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A Jake Finnigan Mystery #1
Final Departure
Jake Finnigan is already having the worst day of his life when the corpse of notorious tabloid reporter Susan Crane is found locked in the trunk of her car on the ferry where he works. Worse still, though Crane is bound, gagged, and shot in the forehead, her death is ruled a suicide. Convinced of a cover-up, Jake finds himself entangled in the investigation, much to the annoyance of his partner of nearly a decade, Sam O’Conner. As Jake and Sam uncover more about the woman’s blackmailing schemes, the list of suspects grows, and the couple find themselves skidding unavoidably into the killer’s crosshairs.
- GenresMystery
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2016
About the author
Steve Pickens
2 books5 followersSteve Pickens was born in Seattle, Washington. He has spent his entire life in the land of Bigfoot, strong coffee, ferryboats, heavy rain, and active volcanoes, all of which have influenced his work.
When not writing, he can be found tending and photographing flowers in the garden, taking trips into the Cascades or wandering along the shores of Puget Sound. He and his husband live in northwestern Washington in a town that bears more than a passing resemblance to the one in his mysteries with far too much ferry ephemera and two spoiled cats.
When not writing, he can be found tending and photographing flowers in the garden, taking trips into the Cascades or wandering along the shores of Puget Sound. He and his husband live in northwestern Washington in a town that bears more than a passing resemblance to the one in his mysteries with far too much ferry ephemera and two spoiled cats.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
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March 1, 2016DNF at 68%
No rating.
Maybe if I had managed to finish this one, it could have been a 3 stars read.
But in spite of good writing, I had so many issues with the story, that made it difficult to enjoy it.
While reading I had the permanent feeling that the author very often lost the thread of the plot. There were too many insignificant dialogues, events, scenes, details that continuously distracted my attention from what was going on. It could be okay in some other genre, but this pacing doesn't fit well in a mystery, IMO.
One of the biggest turn-offs for me was the fact, that Jake Finnigan, who decided on his own to investigate, what REALLY happened to reporter Susan Crane, was just a harbor's worker. I'm not a big fan of an amateur sleuth's mystery. I prefer to deal with professionals.
All in all, it might be a good read for you, if you don't mind a slow development of events, corrupted cops via a good guy in a role of an amateur sleuth, and appreciate a good writing.
**Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**
January 28, 2016
"Susan Crane was something different though. Chris Aponte's murder had been marked by a stunning lack of evidence. There had been nothing to go on, little physical evidence, no suspects, and no obvious motive. With Susan Crane there seemed to be any number of suspects and plenty of motives, and he knew there had to have been tremendous amounts of evidence in that trunk, It was all being brushed under the braided rug. Why?......"
The story starts with Jake working on a ferry boat and returning home, waiting on his partner Sam to return from abroad. Taking place in Seattle, I like how the background is set up first. Describing Jake's job and his home with Sam. Their friends and the area they live in makes you feel like you may know them and the area. It always appeals to me when an author does a thorough and descriptive set up.
Turns out that a bad day for Jake and his co-workers is about to get worse, as a well known tabloid reporter is found dead. Locked in the trunk of her car on the ferry and shot in the head. Susan Crane's death is ruled a suicide, even though it's obvious it is not. What is going on here?
Memories of an unsolved past murder of a friend haunt Jake. Jake can't let it go even though Sam wishes he would. Together, with friends, they may figure out the real story. Their mutual friend Alex is keeping some things to himself as well. A nagging feeling is getting the best of Jake and he's determined to know more.
The problem with investigating Susan's life is inviting the interest of someone that might not like it. Danger lurks for all involved. Someone is following Jake and Sam. Can Jake solve this crime himself, with the help of the people he knows he can trust? A steady paced story, interesting characters will keep you turning the pages.
A great mystery. I really enjoyed this story. Characters were well written. There was a fine balance of humor, mystery, friendships and relationships.
Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books
http://michellebookends.blogspot.com/...
The story starts with Jake working on a ferry boat and returning home, waiting on his partner Sam to return from abroad. Taking place in Seattle, I like how the background is set up first. Describing Jake's job and his home with Sam. Their friends and the area they live in makes you feel like you may know them and the area. It always appeals to me when an author does a thorough and descriptive set up.
Turns out that a bad day for Jake and his co-workers is about to get worse, as a well known tabloid reporter is found dead. Locked in the trunk of her car on the ferry and shot in the head. Susan Crane's death is ruled a suicide, even though it's obvious it is not. What is going on here?
Memories of an unsolved past murder of a friend haunt Jake. Jake can't let it go even though Sam wishes he would. Together, with friends, they may figure out the real story. Their mutual friend Alex is keeping some things to himself as well. A nagging feeling is getting the best of Jake and he's determined to know more.
The problem with investigating Susan's life is inviting the interest of someone that might not like it. Danger lurks for all involved. Someone is following Jake and Sam. Can Jake solve this crime himself, with the help of the people he knows he can trust? A steady paced story, interesting characters will keep you turning the pages.
A great mystery. I really enjoyed this story. Characters were well written. There was a fine balance of humor, mystery, friendships and relationships.
Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books
http://michellebookends.blogspot.com/...
April 5, 2018
“To be perfectly frank with you fellows, I’m surprised no one killed her sooner.”
Who killed Susan Crane and dumped her body in the boot of a car left on a ferry.?
This question consumes Jake Finnegan. The dead woman's body haunts his mind and even though his partner Sam warns him, Jake just cant stand by especially when the police rule the murder as a suicide.
Jake begins to poke around on the internet and gradually a picture of a malicious and vindictive woman emerges. Susan Crane was an excellent journalist but she was also spiteful and used her journalistic talent to bring down her enemies. Obviously in the course of doing this she has made more enemies and one of them murdered her.
Despite his warning Sam decides to help Jake investigate and so do some of their friends. Of course this is just pottering at the edges of the investigation until a car forces Sam and Jake off the road and suddenly things get real.
Sam and Jake discover that they are being followed and spied on, a homeless drifter who Jake knows is killed and a possible suspect is gunned down in nearby Seattle. As they investigate and begin to unravel the threads of the mystery they find that these threads are encroaching upon their life and pulling them into the viper's nest that Susan Crane so willingly created.
I thought this was an enjoyable mystery. At the heart of the story is a committed couple who have been separated because of their jobs. Finally after six months of being apart they reunite, only to be thrust into a gritty mystery. Added to the mix is a great group of friends, one of whom knew the dead woman and who has a dark past of his own.
I enjoyed the cast of characters and the way they worked together to solve the mystery. There is a frisson of delicious suspense that winds its way through the story and this builds up to the very end.
Everything falls into place at just the right moment and in a way I couldn't foresee and this made the story all that more enjoyable. As a reader I don't want to be able to guess the ending and so I enjoyed the twists and turns as the mystery slowly progressed.
This is a solid mystery with a good cast of characters and it is throughly enjoyable!
Copy provided by Bold Stroke Books via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
Who killed Susan Crane and dumped her body in the boot of a car left on a ferry.?
This question consumes Jake Finnegan. The dead woman's body haunts his mind and even though his partner Sam warns him, Jake just cant stand by especially when the police rule the murder as a suicide.
Jake begins to poke around on the internet and gradually a picture of a malicious and vindictive woman emerges. Susan Crane was an excellent journalist but she was also spiteful and used her journalistic talent to bring down her enemies. Obviously in the course of doing this she has made more enemies and one of them murdered her.
Despite his warning Sam decides to help Jake investigate and so do some of their friends. Of course this is just pottering at the edges of the investigation until a car forces Sam and Jake off the road and suddenly things get real.
Sam and Jake discover that they are being followed and spied on, a homeless drifter who Jake knows is killed and a possible suspect is gunned down in nearby Seattle. As they investigate and begin to unravel the threads of the mystery they find that these threads are encroaching upon their life and pulling them into the viper's nest that Susan Crane so willingly created.
I thought this was an enjoyable mystery. At the heart of the story is a committed couple who have been separated because of their jobs. Finally after six months of being apart they reunite, only to be thrust into a gritty mystery. Added to the mix is a great group of friends, one of whom knew the dead woman and who has a dark past of his own.
I enjoyed the cast of characters and the way they worked together to solve the mystery. There is a frisson of delicious suspense that winds its way through the story and this builds up to the very end.
Everything falls into place at just the right moment and in a way I couldn't foresee and this made the story all that more enjoyable. As a reader I don't want to be able to guess the ending and so I enjoyed the twists and turns as the mystery slowly progressed.
This is a solid mystery with a good cast of characters and it is throughly enjoyable!
Copy provided by Bold Stroke Books via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 14, 2016
I received this as an arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review.
Jake Finnigan is already having the worst day of his life when the corpse of notorious tabloid reporter Susan Crane is found locked in the trunk of her car on the ferry where he works.
Very good read.
I liked the story and the characters.
Although sometimes it dragged a bit.
My favourite characters were Jake and Sam.
Wasn't sure about Alex.
I was surprised with who the killer was. I didn't see that coming.
Highly recommended.
Jake Finnigan is already having the worst day of his life when the corpse of notorious tabloid reporter Susan Crane is found locked in the trunk of her car on the ferry where he works.
Very good read.
I liked the story and the characters.
Although sometimes it dragged a bit.
My favourite characters were Jake and Sam.
Wasn't sure about Alex.
I was surprised with who the killer was. I didn't see that coming.
Highly recommended.
March 18, 2016
A Joyfully Jay review.
3 stars
On the one hand, this is not an empirically “bad” book. It centers on the murder of a woman and follows a married couple as they try to uncover how it happened and who the murderer is. If you like straight-up murder mysteries, you might enjoy this book. The tone of the writing is perfectly adequate in tone, not pitched too high-brow or too low. A series of events and meetings with parties associated to the deceased gives the readers some clues, so you have a chance at following along. There are action scenes, including a car chase down a winding mountain road and a kidnapping. In that sense, it’s just your average murder mystery.
On the other hand, this book has what I believe is a execrable flaw: a superabundance of things that matter that happen entirely off-page. To explain the extent of this err, let me inform you that at about the 60-page mark, I convinced myself I simply must have inadvertently picked up a book smack in the middle of the a series. I kept reading, berating myself for not doing my homework and at least googling the events in the earlier books (you know, so I could figure things the fuck out!). At about the 180-page mark, there were just too many references to significant past events. I had to put my fingers in the internet and lo! This is the author’s first shot outta the gates–read: there IS nothing before this book.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
3 stars
On the one hand, this is not an empirically “bad” book. It centers on the murder of a woman and follows a married couple as they try to uncover how it happened and who the murderer is. If you like straight-up murder mysteries, you might enjoy this book. The tone of the writing is perfectly adequate in tone, not pitched too high-brow or too low. A series of events and meetings with parties associated to the deceased gives the readers some clues, so you have a chance at following along. There are action scenes, including a car chase down a winding mountain road and a kidnapping. In that sense, it’s just your average murder mystery.
On the other hand, this book has what I believe is a execrable flaw: a superabundance of things that matter that happen entirely off-page. To explain the extent of this err, let me inform you that at about the 60-page mark, I convinced myself I simply must have inadvertently picked up a book smack in the middle of the a series. I kept reading, berating myself for not doing my homework and at least googling the events in the earlier books (you know, so I could figure things the fuck out!). At about the 180-page mark, there were just too many references to significant past events. I had to put my fingers in the internet and lo! This is the author’s first shot outta the gates–read: there IS nothing before this book.
Read Camille’s review in its entirety here.
January 22, 2016
This book was full of mystery, suspense and some action too!
Jake is having a bad day because while he is at work on the ferry there is a body of a reporter found in the trunk of one of the cars. After it is announced a suicide Jake decides to take it in his own hands and investigate.
I love a book that has me on the edge of my seat the whole time I am reading it trying to guess who did it and hoping the main MC and his partner will be okay.
This author definitely grabbed me from the start of this book and I could not put it down. You meet other characters in this book along with a high speed chase and other danger that Jake and his partner Sam face while Jake is investigating the murder.
So I will leave this review with... I loved this book and would definitely recommend this!
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
Jake is having a bad day because while he is at work on the ferry there is a body of a reporter found in the trunk of one of the cars. After it is announced a suicide Jake decides to take it in his own hands and investigate.
I love a book that has me on the edge of my seat the whole time I am reading it trying to guess who did it and hoping the main MC and his partner will be okay.
This author definitely grabbed me from the start of this book and I could not put it down. You meet other characters in this book along with a high speed chase and other danger that Jake and his partner Sam face while Jake is investigating the murder.
So I will leave this review with... I loved this book and would definitely recommend this!
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review from Inked Rainbow Reads.
January 22, 2018
For me, this was a good murder mystery, with lot's of interesting suspects that kept me guessing. I liked the relationship between Sam and Jake. I liked the secondary characters that are friends with Sam and Jake; their brainstorming and banter brings humor to the storyline. Even though it takes a few chapters to get into the murder mystery, it's more character driven with meeting Jake and Alex first and then Sam. One thing I learned about Steve Pickens he really shows his appreciation of Washington State with his colorful descriptions of the environment, flowers and foliage.
February 10, 2016
Jake Finnigan works on a ferry and his day just goes wrong when a body is discovered on the ferry in the boot of a car - a body, a reporter named as Susan Crane, which had been shot, throat cut and bound - which is then determined to be a suicide.
So he determines to investigate and finds a long list of suspects.
a NetGalley book
So he determines to investigate and finds a long list of suspects.
a NetGalley book
February 6, 2024
Final Departure (Jake Finnegan 1)
By Steve Pickens
Published by Bold Stroke Books, 2016
Five stars
I’m so glad to have discovered this two-book series by Steve Pickens. Jake Finnegan is a ferry pilot on the waterways north of Seattle, an area I’ve visited just once. The ferry system in northwest Washington is unique in the country, and thus a clever way to give this book a distinctive character simply based on geography. As the story opens, Jake is anticipating the return of his longtime partner, Sam O’Connor, from six months in Australia. Sam’s a naval architect, and this long sojourn away from home was to solidify a plan that would establish their business and their future.
The boys live in Arrow Bay, a fictitious town that could be one of any number of similar places in the north of Washington State. It is cozy and picturesque, and close enough to Seattle and its attractions. All in all, with Sam’s return imminent, Jake is as happy as could be.
Then a dead body turns up in an abandoned car on Jake’s boat, the Elwha, bringing with it a host of troubles, not the least of which are Jake’s memories of the unsolved murder of his childhood friend, Chris Aponte. When the obvious murder is declared a suicide, Jake, Sam, and their friends are drawn into an investigation that gets increasingly puzzling and dangerous.
Jake and Sam are great characters: believable, appealing, and imperfect. But the book is not just about them, but about their friends, their families, and the community around them. The action in the book is well seasoned with personal interactions, keeping Jake and Sam real, and reminding the reader how loved they are by the people around them. Just when things are supposed to be going smoothly, as their future life as a couple begins to take shape, danger casts its shadow over their idyllic life.
I’m glad Pickens wrote a second book in this series, because I wasn’t ready to give them up yet.
By Steve Pickens
Published by Bold Stroke Books, 2016
Five stars
I’m so glad to have discovered this two-book series by Steve Pickens. Jake Finnegan is a ferry pilot on the waterways north of Seattle, an area I’ve visited just once. The ferry system in northwest Washington is unique in the country, and thus a clever way to give this book a distinctive character simply based on geography. As the story opens, Jake is anticipating the return of his longtime partner, Sam O’Connor, from six months in Australia. Sam’s a naval architect, and this long sojourn away from home was to solidify a plan that would establish their business and their future.
The boys live in Arrow Bay, a fictitious town that could be one of any number of similar places in the north of Washington State. It is cozy and picturesque, and close enough to Seattle and its attractions. All in all, with Sam’s return imminent, Jake is as happy as could be.
Then a dead body turns up in an abandoned car on Jake’s boat, the Elwha, bringing with it a host of troubles, not the least of which are Jake’s memories of the unsolved murder of his childhood friend, Chris Aponte. When the obvious murder is declared a suicide, Jake, Sam, and their friends are drawn into an investigation that gets increasingly puzzling and dangerous.
Jake and Sam are great characters: believable, appealing, and imperfect. But the book is not just about them, but about their friends, their families, and the community around them. The action in the book is well seasoned with personal interactions, keeping Jake and Sam real, and reminding the reader how loved they are by the people around them. Just when things are supposed to be going smoothly, as their future life as a couple begins to take shape, danger casts its shadow over their idyllic life.
I’m glad Pickens wrote a second book in this series, because I wasn’t ready to give them up yet.
November 16, 2018
This book has a great balance of engaging characters and a suspenseful plot - without too much gore. I can't wait to read the next book from this author!!
June 6, 2020
Pretty solid story. I enjoyed it a lot.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews