Murder Board

Boston Crime Thriller #1

by Brian Christopher Shea

A Boston homicide detective sets out to find a young girl’s killer—and confronts the dark world of city politics and organized crime. THE FIRST NOVEL OF THE NEW BOSTON CRIME THRILLER SERIES BY FORMER DETECTIVE BRIAN SHEA.

The young girl was from a good family in an affluent suburb. Her body was found in a shallow grave in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, not far from where Detective Michael Kelly grew up.

Solving a murder is never a simple undertaking, but Kelly is driven. Obsessed with finding justice for the victim. Willing to do whatever it takes. Destroy politicians. Stand up to the mob.

Kelly is a fighter, and he needs to be. Because his investigation uncovers a wide conspiracy—and many more innocent lives are at stake.

As the lines between right and wrong begin to blur, Kelly turns to his old connections on the streets of Boston. The search for answers becomes a clash of policing and politics. Of redemption and betrayal. Of greed and violence. To find true justice, Kelly will do whatever it takes...or die trying.

BRIAN SHEA has served as both a military officer and law enforcement Detective, and his authentic crime fiction novels have been enjoyed by thousands. His books are recommended for readers who enjoy Michael Connolly’s Harry Bosch, David Baldacci’s John Puller, or James Patterson’s Alex Cross.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Adventure, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Novels, Young Adult

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2019

About the author

Author also writes under Brian Shea

BRIAN CHRISTOPHER SHEA has spent most of his adult life in service to his country and local community. He honorably served as an officer in the U.S. Navy. In his civilian life, he reached the rank of Detective and accrued ten years of law enforcement experience between Texas and Connecticut. Somewhere in the mix he spent five years as a fifth-grade school teacher. Brian’s myriad of life experience is woven into the tapestry of each character’s design. He resides in New England and is blessed with an amazing wife and three beautiful daughters.

Writing has always been a dream, but life seemed to find a way of interrupting. It wasn’t until recently that he dedicated time to this passion. His first book, The Camel’s Back, gave him a much-needed mental break from his work investigating atrocities against children. He allotted time in the morning each day. Usually waking at 5 to bang away on his manuscript. The second round of daily writing would occur after his children were asleep. He proved that working full-time and raising a family were no longer valid excuses to putting off his novel.

Reviews

[Kathi Defranc · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic start to what will be an exciting new series with action, emotional moments and thrills as police officers in Boston deal with all kinds of crime and criminals!! A very enthralling read that has me so ready for more, great characters and real human emotion in the fast-paced area of Dorchester,Mass.
This is a super cop story, deeply revealing all they go through! Sometimes it is Not Just the criminals you have to worry about...Living in this area I relished the old town scenes and cops I feel I knew in real life. I recommend this fabulous story to All who enjoy thrillers and police stories, and I am so very excited for this series to continue!
I received an ARC from the author through another I read and I thank both for introducing me to such an exciting new series!! I give You my honest feelings and thoughts in this review, and I think You Need to read This!!!! 5 Glorious Stars!!!

[Jim C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual rating is 4.5 stars.

This book is the first book of a series. In this one, we follow a Boston detective as he receives a case where a young girl is found dead. We follow his investigation as he is resilient in trying to discover what happened to this girl.

I kept on seeing this advertised on my kindle but I was hesitant to read it. I knew it took place in Boston which is my city. Therefore, I was interested but I knew nothing about this series or the author. My Goodreads friend Kathi's review (Thank you Kathi) convinced me to try it and I am so glad I did. This book would be the child of Robert B. Parker's Spenser books and Dennis Lehane's gritty books about Boston. The author makes Boston a character while having a protagonist being the white knight even when he has problems in his personal life and this reminded of the Spenser novels. But he goes into the dark, gritty nature of the city of Boston which reminded of Lehane especially where a majority of the action takes place in Dorchester. This is dark book and not for the faint of heart as the victims are young and innocent while having crimes committed them of a dark sexual nature. I really enjoyed the investigation and the whole process to figure out who is responsible.

This is a terrific start to a series that I will be definitely be continuing. I did think there were a couple of minor threads that were mentioned but we didn't dive into them. I believe they will be explored in the subsequent books. That is why I could not give this book a full five stars. If you are a fan of police drama books this one is perfect one to read.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I think this author is still an active Detective and it shows in the book, it was good. I thought the main character was very good and the supporting cast was also good as well as the back story for the main Detective. I thought it was a very good original story and ,moved at a good pace. it was not over the top or stupid. The dialogue was very good and the story never really got bogged down. The setting was good set in Boston as well as his chase to bring down a crew. I don't say this lightly but this detective is in the same zip code as Harry Bosch not as good but not that far from that gold standard. It seems to be a 3 book series and I know I will be reading the second book . My only problem is that it had a good ending but it was not complete. It will spill over into the next book. A reader has to read the second book to find out what happens. I would give this book around a 4.2. I say if you like good homicide detective books and understand that you will have to read the next book then I say give this one a big spin

[Brian Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope you get as much pleasure reading this story as I did in creating it. Readers Rule!
Here are what some amazing writers withing the mystery/thriller world had to say:

“Fast paced and gritty, Brian Shea’s Murder Board is as real and authentic as it gets. A must read procedural.” —Bruce Robert Coffin, Award Winning Author of the Detective Byron Mysteries.

"Fans of Harry Bosch and Alex Cross have a new hero in Michael Kelly. Former detective and veteran author Brian Shea infuses every page with authenticity, suspense, and a twisting plot line that you won't be able to put down." —Jason Kasper, International Bestselling Author of The Spider Heist

"Detective Michael Kelly comes alive in Murder Board, a superbly written and suspenseful thriller by Brian Shea. I can’t wait for the next in the series!" —T.R. Ragan, New York Times Bestselling Author

​“A compelling crime thriller oozing with authenticity that could only be written by an author who had carried a badge and gun for a living.” —Brian Thiem, Retired Homicide Lieutenant, Oakland Police Department, and Author of Red Line, Thrill Kill, and Shallow Grave.

"Brian Shea is the real deal. A veteran detective turned thriller author—with serious chops to write. It truly doesn't get any better than this. MURDER BOARD grabs you by the collar from the first page and never lets go." —Steve Konkoly, USA Today Bestselling Author of the Ryan Decker Series

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Board earn 5/5 Gold Shields...Compelling Drama!

Boston. Thriller. Roller coaster excitement. I took a chance and stretched my reading experience into the genre of crime thrillers...jackpot! Brian Shea has penned an exciting
crime drama with Detective Michael Kelly starting immediately with his participation in a hostage crisis that goes tragically wrong. If the Prologue is any indication of what Shea has in store, this is going to be intense storytelling...and I wasn’t mistaken! Switching departments Kelly catches a case of murder. A thirteen-year-old girl has been found, but she’d been missing for a year. Using his department connections he gets assistance from Detective Kristen Barnes, creating an engaging dynamic, and together they run afoul of politicians, traffickers, and organized crime. With realism and a well-crafted investigation, Shea uses a third-person narrative putting readers on the outside, but done well as readers are also in on all the drama. Descriptive language and dialogue that illustrates well the intensity, emotions, and the varied characters. Excellent!

Disclosure: I received an ARC. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.

[kathy dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hanging

Great plot
Interesting characters
Ending to be continued
Can't wait for next Brian Shea effort
What's the family secret??
Only mom knows

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jeff O'Brien]

I had to put this one down due to my own personal sensitivities. The end of chapter 19 was a little to real for me. If child sex trafficking is something you're more comfortable reading about than reading a portrayal of, then you might want to approach this one with caution.

This is in no way intended to be a bad review of the book or the author. The writing is good. The suspense and the character building are great. I also think bringing the real darkness and reality of the subject matter out is a good thing to do, and can only raise awareness. And as the author is a former detective, I'm sure he knows that darkness better than most.

I won't leave a rating since I didn't finish it, and will just say that it's a good book that unfortunately brought in too much of the reality I seek escape from with reading.

[Martin Pingree · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW ! This was a fun ride ! A Boston homicide cop takes on the case of a murdered young girl. He and his partner have to work their way thru politics and the crime world to solve this case. The backstory of the characters as this book moves forward is what makes so compelling. If you like a good cop story you will love this one ! With an amazing cast of characters, non stop action and an extremely well written story line, you won’t be able to put this book down.

[Grace Koshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Michael Kelly grew up in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood and knows how family and close friends tie him to the community. After a hostage situation goes horribly wrong, Kelly transfers from the Crisis Negotiation Team to Homicide. When 13-year old Faith Wilson's body is found in a shallow grave in Dorcester, Kelly is determined to do whatever it takes to find her killer. How did a suburban kid missing for a year end up dead in Dorcester? With the help of his old connections on the streets of Boston and Sexual Assault Unit's feisty detective Kristen Barnes, Kelly ends up tangling with city politicians, child traffickers, and organized crime as they search for Faith's killer as well as another missing girl.

This was a gritty debut in the Boston Crime Thriller mystery series. Authentic details about police procedures and traumas come from the author's background as a former police officer.

I received an eARC from Severn River Publishing with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love books, especially police procedurals, based on fascinating characters, The Murder Board is a Must Read. Brian Shea introduces you to his newest series staring Michael Kelly, a longtime veteran of the Boston PD. Kelly has built a reputation based on respect & an inherent sense of what’s right & wrong. He joins Homicide haunted by his own demons & when his first murder case draws him into the seedy & dangerous world of sex trafficking, he plunges into the case w/ little regard for his own safety. Aided along the way by even more great characters like Kristin Barnes & his group of childhood buddies, you’ll find that the only good thing about finishing Murder Board is there’s another book in the series soon to be released. There is something absolutely charming & compelling about Kelly. You’ll be drawn to him & eager to learn more about him & his friends; what made him who he is & who he’ll become.

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. It was definitely a nice “summer/beach read”. And, being a Bostonian who enjoys this particular genre, the “sandbox” in which Mr. Shea is playing here is quite familiar to me, and I appreciated that he brought some “new toys” to the game, although I got bogged down a bit in some of the traditional tropes of both the setting and genre. Still, there were some nice twists and turns, as well as plenty of action. And I found the characters compelling enough, although I have to admit that I found some of the secondary characters to be some of the most interesting. I hope we get to learn more about some of them in the sequels, which I will be adding to my list.

[Marleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although all the elements are present for this story to work, there was something missing for me. Don't get me wrong, I thought the plot was rather solid, and the character development had some bite, but then, there were moments, I would have liked more authentic dialogues. It was all very proper and clean-cut.
For sure, the Michael Kelly character in this series comes across as a determined law officer and a man of integrity, but the author doesn't succeed into giving Kelly a more multi-faceted & realistic personality. To be honest, I'm still undecided if I want to continue this series. (I do love-love-love the real Michael Kelly though! (:-))

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to be able to read an ARC of this novel. Thank you, Brian Shea, for that pleasure.

A pretty well written police procedural with the protagonist, Kelly, moving from point A to point B and so on while he investigates the killing of a young girl. As in other Shea novels, there is a central theme to the crime. This one is child trafficking and white slavery. And also, being a Shea novel, you know there will be plenty of police politics.

This is the beginning of a new series from Shea. Looks very promising for those who like this genre.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one!

[Linda Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Jeff Carson

Jeff Carson recommended this book in his blog. I have read all of his books and was pleased to find his recommendation to be a very good read. I am headed back to Amazon to see what else this author has to offer.

[barbara letchworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hit all the right notes!

Great detective story. Just the right amount of excitement.
No foul language and no gratuitous sex scenes. .Michael Kelly is my new face detective e

[Dan Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it!

I wasn't sure what to make of this new author, but the book is definitely worth reading! Great back story and action!

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder

This was a well thought out piece of literature and was presented in such a way that the audience could follow the story and be a part of it.

[Tom S · Rating 4 out of 5]

This could be a really good series moving forward.

[A.J. Blanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book a bit on a whim. I was looking for a new author, as my current well was running somewhat dry, and did a search for writers who were also veterans; Brian Shea was on that semi-short list. I noticed that he already had a book series under his name, featuring an FBI agent, but his Boston Crime Thriller series just started in Spring of 2019 and I decided Murder Board (MB) a good jumping off point.

With that out of the way, I am shocked as to how much I liked MB! It was realistic, gritty, and vivid. The book wasn't overly long, throwing in unnecessary filler or sub-plots, making the pacing comfortable throughout. The characters weren't complex, the story straightforward, and it takes place in Boston which is nice that The Town is getting some attention.

Is this a perfect book, or even the best in the genre I've read? Uh, not exactly. I'd give this book a solid 4+ stars, but have practically no objective reasons to mark it down. The police procedure was detailed to a fault, with a few minor exceptions, and it would've been more fun for me if Michael Kelly was a hockey fan instead of boxing, but I guess hockey isn't very Irish so I'll just have to get reacquainted with boxing terminology it seems.

I've already ordered the second book in this series, and if you're a fan of murder mystery/thriller I'd highly recommend giving this a read, especially if you already checked out Brian Shea's other series.

[Lana Mccall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

Michael Kelly (could you get more Irish than that) a Boston homicide detective is assigned a case of a 13 year old girl buried in a shallow grave. It appears she is the victim of human traffickers. Michael teams with Detective Barnes from sex crimes division and locate missing persons file for another young girl. Can they find her in time?

One question to the writer. How in the heck does a foster kid afford an Iphone? A cheap pay as you go I understand, but an Iphone?

This is an excellent story with interesting characters.

[Colin Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid story, well told. There's a real authentic and credible feel to it, which sets it apart from many in the genre. I really liked the genuine portrayal of the setting and characters. The procedural aspect is also spot on, which adds to the enjoyment. Indeed, if anything I'd suggest a touch more pizzazz to the story, for dramatic effect. But overall, it was very good, and as it's the first of a series, I am certainly looking forward to reading the next installment.

[Thomas R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder Board

Murder Board is the first book in the Michael Kelly series. Kelly is a Irish Catholic Homicide Detective, born and raised in Boston. Recently Divorced and recently promoted to Homicide, Kelly struggles to balance his career with his responsibilities as a Divorced Father. The author delves into The Trafficking of Young Girls and how easily Social Media
has helped people to commit these crimes. Great story and I look forward to the next book

[Roger]

Murder Board (Boston Crime Thriller #1), my first read from author Brian Christopher Shea. I was given a copy of The Penitent One (Boston Crime Thriller #3) to read & review & wanted to read the first two books in the series first. A little dark & gritty but well-written with characters & plot you can buy into. Winner! Now I'll get to read more by him in the future and look forward to Bleeding Blue (Boston Crime Thriller #2). (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to start the second in the series. Shea’s writing is so concise and action packed, that you won’t be able to put this, or any of this other books, down. Do yourself a favor and read this book!

[Cheryl Carmoega · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr Shea has done it again!!!

Well developed story and characters. Lots of action balanced by a good amount of characters background and family life. Great first book in this new series!!!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit clunky to begin with. Ended quickly with little build up

[Russ Leavitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most excellent! We'll be reading the he rest of this series.