Cass Destry is delighted to take on a case that doesn't seem very dangerous, after her last tense dealings with a stalker and serial killer. A young woman has apparently gone missing, if only in her mother's eyes. She is likely sitting on a sandy beach somewhere sipping margaritas as she tans. But as the accidents and coincidences start to pile up, Cass begins to wonder what she has gotten herself into ... as Cass Destry rides again.
Bart Hopkins Jr. is an ex-surfer, avid hiker and occasional rock climber, chess enthusiast and motorcyclist. He is interested in brain and mind topics and linguistics. Has 2 wonderful grown children and 3 grandchildren. Lives in Texas with his wife Kat. His latest of 9 novels include the story of an anthropologist's stay in a psych ward, One Came Crashing In, and the FBI thriller, Living By The Gun. Give them a read!
I think pretty much everything written by Bart Hopkins Jr. is worth reading. His style feels old school, and I mean that as a compliment – he uses language very carefully, and smartly (unlike so many thriller authors I’ve read recently who make me feel like my IQ takes a hit every time I read a few chapters), and his stories are always multilayered and thought provoking.
INFLUENCE is primarily set in Galveston, an area the author knows very well. It’s the second novel by Hopkins with Cass Destry as the protagonist. Last time around the 20-something PI put a serial killer in the ground. This time the stakes are even higher.
The first half of the book finds Cass on a seemingly innocuous case – locate a young adult female who doesn’t want her mother to know where she is. But after locating the woman in Colorado, Cass is witness to a horrific event – and then the tension and stakes begin to mount quickly.
In the second half of the book a villain emerges, and as Cass travels to Washington, California, and ultimately to a confrontation in Colorado, she will need all of her wit, survival instincts, and a few bullets if she’s going to survive. This is an excellent PI/thriller novel and I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy this genre: 5/5 stars.
Two seemingly unrelated accidents, one fatal, one almost fatal just might have something to do with each other after all. Private detective Cass is suspicious and she doggedly pursues lead after lead till eventually figuring things out. A pretty basic plot, but nicely written with cool characters.