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Mo Katz #4

Roaches Run

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An unexpected fate awaits a corrupt and vengeful counterterrorism official as he seeks to destroy three innocent lives. The hunter becomes the hunted in this intricately woven heart-pounding suspense novel. US Attorney Katz and his colleagues have 72 hours on Memorial Day weekend to foil alleged terrorist attacks near the US Capitol. At stake are hundreds of innocent lives. Roaches Run is riveting storytelling at lightning speed.

242 pages, Paperback

Published May 15, 2021

4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read

About the author

John Wasowicz

7 books27 followers
John Wasowicz, a seasoned attorney, is the author of the Mo Katz mystery series, including Slaters Lane (2020), Jones Point (2019), and Daingerfield Island (2017). The books feature fictional U.S. Attorney Mo Katz and are set in Alexandria, VA. Wasowicz has over 35 years of legal experience, including work as a state prosecutor and a criminal defense attorney.

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
626 reviews10 followers
June 25, 2021
An Alexandria, Virginia based mystery series, starring US Attorney Elmo Katz along with a group of colleagues, playing on the same team most of the time, as well as independently minded Alexandria Detective Sherry Stone.

This fourth novel’s antagonist is a down, but not out, disgruntled Federal national security officer, Phil Landry, who would do anything to get revenge and to position himself for a promotion he thought he deserved, even to manufacture a terrorist threat, and then thwart it. He has employed very dubious means in the past that have hurt many innocent people.

As the story progresses, we see rogue agent Landry attempting to launch this manufactured threat. We also see some of his previous victim being ensnared in a trap he designed.

I don’t want to say too much more, that might give away the story.

Landry is a guy that brings out loathing, in this reader and those around him in the story. His actions seem to be tailored on petty office politics and conflicts, on steroids, with innocent deaths resulting just to get revenge.

The story’s pacing is tight, taking place over the Memorial Day weekend (so roughly three days).

What I enjoy about the series are the location, close to where I live, the backdrop of political games that turn deadly, and the characters around Katz and Stone. The author also is showing a different side of Katz in this book. Interesting to see where that goes in future books in the series.

In this story, the ah ha moments come toward the end of the book. Look forward to being surprised.


FB. The fourth book in the series about US Attorney Elmo Katz and colleagues. The story is well paced and should keep the reader in suspense until the end, with a nice twist.
Profile Image for Heather.
71 reviews1 follower
August 24, 2021
Wasowicz manages to keep many of the characters from previous Mo Katz books together in Roaches Run. This is the second of these set during the covid-19 pandemic, and I'm sure, along with the inclusion of major news events, that will make it an interesting sign of the times.
The strength of these books for me remains the spotlight on Alexandria and Washington, D.C., which brings with it monuments and politics we know. For attorney Mo Katz, it means concerns about legal jurisdiction, ethics, and homeland security.
I have to admit I found the addition of excerpts from "another writer" (a character) side-tracked me right off the start. The excerpts are related to the plot, but I found them a bit long for my taste.
On the other side, the addition of a map showing the location of Roaches Run is a nice addition.
If you are a fan of legal thrillers, check this out. I'm looking forward to hearing about Mo Katz's next case!
2 reviews
December 18, 2023
Another great Mo Katz read! The tie-in to The Rhythmic Cycle of Life makes sense as the book progresses - don’t let it throw you off at the beginning. As soon as you get to the first page of the actual storyline on plate 19, you get sucked in and don’t want to put the book down until it’s complete. In this fourth book of the series, the author continues to spin a fascinating web of connections between a bunch of different characters which nearly forces me draw out the connections on paper myself.
As a former resident of Alexandria, VA, I absolutely love the emphasis on real geography in a fictitious story so I can easily visualize where the characters are at any given time.
Lastly, the detailed descriptions of real national and global events (life during and post pandemic, Jan 6 capitol riot) provide a great perspective that will fascinate readers more and more and years pass.

Starting book 5, Hazel Falls, tonight!
Profile Image for Dena.
138 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2022
Although this is the 4th book in the series, it's the 2nd I read. The characters are well-drawn and the worst of them is not, unfortunately, as fictional as I'd wish. We have all too many horrid persons in and around our government. Since I've rarely gone anywhere since this plague started, I enjoyed (not to mention been amazed at) all the going here & there in the book. I'm learning more about the town I've live in for the past couple of decades. I'll be catching up on the 2 books I missed.
Profile Image for Rob McCarry.
10 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2021
A fast paced mystery located in and around the Metro D.C. area. Multiple plot points are threaded together to leave you wondering and trying to solve the puzzle with Mo Katz and an assorted cast of characters. This is the fourth book in the Mo Katz series and the web of stories keep getting better.
If you are from the Northern Virginia area, like me, you will recognize many locations and the details are impeccable. It makes it that much more fun to read when you can clearly place yourself with the characters.
Looking forward to the next Mo Katz adventure.
7 reviews
June 25, 2021
Mo Katz is back and better than ever. As America starts to emerge from Pandemic Life and people wade back into public spaces, a Memorial Day celebration is planned in Washington DC, just a skip and hop from Old Town Alexandria. Mo Katz, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia is living his best life in Old Town. His office teams with local law enforcement and Federal agencies to prevent a emerging plot designed to disrupt the festivities. Mo embarks on a wild ride across Alexandria, Arlington, Washington DC, and swaths of Northern Virginia to disrupt the plot and hold the responsible parties accountable. During this journey, Mo finds meaning and purpose in his life in the beautiful fabric of relationships he has woven.....
3 reviews
August 29, 2021
This is the fourth installment of Mo Katz and company, and enjoyed the twist in the end. Did not expect it and was really glad I finished this book. You would not be disappointed! Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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