The horrific murders of two prostitutes shock even the most hardened detectives of the Cheyenne Police Department. With the knowledge that karmic justice will eventually catch up to everyone, Detective Ethan Baudin and Kyle Dixon take the case. Still reeling from the murder of his wife's lover, Detective Dixon is descending into a world of alcoholism and depression. Baudin can do little to help him, and struggles to keep his partner on the straight path while pursuing the man he holds responsible for the darkness enveloping his the district attorney, Mike Sandoval. Baudin's pursuit of Sandoval must be put on hold after the detectives are assigned the murder case. Unwilling to leave Sandoval behind, Baudin resists getting involved with the murders until he discovers a link between the deaths of the two women and Sandoval. Hunting a man that views victims as little more than meat, the two detectives begin their descent into a world they may never come out of. Unable to trust anyone else, they must learn to trust each other, or be destroyed by the forces aligned against them.
Victor Methos is the Edgar Award nominated bestselling author of over forty novels. He has been a criminal and civil rights lawyer in the Mountain West, conducting over 100 trials, and produces two books a year with his dog Fraiser by his side.
Engrossing plot This is turning into an enjoyable series if you can put aside the unrealistic actions of the main two protagonists. It follows on from book 1 with gripping opening chapters but soon descended into a stretch of the imagination. I just found it hard to believe in the notion of a club of dozens of crooked and murderous high ranking city officials, politicians and police officers all looking out for each other. Disregard this gripe and it's an engrossing tale.
There are several very good scenes in this book, but for the most part the story came accross as unrealistic. Strong characters were dropped in with little explanation and then never heard from again. The behavior of the main characters is so contradictory it leaves the reader confused and dissatisfied. I was left with the distinct impression the author has moved on from the good writing in his earlier books to producing as many books as possible in a year.
"Life isn't about good and evil. It's about choosing the lesser of two evils."
Methos does a great job in character building in this book. I love the two partners Baudin and Dixon and the friendship that grows between them. This story and the first one both end dramatically leaving the reader needing more!
It's useless to read this book without first reading its predecessor. If you may not have realized already, this series was always meant to be a series, so definitely don't skip around as it will do you no good at all. No big deal, of course, but it's good to know. This second entry does a fantastic job of continuing where the previous book left off, as well as taking me on one wild, stressful ride in doing so. I wanted to know how things would turn out after the bomb of an ending book one left me with (particularly with Dixon and his wife), and this book fortunately covers the task of answering those questions.
The plot is essentially the same and has spilled into this story, with a few extra pieces to the puzzle that Baudin and Dixon (but especially Baudin) are set on solving. Someone's in charge of the horrific events of book one, and I like that it continues to be a difficult case for these two detectives to solve. But things get even more complicated, because Dixon is still reeling from his wife's affair and has taken to the bottle, while Baudin is trying to get to the bottom of "the list" of suspects for the evil doings of the down. The growth of them as partners and as individuals isn't overly done, but it's there. It's just not a pretty picture.
My complaints are minor, but poignant. I didn't care for the nonchalant way that Baudin and Dixon discussed certain things in this book, particularly when it came to the murder and disposal of Chris's body from book one. Even the gruesomeness of their latest case at times sparked some insensitive conversations between the two that almost makes things feel less pressing. I'm also a bit bummed about the lack of development for Baudin's personal life outside of his daughter. Something significant occurs and because it was left in the background, the reveal of it was jarring.
This series so far is definitely not for the faint of heart. There's some twistedness in this story, corruption running super deep that even the "heroes" (a loose term) have to step in just to get things done. It's far-fetched in many ways, but for me, still so very addictive. The stressful, depressing aspects are at times overwhelming, but it definitely keeps me invested because it makes me desperate to know how a thing would work out even when it seems all hope is lost. That's fun stuff for me, and I look forward to the final book in this little series.
This is the second book in this trilogy about two homicide detectives in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In the first book, the story arc of the murder, the fraternity rapes and the corruption of those in high positions was only partially solved. This books begins to take things in a different direction with life events occurring in both of the detectives lives.
Baudin though, has his teeth hooked in wanting to take down the District Attorney - Mike Sandoval - yet in the middle of all of that, they have two more murders.
Dixon, for his part, in on a downhill slide and it is apparent that he is not doing well on his own. It feels almost like the two men changed personalities, or I don't know, it is just a different dynamic.
Eventually, the two detectives start making headway with their current investigation, and in that investigation, discover that there might be some tie ins between the cases or at least discover that the corruption is definitely rampant in their town.
More than anything, the ending of this book made me sad. As hard as it was to listen to/read about Dixon's downward slide, the action he takes at the end of the book is disheartening Again, for some reason, the ending on this book is also abrupt. Just like in the last book, it feels as if Mr. Methos throws in a HUGE issue, then says....The End. Ugh!
This is book two of the trilogy about Baudin &Dixon, two detectives who bonded in book one. Book two is a continuation of their crusade to find all the members of a fraternity of deviants who sexually abused and later murdered young prostitutes. In book one, they were able to topple several of the major players. In book two, they were working to get the very top guy and the rest of the members. In the meantime, both Baudin and Dixon were dealing with their own personal adversities. The first book left the reader hanging. The second took up where the first ended. The ending of book two was enough for me. I didn’t care that things were still not resolved for both men. By the end of book two, I was tired of both of these guys even though they did find the perp for the new murder they were investigating in book two. I won’t be reading book three.
This is one of those books where you tell yourself “just one more chapter,” and suddenly it’s 2 a.m.
In The Unseen, Victor Methos doesn’t just write a serial-killer case—he writes a slow, brutal breakdown of two men trying not to lose what’s left of their souls.
Cheyenne detectives Ethan Baudin and Kyle Dixon catch a case that starts with the horrific murders of two prostitutes, and the deeper they dig, the uglier the city gets. Dixon is already spiraling—still reeling after killing his wife’s lover—and the bottle is waiting with open arms. Meanwhile Baudin can’t stop pulling on the thread that keeps leading back to the district attorney, Mike Sandoval. The killer treats people like meat, and the investigation starts treating the detectives the same way: chew them up, spit them out, and dare them to keep going.
This second book in the Baudin and Dixon trilogy will mean very little, if you haven't read the first one. In my opinion, this 2nd read was less intriguing, less compelling, since this time around the 2 detectives have to live with the consequences of their irresponsible actions from the first book. Even if Det. Baudin is the less conventional one of the two, I believe his moral compass is still redeemable. On the other hand, Det. Dixon just keeps digging his grave deeper and deeper. This book is more deserving of a 1-star than a 2-star, and I am very curious to see what the author will do in the third book, and see how this partnership will evolve.
If you enjoyed the first book, then you will like this sequel (though you may feel a bit robbed by the short length of this installment). Unfortunately, this was not really a full novel, and instead more of a continuation of the first book in the series. My suspicion is that after reading the final book in the trilogy, it will, in reality, be one novel that someone split into three books in order to make more money. Despite the fact that this was only about 200 pages, it was still enjoyable as it advanced the plot forward, and it provided some twists and turns that were enjoyable. I look forward to the conclusion of this story.
Decent book, with a lot of cheesy descriptors. Mostly when describing Baudin, what he wears, his personality & him being a vegan...kind of a generic, text book weird character? The storyline was decent, but a lot of drinking & some overtly "masculine" things that Baudin would talk Dixon into doing. Almost too over the top that I eye rolled. I mean, the stories are good, so much so I bought the trilogy so there's something intriguing, but some of the language or actions are laughable. As long as you go into knowing that you may never be able to relate to Baudin bc he's a weirdo & written so, you'll be fine.
The two detectives are well crafted characters and their dynamic feels authentic. However, there is way too much gratuitous violence inflicted on women. I don’t know what Methos was working out in this trilogy, but I wish I had not been a part of it. The female characters who were not victims of vividly descriptive torture were 2D backgrounds for the male protagonists.
I love Methos’ courtroom dramas, but this trilogy feels like it was written by a violent, frustrated teenager.
She swung her legs harder, grunting with the effort, though she tried to remain as quiet as possible. Twisting, writhing, and fighting, she heard the meat hook rattle as the momentum from her last swing flung her to the bare cement floor.
Whenever there was a slow moment, other detectives were checking on their fantasy football teams, browsing the sports page, watching Netflix, or just talking. Baudin read.
The story was good, a real page-turner. However, so much seemed unrealistic. The gore was horrible. Too, too descriptive for my taste. Don't think I want to move to this town any time soon, nothing but crooked cops and dirty politicians. I did read book #1 and already got #3 but I'm hoping the last in the series will be a little milder with lots less blood and guts. This author is one I really like but the most recent of his books that I have read have been very graphic.
OhmyGosh, what a book! what a story line! this author is the Best!
The plot continues from Book #1. I found that book riveting, and the 2nd book is equally suspenseful. Both detectives face hugely sorry daily lives while they thread through clues and try to identify the evil characters that swamp their town.
Entertaining and gripping, the author holds your attention well.
I don’t know where in the country that a detective or police officer would just get to go to the door of a classroom and have the kids right there watching everything. The teacher would be asked to come to the office while another certified teacher monitored the class. I also don’t know where the elementary schools are that have TA’s - not in high school either. Colleges have TA’s…
The second one was as good as the first one and now I’m ready to start on the third one. I thought the first one was all blood and guts, but I hadn’t seen anything until I read the second one. At times I wanted to choke Kyle and at other times I wanted to choke Ethan and I was totally surprised as the way it ended. I highly recommend this book for those of you who aren’t afraid to get your hands bloody in a book.
... The only consistency to this story is crooked cops and politicians. The ‘real’ criminals are just a side story for this author, and that does not make the writing good or interesting — just not believable. THAT is a shame; this Series could be a 4- or 5-star rating if the author’s angle wasn’t so peculiar.
It took a few chapters to get into the flow of the story. Felt like an average story that was shinning a !ight on the same political corruption that we hear about in our every day headlines. It was that exact scenario until the last couple of pages and then ----- Bam, a bombshell of an ending. Hope book 3 continues with the same intensity a book 2 ended.
A new case comes to Detectives Baudin and Dixon which involves two prostitutes that have been brutally beaten to death. Dixon is not handling life well and has taken to drinking and taking a walk on the dark side with the death of his wife's lover Baudin is trying to help him but it is not working. The book takes a look a deception and how to find truth.
The second in the series has a much deeper dive into murder plots and difficult relationships. The graphic detail of some of the murders were difficult, but necessary to the twisted plot. Following the first in this series, Vanished, the ongoing working and non-working relationship of the characters pulls you into the corrupt life in their town. Good read!
The best second book of a series I've ever read. The ups and downs of the relationship between Dixon & Baudin throughout these two books is just one aspect that kept me reading non stop. The twists and turns,murderous scenarios, relationship drama,make this a number one psychological thriller.
But I still like his lawyer characters better. The crime thriller like this are just too much. Everyone in power in a town is bad. Again the end left me hanging so I am going to read #3.
Once again Victor Methos comes up with an interesting novel concerning 2 detectives who don't know when to stop.They get themselves in some unbelievable situations and finding their way out of it proves to be quite difficult.
Interested to see what happens next now that loyalties and friended are tested. Corruption is everywhere, small town, but cities, doesn't even matter which one anymore.
Blood, guts,& gore, along with law enforcement, court officials, hookers&, affairs. Raise children and fix relationship issues while everywhere around is filled with lies and sickness. Not a fan.
After having read the Desert Series this was a disappointing read. I have become to expect more from Methos. This book is dark, violent and vulgar. The story lacks continuity.
I think this is the fastest I have ever read a book. I needed to know what was going to happen especially at the end. I have now got to the end and it has been left hanging. So on to book number 3.