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Mitch Tanner #1

The Depth of Darkness

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MEET MITCH TANNER.
Philadelphia Homicide Detective.
He's tough, gritty, and relentless.
But this case is gonna push him over the edge.

Detective Mitch Tanner's life hangs in the balance. He clings to the daughter in his care. He agonizes over the disappearance of his son and estranged wife. Twelve months has yet to turn up a solid lead.

While investigating the apparent accidental death of Dusty Anne Miller, Mitch and his partner Sam Foster find themselves in the middle of a fiendish plan that strikes too close to home. Running out of time, he plummets into the depths of darkness. And from there, he vows to bring the masterminds down, no matter the consequences.

The Depth of Darkness is a dark, fast-paced suspense thriller featuring L.T. Ryan's new dark hero, Mitch Tanner. Once you enter the darkness, you can't turn back.

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 20, 2013

6254 people are currently reading
399 people want to read

About the author

L.T. Ryan

161 books1,434 followers
L.T. RYAN is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author. The new age of publishing offered L.T. the opportunity to blend his passions for creating, marketing, and technology to reach audiences with his popular Jack Noble series.

Living in central Virginia with his wife, the youngest of his three daughters, and their three dogs, L.T. enjoys staring out his window at the trees and mountains while he should be writing, as well as reading, hiking, running, and playing with gadgets. See what he's up to at ltryan.com.

BOOKS IN THE JACK NOBLE SERIES
The Recruit (prequel short story)
The First Deception (prequel)
Noble Beginnings
A Deadly Distance
Thin Line
Noble Intentions
When Dead in Greece
Noble Retribution
Noble Betrayal
Never Go Home
Noble Judgment
Never Cry Mercy
Deadline
End Game

BOOKS IN THE BEAR LOGAN SERIES
Ripple Effect
Blowback
Takedown
Deep State (coming January, 2020)

BOOKS IN THE CLARISSA ABBOT SERIES
Beyond Betrayal

BOOKS IN THE MITCH TANNER SERIES
The Depths of Darkness
Into the Darkness
Deliver Us From Darkness (coming soon)

Social Media Links

Facebook (L.T. Ryan): facebook.com/LTRyanAuthor
Facebook (Jack Noble Page): facebook.com/JackNobleBooks/
Twitter: twitter.com/LTRyanWrites
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/6151659.L_T...

Contact L.T. Ryan at contact@ltryan.com
About the Author
L.T. RYAN is a USA Today and Amazon bestselling author. The new age of publishing offered L.T. the opportunity to blend his passions for creating, marketing, and technology to reach audiences with his popular Jack Noble series.

Living in central Virginia with his wife, the youngest of his three daughters, and their three dogs, L.T. enjoys staring out his window at the trees and mountains while he should be writing, as well as reading, hiking, running, and playing with gadgets. See what he's up to at ltryan.com.

Social Media Links

Facebook (L.T. Ryan): facebook.com/LTRyanAuthor
Facebook (Jack Noble Page): facebook.com/JackNobleBooks/
Twitter: twitter.com/LTRyanWrites
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/6151659.L_T...

Contact L.T. Ryan at contact@ltryan.com

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5 stars
2,923 (51%)
4 stars
1,924 (33%)
3 stars
681 (11%)
2 stars
112 (1%)
1 star
57 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
260 reviews1 follower
November 11, 2021
Mitch Tanner must be the anti-hero. I can't imagine many police departments would put up with such a headstrong detective. We are supposed to admire loose cannons, but if I acted as irresponsible I would need to be looking for a new job. I will not check out any more of this series.
211 reviews1 follower
October 17, 2023
Enjoyed, but a little predictable in places, liked the introduction to the characters and was eager to continue onto the next book in the series.
218 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2022
I enjoyed reading my first book by L.T. Ryan which was a fast paced, easy to read and hard to put down suspenseful novel. The plot line follows the protagonist in solving a murder and abductions. Besides his partner, the FBI gets involved and creates tension between the two departments.

The main character is complex, a rough and tumble old-school officer who does what he wants regardless of the outcome. I found myself rooting for him even when it was a little far fetched.

The story finalizes with a satisfactory conclusion, wrapping the pieces of the puzzle up in a neat package.

It’s a good read for the beach or when you don’t want to work too hard at concentrating - although easy to pick up and hard to put down.
1,477 reviews25 followers
December 21, 2017
The Depth of Darkness book 1 l.T. Ryan

Mitch Tanner homicide detective Philadelphia . Unlucky in personal relationships, but really just bad luck. His wife has left him taking there son, destination unknown. There daughter is with him. A woman has appeared to have fallen down the stairs and is dead from her injuries. Tanner doesn't buy it. Two children have been abducted from there school, the principal shot and killed. Tanner has been suspended for hitting a fellow detective. The kidnappers will only deal with him. This is an extremely well written action thriller. I highly recommend!
Profile Image for Nancy Silk.
Author 5 books82 followers
June 25, 2019
"Awesome And Intense"

This is a new series by one of my favorite authors. It's about Philadelphia Homicide Detective Mitch Tanner. He carries a heavy load on his back: his wife and son have disappeared, he's left to care for his daughter with his mother's help, and he's investigating a murder case which sends him spiraling. Will Mitch's career crumble? Yes or no, he assists a female FBI investigator trying to locate two kidnapped young children from their school. The dynamics of this story are spell binding and prevented me from putting it down! Looking forward to reading book two of this series. Highly recommend.
39 reviews1 follower
June 21, 2020
Good book for Father's Day

I enjoyed this book. It had a lot of elements to it: Sam, his friend & trusted partner; Ella Kate, his daughter that he loved; selfless friendship between two children who supported each other; Mitch's love interests; & killers that will use any of the people or places to get what they want, be it sex or money. Developments in the plot stories, about Mitch's life & job & about the kidnapped children, remained interesting all along to the end. I think the book would interest readers from age 10 - adult, especially those interested in crime dramas.
Profile Image for Gail.
561 reviews1 follower
September 20, 2020
Action-packed, suspenseful thriller

Mitch Tanner is a homicide detective with Philadelphia Police Force. He is very good at his job, but he is hot headed. A woman is found at the bottom of the steps which looks like an accident, but Mitch is doubtful and continues to ask the husband questions. Two children are kidnapped from the school playground and the principal is killed by the kidnappers. L.T. Ryan writes to keep your attention using intrigue, twists and turns, and putting it all together in a great story. I could not put the book down until I finished it. If you like a book to hold your interest, this is a book for you. Enjoy! 😊
Profile Image for Gary.
98 reviews6 followers
December 22, 2017
Not a Psychic but a Medium

Mitch Tanner The hero in this new series by L.T. Ryan. Has Characters FBI Agent Bridgette, Sam Mitch's partner, Daughter Ella, and in Savannah, Georgia we have Cassie not a Psychic but a medium. First time reading of L.T. Ryan was a pleasure I couldn't book the book down read it straight through the plot was great with many twists and believable the Characters worked great together. Have already got book two and plain to get other books by L.T. Ryan. An enjoyable read and well worth a 5 star rating.
Profile Image for Brian Gohr.
22 reviews
November 18, 2021
Philly.. not so much

Unfortunately I was hoping to hear some local references and accurate depictions of the Philadelphia area in the story. The author isn’t familiar with the area because the use Philadelphia area references geographically is way off. For instance, Quakertown town isn’t off 95 and going west from Philadelphia doesn’t take you to the mountains. The story is so so. Not the best story arc L.T has written and I’m thankful this was a character I found after reading all of his other work. Hard Pass on the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Susan-Jane Berson.
35 reviews
July 14, 2017
My new favorite hero

I love love loved this new series!! Mitch Tanner is my new favorite hero. Very well written and a great read. I have been an L.T. Ryan fan for a while, having read all the Jack Noble books which I also adore and highly recommend. WOW, the Mitch Tanner book is written so differently than the Jack Noble series! Mr. Ryan has a great sense of humor. Can't wait for his next books.
127 reviews2 followers
November 12, 2021
Promising series

Not a cliffhanger but there are some annoying loose ends. Bridget is obviously going to be in other books in the series but her back story almost seemed like an after thought. Debby's life was traumatic before she was kidnapped but there is only a brief mention of how her mother could afford counseling. Still I think it will be interesting to find out how Mitch will get his tangled life straightened out.
222 reviews7 followers
June 10, 2019
Fast paced page turner. Mitch Tanner is a good cop

If you love reading stories of good cops who do their jobs well. You are going to love this book. L.T. Ryan is an excellent author who brings his character to a life that you can believe. This story grabs your interest quickly and goes full speed ahead from there.
137 reviews2 followers
July 13, 2020
detective novel.

Mitch Tanner had his wife leave with his son not telling him. His daughter was left to be taken care of. When two kids are kidnapped, it hit close to home. Politics in police office kept being a problem for him. Him and his partner Sam kept on searching for both kids.
32 reviews1 follower
July 26, 2021
Action packed

Filled with action, suspense and bit of a love story. Detective wrestling with his love for his daughter, longing for his son who is missing along with his soon to be ex. His temper sometimes gets the best of him which often ends up getting him into trouble. Will his new love interest develop into a lasting relationship? I really doubt it!
Profile Image for Karen Williams.
123 reviews
May 13, 2022
L.T. Ryan never disappoints

If you asked me in 2021 who L.T. Ryan was I would not have had a clue. Now I am more than halfway through his collected works.
This is another new series and again a great fleshed out character. His ability yo make believable characters that seem to jump off the page is amazing.
This story kept me on the edge of my seat from page 1.
Profile Image for Kyla Page.
106 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2025
I’m really enjoying these crime novels by L.T. Ryan! They are fast reads, not much thought required, but keeping my attention and tempting me to sit in my lawn chair reading MANY a summer day, or keep an earbud in with Audible on nonstop! Mostly clean, which I always appreciate, but are few and far between these days. Moving on to book #2 in this series now…
8 reviews
June 27, 2017
Very good. Book was suspensefull really kept you on edge,. Especially when hunting for the. Children anyway i reall!y liked the book.

It was a real good ,it was suspenceful, excjjiting it. Kept me on the edge. Of my seat..!!!!!!!!

Keep. Up the good WORK!

999 reviews23 followers
September 30, 2017
The depth of darkness

Different detective story and characters than I expected but the story line was believable enough to get me totally engaged in a very short time. Doubtful that the star would still have a job in today's world as he created too many enemies in high places.
Profile Image for Kenn Goslin.
800 reviews7 followers
October 23, 2017
Who's afraid of the dark???

Good read with cops, kids, kidnappers, $millions$, and "feds"... I enjoyed starting out with a complication, followed by +++++++ complexities & at least 2endings...wait, wait, wait...TBC (to be continued...). For anyone who likes flawed heroes!!
Profile Image for MARILYN RAYNER.
151 reviews2 followers
October 31, 2017
Wicked people get their just rewards.

Some are bad and do wicked things to others.
Mitch Tanner is a good guy trying his best to fight the wrongs, put them right and be a good dad into the mix of it all. Must read.
630 reviews2 followers
December 14, 2017
Great detective story


The descriptions of places and people are outstanding. You feel like you know the people. I like a mystery with unpredictable plot twists and this is one of those books.
Profile Image for vivian.
270 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2018
Great read

Great story line about a policeman who got put on suspension over nasty comments about his girlfriend who ended up involved in the crime he was working on and got involved with a fbi agent who was working the expanding case
210 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2019
Exceptional!

The incident. The case file coming together. The hunt. The chase and finally redemption and relief. This book has it all. The many twist and turns had me stay h up to finish reading to the end. I was not disappointed.
317 reviews4 followers
October 9, 2019
The Tanner series

This is a series that I can see myself getting interested in and looking forward to the next story. Character description is well done and the story line is believable. A well written mystery!
78 reviews
January 28, 2020
A Good Mystery With Twists & Turns

The author is an excellent storyteller and writes clearly with a page-turning talent. My only criticism is that he spent too much time with the kidnapped children making it verbose and tedious to read.
145 reviews1 follower
April 26, 2020
Couldn't put down!

Nonstop action from beginning to end, as protagonist Detective Mitch Tanner uses his sarcastic wit and razor sharp solving skills to try to find the kidnappers of two kids. Highly recommend this book, and will be reading the second book soon.
Profile Image for Mickey Kay Troxell.
249 reviews
May 22, 2020
Good Read

As for Detective books, this is pretty good! The language is a little curt, yet the story was interesting! I do believe it would have been better if he was a better detective, than just all that ego, it would have been even a better book!
Profile Image for Tanya Reese.
2 reviews
February 20, 2021
Good guy gets bad guy

I love a good guys get the bad guys story. This one does not fail, it even has the girl twist in it. Mitch and Sam are great leads. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
104 reviews
September 23, 2021
Riveting

Always know your going to need to buckle up when you read anything from L.T. Ryan. Right from the start you are drawn in,then the ups and downs, twists and turns. In the end a smooth solid ride. Thanks for making my reading experience amazing every time!!!!!
36 reviews3 followers
November 28, 2021
Good Read

Action moves along at a good pace. Mitch isn’t a super-hero, just a normal guy trying to do his job as a good cop. His relationship with his daughter has emotion that’s sweet. His mother was like mine, a real hard-ass with a soft side. On to book two!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews

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