What do you think?
Rate this book
Truth Always Kills
A cop in departmental trouble knows his wife is being stalked, but feels helpless to do anything about it. Does he report it and bring undue attention to himself, or should he take matters into his own hands, and damn the consequences? A new thriller from the author of TURNABOUT and SHALLOW SECRETS.
256 pages, Paperback
Published September 3, 2015
14 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Want to Read
August 25, 2017This copy is signed by Rick Ollerman
August 22, 2021
Truth Always Kills
If you are even mildly chewing over the idea of retiring in Florida, then perhaps you haven’t read enough of the Florida noir stories that have been pumped out there for the last sixty or seventy years. From the swamplands to the keys, the place is just filled to the brim with kooks and not the harmless kinds. Ollerman revisits Talmage Powell’s St Petersburg and Ybor City with a nasty piece of business. Ollerman’ protagonist, Jeff Prentiss, is a guy nearing the end of his rope. Prentiss was a Tampa Homicide Detective, who made mistakes big enough to get him drummed out of the force with no one left to protect his back. Across the bay, now on St. Pete’s force, no one trusts him and his every move is watched. To top it off, his wife and daughter have gone and left town with no forwarding address. He’s still facing a board of rights hearing in Tampa and who knows what’ll happen. And, his ex-wife’s first husband Just got released from prison and has been stalking her. Prentiss is on his own, drowning in a barrel of crap, and every move he makes backfires as he tries to make headway on a new homicide with his own life falling apart.
If you are even mildly chewing over the idea of retiring in Florida, then perhaps you haven’t read enough of the Florida noir stories that have been pumped out there for the last sixty or seventy years. From the swamplands to the keys, the place is just filled to the brim with kooks and not the harmless kinds. Ollerman revisits Talmage Powell’s St Petersburg and Ybor City with a nasty piece of business. Ollerman’ protagonist, Jeff Prentiss, is a guy nearing the end of his rope. Prentiss was a Tampa Homicide Detective, who made mistakes big enough to get him drummed out of the force with no one left to protect his back. Across the bay, now on St. Pete’s force, no one trusts him and his every move is watched. To top it off, his wife and daughter have gone and left town with no forwarding address. He’s still facing a board of rights hearing in Tampa and who knows what’ll happen. And, his ex-wife’s first husband Just got released from prison and has been stalking her. Prentiss is on his own, drowning in a barrel of crap, and every move he makes backfires as he tries to make headway on a new homicide with his own life falling apart.
September 19, 2016
Full disclosure: I received a copy of this novel directly from the author through a Shelf Awareness Book Buzz giveaway, but that in no way affected this review.
In this crime noir fiction, Jeff Prentiss is a detective for St. Pete, working the case of a murder. Yet before coming to the squad in St. Pete, he was part of the Tampa force. Unfortunately, in his effort to get to the truth of a high profile case there, he pushed the limits of his authority costing him his job and reputation. Now, he is partnering with Terry Moran, a good detective, friend, and babysitter for the impetuous Jeff.
In his private life, Jeff is the same way. Impetuous and desirous of protecting his wife Lori and daughter Roxy, he is willing to bend the rules in regards to Roy Evans, an ex-con who is threatening violence against them. Yet, his love may smother them.
When another murder of a prominent person seems to link and cross these two jurisdictions, Prentiss boldly goes into rogue cop mode. He can't help it because for him, the truth needs to discovered at whatever the cost to him especially if it concerns his wife and daughter. Even if the truth kills him.
In this crime noir fiction, Jeff Prentiss is a detective for St. Pete, working the case of a murder. Yet before coming to the squad in St. Pete, he was part of the Tampa force. Unfortunately, in his effort to get to the truth of a high profile case there, he pushed the limits of his authority costing him his job and reputation. Now, he is partnering with Terry Moran, a good detective, friend, and babysitter for the impetuous Jeff.
In his private life, Jeff is the same way. Impetuous and desirous of protecting his wife Lori and daughter Roxy, he is willing to bend the rules in regards to Roy Evans, an ex-con who is threatening violence against them. Yet, his love may smother them.
When another murder of a prominent person seems to link and cross these two jurisdictions, Prentiss boldly goes into rogue cop mode. He can't help it because for him, the truth needs to discovered at whatever the cost to him especially if it concerns his wife and daughter. Even if the truth kills him.
April 15, 2016
Mr. Ollerman sent me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.This book has a couple of forwards that claim it is easy to read,no lies told here. The story starts with the main character,a homicide detective named Jeff Prentiss,thinking about his wifes ex husband,whom Jeff has murdered. Jeff's wife is leaving him and taking his adopted daughter away. Thus starts a dark page turner that will keep the reader on the edge of his seat. Great story and interesting characters are a bonus. Looking forward to the movie as this book would make a good one.
December 27, 2016
From the publisher: Jeff Prentiss’ life is a mess. As a homicide detective working in St. Petersburg, he knows he’s made too many mistakes and made too many enemies. When his wife’s ex-husband, Roy Lee Evans, is released from prison and threatens his family, Jeff does what he must to keep them safe. Now fighting for his career, his wife Lori believes he knows more about Evans’ whereabouts than he’s willing to say. With his family life strained to the breaking point, a “celebrity” thief is found dead, and Jeff and his new partner find themselves roasting in the media spotlight. There’s a disc that ties the dead man to a political bigshot in Tampa, but the link doesn’t make any sense. Everything keeps coming back to Lori’s missing ex, even as the case points to an organized crime operation.
The dead man turns out to be one of the most prolific thieves of all time, at least in the Tampa/St. Pete area, and when another man’s body [the aforementioned political bigshot] is found killed in similar fashion, the cases converge, and a jurisdictional firestorm between the two towns erupts.
Not long after Evans, “a smuggler running dope from Mexico across the Texas border,” had met Lori, she had gotten pregnant, after which they got married. After he’d been imprisoned, but before the baby was born, she’d gotten a divorce based on fraud. Jeff met her when her daughter, Roxy, was 3 years old, not long after which they’d gotten married, and he’d adopted Roxy.
But now, years later, everything is upended when Lori and her daughter. Jeff finds himself thinking back about Evans, “a man who was released from a Texas state prison and immediately relocated to Florida so he could stalk and threaten her and his biological daughter in an effort to bring them back under his self-serving influence. But they had become my family and I’d had to do what I could to protect them . . . When Evans began stalking Lori at work, exhibiting the classic passive-aggressive behaviors of leaving small presents in her car and at her desk, sending notes and cards through the mail, watching Roxy across from her school, the pattern was all too clear.”
Jeff’s personal and professional problems only escalate, in a thrilling and well-written tale that will have the reader completely engrossed. There is some ambiguity at the end, which only left this reader anxiously looking forward to, hopefully, the next Jeff Prentiss book by this terrific writer.
Mr. Ollerman’s most recent book, which came out in August of 2016 and is entitled “Mad Dog Barked,” is apparently a standalone, but on the basis of “Truth Always Kills,” which is recommended, I will look forward to reading it!
The dead man turns out to be one of the most prolific thieves of all time, at least in the Tampa/St. Pete area, and when another man’s body [the aforementioned political bigshot] is found killed in similar fashion, the cases converge, and a jurisdictional firestorm between the two towns erupts.
Not long after Evans, “a smuggler running dope from Mexico across the Texas border,” had met Lori, she had gotten pregnant, after which they got married. After he’d been imprisoned, but before the baby was born, she’d gotten a divorce based on fraud. Jeff met her when her daughter, Roxy, was 3 years old, not long after which they’d gotten married, and he’d adopted Roxy.
But now, years later, everything is upended when Lori and her daughter. Jeff finds himself thinking back about Evans, “a man who was released from a Texas state prison and immediately relocated to Florida so he could stalk and threaten her and his biological daughter in an effort to bring them back under his self-serving influence. But they had become my family and I’d had to do what I could to protect them . . . When Evans began stalking Lori at work, exhibiting the classic passive-aggressive behaviors of leaving small presents in her car and at her desk, sending notes and cards through the mail, watching Roxy across from her school, the pattern was all too clear.”
Jeff’s personal and professional problems only escalate, in a thrilling and well-written tale that will have the reader completely engrossed. There is some ambiguity at the end, which only left this reader anxiously looking forward to, hopefully, the next Jeff Prentiss book by this terrific writer.
Mr. Ollerman’s most recent book, which came out in August of 2016 and is entitled “Mad Dog Barked,” is apparently a standalone, but on the basis of “Truth Always Kills,” which is recommended, I will look forward to reading it!
September 22, 2017
I knew Ollerman's writing from his non-fiction on vintage crime writers. His style is mostly lean and mean. I thought this was going to be more noir, but it's mostly police procedural (or in the case of this character, not procedural). Jeff Prentiss seems to be hiding a secret or two or ten from his estranged wife, daughter, partner, chief -- well, pretty much anybody. He's the loner guy who does things his own way and damn the rules. It seems he thinks justice is more important than rules, but his 'justice' gets more and more murky as the story goes on. Also his poor decision-making skills make you wonder how he ever became a cop. I found myself talking out loud to him, 'Oh come on, that's the oldest trick in the book. You're not going to fall for -- oh, you are.'
I was wondering if this was part of a series and I missed the first volume; the first few chapters seem to be filling in back story. There's a lot of potential for intrigue with a notorious cat burglar and rising politician but they're also the first corpses. I found it hard to get a handle on Prentiss. He treats everyone abominably and then wonders why he's so isolated. He's so emotionally stunted that a woman touching his hand makes him think he's in love -- minutes after declaring his undying love for the wife he keeps stalking despite her pleas for distance.
So, he's a mess. If you like cynical cops who break all the rules in pursuit of their own justice, you'll find a lot of Florida ambience filling this quick-paced story. I had to look up lanai (okay, that's a lie: you easily figure it out from the context). You can certainly feel the heat and humidity which is as close as I care to get to Florida. If not noir, it's certainly noir-ish. Check it out.
I was wondering if this was part of a series and I missed the first volume; the first few chapters seem to be filling in back story. There's a lot of potential for intrigue with a notorious cat burglar and rising politician but they're also the first corpses. I found it hard to get a handle on Prentiss. He treats everyone abominably and then wonders why he's so isolated. He's so emotionally stunted that a woman touching his hand makes him think he's in love -- minutes after declaring his undying love for the wife he keeps stalking despite her pleas for distance.
So, he's a mess. If you like cynical cops who break all the rules in pursuit of their own justice, you'll find a lot of Florida ambience filling this quick-paced story. I had to look up lanai (okay, that's a lie: you easily figure it out from the context). You can certainly feel the heat and humidity which is as close as I care to get to Florida. If not noir, it's certainly noir-ish. Check it out.
November 7, 2017
If you like your noir crime novels gritty and dark, you'll love this one. We have a cop under a cloud, several clouds, actually, and he starts off screwed and gets screweder, as the author is fond of quoting. His wife is taking his daughter and leaving, his new boss is looking for an excuse to can him, people around him are either helpful or hurtful, and a series of crimes complicates things to no end. Or bad ends. The setting is the Tampa, Fla, area, and the book depicts the geography and feel of the locale in good detail. We have some big questions throughout, such as: did our protagonist do a very bad thing to his wife's ex? He's a guy with a hair-trigger temper, and for a man on the edge, that's a deadly situation. The troubles pile up, as they should in this kind of book, until the pressure becomes unbearable. Remember the genre, and know that happy endings are not likely. But you'll get quite a thrill ride from the book.
April 9, 2016
Instantly compelling, “Truth Always Kills” is a top-notch contemporary crime-noir thriller from author Rick Ollerman. As his personal and professional lives collide to crash and burn, Florida homicide detective Jeff Prentiss is fighting to keep his family safe and somehow keep his career alive. His wife Lori takes their daughter Roxy and leaves Jeff when she is unsure of his role in the disappearance of her ex-husband, Roy Lee Evans, who has just been released from prison. The murder of an infamous celebrated thief brings the hot, white glare of the media attention on to the investigation of the case by Jeff and his partner, Terry Moran. The dead thief may be connected to a big-time politico, and the murky question of the whereabouts of Roy Lee Evans clouds the air along with the stench of organized crime. The best, most-readable lawmen are those whose personal flaws are at war with their skills at law enforcement. Fascinatingly imperfect, and impossible to resist. Author Rick Ollerman’s other works include “Turnabout” and “Shallow Secrets”.
Review Copy Gratis Author via AuthorBuzz//DearReader
Review Copy Gratis Author via AuthorBuzz//DearReader
September 30, 2016
St. Pete, Florida, homicide detective Jeff Prentiss’ life is falling apart. His wife, Lori, has just left him and taken their daughter, Roxy. He’s exactly sure why, but he believes it has to do with the recent release of her jailbird ex, Roy Lee Evans.
As he is wallowing in his grief, he is called to the beach, where a body has been discovered, an apparent suicide. The body belongs to the King of Cats, Randy Shawcross. It took me about a fourth of the book before I truly understood that Shawcross was a cat burglar, which seems so odd. Across the bay in Tampa, a politician is also murdered.
Prentiss is up to his eyeballs in trouble back in the squad room. But now he must circumvent his superiors as he investigates the link between the two violent deaths.
Truth Always Kills is a typical PI book. I found that it lacked tension for me. I was never truly pulled in. Well, wait, there is that one scene that did have me gasping, but I cannot divulge any of it here as it would be a huge spoiler. Truth Always Kills is an okay read, which is why I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars, but it’s not a memorable read…nor is Prentiss and his supporting cast.
As he is wallowing in his grief, he is called to the beach, where a body has been discovered, an apparent suicide. The body belongs to the King of Cats, Randy Shawcross. It took me about a fourth of the book before I truly understood that Shawcross was a cat burglar, which seems so odd. Across the bay in Tampa, a politician is also murdered.
Prentiss is up to his eyeballs in trouble back in the squad room. But now he must circumvent his superiors as he investigates the link between the two violent deaths.
Truth Always Kills is a typical PI book. I found that it lacked tension for me. I was never truly pulled in. Well, wait, there is that one scene that did have me gasping, but I cannot divulge any of it here as it would be a huge spoiler. Truth Always Kills is an okay read, which is why I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars, but it’s not a memorable read…nor is Prentiss and his supporting cast.
March 26, 2016
I was fortunate to win an autographed copy of Truth Always Kills by Rick Ollerman. Excellent police story. Ollerman's Jeff Prentiss reminds me a lot of Connelly's Harry Bosch. At times an edge of your seat page turner. I hope this is the start of a series.
March 31, 2016
What a book! The main character is extremely likable even with all his flaws. :) The storyline is very unique. Can't wait for them to make this a movie! Didn't want the book to end. Looking forward to the next one! This book will NOT disappoint.
October 10, 2016
I was given this book for a review. This was a great book that examines the issues of good and bad and if the end justifies the means. This book held my attention from the first line to the last page. I have recommended this book to my husband.
April 10, 2016
Great book. Prentiss had me hooked from the very beginning. From his estranged wife and daughter to his questionable loyal partner it is definitely crime fiction at it's best.
August 23, 2016
Pretty Good but a bit on the slow side.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews