Ogrodnik

by Gary Raymond Coffin

An old man is brutally murdered while out for his morning walk on Mount Royal.
Dissatisfied with the police investigation, his son, Elliot Forsman, is compelled to leave his criminology professorship so he can focus his fledgling PI practice on finding his father’s killer. Elliot and his partner, former policewoman Rivka Goldstein, track down the killer only to find themselves caught in a web of corporate conspiracy and hired mercenaries where even the local police cannot be trusted.
Hopelessly in over his head, Elliot abandons the case in an effort to prevent further harm to the people closest to him. Soon after, he stumbles across information that rocks the very foundation of his beliefs and is forced to take up the investigation again. Knowing that he is outmanned, Elliot enlists a man from his past to help combat his adversaries, a man with a history of violence, who understands the deadly world that the mercenaries live in.
Before justice can be served, Elliot must first save his partner from evil personified and overcome his own demons while doing so.

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2016

Reviews

[Amy Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good first novel

When reading stories, the reader should not be able to tell that this was the first book by the author. an author, any author, gets better with time, but there is also that point where past books are corrected or reprinted. This book had some editing errors, but the story was on point. The storyline was engaging, and had strong characters, some needed more development. It was a long book, but in the end it was worth the full read.

[Greg Lerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Could not put it down!
Fast paced and witty, one of the better murder mystery’s I’ve read in a while.

[Vigilant Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ogrodnik 23
Gary Coffin
Genre - Mystery
302 Pages
Rating 5 stars out of 5 Posted 4/30/16

Elliot Forsman is a criminologist teaching at the local university; he also has a private detective agency. His father, Hubert was murdered in an apparent robbery gone awry.
Rivka Goldstein is an ex Montreal cop who works for Elliot's agency. She's also a no nonsense iron man competitor.
After allowing the local police to conduct an investigation into his father's death and seeing the case shelved as unsolved, Elliot starts his own investigation.
Soon Elliot finds that his father anticipated being attacked and left small clues to guide him in his investigation. Hubert's string of clues leads Elliot to Dr. Alex Banik at Biovonix Pharmaceutical. As part of the back story, readers learn Elliot's wife died in a tragic accident three years earlier. Or was it an accident?
Elliot hires a retired cop to follow a suspect and the man is murdered while on stakeout. The murderer texted Rivka, stuns her, and introduces himself as Ogrodnik. Something he says convinces her the ugly giant is the Stungun Killer she pursued on her last case as a police officer. The serial killer murdered nine women. In an instant she and Elliot have two dangerous investigations going.
For strong arm support, Elliot enlists the aid of a mysterious, bad assed ex-special forces soldier named Rayce Nolan. Of course he has a stash of hard to obtain weapons and knows how to use them. Together they take on a large gang of mercenaries working for the antagonists.

The plot is interesting because it's not predictable, and character development is detailed to paint vivid pictures of the good and bad guys.
Editing is unusually good.

I highly recommend this intense story.

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

[David Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll preface this by saying I'm not a big mystery reader, but I found Ogrodnik to be more of a thriller / action / suspense novel than a typical detective story. All to the good. The characters are really well-developed and for me, clearly the strength of the story. This nasty fellow, Ogrodnik is a piece of work. Elliot Forsman is a sympathetic, almost reluctant, private investigator with his own unethical tendencies. Rivka Goldstein, Elliot's partner, is well-portrayed and carries a mix of street tough bravado and vulnerability. Now this friend of Elliot's - Rayce - struck me as a Mack Bolan or Matt Helm type of mercenary. I'm not sure how I feel about him but I suppose Elliot needed some muscle to help him out. The setting of Montreal was great since I know the city well.

[Irishlady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, I couldn’t put it down. I’m reading city of saints and I’m loving it too lol