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The First Five-Eighths
Shawn Ronin is back! He’s been warned off PI work but these problems don’t solve themselves.
When Shawn’s friend Jacks comes to him with news that the University rugby team’s star player, Taylor ‘Conman’ Conway, has gone missing, Shawn agrees to get back into the investigative game. When Taylor turns up dead of an apparent suicide in a car full of performance enhancing drugs, Shawn thinks he sees a mystery where the police see an easily closed case.
Stuck between worlds, hesitant to let go and find a new direction for his life, Shawn dives headlong into unravelling the unanswered questions of Taylor’s death. He starts pulling threads that leads into a web of PED drug distribution networks. The investigation takes Shawn from the rugby team and the campus gym to the downtown bar scene, and potentially beyond, in search of justice for Taylor.
What did Taylor get himself caught up in that got him killed? Never one to leave a problem unsolved, Shawn is determined to find out, no matter the risk.
The First Five-Eighths is an engaging mystery adventure that ups the grade in every subject. Ratcheting up the score in both humour and adventure, this series is well on its way to the top.
When Shawn’s friend Jacks comes to him with news that the University rugby team’s star player, Taylor ‘Conman’ Conway, has gone missing, Shawn agrees to get back into the investigative game. When Taylor turns up dead of an apparent suicide in a car full of performance enhancing drugs, Shawn thinks he sees a mystery where the police see an easily closed case.
Stuck between worlds, hesitant to let go and find a new direction for his life, Shawn dives headlong into unravelling the unanswered questions of Taylor’s death. He starts pulling threads that leads into a web of PED drug distribution networks. The investigation takes Shawn from the rugby team and the campus gym to the downtown bar scene, and potentially beyond, in search of justice for Taylor.
What did Taylor get himself caught up in that got him killed? Never one to leave a problem unsolved, Shawn is determined to find out, no matter the risk.
The First Five-Eighths is an engaging mystery adventure that ups the grade in every subject. Ratcheting up the score in both humour and adventure, this series is well on its way to the top.
223 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Chris Racknor
7 books6 followersChris Racknor has a Ph.D. in physics and lives in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. He has been an astronomy teacher, physicist, motorcycle owner, competitive strongman, varsity rugby player, and stay-at-home dad. He is a family man, data junkie, sci-fi nerd, professional kilt-wearing tree thrower, and sumo wrestling aficionado with plenty more stories to tell.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 18, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed reading about Shawn Ronin's next adventure in the First Five-Eighths. Once again Chris Racknor has created an action filled novel which kept me on my toes. I love the character, Shawn and his budding romance with Kay is cool.
The fact that Sarah keeps popping up all over the place is quite clever too. I'm enjoying seeing the characters reappear in this novel and their personalities develop more. Great story!
The fact that Sarah keeps popping up all over the place is quite clever too. I'm enjoying seeing the characters reappear in this novel and their personalities develop more. Great story!
August 25, 2021
Dr. Shawn Ronin is back. Accused of academic dishonesty and professionally ruined, Ronin is floundering. Unsure what to do with his life, he tries to determine whether a rugby star at his former university died by suicide, or if there's something more nefarious at play.
Author Chris Racknor does everything well. The story is tightly plotted and moves with pace, the protagonist is interesting, there's a B story with romance, and a slew of interesting antagonists. However, I wanted to know more about each of these characters and more depth to the relationships.
For example, we get brief references to Ronin's struggle with childhood obesity, a comment about an ex-fiancé who left him, and several short descriptions as to how Ronin handled the demise of his professional career. These are all compelling conflicts, but there could be more time spent developing each. Same goes for the relationship between Ronin and Kay. There is some witty banter, but few conversations about anything other than the case they're trying to solve. There's an excellent passage in chapter 7 about the nature of failure, one that the the protagonist delivers to the reader via first-person narration. This information could be dialogue, perhaps part of a conversation with Kay, rather than told to the reader. It would add nuance to their relationship.
There is potential for an authentic character and series here, and this is a solid second book. I'll be reading book 3.
4 stars.
Author Chris Racknor does everything well. The story is tightly plotted and moves with pace, the protagonist is interesting, there's a B story with romance, and a slew of interesting antagonists. However, I wanted to know more about each of these characters and more depth to the relationships.
For example, we get brief references to Ronin's struggle with childhood obesity, a comment about an ex-fiancé who left him, and several short descriptions as to how Ronin handled the demise of his professional career. These are all compelling conflicts, but there could be more time spent developing each. Same goes for the relationship between Ronin and Kay. There is some witty banter, but few conversations about anything other than the case they're trying to solve. There's an excellent passage in chapter 7 about the nature of failure, one that the the protagonist delivers to the reader via first-person narration. This information could be dialogue, perhaps part of a conversation with Kay, rather than told to the reader. It would add nuance to their relationship.
There is potential for an authentic character and series here, and this is a solid second book. I'll be reading book 3.
4 stars.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews