Murder By Symbols

by E.M. Kelly

What does America’s first traitor have to do with a present-day killer?

Stoughton detective, Colton Baker, finds himself wrapped up in a murder investigation his first week on the job. As more bodies turn up, all marked with strange symbols, both the State Police and FBI become involved. Quickly, the investigation turns political.

Baker and Agent Diaz, a young, beautiful FBI academy graduate, put agency grievances and politics aside to begin their hunt for the killer together.

Stoughton, Massachusetts is a town deep rooted in history. Soon, their investigation leads them to the inception of our nation and introduces them to a traitorous founding father. Can information from this small town’s past help decipher the killer’s mysterious messages? Can they crack the code and stop a sadistic killer before they strike again?

Some secrets are worth killing for!

Genres: Mystery Thriller

398 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2024

About the author

E.M. Kelly is an avid reader and award-winning author.

He released his latest novel, Murder By Symbols: A Detective Colton Baker Thriller in November of 2024. It is the first book in the Detective Colton Baker series.

Currently he is working on the second book in the series titled, Two Lefts: A Detective Colton Baker Thriller.

Reviews

[Clare OHara Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved this book

great job writing this local mystery by a first time author. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could not guess the ending! Hooe to see more if this author!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Impressed!

I'm so impressed by this book! In fact, I loved this book for many reasons! The storyline was riveting making it such that I could not put this book down. Also, the way the plot was executed, I did not see the end coming, which is how I love my murder mysteries! If you love murder mysteries with many twists in its plot and a surprising ending, Murder by Symbols is for you!

Honestly, there is another, more personal reason for me loving this book. I have very close personal ties to Stoughton, Massachusetts and grew up not far from the town. The depiction of Stoughton in this book is spot on in all ways - I could literally envision the areas and buildings described and the very real bonds between people in Stoughton. Also, being as familiar as I am with Stoughton, I was even able to equate places depicted in the book with existing or formerly existing places. I would love to see another Detective Colton Baker Thriller and see more of Stoughton come to life!

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This was a quick read about a detective (and a nosy reporter) trying to solve a case of a vindictive serial killer. There were some big holes in the story for me. The killer leaves a series of cryptic clues and coded messages, but it is never explained why he didn’t just write out his reasoning. Why make it so difficult for the detectives to understand his messages? Does he want them to know or not? And what murderer has the time for such an elaborate communication system? It was also unrealistic that the investigators took so long before they considered looking into the meaning of the symbols, which appeared to be an obvious clue to the murders.

There were a number of characters to keep track of and I think that the story may have been stronger with fewer of them. There was already so much going on. The underlying relationship to the murders with local history may be of interest to history buffs.
I won a free copy of this book (thanks to the author & publisher!) and am voluntarily providing an honest review.

[M.k. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give this book 3.5 stars. I really liked the setting and the main character - I always enjoy smart law enforcement characters that can puzzle things out and stick with things. There were a few too many characters to keep track of for me - but I was able to get most things figured out. I ran across a few issues with content i.e. “you’re getting an accommodation for that drug bust” - pretty sure it should be “you’re getting a commendation for that drug bust”. But overall these didn’t detract much from the storyline I also enjoyed the history part of the book - learned a few things. I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to the Author, publisher, and GoodReads got this opportunity.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apologies in advance to the author.
Meh. I’m pretty sure this book was written using AI. Or maybe it was a 13 year old? The sentences were basic, the characters were not developed and the editing was poor. In one place, some characters were discussing a murder victim by name before she was identifiable by the medical examiner. Way too many plot holes.
I don’t recommend.

[Brumby D! · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun and engaging read

What a fun and engaging read. I won’t this book from a Goodreads giveaway and it didn’t disappoint. I was quickly invested I’m the character and town. I thought the police wrk was great. I read it in one sitting and can’t wait for the next book.

[Lindsay Bice · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun, easy read

This was a fun mystery to read. The characters were enjoyable and the plot was well thought out. A nice beach read for mystery readers.

[Christianah A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keep going! Great job

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

terrible dialog. poor writing. didn't finish the book.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced thriller

You're pulled in right at the start of this book, then the characters are introduced. Short chapters and enjoyable from start to finish.

[Jessica K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
There are a lot of grammar and punctuation errors.

[Judalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy good read and I enjoyed every page. I did not guess the end! Enjoyed the characters as well. Nicely paced. An enjoyable read.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting premise for the book. There seemed to be several procedural gaffes. Why did it take so long to find the “bum?” Why did it take so long to focus on the symbols? The murders were pretty gruesome.