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Det. Annie Avants #2
Damage Control
DECEPTION - POWER PLAYS - MURDER "What do we have, Sergeant?" Sheriff Quinn asked the leader of the bomb squad. "Well, Sheriff, it's not a bomb. No one should touch anything until CSU gets here. You will want to have a Deputy Coroner respond as well." "A Deputy Coroner?" Annie said. "Why do we need a Deputy Coroner?" "It's a tongue," the Sergeant said. "What?" Annie said, shocked. "A severed tongue," he said to Annie. "Addressed to you. We didn't look any further into the container. We'll leave that to the Deputy Coroner and the CSU people." Sweet Southern Belle Detective Annie Avants hunts down murderers and serial killers in Kern County California. In this second book of the Detective Annie Avants crime fiction mystery series, Detective Annie Avants and her partner, Detective Tom Weston tackle the most perplexing murder mystery since they have worked together. The victim is a local, well-respected Bakersfield attorney who has gone missing. There's not much evidence to go on. His car was found an hours drive out of Bakersfield with blood on the passenger seat. No body has been found. What is the motive? Revenge? Payback for a case lost? Jealousy? staff is in a quandary. He had a new trial scheduled to begin the next morning. Everything was set to go.
And then, he just disappeared. A mysterious package left in the restroom of the Kern County Courthouse leads our detectives to believe that the attorney is dead But now. . . another person has gone missing! Annie Avants was born and raised a true southern belle in Mena, Arkansas. From a young age, she knew she wasn't destined to become a farmer's wife and give her parents a passel of grandbabies. It upset her family when she joined the Polk County Sheriff's Department and became one of the youngest detectives of record. After a few years of working in Arkansas, she was ready to spread her wings and took a job offer she couldn't refuse with the Kern County Sheriff's Office in California. It wasn't long before she was one of the lead detectives in the Robbery/Homicide Unit. Her partner, Detective Tom Weston, had only one goal. To finish out his last five years and retire. When his pregnant wife was killed in a bungled bank robbery a few years ago, his life came to a halt and he barely existed. Now, with the help of his young, vibrant new partner, he is taking a new lease on life and was even brave enough to ask Laine DelMonte, the Chief of Technical Investigations, for a date. One major conflict in Annie's life at this moment is the unwanted pressure by Deputy District Attorney Jesse Greyeyes to make her commit to a relationship between the two of them. Feelings of dread, and being trapped, rise to the surface in Annie each time Jesse puts on the pressure. Will our detectives find the answers before a media frenzy erupts in the Kern County/Bakersfield area? Will they call in an FBI profiler to help solve the mystery? Will they come to understand the kinds of criminal minds that lead someone to become a serial killer and, if so, will this help them catch the murderer before someone else is dead? WHAT READERS ARE SAYING Renee Benzaim does it again! Just finished "Damage Control" by Renee Benzaim and enjoyed it as much, if not more than "Cause of Death", the first in her series about Detective Annie Avants and he
And then, he just disappeared. A mysterious package left in the restroom of the Kern County Courthouse leads our detectives to believe that the attorney is dead But now. . . another person has gone missing! Annie Avants was born and raised a true southern belle in Mena, Arkansas. From a young age, she knew she wasn't destined to become a farmer's wife and give her parents a passel of grandbabies. It upset her family when she joined the Polk County Sheriff's Department and became one of the youngest detectives of record. After a few years of working in Arkansas, she was ready to spread her wings and took a job offer she couldn't refuse with the Kern County Sheriff's Office in California. It wasn't long before she was one of the lead detectives in the Robbery/Homicide Unit. Her partner, Detective Tom Weston, had only one goal. To finish out his last five years and retire. When his pregnant wife was killed in a bungled bank robbery a few years ago, his life came to a halt and he barely existed. Now, with the help of his young, vibrant new partner, he is taking a new lease on life and was even brave enough to ask Laine DelMonte, the Chief of Technical Investigations, for a date. One major conflict in Annie's life at this moment is the unwanted pressure by Deputy District Attorney Jesse Greyeyes to make her commit to a relationship between the two of them. Feelings of dread, and being trapped, rise to the surface in Annie each time Jesse puts on the pressure. Will our detectives find the answers before a media frenzy erupts in the Kern County/Bakersfield area? Will they call in an FBI profiler to help solve the mystery? Will they come to understand the kinds of criminal minds that lead someone to become a serial killer and, if so, will this help them catch the murderer before someone else is dead? WHAT READERS ARE SAYING Renee Benzaim does it again! Just finished "Damage Control" by Renee Benzaim and enjoyed it as much, if not more than "Cause of Death", the first in her series about Detective Annie Avants and he
- GenresMystery
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2013
3 people are currently reading
568 people want to read
About the author
Renee Benzaim
15 books26 followersRenee Benzaim was born in Wenatchee, Washington, but grew up in California. She attended college in Modesto and Turlock while living in California, and in Dover, Delaware.
While living in Hawaii, she had the pleasure of working with the top Hawaiian Chefs at two of the beautiful resort hotels on the Big Island.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel were her first experiences working with Executive Chefs Corey A. Waite and Goran V. Streng. Her job, as their Administrative Assistant, exposed her to all of the recipes and techniques these excellent chefs used to create their culinary masterpieces.
After two years at the resorts, she went to work for Master Chef Sam Choy - Hawaii's Ambassador to the World according to then Governor Benjamin Cayetano - as his Executive Assistant. While there, she assisted Chef Choy in writing two excellent cookbooks as part of his series of cookbooks based on Hawaiian and Pacific Rim cuisine.
During her last 18 months in Hawaii, she took her Paralegal training and then returned to California after an absence of 10 years. She then worked for several years as a Paralegal in California's Central Valley.
She now lives with her husband, Aziz, and their ever-changing collection of stray cats and kittens and is a full-time writer.
CONTACTING RENEE
Renee's Blog| Renee's twitter | Renee's Facebook Page |
Renee's Email: renee@reneebenzaim.com
While living in Hawaii, she had the pleasure of working with the top Hawaiian Chefs at two of the beautiful resort hotels on the Big Island.
Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel were her first experiences working with Executive Chefs Corey A. Waite and Goran V. Streng. Her job, as their Administrative Assistant, exposed her to all of the recipes and techniques these excellent chefs used to create their culinary masterpieces.
After two years at the resorts, she went to work for Master Chef Sam Choy - Hawaii's Ambassador to the World according to then Governor Benjamin Cayetano - as his Executive Assistant. While there, she assisted Chef Choy in writing two excellent cookbooks as part of his series of cookbooks based on Hawaiian and Pacific Rim cuisine.
During her last 18 months in Hawaii, she took her Paralegal training and then returned to California after an absence of 10 years. She then worked for several years as a Paralegal in California's Central Valley.
She now lives with her husband, Aziz, and their ever-changing collection of stray cats and kittens and is a full-time writer.
CONTACTING RENEE
Renee's Blog| Renee's twitter | Renee's Facebook Page |
Renee's Email: renee@reneebenzaim.com
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 16, 2013
I received a free download of "Damage Control"(Det. Annie Avants #2) by Renee Benzaim in exchange for an honest review. This is a sequel to her first book. "Cause of Death", a serial killer murder/mystery thriller that was amazing. Damage Control was a fast-paced crime fiction detective thriller that kept your attention right to the end. A real whodunit murder mystery novel, where the tension progressively grows...until the outcome is known...and the killer is revealed.
Detectives Annie Avants and her partner Tom Weston, from the Robbery/Homicide Unit of the Kern County Sheriff Office, are back assigned with a strange murder mystery to solve. The crime victim, Conrad Denenberg is a successful senior partner in the law firm of Payton Feinberg. Conrad handles mostly personal injury lawsuits and represents plaintiffs in both high profile and low profile cases. The defendants are mostly insurance companies. Conrad went into work on Sunday where he planned to write his opening statement and go over the notes and files for the case that was going to trial on Monday morning...but never reported to work on Monday, and is since gone missing. His car was found an hours drive out of town, with blood on the passenger seat. No body has been found.
Then a suspicious package was found in the women's washroom at the courthouse...addressed to Annie? There is now reason to believe the attorney is dead.
And then another person goes missing. Annie is determined to solve the case.
This novel shows the sequence of command as it relates to the collection, processing and analysis of all the evidence. A real crime scene investigation. Renee pulls you into the story as Annie and Tom work frantically to capture the killer. A gripping story right to the end.
PS. Many thanks for the delicious recipes that this author supplied at the end of the novel. Will definitely try them.
Detectives Annie Avants and her partner Tom Weston, from the Robbery/Homicide Unit of the Kern County Sheriff Office, are back assigned with a strange murder mystery to solve. The crime victim, Conrad Denenberg is a successful senior partner in the law firm of Payton Feinberg. Conrad handles mostly personal injury lawsuits and represents plaintiffs in both high profile and low profile cases. The defendants are mostly insurance companies. Conrad went into work on Sunday where he planned to write his opening statement and go over the notes and files for the case that was going to trial on Monday morning...but never reported to work on Monday, and is since gone missing. His car was found an hours drive out of town, with blood on the passenger seat. No body has been found.
Then a suspicious package was found in the women's washroom at the courthouse...addressed to Annie? There is now reason to believe the attorney is dead.
And then another person goes missing. Annie is determined to solve the case.
This novel shows the sequence of command as it relates to the collection, processing and analysis of all the evidence. A real crime scene investigation. Renee pulls you into the story as Annie and Tom work frantically to capture the killer. A gripping story right to the end.
PS. Many thanks for the delicious recipes that this author supplied at the end of the novel. Will definitely try them.
January 21, 2021
I read this book fast, normally that means that I was fully immersed and I hate having gotten to the end, not his time. I forced myself to the end as quickly as I could because I hate not finishing a book and could see this being one I wasn't going to be finishing.
The story is ok, a typical murder/mystery in an already crowded field that is perfectly fine. Not among the best I've read but not amongst the the worst either. The problem for me was that not one conversation either between characters or as an internal monologue felt in any way natural. It brought to mind a poorly dubbed martial arts film, think of the comic stereotype and take it about ten steps further. Now, I'm no author, far from it, and I appreciate that writing is hard, especially writing in other voices but this was painful to me, like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard.
As much as I like reading, this book has made feel like I need to take a break from it, have a bit of a palate cleanse. It's a solid three star book ordinarily but the conversations drag that down to a one star. I don't like giving a negative review, it feels like a low blow, but I can't not this time.
The story is ok, a typical murder/mystery in an already crowded field that is perfectly fine. Not among the best I've read but not amongst the the worst either. The problem for me was that not one conversation either between characters or as an internal monologue felt in any way natural. It brought to mind a poorly dubbed martial arts film, think of the comic stereotype and take it about ten steps further. Now, I'm no author, far from it, and I appreciate that writing is hard, especially writing in other voices but this was painful to me, like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard.
As much as I like reading, this book has made feel like I need to take a break from it, have a bit of a palate cleanse. It's a solid three star book ordinarily but the conversations drag that down to a one star. I don't like giving a negative review, it feels like a low blow, but I can't not this time.
March 4, 2015
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Annie Avants is slowly becoming my favorite now. I started with her 4th book, then I went back and started with #1. Damage control is the #3 in the series of Det. Annie Avants mysteries. Every book sees her getting evolved from a new Detective, slowly gaining experience and developing character. The supporting characters in the series like her boyfriend, Jesse, her partner, Tom, and other people in her team.
Damage Control is about a missing and presumed dead attorney, and murders that follow. The thing with this book is that the clues are always right in front. Throughout the book, you could always feel "Maybe this character is the killer. But maybe, this is too easy and someone else just might be the killer" and it turns out you are right. That gives an amazing feeling because after so many years of reading murder mysteries, you have finally come and realized for a change, who the murderer is. Or maybe Renee is just letting you go easy on this one and will give a killer on the next one...
I thoroughly enjoyed the journey with Annie Avants yet again. It is always fun going on an adventure with her. She feels like the next Nancy Drew going on. I am going on to the next book pretty soon
Annie Avants is slowly becoming my favorite now. I started with her 4th book, then I went back and started with #1. Damage control is the #3 in the series of Det. Annie Avants mysteries. Every book sees her getting evolved from a new Detective, slowly gaining experience and developing character. The supporting characters in the series like her boyfriend, Jesse, her partner, Tom, and other people in her team.
Damage Control is about a missing and presumed dead attorney, and murders that follow. The thing with this book is that the clues are always right in front. Throughout the book, you could always feel "Maybe this character is the killer. But maybe, this is too easy and someone else just might be the killer" and it turns out you are right. That gives an amazing feeling because after so many years of reading murder mysteries, you have finally come and realized for a change, who the murderer is. Or maybe Renee is just letting you go easy on this one and will give a killer on the next one...
I thoroughly enjoyed the journey with Annie Avants yet again. It is always fun going on an adventure with her. She feels like the next Nancy Drew going on. I am going on to the next book pretty soon
October 15, 2013
This is the second multiple murder investigation/mystery staring Detective Annie Avants and her partner Tom Weston. The legal profession, specifically at one firm, is under attack by a killer.
While this can be read as a stand alone novel, I would not recommend it. To get the full enjoyment, as well as understanding of the characters and references to previous events, reading the prior novel helps. It also shows a fuller development of the characters and the relationships with each other and their society/reality.
The narrative is heavily researched and detailed while not being obtuse, heavy, or boring. Even when told from multiple points of view, it flows seamlessly with the twists and turns the mystery demands. There was only one instance which caused me some pause.
Characters are more fully developed in this second installment than in the first, but perhaps that is because of my familiarity with them. New and interesting characters are also introduced.
Overall, an exciting read!
While this can be read as a stand alone novel, I would not recommend it. To get the full enjoyment, as well as understanding of the characters and references to previous events, reading the prior novel helps. It also shows a fuller development of the characters and the relationships with each other and their society/reality.
The narrative is heavily researched and detailed while not being obtuse, heavy, or boring. Even when told from multiple points of view, it flows seamlessly with the twists and turns the mystery demands. There was only one instance which caused me some pause.
Characters are more fully developed in this second installment than in the first, but perhaps that is because of my familiarity with them. New and interesting characters are also introduced.
Overall, an exciting read!
February 20, 2014
I read the first and had to go and buy this. Great detective series and looking forward to read Southern Secrets
Want to read
July 18, 2014Free 07-18-14 (Murder Mystery)
http://www.amazon.com/Damage-Control-...
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August 25, 2015
great sequel to no 1. cant wait to read third book
July 25, 2015
Although the basic story was, this book was marred by wooden characters and the unnecessary repetition of evidence.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews