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Seamus McCree #4
Doubtful Relations
Financial crimes investigator Seamus McCree has wife problems, and Lizzie’s not even his wife anymore. Her current husband disappeared on a business trip to Savannah. Was he kidnapped? Dispatched by his hedge fund partners? Or did he run off with another woman? Police assume he’s AWOL, and Lizzie turns to Seamus for help.
Seamus has no desire to be sucked into Lizzie’s drama again, but her angst is also affecting their son, Paddy. Seamus agrees to help discover the truth, a quest that soon involves the entire extended family. Long buried secrets surface and each member must confront the question, “How far can you trust your family?”
Equal parts road trip, who done what, and domestic thriller, book four in the Seamus McCree series takes psychological suspense to a new level. Seamus McCree fans and newcomers alike will delight in this fast-paced novel that leaves no one in the family unchanged and keeps you guessing until the very end.
Seamus has no desire to be sucked into Lizzie’s drama again, but her angst is also affecting their son, Paddy. Seamus agrees to help discover the truth, a quest that soon involves the entire extended family. Long buried secrets surface and each member must confront the question, “How far can you trust your family?”
Equal parts road trip, who done what, and domestic thriller, book four in the Seamus McCree series takes psychological suspense to a new level. Seamus McCree fans and newcomers alike will delight in this fast-paced novel that leaves no one in the family unchanged and keeps you guessing until the very end.
270 pages, ebook
Published August 23, 2016
17 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
James M. Jackson
27 books121 followersJames M. Jackson writes justice-driven thrillers with “brains and bite,” including the award-winning Seamus McCree series. That series explores financial crimes, family relationships, and their deadly intersection across eight novels, two novellas, and several short stories. His Niki Undercover Thriller series, currently with two novels and one in progress, stars Ashley Prescott, an undercover federal agent fighting domestic terrorism of all kinds.
A life member of Sisters in Crime and past president of its Guppy Chapter, Jackson calls home the deep woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. These days he is a snowbird with clipped wings, retreating only to Madison, Wisconsin when weather and road conditions make access to his U.P. home problematic.
When he’s not tormenting his characters, he’s likely birdwatching, hunting for moose sheds, or tracking wolves. Find news, extras, and upcoming events at his website https://jamesmjackson.com.
A life member of Sisters in Crime and past president of its Guppy Chapter, Jackson calls home the deep woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. These days he is a snowbird with clipped wings, retreating only to Madison, Wisconsin when weather and road conditions make access to his U.P. home problematic.
When he’s not tormenting his characters, he’s likely birdwatching, hunting for moose sheds, or tracking wolves. Find news, extras, and upcoming events at his website https://jamesmjackson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 27, 2024
Another fast-paced, tightly-plotted thriller from Jackson. I don’t normally binge read a series, but I’m flying through this one. The twists and complexities are original, and the mix of intellectual work and action required to solve the disappearance of Seamus’s ex-wife’s current husband is the perfect balance for tension and suspense. Jackson handles multiple points of view well. He shows the impact life-threatening crime has on people who aren’t trained to deal with it, contrasting how the events affect Seamus and his son, whose expertise areas respectively are financial crime and cyber security, with how Abigial, a professional bodyguard, responds. I only suspected the culprit a few pages before guilt was revealed. While the events and the plot are important, most of all it’s the characters and their relationships who keep me coming back.
September 4, 2016
Just when you think your past is solidly in your rearview mirror, it sideswipes you and sends you into a tailspin. Seamus McCree knows the dizzy, gut-wrenching feeling all too well.
Ex-wife Lizzie Cunningham begs for his help when her current husband vanishes. Seamus is poised to refuse her when his mother guilts him into agreeing to answer Lizzie’s call to action.
With forays into Cincinnati, Boston, and Savannah, the story nimbly darts from one lead to the next on the trail of Albert Cunningham. Money goes missing from Al’s personal and business accounts. Lizzie looks guilty, Seamus wants to bail; worse, he can’t seem to connect with his lady love. Throughout the quest to learn the truth regarding Al’s disappearance, Seamus smacks headfirst into his own worst fears.
An engaging tale, cleverly crafted in delectable layers. I read it in one sitting.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
Ex-wife Lizzie Cunningham begs for his help when her current husband vanishes. Seamus is poised to refuse her when his mother guilts him into agreeing to answer Lizzie’s call to action.
With forays into Cincinnati, Boston, and Savannah, the story nimbly darts from one lead to the next on the trail of Albert Cunningham. Money goes missing from Al’s personal and business accounts. Lizzie looks guilty, Seamus wants to bail; worse, he can’t seem to connect with his lady love. Throughout the quest to learn the truth regarding Al’s disappearance, Seamus smacks headfirst into his own worst fears.
An engaging tale, cleverly crafted in delectable layers. I read it in one sitting.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
June 28, 2019
Just finished "Doubtful Relations", and loved it. Seamus McCree certainly has his whole family involved in this story, when his ex-wife asks him for help finding her new husband and where all their money went. Lots of twists and turns keep you wondering and some crafty characters that will make you laugh. All in all, its a great read and you will not be disappointed. I've enjoyed every book by this author.
September 25, 2025
I am loving this series. So many great characters and enough excitement and suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat.
August 6, 2016
I received an advance reading copy of this book.
What would you do if your ex-wife showed up on your doorstep and asked you to find her missing husband? Well, if your consummate nice guy, Seamus McCree, you grimace and step up to the plate. As he pursues clues, Seamus (and subsequently his son) uncover an intricate web of crimes that either point to his ex-wife's husband running away with laundered money or his ex-wife covering her tracks to account for a murder for hire. All scenarios put Seamus in a precarious position. Does he trust his ex-wife? Does he tell her the husband is a criminal and most likely running to escape prosecution? None of the clues line up the way they should. Seamus's journey is further complicated by his mother, a car accident, a mob boss, his son and the woman he loves. Set in Cincinnati, New Jersey, Savannah and the outerbanks, and Chicago, this top notch whodunit leaves you guessing to the bitter end (although yes, I did figure it out!). A mystery worthy of Agatha Christie and highly recommended.
What would you do if your ex-wife showed up on your doorstep and asked you to find her missing husband? Well, if your consummate nice guy, Seamus McCree, you grimace and step up to the plate. As he pursues clues, Seamus (and subsequently his son) uncover an intricate web of crimes that either point to his ex-wife's husband running away with laundered money or his ex-wife covering her tracks to account for a murder for hire. All scenarios put Seamus in a precarious position. Does he trust his ex-wife? Does he tell her the husband is a criminal and most likely running to escape prosecution? None of the clues line up the way they should. Seamus's journey is further complicated by his mother, a car accident, a mob boss, his son and the woman he loves. Set in Cincinnati, New Jersey, Savannah and the outerbanks, and Chicago, this top notch whodunit leaves you guessing to the bitter end (although yes, I did figure it out!). A mystery worthy of Agatha Christie and highly recommended.
November 1, 2016
What is Seamus to think when his ex-wife pleads for his help in locating her missing husband? Is she truly a victim, or is she lying about his disappearance? What seems like a simple case of a man running out on his spouse and emptying their joint bank account soon turns complicated. Twisted family relationships mix with the world of high finance in a complex scheme that even Seamus could not have foreseen. Will anyone in his family be left intact once the dust settles and the culprit is exposed? This high-powered crime novel befuddles the reader with its surprising twists and turns while making you wonder what dark secrets your relatives might be hiding.
December 25, 2016
Continuation of the Tale
A very good addition to the tale. The story feels like it could've happened this way. Action, intrigue and romance
A very good addition to the tale. The story feels like it could've happened this way. Action, intrigue and romance
August 3, 2024
Another winner. Who knew being a financial investigator could be so dangerous.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews