Courage Lost

Ray Courage Mystery #4

by R. Scott Mackey

Private Investigator Ray Courage returns in his most complex case yet, one that readers and critics are heralding as the best in the hugely popular mystery series.

Billionaires Isabella and Wyatt Carlyle have been estranged from their son for twenty years. With Isabella at death’s door, she wants to bring her son back into the family. Ray’s search for the now forty-year old son takes him to Monterey, California, where he encounters a cast of seedy characters more than eager to lead him to the heir of the Carlyle fortune. But his search is complicated by the seemingly unrelated murder of a rival private eye. At the same time, a young man is brutally attacked in Honduras and left for dead. Does this relate to Ray’s case?

With a cast of memorable characters and Mackey’s graceful prose, this gripping page-turner delivers on every front and will have you guessing until the final page.

Praise for R. Scott Mackey

"Mackey has a Mickey Spillane flair to his writing that keeps you in your seat wondering what's next." - Long and Short Reviews

"Most highly recommended." - Readers's Favorite

"Agatha Christie, eat your heart out ... here's a modern writer with a similar flare for building plot." - Richard Bunning's Books and Reviews

"Great dialogue and description, and some really wacky, but totally believable characters." - Charles Ray blogspot

260 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2017

About the author

Scott Mackey lives in Northern California, where he writes both fiction and non-fiction. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Ray Courage Mystery Series: Courage Matters, Courage Resurrected, Courage Begins, Courage Stolen, and Courage Betrayed (to be released January 2019)

Follow him:
Twitter: smackey17
Facebook: Facebook.com/rscottmackey
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1tMtfF8
Web: www.rscottmackey.com

Reviews

[Doward Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deceit, lies, secrets, regrets, theft and greed lead to murders, old and new!

Meet Private Investigator, Ray Courage. He has been hired to find the estranged son of Isabella and Wyatt Carlyle. The billionaire couple lost track of him twenty years earlier after a major falling out. Ten years later they tried to find him, with no success. Now that Isabella has only a couple of months to live, she wants to reconcile.They have had the family lawyer bring Ray to meet them and discuss taking the case. He is hesitating, especially when Wyatt privately confides that the son stole five million dollars from his parent's bank accounts when he took off. Arriving for a second meeting with the lawyer, Ray is startled to find a crazed man shooting another of the lawyer's visitors right in the office.

This detailed and intricate mystery takes us from Sacramento to Monterey, California. Ray follows leads that take him to an art gallery, a bar, a meeting with a seedy widow and a side trip to Honduras, on behalf of another frantic mother missing a son. The characters are totally believable and come alive on the page. The plot is well constructed with twists, turns, red herrings and dead ends. If you enjoy a classic PI story, this is a book you will enjoy reading.

I liked that the dialogue was crisp and moved the story right along. The leads kept you guessing while giving you subtle clues and the characters were front and center without overshadowing the storyline. There wasn't a lot of profanity or rough action to detract from the story, just good old fashion legwork and detecting. I am going to be reading the earlier books in this series, as this one reminded me so much of PI book series from the 60's and 70's, which I considered some of the best in this genre.

[John Presler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray Courage is hired by Troy Noon, the attorney for the Carlysle family, to find their long-lost son. Craig Carlysle, Isabel and Wyatt's son, has been missing for over 20 years. They tried to find him 10 years earlier, but to no avail. With virtually nothing to go on, Ray starts by looking through Craig's room, where he finds Craig's High School Yearbook. An inscription inside the back cover catches his attention. It was written by the one person who actually seemed to be Craig's friend.

Hesitant as to whether or not to take the case, Ray decides to speak with Troy Noon again. As he was approaching Troy's office, he heard two men arguing, then a couple of shots. As he started to open the door to Troy's office, the door bursts open and Ray is knocked to the ground. The dead man in Troy's office is Chaz Taddeo, another investigator who had done some work for Troy.

Can Ray find the lost son? Or is the trail too cold? Who shot Chaz Taddeo? Why was he killed? Are the two cases related? Is there more to this case that Troy is not telling him?

Scott Mackey has a very complex mystery this time around with plenty of twists and turns. There are actually multiple cases interwoven into a single story. The only drawback to this book is the level of vulgar language, although it does fit with the characters in the book.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sacramento, CA. PI Ray Courage was called by Troy Noon III (Attorney at Law).
Troy took him to see Wyatt Carlyle (41, husband/father, billionaire) & Isabella Carlyle (wife/mother, billionaire, wheelchair bound), Carlyle Food Processing (tomatoes).
They wanted him to find Craig Carlyle (son, artist/painter, Stanford dropout) who had disappeared yrs. ago.
Riverdale Elementary School (Elk Grove, CA). 1st. stop for Ray is to interview Hannah Campos (2nd. Grade teacher, Sacramento St. U: BA education).
More dead ends.
Lieutenant Rick Bragg, Detective Nick Trujillo & Detective Carla Thurber were working on the murder case of PI Chaz Taddeo (Ray’s BMF).
Detective Lisa Aragon was showing Ray the 5 suspects lineup.
None of them were the killer.

Will Ray solve the MP case?
Will Chaz’s killer be found?

Great beer Sierra Nevada Winter IPA.


I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written PI mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great PI mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Bookfunnel; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn)

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5 stars) Ray is a private investigator in Sacramento and is offered a case to find a long estranged son of a wealthy, but elderly couple through the family’s lawyer. Isabella, the mother, is terminally ill and wants to reconnect before it is too late. The son was an aspiring artist and left Stanford with his girlfriend after embezzling a large sum of money from the family business. While the trail seems cold, Ray finds a few leads through his yearbook and other possessions, leading to a connection with a woman, now a teacher, who was his friend in high school and lived on the family estate with her mother. While she is no help with the case, Ray finds himself drawn into a relationship with her. He finds another clue that leads him to Monterey and several revelations on what has happened to the missing man. There is also the side story of a young man traveling abroad in Honduras who takes a wrong turn and is brutally attacked by gang members, losing his memory and almost his life. A second side plot involves a brutal murder of a fellow investigator at the lawyer’s office that Ray witnesses. The author keeps you guessing on what happened to the heir, who the murderer might be, and how PJ might be connected. It starts out as a classic detective story, but the character development is excellent and the plot keeps moving at a good pace, keeping the reader guessing. This is part of a series, although this book can be read as a standalone novel.

[Charles Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Retired college professor turned PI Ray Courage is hired by an attorney to find the son of a billionaire couple who’s been missing for twenty years. As he begins to dig, and eventually discovers that the missing heir is dead, Ray unearths an even murkier mystery, one that, if he’s not careful could end up with him being dead.

Courage Lost by R. Scott Mackey is yet another offering in the Ray Courage mystery series, and it’s just as good, if not better than the previous stories. Follow Ray as he burrows into a devious plot that twists and turns from central California to Honduras and back, and he has to deal with skeptical cops, murderous street gangs, and greedy grifters—all the while trying to make sense of his arid love life. This one’s a page-turner that you won’t want to miss.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. It’s a five-star one for sure.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Private Investigator Ray Courage is asked by a billionaire to find her estranged son. Sounds simple doesn't it? Not so fast, this is Ray Courage we are talking about and nothing is simple for him! The son ran off after stealing money from the family business, so he really isn't going to want to go back even for mommy. Just when Ray thinks he has a lead, wham! something else comes up. There are hidden stories withing this one. All that will keep you on your toes until the final out come. I enjoyed this story, as I have all of the "Courage Lost" books. Another winner Mr. Mackey!!! I received ARC of this book. The review is voluntary.

[Jay Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written mystery story as Ray Courage runs into danger as he follows the many twists and turns of the investigation into the missing estranged son. The book reveals a lot about Ray's character, and allows him to dabble in a little romance as he works this job. The cast of characters is filled out with a number of unique people. They are described directly and through their actions to give a unique flavor to the story. Not hard to read and very entertaining.

[Shirley A. Lindberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked it

This is a really good mystery that unfolds great characters and lots of surprises along the way. The main character was very engaging with a great sense of humor and no super hero persona, just trying to get the job done. I look forward to reading more about this character. I appreciate the lack of filthy language, sexual details and over the top violence. A good believable mystery with a punch.

[Anne G. Kasaba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent fast paced thriller. Strong storyline that is multidimensional without being confusing. Characters that are believable while not all even a bit likeable.

Ray Courage PI is hired by an attorney to locate his uber-wealthy clients estranged son. His search leads to his solving several crimes beyond his original assignment.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

[Rita Sheppard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've enjoyed all the Ray Courage mysteries but this was the best one by far. Ray is hired to find a long lost son and tumbles into scheming plots and murder. Along the way he finds love again amid the web of intrigue.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of a good mystery story. You won't be disappointed.

[Philip Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

I liked Ray from the start. This story flows very well and is exceptionally well written. Good realistic characters add to the great plot.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Loved the P.I., the story and can't wait to read all of Mackey's books