Cut You Down

Wakeland #2

by Sam Wiebe

Tabitha Sorenson is missing. The bright but unstable student disappeared in the aftermath of a scandal involving millions of dollars in college funds. Professor Dana Essex doesn't think the missing money and the missing student are connected, but she hires Vancouver PI David Wakeland to find Tabitha, with whom she is in obsessed.

When Wakeland discovers Tabitha has in fact stolen the money and is hiding out with her lover and reports back to his client, Essex is crushed to learn that Tabitha is in love with someone else. The next morning, Tabitha has been murdered and Essex has disappeared.

Meanwhile, Wakeland has his own problems. His former girlfriend, police officer Sonia Drego, believes her partner is corrupt. With her job--and possibly her life--on the line, Wakeland may be her best hope of uncovering the conspiracy in the department before it brings her down.

Hounded by Tabitha's friends, the police, the press, and his own troubled conscience, Wakeland tries desperately to find Essex and make sense of what happened. Could it all have been a ruse from the start, and is Wakeland just another in a long line of suckers?

While searching for Essex and investigating Sonia's partner, Wakeland encounters criminals, anarchists, and crooked authority figures--all of them desperate people who will stop at nothing to guard their secrets.

Genres: Mystery, Canada, Fiction, Thriller, Noir, Crime, Audiobook

354 pages, Paperback

Published February 13, 2018

About the author

Sam Wiebe is the author of CUT YOU DOWN, INVISIBLE DEAD, and LAST OF THE INDEPENDENTS. He lives in Vancouver.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cut You Down” (Wakeland #2) by Sam Wiebe is the third book of this years (2019) Shamus award nominees that I have read. And what a fantastic book it is. In my opinion this is the best contender so far. For those who like P.I. books and good writing, Mr. Wiebe is certainly a person to keep one’s eyes open for.

The nominees for the 2019 awards are:

Wrong Light, by Matt Coyle (Oceanview)
What You Want to See, by Kristen Lepionka (Minotaur)
The Widows of Malabar Hill, by Sujata Massey (Soho Crime)
Baby’s First Felony, by John Straley (Soho Crime)
Cut You Down, by Sam Wiebe (Quercus)

The book takes place in Vancouver, Canada, and Mr. Wiebe resides there, so he knows of what he speaks. This being the second title in the Wakeland Novel series and the first I have read, it certainly can be read independently. There’s a lot of the seamy side of life here, and much about human behavior that rings true even in its repulsiveness. Can this be called Canadian noir?

The story concerns former policeman now turned private investigator Dave Wakeland. Dave has maintained his relationship with former girlfriend Sonia, who has continued her career on the Vancouver police force. One day Dave gets a call from Dana Essex and his world changes. Dana wants him to find a missing college student named Tabitha Sorensen. Dana, a professor, has been a mentor and friend to Tabitha.

Tabitha’s disappearance is connected to a scandal at the college where Dana taught. Tabitha served on a committee that managed a large fund for school programs. Both the money, an unknown amount, and Tabitha have gone missing.

Wiebe injects a love of language that comes across as sincere and natural, mixing the dark and light with wit and humor. This is a most excellent novel and highly recommended.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

CUT YOU DOWN by Sam Wiebe is the sequel to the acclaimed Vancouver crime novel INVISIBLE DEAD.

I was fortunate to win a copy of INVISIBLE DEAD (Wakeland #1) in 2016 and CUT YOU DOWN (Wakeland #2) in Jan 2018 by Sam Wiebe, a dark gritty detective tale set in Vancouver, Canada, through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest. Having enjoyed his debut novel, and posting a review on Goodreads and Amazon, I was pleased to read the second book in the series.

I would suggest that you read the books in sequence in order to get a better appreciation of the characters. Living in Toronto, and having travelled many times to Vancouver, I could appreciate the setting and imagery.

Dave Wakeland is a private investigator, former cop, employed in the partnership of Wakeland and Chen, Private Investigations. Dave Wakeland and his partner Jeff Chen complement each other. Wakeland is more of a loner, eccentric in nature, who prefers his quiet time, and takes on cold cases that he feels comfortable with, while his partner, Jeff, came from the corporate security world and networks and brings in the money and clients into the business.

In this novel set in Vancouver, B.C., PI Dave Wakeland takes on two difficult cases.

The first case involves a missing person, a student-Tabitha Sorenson, a bright but unstable student disappeared in the aftermath of a scandal involving millions of dollars in college funds. Professor Dana Essex doesn't think the missing money and the missing student are connected, but she hires Vancouver PI David Wakeland to find Tabitha.

After further investigation, Wakeland discovers Tabitha has stolen the money and is hiding out with her lover and Wakeland advises his client. Professor Dana Essex is devastated to find out that Tabitha is in love with someone else, as she is obsessed with Tabitha. The next morning, Tabitha has been murdered and Essex has disappeared.

The second case involves his former girlfriend, police officer Sonia Drego, who believes her partner, Chris Chambers is corrupt. Wakeland is hired to uncover the conspiracy in the department before it comes down on her.

These cases encompass aspects of laundered money, lies, betrayal and murder, a detective against gangsters, a bad cop and a contract killer…secrets that must be hidden at all costs.

This is a well-written novel that comments on a society that forces its people to live by their rules, and engages the players to a game of cat and mouse.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for a new and exciting police procedural collection, I turned to the series by Sam Wiebe. Set on the gritty streets of Vancouver, Dave Wakeland works as a private investigator. Forced out of the VPD, Wakeland must locate a young woman who has disappeared and is rumored to have made off with a significant amount of money. While he tries to locate her, Wakeland is approached by his former partner to investigate the man with whom she is currently working. These cases are sure to keep Wakeland busy as he pieces things together. Wiebe entertains in this second novel of the series.

Tabitha Sorenson is an unstable student, plagued by a scandal surrounding millions of missing dollars from the university. While allegations are being tossed about, Professor Dana Essex—who has a romantic interest in Tabitha—is sure there is no connection between the two. As Professor Essex is one of the few who believes Tabitha is innocent, she hires PI Dave Wakeland to find Tabitha and clear her name.

Wakeland makes short order of the case, discovering the truth about Tabitha and that she had taken up with a lover. Professor Essex is crushed, but is sure there is an explanation. By the next morning, Tabitha has been murdered and Essex is missing, which pulls Wakeland into a new angle on the case. He is hounded relentlessly by Tabitha’s friends and family, which only adds pressure he does not need.

Meanwhile, Wakeland has been tossed a second case of sorts. His former girlfriend, Sonia Drego, has made a name for herself within Vancouver PD. She’s worried her current partner is corrupt and wants Wakeland to dig a little deeper before she’s tarnished with whatever is going on. This will ensure Wakeland crosses paths with the most corrupt and violent people that Vancouver has to offer. All this in a day’s work! Sam Wiebe crafts a great novel that has me eager to read on!

Sam Wiebe does well to create a strong investigative thriller with a Canadian spin. He develops a great narrative once more, getting the story moving with great action and blunt side stories. Characters effectively impact the story and keep the reader wondering as Wiebe ensures the reader feels the impact of what is taking place. Plot points create suspense and surprises at every turn, while providing the reader a reason to forge onwards with this well-crafted book. I am eager to keep reading and hope things stay entertaining.

Kudos, Mr. Wiebe, for impressing me once again!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Wiebe's 'Cut You Down' was my first book by this author. Dave Wakeland, former cop turned PI navigates his way through his client's request to find people. He is tasked with locating Tabitha Sorenson, and uses what remains of his police contacts. Wakeland is thrust into a cat and mouse game, spanning many areas of Canada and Washington State. Wakeland is met with twists and turns, while trying to bring closure to his client, all while protecting himself and his business partners.
I found this book to be a very easy, relaxing and enjoyable read. It was one of those books you can easily get into and quickly immerse yourself in. Same Wiebe does a fantastic job of developing the scenes of the book, providing vivid detail to draw the reader into the story. I found the characters to be very relatable and believable.
Great book overall, 4/5
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope to read the others in the series.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the exception of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series, I wasn’t aware of any Canadian crime/detective fiction so it was a real treat to come across this book (thanks Goodreads Giveaways). This book is set in western Canada, in Vancouver. Being a western Canadian myself I really appreciated this. Despite what one might glean from the media, Canada is not just Toronto. Anyhow, Dave Wakeland is a former police officer turned private investigator. In this book, he is hired to find a missing university student. Aided by a few memorable characters, this search takes him from the world of academia to the underbelly of Vancouver. I really enjoyed this book. Good writing, great characters, interesting story, and a keep you on the edge of your seat ending. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was pretty fantastic.

I mean, hardboiled mysteries aren't a paragon of originality, they're more of a game you play with the author: you have to figure out who did it and why before he explains you. CUT YOU DOWN nevertheless shines through its fantastic execution. It's all in the details, but particularly in David Wakeland's complex and difficult personality. Sam Wiebe's protagonist is not the easiest nut to crack, but he's got a way of earning the reader's admiration before you even notice. CUT YOU DOWN is a long, intricate journey into Wakeland's inner universe that was fulfilling every step of the way.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wakeland #2 didn't disappoint!!!

I had watched They Live on cable this past week...and then I read this:

"Nothing on the walls save for a signed poster of Roddy Piper, sunglasses on, ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum."

[Rebecca Hock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. I have never heard of this author or this series. I came across a copy of the book totally by chance. I was interested in the book mostly because I grew up in Vancouver so this was the main attraction. But this was a great story. Really interesting story. Very likable characters. I will recommend this book to others. Most enjoyable.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life) · Rating 4 out of 5]

RATING: 4.5 STARS
2018; Penguin Random House Canada

Cut You Down is the second instalment of the Wakeland mystery series, and is also set in Vancouver, BC. After reading the first novel, Invisible Dead, I have put Sam Wiebe on my must read list. I am a fan of Canadian fiction, but there are too many mystery stories out there (that are also set in Canada), let alone Detective Noir. David Wakeland, a private investigator, is on a missing person case that may lead him way over his head. It leads him over the border and into net of many dangerous groups. Wakeland reminds me of Nick Charles with his wit, and Sam Spade with his cases and attitude. I am looking forward to the next Wakeland novel, or anything by Wiebe.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

[Melissa McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was not as good as the first. But i was really intrigued and needed to know what would happen

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Quercus for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the hard-boiled crime type novels. CUT YOU DOWN by Sam Wiebe caught my eye right away. This was my introduction to Wiebe and I wasn't aware this was book two in the Wakeland series. It definitely reads as a standalone, so don't let that deter you! I will say though, I definitely want to go back and get to know the characters more.

Tabitha Soresen is a bright student that got mixed up in a huge scandal involving millions of dollars in college funds is now missing. Dana Essex, a professor at the university, doesn't think they're connected and wants to find Tabitha. She enlists the help of Vancouver PI David Wakeland to track her home.

After Wakeland tracks her down, he discovers that Tabitha had run off with the money and was in hiding with her lover. When he reports his findings to Essex, who is secretly obsessed with Tabitha, she is noticeably upset and hurt. The next day, Tabitha is found murdered and Essex is nowhere to be found.

As if that's not enough, he also is recruited to help his former girlfriend, Sonia, investigate her partner. Can he uncover the conspiracy within her police department?

This was a great hard boiled crime novel - I'm a sucker for those. The writing was great and I loved the rough around the edges Wakeland. I can't wait to see where Wiebe takes him next! You would think that having two investigations happening simultaneously would be confusing, but Wiebe does a great job at keeping them separate and confusion at a minimum.

I give this one 4.5/5 stars - rounded up for rating

[Warren Layberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving Cut You Down four stars only reluctantly. Don't get me wrong, there was a great deal that I thought was superb—including its lucid rendering of a dysfunctional Vancouver—and I'm looking forward to the next Dave Wakeland novel.

Many of the characters (almost all, in fact, both major and minor) are terrific and compelling. However, when it came to Dana Essex, I ended up finding her cartoonishly villainous and smug. I mean, I get the need for villains in crime novels. I really do. And I will say this, I loved the reveal of her involvement in the murder of Tabitha Sorenson. But once she'd been revealed for what she was, she became pretty two-dimensional for me.

In a way, Wiebe falls victim to his own undeniable talent because the two-dimensionality of Essex is made more conspicuous by the more complex credible portrayals of other characters in the book.

[Dianne Everson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because, of all things, it was recommended as a view of Eastside Vancouver by a a B.C. Political mag I read online, and I do read crime novels.
I rate this 3.5 stars.
If you don't read a spoiler summary it has a good surprising twist and complex interesting characters. Vancouver noir.
Not characters you really come to understand, but acceptance seems to be what the author believes in.
A Canadian author worthy of its place with on the shelf with others in the genre.
Glimpse of life tourists don't want to know.
An exciting ending too, worthy of a tv movie.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read both Wakeland books back to back. This one was a touch harder for me to get into, but it still rocked. When a meek and mild college instructor hires Dave to find a missing student, he has no idea how much evil he’s going to find. Add a corrupt cop and vicious local criminal gangs in an unrelated plot line and you’re up and away with the mayhem. These are not frivolous books: they’re dark and bloody, but so compelling that I’m eager to see where the author goes next.

[Rob Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Weibe's knight errant Dave Wakeland is at it again. Fighting unseen battles that he can't explain. Every mystery he pursues leads him to more questions about the man he is. Powerful P.I. fiction that will enrich any reader

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Tabitha Sorenson is missing and millions in college funds are gone. Professor Dana Essex hires Vancouver PI Wakeland to find her.

[Mary Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful Vancouver Noir with a PI who is interestingly capable of change. I look forward to the next instalment.

[Anne Gafiuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third novel I have read by Wiebe, the second of the Wakeland series for me. Set in Vancouver, the author shows the nitty gritty side of life in this Canadian west coast city, but there are episodes of humour where I laughed out loud! I could only imagine the story board Wiebe must have had on his walls of his house to sort out this complicated detective story.

[Trevor Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a copy of Cut You Down by Sam Wiebe through the GoodReads giveaway program in exchange for an honest review

Vancouver Private Investigator Dave Wakeland is an archetypal figure in the freelance world of detective work, some would argue otherwise, but let’s face it, in the literary world he’s about as rare as a woman in distress in a piece of pulp fiction. Specifically speaking, Dave has his fair share of private clients, a growing security business as well as a checkered past as a recognized member of a police department and of course a few personal hang ups. Dave’s lead a hell of a life up to this point and he doesn’t foresee much changing in the near future even if his current situation is in flux. Dave's business partner Jefferson Chen was always the one with the entrepreneurial spirit and grew their shared business from a mere office space of three chairs and a small desk into a security/counterespionage regional empire. Jeff was looking to diversify their investigations and transition from missing persons into the corporate spectrum, indirectly implying that Dave’s presence was slowly becoming no longer needed and a buyout was in the offing. Jeff’s mindset had changed over the course of the past few years, he’s in the midst of settling down while being more responsible for business was becoming increasingly important, and with Dave on the payroll, projections became harder to calculate and even more difficult to achieve. Dave’s time was running out but with Jeff off preparing for his upcoming wedding, Dave would go out with a bang as he ends one chapter and begins anew; but who would've thought his next case would all occur with a good old fashioned big city purse snatching.

“In my brief time as a cop it had felt good, walking through that lobby beneath his photo. Now it only reminded me of a promise I’d broken, the breaking of which had made me better and happier, though not without a lingering sense of shame.”

Dave’s ex-girlfriend Sonia Drego is a cop for the Vancouver Police Department, so she understands the rigors of dealing with guys like Dave. They broke up due to a potential conflict of interest but stayed in touch and traded information when it proved beneficial for both parties. Sonia has raised concern about her partner Chris and has asked Dave to follow him to find out what’s going on when Chris punches the timecard at the end of his shift. When it came to Dave's life as a police man he never felt like the rules applied to him which contributed to his short stint on the beat. What also proved to be a strong motivator was his recognition and brutal honesty that he would become the cop he hated the most and possibly even worse if he ended up having the sort of career that his foster father had. With all these factors acknowledged and treated with the utmost respect, Dave still believed that he was born to be a public servant, but had to do it on his own terms unlike the majority of the people in blue. He couldn’t help himself when he would hear the screams of a person in trouble, which would lead him to his next client in Dana Essex. Dana is a homely looking middle aged woman that appeared to be the type to prefer to stay in the background and out of situations that required his services which made her need for help all the more alarming. Dana voices her concern about a former student of hers and a fellow committee member named Tabitha Sorenson. Tabitha’s not necessarily missing per se, but Dana is in desperate need to talk with her and can’t find her in any university registry; she seems to have gone off the grid completely. Dana was married for two years and saw a lot of herself in Tabitha, and being the naïve and impassioned person she is Dana took a shine to Tabitha. Specifically speaking Dana saw her twenty something self in Tabitha minus the cynicism that came with age, a demanding career, a life of solitude, and an unfulfilled life. If you ask Dave something seems a little off with this case, but if you know Dave like I know Dave, that only makes the search for answers that much more exhilarating.

“If only Kay of anyone else had been free – but they were all busy living it up. The entire population of the world was paired off, reeling drunkenly toward the doors of their rented suites, to fuck and tell each other sweet nothings. This was how I spent my time – peering through strangers’ windows. How I spent birthdays, holidays. Alone with the work. It was sick, perhaps, but it was a choice I’d make. Like Gill and his love of books.”

During her educational career Tabitha wasn’t the best of students and often showed more enthusiasm for subjects pertaining to political science and economics. As a member of the student government she was appointed to be student events coordinator and almost simultaneously became embroiled in a financial scandal which Dana believed may have been the beginning of the end for Tabitha. Millions of dollars were unaccounted for and knowing Tabitha, that’s where the worry started for Dana because she knew that a person like Tabitha wasn’t built to handle the public scrutiny that she would be subject to. After a few phone calls and meetings with close contacts Dave finds out that for the last nine months Tabitha had completely cut off communication with her immediate family. After further investigative work Dave attributed her renunciation to being brought up in a broken home as well as negative outside influences. In spite of all this data the question remained: how could a young woman with so much to offer the world go off the face off the earth? Was she being cautious given that authorities were watching her every move? Or was she scared knowing that if she made a misstep it could be her last?

“Sonia Drego and Dana Essex were essentially different – one willful and sensual, thoughtful and at the same time heedless, while the other was a construction of tiny, overbought movements, a trapped inside an ice flow. Yet both had sent me on tasks I didn’t fully understand. Maybe they didn’t either. In any case, I wasn’t getting answers tonight.”

An understated but very important aspect of the story is the commentary that the author provides on the current state of Vancouver with respects to the wildfires that devastated the province last year, the government handling of mental health, the booming real estate market, and the impending doom to buyer confidence. An ode to life in the big city with all its metropolitan indulgences and daily hazards to health; ahem, ahem let me clear my throat. The secondary factors of the story are very important to the story as they provide a solid foundation for the motivation behind the corruption, money laundering, drugs and murder; which demonstrate to the reader that in order to survive in the cost-of-living-heavy-world of Van-City, you may have to get a little dirty and follow the advice of the devil on your left shoulder. If you’re into stories involving biker gangs, drug running, border wars, spoiled suburban brothers, dirty cops moonlighting as muscle for career criminals, local professional wrestlers on the regional circuit and of course your flawed private investigator then this book is for you.

“When I was in grad school, I’d pass certain professors in the halls and know that, as learned as they were, they’d never lived. Some were bureaucrats, some socially inadequate. Some simply lived through the books they studied, and I liked those the best. Many were waiting for a proletarian revolution that wouldn’t happen in their lifetime. Those people were ghosts. I told myself I’d disguise myself as one of them, but I’d never become like them. I would live. And now, however many years later, here I am – I’ve decided myself into a spectral existence no different from theirs. Only I knew better, and chose it anyway.”

[Aaron Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this second Wakeland book to be an improvement on the first. With the introductions out of the way Wiebe can get down to just entertaining and he does that in spades!

[Teresa Mills-Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stoked to have discovered this author after having read Vancouver Noir. You're the real deal, Wiebe!

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wakeland is back. He is called in my Professor Dana Essex when a student, Tabitha Sorenson disappears in the middle of a scandal with millions in a college find disappear. Essex is obsessed with Tabitha and calls in Wakeland to investigate. Wakeland finds that she did take the money and is hiding out with another man. But then she is found dead and Essex is gone. At the same time, Wakeland’s old partner/girlfriend, Sonia Drego, thinks that her new partner is corrupt. She asks Wakeland to look into her partner and department.

Wakeland can help but look into the missing money, death, and corruption. But he is going to quickly find himself in over his head. Who is Essex and why is he is obsessed with Tabitha? And when Tabitha ends up dead with the money missing, all signs point to Essex, who is this quiet professor and what is going on.

Also, while looking into Sonia’s partner we learn that Chris has ties to a Chinese mobster that Wakeland has run into before. They also remember Wakeland and are determined to not let him go this time.

I really enjoyed Invisible Dead. Although Cut You Down didn’t have the same feel as Invisible Dead, it was still a great thrill ride.

I received Cut You Down from the Quercus for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

[Bret Kinghorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this from Goodreads giveaways.
It is book two that follows Vancouver PI Dave Wakeland and his-sometimes-unorthodox ways of investigating a case.
This time around he is hired to investigate a missing women who had been involved in a large scale case of fraud at a local university. But looks can be deceiving as the case begins to drag him into a dangerous game involving corrupt cops, local drug lords, an ex-lover and ex-fellow cop, and the local crime family. All this leads him to surprising twist that involves a person who is literally willing to kill to get away from it all.
Like Invisible Dead, this book takes you into some dark places of Vancouver and its surrounding areas. Showing what's under the covers of a City that is on the brink. Sam Wiebe tells a fast paced, entertaining story, with rapid dialogue that refuses to drag its feet, all while giving you a feel of some of the dirty little "secrets" that are plaguing the Lower Mainland.
Like the first, I recommend this one to anyone who likes a good read that moves well. Also, if you haven't read the first one, its not a requirement to be able to read and follow this one.

[Susan Chow-Dukhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two stories in one book. The search for a missing college student that may have ties to embezzled funds and the investigation into the actions of a corrupt Vancouver cop. This novel has unexpected twists and turns that keeps the reader wondering about the resolution of each case.
While some events that occurred in the novel were exceptionally well written, capturing the reader's imagination, I felt that the overall effect of the writing felt a little two-dimensional. If Mr. Wiebe were to incorporate more descriptive prose in his writing, his novels would have more of a Jim Thompson feel.
The plot of Cut You Down is well thought out and Mr. Wiebe does not fall into the category of writers who feels that all the loose ends about the main character and the recurring secondary characters have to be tied up, before the end of the novel.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a free copy for honest review.

Dave Wakeland is a private investigator, former cop, and part owner of Wakeland and Chen, Private Investigations agency. He is hired by professor Dana Essex to find Tabitha Sorenson, a student who has disappeared and may also be part of an elaborate scheme where millions of dollars was stolen from the college fund. He is also helping his former lover, Sonia, a police officer who believes her colleague is corrupt and up to no good. This book is a good read and an interesting detective series that I look forward to reading more of. Dave Wakeland is a well developed character that is complex and interesting. He has his own set of morals and ethics and will fight for what he believes in. The book has enough twist and turns to keep you interested and it is well written.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cut You Down is the second entry into what is an enjoyable and entertaining novel staring Vancouver, B.C. P.I. David Wakeland. Based in Western Canada, Cut You Down not only is a first-class story but also offers views of Vancouver, a city not familiar to many.
Wakeland specializes in finding missing persons. Here, he is hired to find Tabitha Sorenson, a college student who may have misappropriated university funds. This seems especially straightforward until it is not. Mix in a shady client who wants to find Tabitha, a mob connection related to another case, a dirty cop, and you have a compulsory P.I. novel of the best kind. And do make sure that you read Invisible Dead the initial Wakeland novel, as well as Last of The Independents, a tremendous stand alone.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read the first novel in this series and I received this book for free through Goodreads First-Reads a while ago and have finally got a chance to read it. I enjoy crime/detective novels, but to me this was fairly run of the mill. There wasn't too much that really made me go "Wow". I didn't have a problem putting the book down to come back to it later, There was never an instance where I said, 'Just one more chapter'.

With all that said, there is nothing really wrong with the novel. It moves at a good pace, and despite not having read the first book in the series, the personalities of the characters still came through.

Overall it was a solid, but ultimately forgettable crime novel.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for fans of procedurals. Wakeland might seem like the standard tortured PI but the Vancouver setting is a treat (for a US reader in particular) and he's well written. He walks into what appears to be a fairly straight forward case- find Tabitha who might have stolen money - and it quickly goes wonky when Tabitha turns up dead. Who is Professor Essex, really? At the same time, he agrees to help his ex with a possible conspiracy in the police department. I'd not read the first book and I think I might have missed some nuance but this was a very enjoyable read, with lots of small details that make you think. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was neat that this book was set in Vancouver - I live in Saskatchewan, but have spent a lot of time over in Vancouver, and I found the setting to be totally realistic. Very much made me feel that I was back in Vancouver. The novel was well-written - I enjoyed the pace, and the way it kept me turning pages, because I needed to know what you going on. I actually haven't read the first book in the series, but this book made perfect sense to me....I'm sure the experience is even better if you read the first book, but if you haven't, it's fine to read this on its own. Good characters who felt real, and three-dimensional. A good read, indeed. Thank you!

[Patrick Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got the opportunity to work with Sam during my post-grad at Humber College. He was my advisor and helped me complete my own novel. I read this novel after we worked together and really really enjoyed it. When we worked together I thought he was such a master at constructing characters and this book just further solidified that opinion. I loved the nuances he gave the protagonist and the story had me on the edge of my seat. I hadn't read the novel that precedes this and I wasn't lost at all. From page one I was hooked. I also really love that it was set in Vancouver, it gave the whole backdrop of the novel a very fresh feel and it was a fun environment to explore while reading the book.