The Broken Saint

Detectives Seagate and Miner Mysteries #3

by Mike Markel

Seagate and Miner investigate the murder of Maricel Salizar, a young Filipino exchange student at Central Montana State. The most obvious suspect is the boyfriend, who happens to have gang connections. And then there’s Amber, a fellow student who’s obviously incensed at Maricel for a sexual indiscretion involving Amber’s boyfriend. But the evidence keeps leading Seagate and Miner back to the professor, an LDS bishop who hosted her in his dysfunctional home. Seagate takes it in stride that the professor can’t seem to tell the truth about his relationship with the victim, but her devout partner, Ryan Miner, believes that a high-ranking fellow Mormon who violates a sacred trust deserves special punishment.

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Ebooks, Thriller

271 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2013

About the author

I am the author of eight books in the Detectives Seagate and Miner Mystery series: Big Sick Heart, Deviations, The Broken Saint, Three-Ways, Fractures, The Reveal, Players, and Swerve. For more information, please visit my site: http://mikemarkel.com.

I'm looking forward to meeting people on Goodreads.

Reviews

[Greg Tymn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A police procedural that was....too procedural? No complex case is solved with movement directly from a through z, but this story seemed to bounce around like a whack-a-mole game. Why were the gang members included if only to provide a red herring? The story seemed over-stuffed. Descriptive prose had me on the verge of hitting the "skip" key a number of times and I have to admit that there were a few pages where the plot got exciting, descriptive interludes appeared and I went searching for the next paragraph with quotation markings.

That's the downside. The upside is that it was a well-written, interesting story with likable protagonists. Much of the descriptive prose did provide good visualization of the scenes. And, the explanatory comments related to LDS and the chief's tactics with the defense lawyer were useful to those unfamiliar with the subjects. The mystery stayed a mystery until close to the end of the novel. I will likely buy another novel from this author.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maricel Salizar, is a young Filipino exchange student staying with a family, but several months after arriving in Montana she is killed. It is up to Seagate and Miner to determine the guilty party from a few suspects

[Robin Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rawlings is described by Karen Seagate as “our little city located quite close to the exact geographic center of nowhere in Montana.” It will come as no surprise to fans of this series that human beings in Rawlings display the qualities, eccentricities, strengths, weaknesses and coping strategies of human beings everywhere.

I appreciate the painfully honest, self-deprecating dry humour of Mike Markel’s protagonist, who narrates the story. Detective Karen Seagate is “what they call a recovering alcoholic.” She despises the phrase, although she understands why no one would want to call themselves “a recovered alcoholic. After all, what’s the point of tempting God or Fate or the Boss of All S**t That Happens?” She reminds us of “that old saying, “if you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.”

Her partner in criminal detection is a young man with a very different background and very different strengths. Ryan Miner is “a no-kidding-around Mormon who [is] extremely married to an equally serious Mormon who, in their three years of wedded bliss, had already popped out forty percent of their five-kid quota.” Karen, by her own admission, is “fifteen years older than Ryan, and possess[es] not a single one of his virtues.”

Book 3 follows the broad pattern of Books 1 and 2. There’s a murder, and our unlikely team of detectives brings its varied strengths and weaknesses to bear in patiently working its way towards solving it. When reading books in this genre, I find that whoever eventually turns out to be the murderer is almost a side issue. It could plausibly be any of the equally likely suspects. If the author were to change his/her mind half-way through about who actually ‘dun’ it, you wouldn’t know and it wouldn’t matter. What really grabs me as a reader are the insights we glean along the way that exemplify what a flawed creature self-named ‘homo sapiens’ is.

This book tellingly illustrates how each of us suffers or celebrates our way through whatever childhood and adolescence the lottery of life hands out, and then uses those genes and that experience to concoct a range of strategies for dealing with “all s**t that happens”. Mike Markel makes the Seagate and Miner Mysteries journeys worth undertaking for the reader because he understands and constantly illustrates this truth en route to solving the mystery. Therein lies the catharsis.

Here are just a few examples. Harold Breen, the forensic anthropologist in the series, is short and fat – “five seven, three hundred and fifty pounds”. Karen says: “If I was a guy who ate like I used to drink, I’d look just like Harold.” That observations adds so much more depth and potential complexity to Harold’s character, even though he only appears in the story when we need his medical insights following his dissection of the corpse.

The author displays that level of skill and insight throughout the book. It is laced with his dry humour. “the Greenpath was laid out a little straighter, presumably so bikers had a better chance of seeing and therefore not flattening any of the hundreds of doddering old bats out for a walk with Snowball.”

He is capable of creating a powerful impression of a character in a few words: “Amber had a pleasantly Amber-centric view of the world: I don’t need you so go away.” Four or five murders into their partnership, Karen tells us that Ryan is “still optimistic, but experience was coming up fast on the outside.” Of one of their suspects, Karen says: “I’d love to lock up his skinny white ass for twenty-to-life. Keeping his genes out of the pool would be one of the few ways I could think globally, act locally.” Referring to her partner’s certain faith in God, Karen observes: “If he’s all that great and all that good, God could stop being such an underachiever.” It’s a heartfelt cry. “I don’t get any satisfaction out of being a non-believer. Believe me, I don’t. I truly want to believe there’s someone who’s thought this stuff through.”

Detective Seagate wants to be better at solving Rawlings’ murder mysteries than she is at solving the problems that have messed up her life. She labours tirelessly and self-deprecatingly in the cause of truth and justice. A bishop in the Church of Latter Day Saints falls short, and Ryan – a paragon of virtue and integrity - takes more than one hit during this investigation. “The Broken Saint” is an excellent title. In one way or another, it applies to all three of them.

[Sahana Reddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Broken Saint is the third book in the series A Detectives Seagate and Miner Mystery by Markel. The great thing about mystery novels like this is that we can pick up a book from the middle of the series and not feel left out on any information because each book has its own plot. The only exception would be the relationship details between the regular characters. Nonetheless, a good mystery novel gets the reader involved in the story and figuring out who the killer is. The Broken Saint is a very good mystery novel since it is not only engaging but also fast paced enough.


The series concentrates mainly on its leads- Karen Seagate and Ryan Miner.
Karen Seagate is a woman that is close to 40 and has huge alcohol addiction and an arrogant teenage son with her ex-husband Bruce. Karen is the kind of woman who curses almost minute. She is the kind of police officer who believes that bending rules a little is okay if it helps catch a bad guy.

Ryan Miner is a handsome guy who is 15 years younger than Karen but seems to be doing much better in life than Karen could do in a 100 years. He is Mormon who believes in God more than anything else. He takes his job very seriously (as in takes notes on everything in an on-going investigation and always likes to go by the book) and goes for a more tender approach than Karen. He has a pretty wife Kali and two cute kids.

The other important characters that are recurrent are: Chief Murtaugh Harold and Robin. Chief Murtaugh is the very calm and official guy that looks sturdy enough to tale anyone on if need arises. He likes to follow the rules. Harold is the Medical Examiner and is a chubby white guy who is quite pleasant. Robin is part of the Evidence tech and is a tall slender woman who sports weird looking hairdo’s and clothes that won’t quite show off her elegant beauty.

Now since introductions are out of the way, we can get to the actual plot! The story is set in Montana and is a murder mystery. Maricel Salazar is a foreign exchange student from the Philippines and who was staying at the Provost Albert Gerson’s house until she could finish her education. The Provost is a kind man (well he acts that way) who lives with his twitchy nervous wife Andrea (who keeps mourning about her dead son Mitch) and a schizophrenic son Mark (who is slightly obsessed with Maricel). The initial doubts would mainly fall on Mark due to his weird behaviour and things he says.

Hector Cruz is a Hispanic guy that works in the same University that Maricel studies at but could actually be a part of the Latin Vice Lords. Hector was Maricel’s boyfriend who claims that Maricel aborted his baby even after he offered to marry her and raise the child together. Hector’s previous records and his behaviour tend to throw suspicion on him. I believed he was innocent though, just because he tried to defend his dead Girlfriend even when it caused him trouble.

Amber Cunningham was the Big Sister assigned by the University to make sure Maricel could fit in the new environment. She seems to be the kind of girl who clings to idiot boyfriends that are no good and though she has academic intelligence she lacks any common sense at all. (I wanted Amber to grow up! Having an ass of a boyfriend won’t make her cool)

Jared Higley is a huge moron of a guy that is the acting-boyfriend of Amber and has several minor criminal records to his name. He is found to have had a relationship with the victim making him as a suspect too. Honestly, anyone would want that guy to be put away whether he was guilty or not. He is that disgusting, yes.

These prime suspects are what keep the mystery intact. We are led to several winding paths until finally the climax hits us in the face and we realise we underestimated the killer. Personally, I think that the prologue gave a clear picture of who dunked Maricel in the river but finding out the real killer was not that easy.

I feel there were few facts that were left unexplained! For instance Hector claimed that Maricel always felt creeped out by Mark but Mark and his mother said that Maricel was good with Mark and even that she confided in him. What was the truth? Did Maricel actually tell Hector all that or did he just tell the cops what he noticed a lot? What made Maricel so depressed that she resolved to alcohol and drugs? Was it just the abortion or something else? When two people are fighting downstairs wont anybody be disturbed or want to check on things? (even if they are very liberal and like to give people privacy aren’t normal people worried when they hear two people having a struggle?)

They are just some of the facts many people would just overlook. I mentioned them because I was just curious. I do not mean to offend the author or argue that his logic was wrong! I just noticed some missing links.

Karen and Ryan make really good partners. They are entertaining and their constant games of guessing the killer and their intention helps us think in every possible direction. Till the very end, you may not be able to decide who the actual killer is. This book has good logic, good humour and mild usage of profanities. It is suitable for adults due to the use of profanities, sexual content as well as some medical details (that honestly made me a bit squeamish!).

Overall, The Broken Saint is a very good Mystery novel that is entertaining as well as intelligent. Keep in mind that it is meant for adults! This is my first time reviewing a Mystery novel and I enjoyed this book very much. I would like to thank the author Mike Markel for providing me a free copy to review. It kept me up one whole night because I couldn’t sleep without finishing it!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in this series about two detectives who are opposites but seem to genuinely like each other. The lead detective, Karen Seagate, starts out as a mean drunk who still gets the job done. Her boss partners her with a new detective, Ryan Miner, a devout Mormon. Seagate is the better detective, her cynicism lets her see through the veneer of the possible murderers and when the suspect is a church leader in the LDS, Ryan is blinded to this fact and misses the clues. It is a well written mystery that keeps the reader guessing right to the end. You can read the book as a stand alone but you will miss the back story of the characters which is why I always start a series with the first book.

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story seemed to have a good plot and good descriptions of the various characters, BUT I was shocked at the end of the book because it had no ending!! Maybe there's a sequel but I was very unsatisfied that the readers were left hanging about the identity of the real murderer, the condition of the injured policeman, in fact, the whole case! Because of the high marks this book received on Amazon, I slogged through it although I was put off by the profanity and graphic sexual descriptions right from the start. But with no satisfactory ending, I feel like I wasted a few days of my life I will never get back. I don't think I'll read any more of the author's books.

[Sabina D'agliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best of the series

It started well but I really became disappointed quickly with the story line. Too much about Mormonism, too many unsympathetic characters, had policing, and ridiculous profiling. And to add insult to injury, the ending was terrible!

[Kristin Walcott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Broken Saint is the third book in the Detectives Seagate and Miner Mystery series. In this installment, Detectives Seagate and Miner must solve a murder of a young co-ed exchange student from the Philippines. The investigation hits close to home for Miner, a devout Mormon, when one of the key suspects turns out to be a devout member of the Church of Latter Day Saints. Miner’s objectivity is compromised, and his squeaky clean persona gets a little tarnished. Ironically, it is Seagate that has to maintain a level head as things progress.

Detective Karen Seagate is a good cop, but she will win no awards for mother of the year and likes to lose herself at the bottom of a bottle. At this juncture, however, she seems to be on the straight and narrow. Surprisingly, it is Ryan Miner that struggles to maintain his composure during this investigation. Contrary to his by-the-book mentality, he struggles with the deceit and hypocrisy of a fellow parishioner. At times it gets the best of him and causes conflict with Karen. But ultimately, they are partners and see each other through the rough patches.

As the evidence unfolds, it keeps the reader guessing. There are several viable suspects, and it is difficult to figure out whom the killer really is. The book moves along at a good pace keeps the reader engaged.

If you enjoy a good detective novel, give it a shot. This is my second Seagate and Miner novel, and I’d be inclined to spend some more time with them. (Note: I would give this three and half if I could.)

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d previously read Three-Way, another of the books in the Seagate and Miner mystery series. One of the things that appealed to me was the relationship between the two detectives, with Karen Seagate as the crude-talking, cynical, recovering alcoholic and Ryan Miner as the devout Mormon family man who describes himself as “a bit of a boy scout.” They’re just about polar opposites, Despite this, they have mutual respect, yet the dynamic between the two and their different styles, as ripe as it is for a lot of tense moments, rarely works out that way. Instead they tend to complement each other, with their differences and contrasting points of view making the partnership stronger.

In this installment, Ryan’s religion comes into play, at points blinding him to possible scenarios and later, when he’s not able to ignore new information they’ve uncovered, causing him to focus too much on a single suspect, to his detriment. There’s a lesson to be learned about how our preconceptions can influence our approach to problems in a bad way. Another excellent read from Markel that keeps you guessing whodunit the whole way.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Donadee's Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder trails, where will they lead you, nobody knows!

Karen and Ryan are assigned the murder of a young college exchange student. As they investigate they are up against so many odds. Their search leads them to the girl's boyfriend, the family she's living with and her assigned school big sister and her boyfriend.

What did I like? This is book three of the series and I still am in awe of the characters and especially the main one, Karen. After being raped and almost murdered she has rallied and is back on the job, still sober.

What are you going to like? Your going to find that the author has stepped up and this is the most remarkable storyline. He has developed his characters into the real people that they have become. Karen has overcome so much and yet she is still trying to improve herself. He has excelled in the twists and turns that this story has taken. . The action and the emotional shock that you will be so surprised with will keep those pages turning as fast as possible. I'm really impressed with the advancement from the last book and I'm excited to start the next book. There is at least a book five and I'm so glad.

[Lynn Hallbrooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first two books in the series, A Big Sick Heart and Deviations so I decided to read more of the series. I was not disappointed.

This is a Police Procedural

Detectives Seagate and Miner are called out to a case involving a young woman, who turns out to be a foreign exchange student living at the university's provost's house. Their investigation is hampered by lies and deception on the part of many of their suspects. Will they be able to find the evidence that links to the actual murderer before more people die?

This is the third book in the series. In it we see Ryan Miner mature as a detective, gone are many of the naive thoughts. Still, he doesn't stray far from his religious up-bringing. This case is tough for him because it involves a member of his church. We see him go through emotional turmoil while his partner Karen Seagate monitors him. This is a real role reversal from the first two books, which I have read.

Warning: This book is for Mature Audiences due to Violence, Sex, and Adult language.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Partners equal family

This story was very well plotted and the two detectives are good at their jobs. They have a better Chief of Police that actually knows what he's doing. In this story a young exchange student is murdered. Seagate and Miner have possible suspects that run the gamut from a professor to a schizophrenic to an under achiever plus a couple in between. I changed my mind on the murderer 3 to 4 times. During all this there's a good bit about Mormons.. the professor is a Bishop in his ward and Miner is also a Mormon so there's a lot of angst regarding sin and forgiveness. All the while Seagate is wishing she could believe. I found this book to be very interesting in several ways. I like the fact the author continues in the next book where he leaves off in the previous one. Good continuity. Start reading today from the first book, you won't regret it.

[Bryan Spellman · Rating 4 out of 5]

19 of 75 for 2015. Set in the central Montana city of Rawlings (no such place, in case you didn't know), this mystery sets Detectives Seagate and Miner on a quest to find out just what happened to Philippine exchange student Maricel Salazar. In the process we learn a bit about police departments, academia, the Mormon church, and abusive boyfriends. With no lack of possible suspects, and yet no clear leads either, Seagate and Miner face a Mormon bishop who is also acting Provost at Central Montana University (again, no such place), a sleazy lawyer in service to the local latino crime gang, an honor student with a mysterious scar on her face, and their own chief. Lots of twists and turns, and more than a few gotcha moments, The Broken Saint is a fast paced, enjoyable mystery. And of course I kept trying to figure out just which Montana city was the setting.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was kind enough to share his book with me in exchange for a review.
I have not read the previous two books in the series, but I will definately be putting them on my to read list. I was surprised that a male author made his main character a woman, just shows you how misconceptions can mislead a person. I really enjoyed Karen, if you can say that about her. She is not your typical perfect little lady, but probably has more testosterone in her blood than most males! The Mormon angle of the story was informative, especially if you are not familiar with the religion and I always feel a little bit better if I learn something while feeding my book addiction.
If you like suspense and who did it, this is the next book you should read.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery!

I think I have read all of the Detective Seagate and Miner Mysteries. The first and last and all the ones in the middle have been a great pleasure to read. You get to think about the case the whole way through before finding out who the perpetrators are. I love the fact that Mike Markel gives you the clues and let's you put the case together while the detectives are trying to solve the case. Each chapter keeping you glued to the storyline and wondering "whodunit." Just a little sad now that I will need to wait until a new one is published.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in this series I've read and I found it easy to pick up the storyline without having read all the others, which is good.

There were lots of bunny trails in the book, creating endless possible outcomes as you try to decipher 'who done it' throughout the story. It kept the story interesting, but sometimes hard to keep track of the cast of characters. The author does a good job of reminding you who is who though.

While it wasn't an edge-of-your-seat kind of mystery, it was a good story and an enjoyable read.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I happened to read this because it was a free Kindle book. I often enjoy a good detective mystery and this one seemed promising since it paired up a middle-aged woman detective with a checkered past and a devout young Mormon detective. Unfortunately none of the characters really became three dimensional or sympathetic. And the police procedure is questionable at best. I finished the book but I can't recommend that anyone else make the time commitment.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gripping story

All the twists, the turns and the different characters, different suspects, all combined to make this the most riveting of the Detectives Seagate and Miner series so far.

I can highly recommend this book to all lovers of detective, mystery and suspense books.

[Pxipenguin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard boiled .....

The character is supposed to be hard boiled, like Dirty Harry, but falls pathetically short. The book was way longer than it needed and the action was too slow, plodding. If you are into female police detectives and need to read this book, then it is a good read. Else ......

[Florence Primrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detectives Seagate and Miner are investigating the death of a young Filipino exchange student. Was it her boyfriend, Hector, her guardian, the mentally unstable son of her guardian, or whom?

There are lots of twists and turns as we learn her guardian was,a missionary in the Phillipines 20+ years ago, his son feels blame for his brother's death, ----

[Susan Lee Thuener · Rating 3 out of 5]

A recovering alcoholic and a Mormon detective team up to solve crimes.

Not really my cup of tea. Don't find any form of alcohol abuse in the least bit entertaining. Otherwise plot was acceptable and story moves along with some interesting twists and turns.
I
?




I

alcoholism in

the least bit entertaining

[Gaynell Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good detective story series.

I enjoyed reading this book, but it would have been better if I had already read the previous books in the series.
I think James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell fans would like this. Not quite as graphic, but all in all a good read. I would read more books by this author.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 3 in the series starts out with the killing of a foreign exchange student being found dead. The boyfriend is the main suspect in the investigation. As Detectives Seagate and Miner following all the clues in the case there are a lot of twist and turns. Another quick easy enjoyable read from Mr. Markel . Now on to book 4 in the series.

[Rizello · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is a bit gritty, but I am finding the plot somewhat complex and the characters interesting.

I like the way that the author weaves in the personal lives into the storyline, and creates realistic characters, especially the two detectives.

This story was about an exchange student that was killed and the twists and turns in her life and those around her.

[Joanie Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I had started with a book late in the series and then had to get the rest to start at the beginning. I like how the stories flow and each one picks up where the previous one left off. This story had me really thinking with the different things going on besides the main murder. I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes trying to figure out who did it......

[Stephen Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Twisted Tale About Murder

This is a story concerning a student, who was murdered one evening by an unknown subject. It gets slow in places. But delivers in the end. A naughty thing, murder!

[Deveney Stormes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these books, because they are fast reads. Karen Seagate is not the most likable character, but for some reason she has grown on me. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Dianne P. Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Different

A murder mystery with a religion angle, different. Two totally opposite views of life, approaches to life, outlooks on people solving a murder, becoming "family" in the process. Different, but good.

[Phyllis Stinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

I looked to make sure this wasn't a series. I find out at the end. It was a fun and exciting read with twists and turns then it ended so one would go buy the next book. I refuse.

[larry brashear · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-So!

I was disappointed with this book. First, the lead detective was highly disappointing & second as a born again Christian rescued the false LDS church, this part of the book completely turned me off.