Chance in Hell

Noah Chance Mystery #1

by Michael Seaver

"Well, the book on you is that you're an alchy, a loser without a lot of promise. A man without redemption."Ten years ago, Noah Chance lost his son, his wife, his career. Since then, he has been sinking deeper into alcoholism and self-destructive behavior, picking fights he cannot win. Just when he’s down and almost out, the phone rings....Ann Walsh lies dead on her dining room floor and all fingers point to her estranged husband, Lt. Owen Walsh, LAPD. Brought in to establish a credible alibi for Walsh, Chance promises only one to chase down all leads until he discovers the truth. What he finds will place his life in danger, test both his tenacity and his integrity, and give Chance a chance, at last, to escape his private hell.ADVANCE PRAISE FOR CHANCE IN “Michael Seaver displays an uncanny ability to reveal the soul of private detective Noah Chance, corrupted by years of pain and the ugliness of life. Given a case to work, he finds suspects in front of him and his life encroaching from behind; and when things break, he discovers what every peace officer knows—that he must become the law.”—Gary Nanson, Gang LieutenantLos Angeles Police Department, ret.

Genres: Mystery, Ebooks

308 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2012

Reviews

[Sally Malkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read ... likeable characters ... pretty much devoid of sex and cursing ... kind of bland for my taste - when I can "see it coming" in my mystery/thrillers, my interest wanes - but still engaging ... I would actually compare Seaver's Noah Chance to Woods' Stone Barrington with one exception - Noah is beer, Stone is champagne!

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story

I really enjoyed this story. Well written, well developed characters, and a very entertaining story. I highly recommend this to lovers of detective, mystery and any that love a good story.

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twists 'n Turns

Real people characters, caught in plots that intermingle with lots of mystery, action and endings that defy the expectations that you built up.

[Jo Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly written

Boring and poorly written. Unnecessary descriptions disrupted the flow. Poor characterization. I ended up skimming through several parts. Also repetitious.

[Heather Doughty · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not an enjoyable book. It wasn't thrilling or interesting. It wasn't funny or sad. It wasn't unpredictable or revealing.

At the 30% mark, I realized I was reading about a detective who wasn't detecting anything, and alcoholic who wasn't drinking very much, a former cop who was beating up people to release anger, and a character that has many problems that the author won't share with the reader. I was not pleased with the constant objectifying of women. I was frustrated with all of the unimportant facts and the hiding of Noah's past. The repeated phrases and words were annoying. When an event that happened ten years ago is finally revealed, it's only facts of the actual incident and not the fall out. Nothing about his history prior to that day.

In the end, I never had a chance to connect with Noah Chance. The storyline was uninspired and boring. The epilogue was uninspired and I suppose is a result of the best luck Noah has had in many years. I am only left with a bunch of unanswered questions to which I don't really want the answers.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and think that the series shows great promise. It's outstanding as a first book, and I could have easily justified 5 stars by taking that into consideration. It is well written and edited although it would have left a much better impression if the single short attempt to use French had not included an error. It should be "un homme," not "un home." That may have been a wound inflicted by English spell checker software and if so, is certainly forgivable. I found the character of Noah Chance to be well-developed and believable. Vicky was a little harder to buy, but maybe she'll be better developed in Book 2, which I plan to read.

[Charles Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having lost his family and his career, ex-cop Noah Chance dived into the bottle. He’s about as low as he can get, when he’s called in to provide an alibi to an LAPD cop who is suspected of killing his wife. He agrees to take the case, but warns that he will follow wherever the leads take him. He quickly finds that his integrity, and even his life, will be tested to the limits.
Chance in Hell by Michael Seaver is a tense mystery that follows Chance as he dives into a hell, partly of his own making. Dark mystery at its near-finest. A real page-turner.

[Anita Mott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book and, had it not been an e-book, I would have finished it long ago.

[Ang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story with twists and turns. Good characters.