The Man by the Creek

by Chris Culver

The more the world changes, the more it stays the same.

Detective Mary Joe Court’s world is in flux. The county that employs her is a mess, her department lacks the personnel to field patrols at night, and her boss has never held a badge. Still, she’s got her dog and her family. She has what she needs.

Then Joe gets a call about a body on the muddy banks of a creek.

The victim was shot in the chest and dumped. His suit costs more than many cars, and there’s no clear indication of how he came to rest there. The victim has no ties to the community, and no one witnessed the murder or body dump. His killer left behind no fingerprints, shell casings, or surveillance video.

Worse, the man by the creek isn’t the only victim Joe has to worry about.

Not by a long shot.

Joe Court is back for the tenth book in New York Times’ bestselling author Chris Culver’s Joe Court series. THE MAN BY THE CREEK is outstanding. If you’re new to the series, read THE GIRL IN THE MOTEL. If you like Joe and know her well, pick this one up. You’re going to love it.

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 15, 2023

About the author

Chris Culver is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Rashid series of mysteries. After graduate school, Chris taught courses in ethics and comparative religion at a small liberal arts university in southern Arkansas. While there and when he really should have been grading exams, he wrote The Abbey, which spent sixteen weeks on the New York Times bestseller's list and introduced the world to Detective Ash Rashid.

Chris has been a storyteller since he was a kid, but he decided to write crime fiction after picking up a dog-eared, coffee-stained paperback copy of Mickey Spillane's I, the Jury in a library book sale. Many years later, his wife, despite considerable effort, still can't stop him from bringing more orphan books home. The two of them, along with a labrador retriever named Roy, reside near St. Louis where Chris is hard at work on his next novel.

Reviews

[Jenn(ifer) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've just finished the tenth book in the Joe Court series. I read them one after the other. I like Joe Court a lot. She had a very tough start to her life, but she didn't let that be an excuse for the way she lives her adult life. She cares about right & wrong, she cares about people & she cares about justice. The supporting characters are diverse & add much to each of the storylines. Each of these books was very entertaining. A book ends in some sort of cliffhanger which means you don't want to wait to start the next book. If you start the series & like it you'll have the next nine books to enjoy plus a novella. And more good news: book 11 in the series will be out April 30th! I've already preordered my copy. Give these books a try!

[Wanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took a while, but I definitely like Joe.

More than that, I feel empathy for what she has gone through. She is a hard case, and a stickler for the rules, regardless of the cost to herself or those she cares about. There is a lot of emotional pain in this story, and Joe bears a disproportionate amount. I am not sure that I would be as strict as Joe under similar circumstances, I prefer to acknowledge shades of grey.

I love how this book ends. Joe needed that.

[Kathy Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Book

I dont like to read about kids being hurt but i stuck this one out and the happy ending, not so happy for some people. City meetings are not on Sunday at noon, this is a church day and the pastor would have been at his own church. Gee, have a little common sense and do research at the least. Joe is very bossy, you could make her alittle more human. Still have never seen a policewoman carry a purse.

[Russ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've missed Joe Court. Thought the series had reached it's conclusion Never say never. Time has passed in St. Augustine County, but some things don't change. There are still crimes to be solved along with greedy public officials. Started out with 2 seemingly unrelated stories. It took a while for everything to come together, but when they did! Some surprises at the end plus a to be continued.

[Amy Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

RE: Couldn’t Put It Down

Love this series, and this might have been the best book yet. Intense, multidimensional, clever, frustrating, emotional, sad, sentimental…the list goes on and on. So glad Joe’s story isn’t over.

[Kathleen Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book too long coming

I loved this book as much as all books in the Joe Court series but it took so long coming I had forgotten a lot of who Joe Court was. Please don't let the next book take so long to write.

[Steve Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story. Detective Joe Court is up to her eyeballs in cases that don't want to be solved. There is some artful misdirection that fooled me until the end. Read this series, it is worth your time.

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Joe Court series. The story is good from beginning to end.

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so sad. I only have one mor book in this series.

[David Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping, fast-paced mystery with an ending you won't see coming!

[Bonnie Baisden · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

I could never guess the ending it keeps you on your toes. very well written. would like to see a film series on the books.

[Anna Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Robin McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved the book and now she has a sister?? will have to read the next one!!

[Susan Mccann · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great read.

This was a great read with lots of twists and turns. It will hold your interest from the first page. I’d suggest upstart with the first book in the series.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book # 10 in this series. I loved every book.