Dying in Detroit

Bright and Fletcher #1

by Jonathan Watkins

Issabella Bright has had it with bailing her handsome-but-unpredictable boyfriend-slash-partner out of the drunk tank, with him messing up their court schedule and with his buttinsky female best friend. But Darren's latest story is no flustered excuse—the glad-handing stranger who blew into his office is none other than Mister Unreliable himself: Issabella's long-absent father.

And the only thing he's brought with him is trouble.

No sooner does Howard Bright appear than a psychopath begins waging a campaign of terror aimed directly at Darren—and Issabella. Stalking the stalker to discover his motive—never mind his identity—could very well mean lights out for Bright & Fletcher. But Darren will put his safety, reputation and personal fortune on the line if it means protecting Issabella.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Ebooks, Legal Thriller, Suspense

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 11, 2010

About the author

Jonathan Watkins lives in Ann Arbor with his wife, who is too good for him. They are blessed with two kind-hearted sons. When he isn't writing crime thrillers, he works as an attorney in the Detroit area.

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dying in Detroit- Bright & Fletcher, #2) by Jonathan Watkins is a 2015 Carina Press publication.

I still didn’t know what to make of Darren and Issabella’s relationship, as they seem content to live in the moment and keep the past out of the equation. I think that might have come back to haunt them a little bit, though. Darren still knocks back too much liquor, still challenges the court system and Issabella remains the calm, level headed one, who comes to his rescue. So, the relationship is still unconventional, or maybe it’s just a little quirky.
Theresa’s role in this one was pretty cool, as the girlfriend and best friend have a few awkward moments between them, but end up making a pretty good team, with Theresa earning Izzy’s respect, albeit, grudgingly at times.
This series has a lot of room for growth with the characters, so overall I’m happy I gave the second book a chance. I’m excited to see what happens next for the legal team of Bright & Fletcher.
This review is the copyrighted property of Night Owl Reviews. To read the review in full, click this link: URL: https://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Re...

[David Freas · Rating 2 out of 5]

A semi-alcoholic male lawyer and a female lawyer prone to panic attacks team up to defend a shady character accused of killing a police officer.

But things aren't that simple. The cop he shot was part of a police gang importing and selling heroin and they were coming to kill the man before he could rat them out to the FBI.

I gave this book 2 stars, but 1.5 would be a more accurate rating.

I really never connected with the main characters - Darren Fletcher and Issabella Bright - mainly because the moment they get the case, his drinking stops and her panic attacks cease. Sorry, it just doesn't work that way in real life.

And their romance didn't ring true. It read more like a convention added because it's expected in a book of this type. It happened too fast, for one thing, and the little bit of sparring between Bright and Fletcher had a lame feel.

The most interesting character in the book was a hitman who spent his 'down time' sketching and painting. That's not a good sign. The main character(s) should be the one(s) readers care about.


Jomathan Watkins will go on my 'I need something to read or I'll go crazy' list, but only by the skin of his teeth

[L.T. Fawkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the characters in this Detroit-based mystery series. The brilliant but flawed lawyer Darren Fletcher and his straight-laced, by-the-book law partner/girlfriend Issabella Bright; Theresa Winkle, Darren's bartender/guardian angel friend and owner of Winkle's Tavern; and Special Agent Isaac Schultz, FBI, who has to settle for worshiping Issabella from afar.

In this installment, Issabella's long-missing father, Howard Bright, suddenly turns up in Darren's office. He says he's defrauded some very dangerous people out of a lot of money and now they're threatening Issabella , unbeknownst to her. Of course, there's more - much more - to his story than he's telling Darren.

It's a good plot and it moves along quickly and there are plenty of laughs along the way. Highly recommend.

[Marcel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, but it was not as captivating as the first in the series.

[Jennifer Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pair

The beginning of the book was not my favorite, but it didn't take long for me to warm up to Darren, a depressed attorney drowning his sorrows, who meets another attorney, Isabella, who suffers from anxiety.

Together Darren and Isabella claim a client who is subsequently murdered while in a coma. Then the danger and capers begin.

I really enjoyed this book, and now that the character introductions and personalities have been established, I believe that I'll really enjoy book #2, so off I go to read Daddy Issues (Bright and Fletcher Book 2)

[Dee Renee Chesnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ebook has been in my Nook library since it was a free download from Barnes and Noble in August 2012.
It is an entertaining mystery with likable characters and a strong supporting cast. I cannot classify it as a cozy mystery because the number of murders exceeds my personal limit of dead bodies per cozy mystery. It does have a strong developing romance between characters.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to the author for knowing it's Meijers and Fords. Kudos to the narrator - excellent job - although I do wish Izzy wasn't quite so annoying voice-wise a little later in the book. This is a classic good guys vs bad guys book with a little Michigan thrown in. It was a nice distraction from real life even if it is predictable.

[Valerie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I selected this book because of the title. It was not good. It was silly, very amateurish. The only thing I can say on the positive side is it was short. I thought it would mention places around Detroit, it did but not like I expected. It was more like a comedy than a suspense or murder mystery.


RECOMMENDATION: SKIP IT

[HornFan2 · Rating 2 out of 5]

The hard thing for me with this style of writing, is that you have to like one of the main characters and I just hated them. This one turned into a slog fest to get through it, just kept picking it, read a chapter or two put it down, and finally it fell victim to when I'll just quit a book. Fell a sleep reading this one and was far enough in to consider it read.

[Linda Look · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright (a new lawyer) and Fletcher (a burned-out lawyer) unite to solve the murder of their client. Their investigation reveals bad police/rings. I liked the characters and this was a fast read. I rate this a 4.8.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it's okay

It wasn't a bad book, it was just way too slow moving for my tastes. The main protagonists were likable, though, and I was interested in how it would proceed, but the pace was just too slow for me.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel yourself and I really enjoyed reading this book very much so. Shelley MA

[Nefol_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An oddly enjoyable read.

[Melissa Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read!!

[Betsy]

Had to put this back, because I can't read a character who is actively in their addiction right now. Can try later.

[ThrillersRockT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Motor City Shakedown
by Jonathan Watkins

When a Detroit man is arrested during a deadly police siege, rookie defense lawyer Issabella Bright rushes off to take the case. Unbeknownst to her, so does Darren Fletcher-- a reckless, hard-drinking lawyer who runs his office out of the city's strangest bar. Forming an unlikely partnership, Issabella and Darren are soon confronted by a murderous police conspiracy bent on destroying their client. Issabella must stay alive long enough to clear her client's name. To do that, she’ll have to keep Darren’s erratic schemes from getting her disbarred, all while staying out of the path of Detroit’s deadliest killer— the reclusive death-dealer, Malcolm Mohommad.

REVIEW (by Michelle Scott):
If you’re looking to read a fast-paced thriller with a touch of humor, look no farther than Jonathan Watkin’s novel, Motor City Shakedown.

Newly minted attorney, Issabella Bright, finds that clients aren’t exactly beating a path to her door. So after reading a shocking headline about a man accused of threatening the President of the United States, Bella is determined to represent the controversial client and gain some notoriety. Unfortunately, rogue attorney Darren Fletcher has the same idea. At first Bright and Fletcher are ready to duel to the death for the right to represent the client, but when the man dies under mysterious circumstances, they discover a mystery that implicates the of the Detroit Police Department, the two attorneys

Motor City Shakedown is a fast-paced, humorous thriller that will leave you guessing until the very end. The main characters, buttoned-down Issabella and rash, unpredictable Darren Fletcher have wonderful chemistry. Bella doesn’t take Fletcher’s crap, but Fletcher gets Bella to loosen up. Both characters are likeable, despite their flaws.

Because the book takes place in my hometown, Detroit, I read with special interest. It was nice to see an author who had a real sense of the city. Despite the fact that Detroit isn’t quite the urban jungle that the author made it out to be, the setting overall made for a nice backdrop to this story.

One thing that didn’t work well for me, however, was the way that Bella and Darren’s physical relationship went from zero to sixty in under two paragraphs. That struck me as very out of character for both of them, especially when it was hinted that Bella had another romance brewing in the wings. I would have rather seen their emotional connection build rather than be introduced to a physical one so early in the series

Certainly, this will appeal to those who love their thrillers and mysteries with a lighter touch. I’m definitely looking forward to the next installment in this series. I give this book four out of five stars.

[Bert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Darren Fletcher is criminal defense lawyer who has fallen on hard times, drinking too much and seeking redemption. Isabela Bright is a fledging private practitioner, struggling to survive as a sole practitioner, and she suffers from anxiety attacks and a crisis of self-confidence. They both show up to unethically solicit the same potential client's case, after a Detroit local is arrested for killing a police officer. Fletcher and Bright cobble together a defense team to represent the accused. Soon the defendant is killed in his hospital bed to assure his silence, and the plot quickly thickens. Lots of realistic situations and dialogue, as corrupt task force cops are found to be running a drug ring. Both lawyers grapple with further ethical dilemmas as they bend the rules to smoke out evidence to prove that their deceased client was guilty of complicity in drug trafficking but only defending himself in the situation involving the shooting. An incarcerated man is exonerated and freed from prison, stashes of heroin and dirty money are uncovered, and the police corruption including theft of contraband evidence is brought to light. This was an enjoyable quick read, and I would explore other opportunities to see this author's work product. The lawyers eventually become partners for good, and perhaps the ideal romantic couple whose steel is tempered by fire.

[Shinyfox · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars

I loved the fact that this book had an alcoholic main character and a main character that had anxiety problems, her panic attacks would render her frozen and useless. My joy about having a main character that I could partially relate to dissipated as the book continued. Isabella's panic attacks stopped occurring after she teamed up with Darren. Darren also, mostly stopped drinking after he teamed with Isabella. There was no withdraws on Darren's part and Isabella became a fully functioning citizen. I just couldn't accept that. Even with love and attraction between the two; that's just not how things work in the real world. It would have been nice to see the two of them help each other more with their problems. Isabella suffering a panic attack during an intense moment of being shot at and Darren has to help her through it. Darren falling off the wagon because Isabella gets hurt and her having to help him. Little moments like this would have made the book seem a lot more real - seeing the characters deal with their problems and faults.

The book had a predictable spin to it, plot devices did not come as a shock to me when they appeared. Overall this book was a good read, good enough to pick up the second book at some point but not good enough to give a full three stars to.

[Kevin Bowser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love good characters. And this one had great characters.

The story begins with a police raid that goes bad - very bad. And the bad guy ends up in a hospital and in a coma. And we all know that nothing brings out lawyers like a poor victim of what may be police brutality. And Isabella Bright, a fresh faced and naive young attorney shows up at the hospital looking to gain a client and there runs into Darren Fletcher, a "once was" reckless and hard drinking lawyer who thinks this case may put him back on the map. What they find, is each other and an unlikely partnership develops.

New partners, Isabella and Darren, are soon in the middle of a bunch of corrupt drug-running cops who are bent on destroying and silencing their client. Isabella must stay alive long enough to clear her new client's name. To do that, she’ll have to avoid the pitfalls of Darren’s unconventional schemes that could end up getting her disbarred. And Darren must try to avoid falling in love with the young and vulnerable Isabella. And they both must do this while staying out of the path of Detroit’s strangest killer for hire — painter and hit man, Malcolm Mohommad.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Issabella Bright is a new young lawyer who has been existing by doing reviews and edits other lawyer’s works. When a man is injured in a swat raid of his house and he is accused of killing one of the officers she decides she will try to become is defense counsel. When she arrives at the hospital and tries to get in to see the injured man, the policeman at the door sends her packing. No leaving but waiting sown the hall she sees a man, rumpled and looking like he was coming off a bender and had slept in his clothes. He approaches the officer and after an initial rebuff, talks himself into the room. When the officer leaves for a time Issabella goes into the room and sees the man apparently in the process of strangling the suspect. Thus begins a unexpected joining of forces to clear the suspect’s name which leads to the uncovering of police misconduct, murders and their own danger. I was a bait apprehensive at the beginning of this one, but it turned out to be a good read and I will be following up with more by this author.

[Jan K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being from Detroit, this book was of interest to me from the get-go. Also, being from MI - I liked the characters travelling to the UP (Upper Peninsula), brought back memories of my home state. That being said, this is a legal/mystery book, not on par with Grisham or others like him; it was somewhat predictable but interesting none the less.

I read that the author was most interested in creating strong characters that bounce off one another throughout the story. Izzy (recently passed the bar, prone to panic attacks), Darren (formally an accomplished lawyer who enjoys his 'cups' a bit too much - for good reason?), Agent Schultz (?? didn't strike me as a strong character in this book) and Malcolm (artist, hit man) are still among his favorites and he's used them again in other novels. I think he left enough mystery about each character to warrant another read. I'm left to wonder if dirty cops will also be present in the next book. The one difficult thing for me - misspelled words and some grammar gaffes which made me reread sentences for clarity.

[Marcel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It is well written and the main characters have depth. The story line around the corrupt cops is rather unlikely though, even more towards the end of the book. I also feel the cop story isn't quite finished, a little bit rushed at the end. I cared enough about the main character at the end of the book to want to read the second and third books in the series. I would have liked to see a little bit more development on the Shoshanna story line. All I can do now is hope for some progress in the second and third books. I also would have liked to know more about Fletcher's friend Theresa. I am undecided about how many stars to give and would like to give it three and a half, so four it is then.

[Joan · Rating 2 out of 5]

My complaint about these books is that do not have the flavor of Detroit. They seem to feel putting Detroit down makes them Detroit, it doesn't. The mystery is not bad, but it is silly at times. Issabelle and Darren are finally happy until a psycho shows up to threaten Issabelle and Teresa, Darren's bar friend. When Issabelle's dad shows up to speak to Darren, Issabelle is really upset as she hasn't seen him in 10 years when he walked out on her mother. The psycho is fixated on Issabelle. Darren is kipnapped. The killer wants a payoff. We almost find out where Darren's money comes from, but not quite. Issabelle's dad is the bad guy. I think if you are going to put Detroit in the title, the author should know Detroit. Watkins does not.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

The developing relationship between defense lawyer Isabella Bright and burned out veteran lawyer Darren Fletcher is the basis of this series debut. The suspense/thriller aspect of the plot suffers a bit from being drowned in the details of their budding work relationship and romance, but the escalating violence and threats to their well-being keep the story engaging.

The story is believable, the characters are interesting and the atmosphere of the Detroit area is nicely evoked. Isabella's passivity gets annoying in places, but overall this was an engaging novel and I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because they said it is about Detroit. It does take place in Detroit, but does not give the reader a sense of Detroit. Isabelle is a lawyer trying to make it in a poor section of Detroit. She decides to go to the hospital to try to get a new client, a man whose house was invaded and searched by police on very little info or proof. Darren is a lawyer who allowed a killer of a child to go free and spends his time drunk. He also go to the hospital to get the client because police did not have the right to search the man's house. The two meet and fireworks erupt. The mystery is good, but doesn't put Detroit in a good light.

[Jennifer Zartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonathan Watkins writes well and for the most part I enjoyed his style. The plot twists and turns as good mysteries do, and his characters have depth. I appreciated the fact that he never descended into soft porn with explicit sexual details, but I grew weary of hearing about the main characters' overdone sex life, and the episode with handcuffs and a blindfold really put me off. Darren never experiences any negative effects from alcoholism, either, which seems unnatural and a bit irresponsible on the part of the author.

[Marcel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had really enjoyed the first book of the series, the second one was quite alright, but in the third installment I find myself saying why are there again these weird characters with psychological flaws to the extreme that are the villains. While at the same time there is no progress whatsoever on the Shoshanna story line.

It must be noted that the book is well written and flows well.

It really is probably more of 2.5 stars.

[Shelby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I downloaded this as an e-book because I like the title and genre. Initially I was a little disappointed by the characters' personal demons and the heavy dose of rom-com feeling. Toward the end of the book suspense grew and I couldn't help but root for the mercenary. Still, the conclusion almost has the feel of a movie purposely written for a sequel. I could have used a little more closure. Bright and fletcher are worth giving a shot, and I'll probably give book two a try.
3.5 stars

[Janejellyroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plot of this book to be fast-moving and engaging, but in the attempt to create unique characters I think the author missed some nuance. Our MCs are a severely alcoholic former rising star defense attorney and the young new lawyer he takes under his wing, who has panic attacks. You'd expect one or both of these issues to cause problems for them, but once they take on the case it feels like both of these recede into the background in an unrealistic way.

[J. Ewbank · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book by Watkins. It is an easy and quick read for those of you who like mysteries. Notall of the plot becomes evident, even at the end of the book, but perhaps that is for the next in the seres fo finish up. The interplay between the two mai characters is wel done an enjoyable.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" and "Wesley's Wars"