The Debt

by Michael W. Falls

In this noir mystery, actor Mitchell Naughton stars in the new, hit crime drama "Streets of the City." His life and career are suddenly threatened with destruction when an old friend from his distant past is murdered. Returning home to Chicago, he mysteriously plunges headlong into the investigation, events spinning out of control, pulling him ever further into a vortex of deceit, danger and death.

Meanwhile, Police are closing in on their number one suspect- Mitchell Naughton.

229 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2016

Reviews

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title – The Debt 49
Author – Michael Falls
Genre – Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Noir
240 Amazon Pages
Rating 4 stars out of 5 Posted 7/1/16

The main character in The Debt is Mitchell Naughton, an actor in a TV detective series. A man Mitch was friends with ten years earlier is beaten to death, and he decides to play real detective and catch the killer. Unfortunately he is a horribly inept detective and tough guy and so naive his actions were hard to swallow.
From the beginning I didn't like Mitch because he is portrayed as a compulsive liar and a total ass. The story is about his personal shortcomings and fears as much as the friend's murder.
Until about half way through the story I was tempted to stop reading because the plot was too slow for my taste. At about half way through the action became more intense and I became more interested in finishing.
Mitch spends time cruising through Chicago's sleazy gay bars searching for clues as to who killed his friend and why. In the end he's surprised to learn he was the key to the whole sordid mess he'd uncovered.
At the very end of the story we learn the details of the plot and who the deadly antagonists are. There are a few surprises at this point, but I also felt several questions went unanswered and closure was incomplete.

The editing and sentence structure of this story are slightly off from being excellent.
Character development is good with Mitch but lacking somewhat with the other characters.
The writing style is wordy and often repetitive but overall it's well written.

Issues:
Police would never take a civilian on a raid to apprehend a suspect they believed could be armed and dangerous and let him enter an apartment building with them.
Thorough research would have told the author that the manufacturer of a firearm cannot be determined by examining a bullet fired from it.

This review was provided in exchange for a free book.
Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.

[Archie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great motivational book that I have come across lately. Anyone who feels let down and have lost hope, must read this book to be motivated to not give up and try, anyone who is willing to succeed must read this book as it has anecdotes and stories of accomplished innovators, anyone who is willing to try again must read this book to get idea to find an alternate path to succeed and young or adult must try this book as it quite informative.
The key idea of the book that I felt very inspiring is its creativity. The thought that anyone, and I mean really anyone can be innovative provided they think out of the box. There is no limit to innovation and you don’t really have to be a great scientist or the smartest person to be innovative. Important point the book makes, is identify your interest, your talent and stretch your potential, believe in yourself and you can discover yourself.
Amazing book by Ramgir Mayur, Brilliant!!

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. I liked the book, but I thought the action in the first half of it was slow. Most of the book consists of dialogue, which is appropriate for a screenplay, but less successful in a novel. The second half used less dialogue and more description of people, places, and action. The plot was interesting and has some twists for mystery buffs. The clues are there, so a careful reader can figure out the action. The book deals primarily with relationships and the importance of honesty in them. I was a bit surprised that the Denver police would allow an actor so much leeway. It reminded me of the tv series Castle, but this time the civilian had no one in administration to permit such access.

[Sdan12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder mystery with an attractive hero
This is a murder mystery with an attractive hero. Mitchell Naughton is a famous actor – he has recently made it big after years of struggle and he stars in a cop series in the vein of the ‘Streets of San Francisco’. Mitchell rubs real cops up the wrong way when he starts to investigate the death of his friend, Tim Vali. Tim’s body is found with Mitchell’s phone number hidden in his sock, and this leads the cops to believe that Mitchell has killed his friend. As in all good murder mysteries, those nearest and dearest to Mitchell and he himself, are put in danger as he refuses to leave the investigation and go back to his day job.

[LyndaVee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book where life finds itself imitating art for actor Mitchell Naughton. Star of a popular prime time cop series, Mitchell finds that acting a cop is not at all similar to being one. Mitchell’s lovely life as a high powered actor is put on hold as he tries to solve the murder of his old friend, Tim Vali. Tim was apparently trying to reach Mitchell when he was murdered. As the investigation proceeds, the reader learns that Tim was not all he seemed but, then, Mitchell himself also has something to hide. A good page-turner.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, a noir mystery that kept me turning the pages. I recommend it.

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! Gripping, well written and a page turner. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good mystery.

[Karen Michener]

I loved this b0ok and I will surely read another book by Michael W. Falls!