interesting ways for his to grow.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
432 reviews
January 3, 2012
I found this series solely by accident. The first 2 books were free for my kindle from ereader news today. What a find. This series reads as one book. I was captured by the first paragraph and came to love all the characters. These books are quick reads that once you start your day will be lost- you won't be able to put them down until the end of "Hail Mary." The best part of reaching the end was the line that said " Jim Knighthorse will return". Love this author- I looked up everything else he has written and found they were all vampire series- I am not really into the whole vampire craze and don't know if I will check them out but do keep looking at them because I really liked this series.
Profile Image for Becky.
4 reviews
February 16, 2012
Part of the storyline of this book involved shark finning and the practice of using dogs (live dogs) as bait. As an animal lover and a devoted "dog person", I have to say, this storyline was hard to read. I love that Jim cares, though. I love that he goes above and beyond. I love the new addition to the family that he ended up with at the end of the book. I can't wait for the next Jim Knighthorse book and I hope there are many more to come...
13 reviews
August 25, 2016
Really, come on. Saw this coming from the end of the 2nd book. This this one was a novella, turned into a novel by adding 2 equally bland artificial ingredients. Only gave it 2* b/c I like the hard boiled genre.
Profile Image for Roddy Williams.
862 reviews41 followers
March 6, 2018
Jim Knighthorse is an ex American football player turned private eye with a nice line in witty banter. This third book is a bit of a disappointing - and short - episode in the series.
In the last novel Jim identified his mother's killer and is now determining how to prove it and bring the killer to justice. In the meantime he is asked to investigate the murder of an animal rights activist who was on the trail of a gang who strip sharks of their fins. Additionally Knighthorse has been hired to look into the case of a man who exposes himself to elderly ladies in a retirement complex.
In the first novel Knighthorse had chats with a man who may or may not have been God. The ambiguity was very interesting and added a unique edge to the narrative. God was absent in volume two but returns here. The ambiguity is lost unfortunately and it is made very clear that God really is, it appears, turning up at a specific branch of McDonalds to drink coffee with Knighthorse on a regular basis. The mystery is lost.
The issue of his mother's killer is dealt with in such a rush (as are the other two cases) that one suspects the author was in a hurry to get the book finished before the shops shut. The reader is left hanging quite unexpectedly at the end of the novel where one would have reasonably expected a few more chapters to be. Indeed, as Knighthorse has already identified the murderer, his come-uppance - sudden and with no drama, last minute escape attempts or plot-twists - comes as something of an anti-climax.
Up until now I have been a Knighthorse fan, but this (I suspect) hurriedly written third volume is a discredit to the character. One can only hope that things improve. It should really have had a serious overhaul before going to print.
Profile Image for Marla White.
Author 9 books220 followers
June 11, 2020
I was so happy when the craziness of the world kept me from sleeping last night to have Jim Knighthorse there with me to make it all ok. :D

In this third installment, Jim continues to think quite a lot of himself in his sassy, cocky way, but also draws the reader in as he deals with his dark inner demons. He does his usual heroics with a comic/tragic way. Without giving away too many secrets, the book has a terrific, strong ending that involves his relationship with his estranged father.

There were a few other inconsistencies in this book that plagued the second book, but it only bugs those of us who are sticklers for details. Thankfully, the character of Jack is back offering more philosophical questions for Jim to ponder.

As with all the Knighthorse books, this one is short, snappy and as much fun as a Robert Parker "Spenser" book.

Enjoy!

P.S. Again, I have to ask what is up with the cheesy noir cover? It certainly doesn't do this book justice. I doubt I would have bought it if that was the current cover.
Profile Image for Quenya.
401 reviews19 followers
July 18, 2021
This one seems like an ending to series and the author did a good job of closing some of the loops in the other books. Jim Knighthorse is still Jim Knighthorse. This book does need to come with a fair warning as there are many points in the book where extreme animal violence is described in detail.

Jim is a little overwhelmed with three cases in this book. Considering one of the cases is the murder of his mother and one is about shark finning, you can tell the author added in the flasher story to lighten the content. It works and helps to keep you going and not getting bogged down into the dark side of this book.

Jim’s girlfriend and best friend are there as always to help him out. I love both those relationships as they both accept Jim for exactly who he is. The narrator is the great. I just happen to really enjoy this series.
Profile Image for Christine.
116 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2018
Horrific and wonderful

Three storylines all wrapped up with a bow. A story that almost makes you feel sorry for sharks, and praying that the hunting method is fictional. Then there's the stereotypical old lady who needs a flasher eradicated from her senior center. I love how JR always has a light topic to keep you entertained and to balance out the suspense. And the third storyline? You will just need to read this book to find out. But I assure you it is simply wonderful. You will not be disappointed. It's Jim Knighthorse after all.
3,198 reviews26 followers
August 29, 2019
A JRR. Murder Mystery Action Adventure (HM) (JKB. - 3)

JRR. has penned the third JKB. Which is a murder mystery action adventure where he first becomes involved in a shark fin scandal. As he solves this case his Mother's murderer pops up and when he identified him his father and he are both surprised at what was done by a lead detective and an attorney in the DA's office. He and his father finally work to gather to get his another's murderer. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
337 reviews2 followers
December 28, 2019
All things being considered, I DID like this series of three books. Not particularly enough to want to read any more of them though. I have to admit, I got sucked in to the plot of discovering his mother's killer. Like the proverbial carrot at the end of a string, it kept me chugging along even tough I had other better endeavors to read in my queue. I gave the first two books three stars and had planned on giving this one two stars for the entire series...but, the author redeemed himself with the dog. I'll not say more about that, but it was particularly heart-warming.
Profile Image for Bonnie Drummond.
921 reviews19 followers
September 23, 2021
Well I finished the first three books in this series and I can't wait to get more in this series. Book #3 Hail Mary has Jim on an emotional rollercoaster about his mother's death. After coming back from Mexico he knew what had to be done, and you have to wonder did Jack ( God ) give him a blessing to due what needed to be done by killing the man responsible for his mothers murder. When they finally meet Jim just wants to shot the bastard and get on with his life but he had to know why this " so called friend/detective " covered for his son.
Profile Image for Marty Mcintyre.
150 reviews1 follower
December 30, 2018
I think I am in love with Jim Knighthorse! I hated this book. It is well-written but the subject was too intense for me. It dealt with shark finning and animal cruelty to a degree that I cried and put it away. I wasn't going to finish it but I am glad I did. If you don't know that this kind of cruelty is happening you can do nothing to fight it. And out of all that horror he now has a dog as wounded as he has been.
119 reviews1 follower
March 4, 2019
Great story.....👍

Really enjoyed this story.. Lots of drama, great mystery, and some funny moments... ☺
Jim helps a retirement community, by stakeing their park out and catching A flasher. It was a funny situation. ☺ Be aware the shark poaching in the book is a bit disturbing. In all the book was great read. Jim finally solves his mom's murder. And Joe the homeless man or God has some more heartfelt talks with Jim at McDonald's... 🙏
Profile Image for Art.
984 reviews6 followers
May 11, 2020
Jim Knighthorse's mother was brutally murdered when he was a little boy. Now he's hot on the trail of the cold case.

But he's also looking into the disappearance of an environmentalist who was fighting shark finning -- and the brutal use of live dogs and cats as hooked bait to catch the sharks.

It's a good entry in the series and moves along a number of plot lines -- including the addition of the most pitiful dog ever.
724 reviews1 follower
July 25, 2025
Fast Paced!

A quick, fun mystery that leads to some very good answers for our friend Jim as he works out his cases. He seems to have enough info about his mothers case and now just has to confront the man he feels is responsible. If you are reading this series in order you understand where Jim is at. It's a great book with mystery, suspense and some fun times. Can't wait to move on to the next book. Thanks again JR Rain.
Profile Image for Sue Thomas.
385 reviews
March 5, 2020
Believe

They say don't believe everything you read, but when Mr Rain draws you into his wonderful world of storytelling you believe it all. And why not, we have all felt these sentients and felt a warmth that could only be the truth. Great ending to a brilliant story, or stories, as Jim is always on several cases at a time and proves his worth time and again.
6,726 reviews5 followers
January 27, 2022
Great reading
Another will written novel in the series. The characters are interesting and will developed. I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys will written mysteries. Enjoy reading 2018
274 reviews
September 20, 2018
Good book

This was a very good book. I would recommend this book to family members and friends. Going to go to the fourth book in the series.
1,789 reviews6 followers
March 5, 2019
Another good book in the series.
11 reviews
October 14, 2019
Great series

Enjoyed reading the Jim Knighthorse series. Keeps you interested throughout the entire book. Especially the friend who visits him at McDonald's!
Profile Image for Dave Hammett.
285 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2020
Odds and ends

Several stories going on here and they almost all get resolved .Nice blend of irreverence and devotion. Overall good re ad
213 reviews3 followers
February 19, 2021
Getting bored

As everything else in life, this is coming to the end. Getting boring and repetitive. Same stuff as before but over and over again.
76 reviews
May 9, 2021
A very good read, kept my interest throughout. Jim makes progress on a number of fronts. Looking forward to reading Clean Slate.
210 reviews
May 22, 2021
Book 3

Hail Mary by J.R.Rain was a wonderful book. How's you explain Cruelty to animal was researched so well. I glad Jim is on the job with Sanchez and Jack.
Profile Image for Lottie .
63 reviews
May 22, 2022
Contains animal cruelty!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
8 reviews
April 25, 2023
Stomach turning

I have only gotten to chapter 2 and can't continue with this book. I have never been aware of this; it seems almost unbelievable. It's too horrifying to continue.
66 reviews
March 3, 2017
Good read

Love the character and the humor. It is well written and I love the twists and turns in the plot. On to book 4.
Profile Image for Kat Lebo.
855 reviews15 followers
October 18, 2015
Hail Mary, Jim Knighthorse mystery, Book 3
by J.R. Rain

Book 3 of the Knighthorse series finds our intrepid detective solving multiple cases and finally confirming and confronting the man who killed his mother.

As usual, Rain displays a solid connection to great writing, blending multiple storylines into a cohesive and interesting whole. The first, and most prominent of the stories involves a subject that was hard for me to read about, which is shark finning. A despicable practice (really practices) involves the brutal removal of a live shark's fins and the dumping of the still live animal into the ocean to die an agonizing death. Banned in both the U.S. and Mexico, the shark fin trade is so lucrative that enforcing the bans is difficult and spotty. The practice is made even more horrific by the use of live bait -- cats, dogs and other small animals who are baited through nose, jaw, paws, and thrown live into the water where the mixture of the animals struggles and free flowing blood attracts the sharks. I can't even stand to look at the photos that often pop up on the internet, and reading about it was very difficult.

Knighthorse gets involved when a woman comes to his office, asking him to find her boyfriend who has been missing for several days. The two are co-owners of a non-profit that works to eradicate the shark-finning trade. She fears those who they have worked against have kidnapped her boyfriend. The man does indeed turn up dead, which sends Knighthorse into an investigation not only into who might have killed him, but into the shark finning trade itself.

Jim is also approached by the proverbial little old lady, a resident of a senior citizens complex. She and some of her friends have pooled their money in order to hire him to find a exhibitionist who has been plaguing their community streets.

The third, and possibly the most important of the storylines to the Knighthorse characterization, is the confirming that the suspect identified at the end of "The Mummy Case" was, indeed, the man who murdered his mother more than two decades ago. The resolution of the matter pulls his father into the picture in an unexpected way. I'll admit that i had to go back and re-reading sections of the novel to decide whether that involvement was planned.

So, great content, great plotting, smooth flow, a high degree of identification with the characters and situations, good proofing and editing and satisfying, if sometimes not complete, resolution of each storyline, all combine to make this one dynamite read that kept me reading into the wee hours this morning.

Profile Image for Beanbag Love.
569 reviews240 followers
November 26, 2011
This one was a little hard for me to rate. While I still love Jim Knighthorse and the story was effectively funny and poignant, I sometimes felt that it went too far into the didactic.

JR Rain seems to have found a cause. It's a very worthy cause, believe me. It's tough to read about. He actually does the didactic better than most authors who indulge in this form. The story is affected by the cause, it's not a distraction to anything so that's a plus. But there were several times that I felt I was being written at rather than , written for. If that makes sense. Agenda writing so often feels that way and the changes in the main character don't feel entirely organic. It makes me worry a bit about the future of the series.

Ultimately the mystery was short-changed by the results of the investigation. I don't want to put any spoilers in so that's really all I can say. The secondary story line's mystery had pretty much already been solved at the end of the last book, so its fruition was like a tease throughout this one. I was glad to see it settled, though, and it made for some of the most powerful moments in the book.

I like the one new addition to the cast very, very much and I hope he has a lot of face time in the next book. Hehehe - how's that for a tease?

There were typos and grammatical errors that I feel could have been dealt with in copyediting. It's not as egregious or infuriating as when I've bought a high priced agency 6 book, but I feel I do need to mention it since Rain is actually a good author and these minor errors shouldn't distract from his work.

Overall it's a solid four even after my criticism. Jim Knighthorse is a crack-up and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment.
Profile Image for Teresa.
85 reviews1 follower
May 27, 2012
Hail Mary concludes the current Jim Knighthorse trilogy. Following on the heels of the Mummy Case, Jim is hired to find the murderer of an animal activist. The activist is believed to have been killed by an illegal shark fin crew. Jim becomes embroiled in the illegal world of sharkfinning which leads him to Mexico and to ultimately bring home a new addition to his little family. As usual, JR Rain entwines multiple storylines including the continued hunt for Jim's mother's murderer and a search for a retirement community flasher. The character of Jack (aka "God") returns with his kindness and wisdom and helps Jim to finally put his mother's death to rest. The various storylines from the book and the previous books in the trilogy are neatly tied up and the stage is set for a new phase in Jim's life. Will he now be ready to commit to and marry Cindy, the love of his life? In collaborating with his fathr to seek vengence on his mother's death has he opened opportunities for some reconsiliation with his father? JIm has once already interacted with Samantha Moon, Rain's detective, vampire mother, will there be other opportunities for Jim to interact and collaborate with her and other characters in Rain's universe? Fortunately we are told that "Jim Knighthouse will return". Hooray!
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