The Down Side

John Keegan #4

by John Misak

The fourth in the John Keegan Mystery series pits the NYPD homicide detective against a technologically advanced killer who makes artwork out of their crime scenes.Times have changed, for Keegan and the city he works in. Once he was a single man with no aspirations. Now, he has a family and fears for the future. He plunges into a case filled with Hollywood secrets, Washington politics, and a tech-savvy killer who appears bent on changing the face of the city forever. The victim is Patrick Dillons, Hollywood A-lister and general perfect human being.The crime scene recreates every Dillons movie. Whoever did this had a clear message. Discovering that is the key to solving the case but with so many clues at the scene, Keegan must choose carefully to have a chance. Though beloved, Dillons' life points to several suspects.Keegan investigates with his new partner and old friend, Karl Lavin, and they quickly discover Dillons manufactured an image for the public while living a vastly different life in private. When Keegan gets handed shocking information on the actor he must keep secret, he finds himself embedded in a web of lies, causing trouble on the job and at home.The Down Side illustrates the difficulty investigating a high-profile murder, along with the secrets all people keep. From the highly detailed murder scene to the involvement of players ranging from drug dealers to high-level government officials, this mystery will keep readers guessing until the very end who killed Dillons. Keegan dives deeper into the shady underbelly of the city Dillons dabbled in, finding evidence of a murder spree masterminded by a meticulous genius. Anything goes in this latest installment of the John Keegan Mystery Series, and the first part in an exciting two-part series. Fans will recognize the familiar elements of previous books while newcomers will be able to settle right in. Both will be taken for a wild ride.

442 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 30, 2015

Reviews

[Chuck Barksdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

”You don’t understand. That guy, the killer, he created a work of art in there. I’ve never seen anything like it. There are angles and edges and placements. The first guy from CSI said there could be over 100 clues just around the body, the way things are arranged,” the big uniform said. “You can go in, but don’t disturb a thing.”

After nearly 9 years of waiting, John Misak’s fourth book about New York City homicide police detective John Keegan has finally been published. I was fortunate to get a chance to read and review Death Knell, the third book in the series for Mostlyfiction in 2007 and I’m happy the author provided me a complimentary copy of The Down Side to read and review it.

Although the book took 9 years to be published, the story is not as far in the future, although it does take place after Keegan has taken some time off from working for the police recovering from the activities of his last case. Two key characters from the prior book, Rick Cahill and Karl Lavin play key parts. Rick Cahill is now dead and Keegan is caring for Cahill’s two daughters. Karl Lavin is no longer a vice detective and has replaced Cahill as Keegan’s partner. Pauline McCrory, a potential love interest of Keegan in Death Knell, is now his wife and expecting their first child. She still works in the police Records Department.

Keegan and Lavin are sent to investigate the murder of famous actor Patrick Dillons. His penthouse apartment is found to be a certain way as described to them before they enter in the excerpt above.

No surprise that with a famous person that they get pressure from above to do well in the investigation. Keegan works the investigation with and without his partner and gets help from some places that may or may not be all that helpful. He also has to deal with some pressure in some issues at home and at work with his pregnant wife. Misak adds some unexpected twists along the way as Keegan and Lavin try to find Dillons’ killer.

Misak as in the prior book, uses the first person to provide a full appreciation of Keegan’s thoughts and to understand why he acts the way he does. I enjoy this first person perspective but all these inner thoughts may be too much for some readers. The following is right after the quotation at the top as Keegan and his partner are visiting the crime scene for the first time:

“Not exactly the way you want to start off a case. The big guy let us in and I stated in a state of tension, waiting for the moment when I would encounter the body. My mind went all over the place trying to figure out just how bad this would be. I had images of the guy’s skin ripped off or his eyes yanked out of his head. I know that makes for great television or movies but it just doesn’t happen that often. Most murders are simple point and shoot affairs and the killer usually has clear motive and we normally find them pretty quick.”

Of course the potential problem with this type of writing is that the author goes too far and spends too much time at it. Generally, I prefer crisper work – think Ed McBain, the best at the police procedural. However, The Down Side, is not just a police procedural and I really enjoyed learning from Keegan/Misak – not just about solving crimes, but about Keegan as a person – his personal relationships and struggles and his detective abilities.

Although I now own Soft Case and All in a Row, the first John Keegan books by Misak, I still haven’t read them. That along with the over 8 years since I last read the prior book in the series, did provide some difficulty in understanding the references and history among the characters. However, this is not critical and Misak does provide the key back story along the way.

As in Death Knell, Misak creates very realistic and likeable characters. He also adds in the humor among the various characters that helps to break up the tension and make the book more enjoyable.

The Down Side did not have the typos that I found annoying at times in Death Knell. The grammatical errors were minimal and I’m leaving them as character and not author errors. They still annoy me but they are common grammatical mistakes that I hear almost every day. Overall, The Down Side was another enjoyable book by John Misak and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.