Cul-de-Sac

by David Lozell Martin

suspenseful, frightening, and gripping thriller about a family secret and a wrongly accused murderer from the author of Lie to Me. Here, David Martin brings back his most engaging retired Detective Teddy Camel--a.k.a. "The Human Lie Detector"--on his last case.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Mystery

289 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

David Martin is the author of ten novels that range from the international bestselling thriller Lie To Me to the acclaimed love story, The Crying Heart Tattoo.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice 'airport' thriller by Martin, paced so the pages keep turning. This starts with a guy confronting an older couple about why they lied to help frame him. Donny, the guy that got framed for murder, just finished 7 years of hard time and now wants some payback in a serious way. Meanwhile, Paul and Annie Milton recently purchased a dilapidated mansion just outside the D.C. area with plans for renovation and reselling. While Paul started working on it a month ago, Annie starts the novel just arriving. Strange! Paul's truck is out front, but he will not answer the door. After a little B&E, she finds Paul but he is in bad shape, beaten, dirty and rambling on about Satan.

While the story centers on Cul-De-Sac, the aforementioned mansion, do not think of this as a haunted house story. We quickly learn that a young, 17 yo woman was killed there and that is what Donny went to jail for. We also know that he indeed did not do it and is determined to find out who framed him and why. Oh, there is also an elephant in the room! And some pictures that some cops (former partners, one now retired) want really, really bad...

I enjoyed this, even if some of the characters made some really stupid decisions along the way (I was thinking of Richard Laymon here 😁). Fast and well paced, Martin weaves a complex plot deftly. Some odd ball aspects were also intriguing, like why did Donny have his front teeth replaced by ones from a horse and an amazing tattoo, but there you go. 3 thrilling stars.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I was drawn in by a lurid cover. How can you resist that cover? It looks like a horror story. It actually is in a way, it's entirely too horrific, gore/guts and visceral for a traditional mystery thriller. Oddly enough the first few chapters absolutely didn't do it for me, it took a while to pick up, but once it did, it cannonballed. And I actually ended up liking it quite a lot, it wasn't literature, not was it particularly unpredictable and yes, certain aspects required suspended disbelief (paroling after seven years for a violent murder for one thing), but it was very entertaining and the writing style was exceptionally vivid, it played like a movie in the mind. The sort of book one must be in the mood for, but if you are, it's a lot of fun and a quick read too. For over the top, stunningly violent and yet strangely engaging murder mystery thriller fans this is well worth the time. Recommended.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul and Annie Milton bought Cul-De-Sac to restore it. But strange things are happening there, Paul is slowly losing his mind . Seven years ago Donald Growler was sent to prison for a crime he didn,t commit the brutal murder and beheading of his cousin Hope. Now he is out of jail, and getting revenge against all the people who lied on the stand . and got him sent to prison for a crime he didn,t commit. He is also searching Cul-De-Sac with his partner Pauls help to find some pictures and an Elephant part of a chess set which is worth three million dollars. Ex -COP Teddy Camel begins an investigation to help Annie discover what is really going on. Annie and Teddy discover it was a high level cover up , to help protect a family with dark expensive secrets. this case could very well kill them all.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annie was a fairly 1 dimensional character. And the way the author described her obsession as a 10 yr old child for a 25 yr old man and that man's response just felt extremely icky and completely unnecessary. Unfortunately i couldn't get past that weird relationship dynanic and it distracted from the actual plot of the novel. Too bad i couldn't like this more because the plot itself was decent.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is some fucked up shit.... loved it when I read it years & years ago & I think I'm overdue for a 2nd reading!

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1997. Washed up cop comes to the aid of his former lover in the taut thriller.

[Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Brandi Eddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐘🐘🐘🐘

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

INSANE
WOW

READ AGAIN? OH YES.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably engaging suspense thriller. Annie Milton and her husband buy an old building to renovate near where she grew up. Annie travels there as a surprise to see her husband who has been there for several weeks and instead of the pious man EHR married finds someone in the process of going insane as well as Satan in the flesh come to torture her. In this house previously a young woman seven years before had been decapitated and her cousin was jailed for the murder. Annie enlists the help of an old love to protect her husband and searches to find out what happened to him. Meanwhile the previous killer is released from prison .... And is back to seek his revenge against those he thinks framed him for the murder.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book twice when I was a kid. I think it has a good story and some very interesting and memorable characters. The book is very adult oriented. It has a lot of graphic violence and sexual things. The character Grow-ler/Growl-er (lol) is pretty intense. When I read this book, it pretty much felt like I was watching a movie.

It's a mystery type story, but I felt like I was less concerned with how it was going to turn out, than what other crazy gratuitous shit is going to happen. It's very dark, with a lot of dark humor and at times excessive violence and weird character interactions. However, it was an entertaining read.

I still feel that it would make a great movie. The Annie character seems hot and would be great on screen, and Growler is reminiscent of an x-rated Joker.

[Dave Roberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on this one... either I misread some stuff in "Lie to Me" or the editing is really bad in this one. There seems to be some continuity problems with the main character's back story. I couldn't get past it, in spite of the interesting story.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

The backstory of Annie and Teddy took up too much of this story and didn't flow smoothly. We then lost 14 years of both of their lives and vaulted to the present. Interesting tale, however, but graphically violent so not for the faint of heart.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a thriller. Lots of twists and turns and never a dull moment. If you are the least bit squeamish, this may not be for you. A man wrongly convicted has been mistakenly let out of prison and retribution and punishment are all that is in his mind.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Violent...a bit unbelievable..but couldn't put it down.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I read it without wanting to throw it across a room, so that's good. Don't read too much into the disjointed back story, just take the ride.

[Top Cat =^_^= · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very suspenseful! Defiantly keeps you on the edge of your seat while reading.

[Kaitlyn Jackson (Masters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth reading If you like horror and gory themes.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling yet gruesome. I'd give this 3.5 stars as the gore factor diminished the story,

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a potboiler pure and simple. Very good genre work that never really transcends its limitations. If you like your stories gruesome, and not too deep, this is your book.