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Turtle Island
When the body of a man is washed up in the river, Turtle Island, Missouri awakes from being a peaceful haven and is thrust into the attention of the national media. The case is solved too conveniently and F.B.I agent Georgina O’Neil is left with severe doubts—have they caught the right man? A feeling that is justified after Case Detective Montoya and his family are kidnapped and a web site is set up promising America its first live execution. Turtle Island is now thrust into global spotlight and the world gets to vote on who the killer will choose next. As O’Neil digs deeper she finds evidence of a pedophile ring that could run into the heart of the police. No longer sure who they can trust, Agent O’Neil and Detective LaPortiere have to find the Montoyas and save them before an 8 pm deadline. The clock is ticking...
286 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2008
About the author
Darren E. Laws
3 books69 followersDarren E. Laws is a British author and publisher whose work prowls the darker edges of crime and psychological suspense. He is the founder of Caffeine Nights Publishing, an independent press dedicated to crime, horror, and steampunk fiction with a strong sense of place and character.
Darren’s novels explore damaged people, moral grey areas, and the thin line between justice and obsession. Alongside his own writing, he has spent years championing new and established voices in dark fiction, helping to bring dozens of titles to readers who like their stories unsettling, human, and hard to shake.
He lives in Kent and divides his time between writing, publishing, and building platforms that celebrate storytelling and place.
Darren’s novels explore damaged people, moral grey areas, and the thin line between justice and obsession. Alongside his own writing, he has spent years championing new and established voices in dark fiction, helping to bring dozens of titles to readers who like their stories unsettling, human, and hard to shake.
He lives in Kent and divides his time between writing, publishing, and building platforms that celebrate storytelling and place.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 25, 2015
My original Turtle Island audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Turtle Island by Darren E. Laws is the first in a trilogy called the Georgina O’Neill Trilogy. Georgina O’Neill is an FBI agent who arrives in an ordinarily quiet town in Mississippi to find a dead body and a murderer to catch. Rick Montoya and Leroy LaPortiere are local detectives who are shocked by the sudden appearance of murder in their town. Three of them work together to case the murder as the case escalates and they uncover not only murders but cases of pedophilia. Now they must find and arrest the perpetrators and determine whether these crimes are related or if Turtle Island has suddenly been transformed into a criminal hot zone.
This novel was intense. I didn’t find the beginning particularly interesting and I didn’t find the characters particularly compelling. Even throughout the novel, the relationships between the detectives and the FBI agent rubbed me the wrong way. I did not like how the sexism in the work place and the sexual remarks were used and the remarks struck me as especially unprofessional. But in this case, the plot really did overcome my lack of interest in the characters. As the plot unfolded, I became more and more involved in the story and trying to figure out who the criminal was. While I was able to figure it out somewhat early, the red herrings still sucked me into the plot and distracted me from the truth. Everything came together in a crazy conclusion. I enjoyed the points of view from the minor characters because it expanded the plot a bit. The parts of the novel that were from the victims were excruciating to listen to. It was difficult to listen to and I would warn anyone who has experience abuse to beware. The parts from the perspective of the criminals were creepy as well and made me uncomfortable.
The narration by Carmen Beaubeaux was great. I wasn’t sold on her in the beginning, but after listening to the entire novel I think she did a great job with the different characters and parts that were filled with emotion. The production quality was good. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes crime thrillers.
Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.
Turtle Island by Darren E. Laws is the first in a trilogy called the Georgina O’Neill Trilogy. Georgina O’Neill is an FBI agent who arrives in an ordinarily quiet town in Mississippi to find a dead body and a murderer to catch. Rick Montoya and Leroy LaPortiere are local detectives who are shocked by the sudden appearance of murder in their town. Three of them work together to case the murder as the case escalates and they uncover not only murders but cases of pedophilia. Now they must find and arrest the perpetrators and determine whether these crimes are related or if Turtle Island has suddenly been transformed into a criminal hot zone.
This novel was intense. I didn’t find the beginning particularly interesting and I didn’t find the characters particularly compelling. Even throughout the novel, the relationships between the detectives and the FBI agent rubbed me the wrong way. I did not like how the sexism in the work place and the sexual remarks were used and the remarks struck me as especially unprofessional. But in this case, the plot really did overcome my lack of interest in the characters. As the plot unfolded, I became more and more involved in the story and trying to figure out who the criminal was. While I was able to figure it out somewhat early, the red herrings still sucked me into the plot and distracted me from the truth. Everything came together in a crazy conclusion. I enjoyed the points of view from the minor characters because it expanded the plot a bit. The parts of the novel that were from the victims were excruciating to listen to. It was difficult to listen to and I would warn anyone who has experience abuse to beware. The parts from the perspective of the criminals were creepy as well and made me uncomfortable.
The narration by Carmen Beaubeaux was great. I wasn’t sold on her in the beginning, but after listening to the entire novel I think she did a great job with the different characters and parts that were filled with emotion. The production quality was good. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes crime thrillers.
Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.
November 13, 2009
I wrote it so I am hardly gonna diss it...read it and make your own minds up!
May 13, 2019
considerable one the most interesting books I have read in a while, LOVE IT !
SUSPENSE -TICK
ACTION- TICK
THRILL - TICK
UNIQUE WRITING STYLE -TICK
SUSPENSE -TICK
ACTION- TICK
THRILL - TICK
UNIQUE WRITING STYLE -TICK
September 14, 2013
This chilling story had me hooked from the outset with rapid scene changes that gave it a cinematic feel and cranked up the tension superbly. There are quite a few characters and names to remember, but they all play their part, with numerous subplots which add to the complexity of this multi-layered story involving brutal torture, killings, kidnap and disturbing police corruption.
Excellent pace and atmosphere keep you on the edge of your seat and turning those pages.
Recommended to those who enjoy a well plotted thriller, that keeps you guessing until the last page.
Excellent pace and atmosphere keep you on the edge of your seat and turning those pages.
Recommended to those who enjoy a well plotted thriller, that keeps you guessing until the last page.
January 22, 2015
This book was poorly written, inaccurate as to place and distances from one location to another with in Missouri and rather boring and frustrating to read. I would NEVER recommend this book, even to my worst enemy! Hated it!!! Wish I could have unread it, but unfortunately, I have too good of a memory for that...
July 18, 2011
Good plot, great characters and generally well written - just needs proper punctuation (I hate spurious apostrophes). Some of the violence was quite detailed - I'm sure I will remember this book every time I use my pinking shears.
February 10, 2009
Turtle Island has an awesome plot with plenty of scary suspense, but apparently it was not professionally edited. It's full of mistakes from the very first page. UGGGH!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews