Granite Elephants: A High-Tech Murder Mystery

by Tom Rhyne

“That’s what always worries me about you two. Killings bring a lot of heat.”

Granite Elephants, Tom Rhyne’s debut work, is an entertaining thriller with a likeable and relatable protagonist, Jury Garrett, a near-50 ex-cop who spends some of his time as a private investigator, but only on cases he likes. Set in Austin, Texas, and Belgium, the story starts with a phone call from a young and beautiful wife, Janelle Kinlaw, whose husband, Walter, an equally young high-tech entrepreneur, has disappeared during a trip to Europe.

Jury’s work on her case soon leads him into conflicts with the U.S. Army, who had funded Walter’s start-up company in Austin, with some criminal types who wanted to collect on a sub rosa loan their New York lending agency had made to him, with the Austin Police Department, and with a highly placed banking official in Brussels. As Jury follows a complex series of rabbit trails to find out “Where’s Walter,” he uses a number of former associates whose specialized knowledge helps him learn why the entrepreneur had gone missing, knowledge that includes applications of artificial intelligence to international currency trading.

Anyone who has spent time in Austin will find this well-crafted, down-to-earth page-turner of very special interest.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller Suspense

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2021

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A Texas PI is hired to find a tech hotshot who vanished in Europe. He thinks it's just a case of a guy ghosting his wife, but it turns into much more, with the involvement of the mob, the army, and corrupt banker types.

A good debut. There's some rough edges, but they can be polished.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jury Garrett, retired police officer and now P.I. Is asked to locate a missing husband who is a few days late returning from delivering a paper at a technology conference in Brussels. Despite Garrett's reservations, he begins digging into the man's life and work, discovering the man was both lead engineer and owner of his own company, and was developing a new type of chip and associated software for sophisticated types of problems where one could apply artificial intelligence. Jury quickly finds mob and army connections to the case, and has increasing concerns about what the missing man was actually doing.

The plot was fast-moving and kept me interested. Plus, I liked how the author delivered technical information to the reader: plain, uncomplicated terms and easy to understand explanations about the implications of the use of artificial intelligence to the types of problems the engineer wanted to solve.
I was less enamoured by the characters, whose portrayals felt a little too simple and not complicated enough to be real people. Otherwise, an enjoyable, pretty quick read.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Greenleaf Book Group for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jury Garrett is an extremely likable Private Investigator. I picture James Garner. In the novel, Jury gets drawn into the case of a missing Tech Executive by an old girl friend’s daughter.

Readers follow Jury as he uses his connections to gain information to help him understand the Tech Executive’s complex world of chip and software design, international arbitrage, and cutting edge security systems.

Well written and researched, with a plot that keeps one turning the page. My only criticisms are:
1 the constant use of pop culture references in similes
2 all the characters willing to do Jury a favor

Lots of action. For fans of detective fiction.

[Shannon Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but I sure hated that the first chapter was the first chapter!! I kept thinking to myself as I read how I wish I didn’t know that tidbit because It would have let me believe there might not actually have been a murder. That being said… knowing the first chapter made the last bit of the book have a really nice twist that I thoroughly enjoyed. This book has all of the makings to be the beginning of an addictive series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a thriller introducing private eye/former police officer Jury Garrett. Garrett is reluctant to take on a missing person's case when Walter Kinlaw's wife calls about his failure to return home from a conference in Germany. Walter is a tech genius whose work has captured the attention of the U.S. military. His company suddenly shut down even though it appeared to be successful. His credit shot, he borrowed money from a mob-type lender and he's missed his payment. So, his wife, the military and a couple of mob collection guys are all interested in Walter and Garrett manages to find out some very dangerous information along the way that leads to a surprise ending. The story is fine. I'm well-educated but some of the tech stuff is above my pay grade, even though Rhyne tries hard to bring it down to lay person descriptions.The characters are also fine. The writing is okay, but not engaging. This whole story could be told better and the characters made more real. I could not connect to anyone, even though I could tell I would have connected to them and their backstories if they were told a little differently. Usually, I can pinpoint the issue I have with someone's writing choices. I THINK that because virtually every sentence is a declarative sentence, I never got close to the people or caught up in the story. It wasn't exactly badly written. It just was not a page turner.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this!

Totally didn't think I would, and had to push through the first quarter of the book approximately; but then I was invested!

Walter; a millionaire is missing. Being searched for by the army, PI, police, banks, and some sketchy loan lenders. If they don't have him, who does?

Man, this book just sent me through some loops. I honestly cannot say I knew what happened to Walter until it was laid out for me.

And Jury; ugh I just love him. I honestly cannot get enough of him. This is my first time reading this author and I seriously hope he plans on making my main man have a come back in another book because I will be right there!

Please, give this book a try if it's out of your normal genre. It had a bit of everything that I truly enjoy. Like I said I had to push through the beginning and if you do as well you won't regret it!

** This book was won through a good reads giveaway **

[Mike B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a well-written story of a PI who tracks down a missing software developer. It's billed as "high-tech", but the author does a good job of explaining the aspects of the crime involving AI and computer technology. The author uses his expertise as a former computer instructor to craft a decent procedural.
My only issues with this book involve the emphasis on plot versus characters. I honestly didn't feel much sympathy for the protagonist. The author says his work is not really a "mystery" per se, and I'd agree. I'd liken it to a research assignment - tracking down the how and why of the computer application in order to understand why its inventor has gone missing. Once the fate of the inventor is discovered, not much remains except to shrug and say "oh well".

[DAB-E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great technological mystery! Jury's rolodex of friends is just great. I especially liked Foster and Tuck. The book is fast moving and hard to put down. The book helps teach a little about AI and finances as well as being a murder mystery.

For NCIS and Scorpio fans, you will love the references such as the Gibb's rules.

If your copy of the book includes an interview with the author you should read it. It gives a lot of insights into his own life and makes you appreciate the book even more. I look forwarrd to reading his prequel.

I won this from Goodreads and was so glad I did.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granite Elephants

I enjoyed this book. It’s well written and you can hardly put it down. I kept wanting the story to speed up then to slow down so I could get a better understanding of what was going on. Then again I would wish it to speed up again! Can’t have it both ways though. I will finish by saying that I was a little bit discombobulated by the ending. Never saw it coming!

[Thomas Lennek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, but...

I won this on goodreads. Good character development. Interesting plot but seemed implausible with the freedom that a National Guard Colonel exercises. I spent a career working with soldiers in the Active Army, Army Reserve and National Guard, and that part of the plot didn't work for me.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to author Tom Rhyne for this FREE Kindle copy of Granite Elephants.

Very nicely written story (several editing issues though) around a very interesting topic. The story moves along at a nice pace, some humor sprinkled about (love that), with some awesome characters, engaging this reader from start to finish. Highly recommended good read.

[Zelinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow moving at first. The author is a bit heavy handed with his attempts to establish his protagonist as a Good guy. However, there is a sweetness to the main character, setting up nicely for a sequel or series. The story telling style feels more like a modern day western than thriller. Overall, an easy-going read perfect on a quiet weekend.

I received this book through a giveaway.

[Beth Alfieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the give away book! I love winning books because it gets me to read something I may not have read otherwise! Not a big tech fan, but loved how this book “taught” me about things as the story unfolded. Very easy to read without being “simple”. I gained new knowledge and had a great time reading a tough to put down book!

[Michele Rice Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texas PI

I enjoy a good, murder mystery. That's exactly what Granite Elephants is. I love the way the technology is explained in easy to understand terms and is not condescending. I wish the characters had more depth. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery or private eye stories.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I gotta say…the book did keep me turning the page until the very end; unfortunately when we got there it fell a little flat. I found the characters were well developed, the story flowed well, and easy to read. The “high tech” was easy to understand without an over abundance of tech jargon. All-in-all though, I enjoyed the book and would definitely read another by this author.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. This doesn't have the polish of a more experience author, but it is a good story and premise. The setting will pull some in -- Austin. I stayed mostly engaged, and suspect many thriller fans will like this.

Thanks very much for the free review copy!!

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a book I won for an online read. It was interesting and moved along well. Jury Garrett was a pt time PI who decides to find Janelle Kinlaw’s husband who disappeared in Europe. Walter is very accomplished. But Jury runs into many roadblocks, ie., the mob and the Army.

[Kathleen Babb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wasn't too sure about this book but once I started reading, I found myself picking it back up when I should have been doing other things. Definitely kept me wanting to find out more and more about the plot. Great mystery.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! A great, well-paced mystery that had me from the first page. Jury is my epitome of a competent PI and I can't wait to see him in another book.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway for this honest review.

[Julie Pint · Rating 3 out of 5]

A husband goes missing and a private investigator is on the case. Tie in a military connection and toss in the mob and there is a lot going on in this novel. I struggled with the flow of the novel, and I didn’t feel a real connection to the characters. I think the book had potential but needs a bit more polish. Thanks to Goodreads for the copy.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Held my interest from the first page to the last

[Bernadette Chappell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for goodreads where I won this kindle book. I used this for a mini challenge for the feb prompt rock. This book was good I am hoping that their was would be a sequel.

[Shawn Whitlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Enjoyed the main character and his adventure.

[Will Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you #goodreadsgiveaway for the opportunity to review this book. Twists and turns, intrigue and possible scandal.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Goodreads giveaway winner

Fun, well written, would like to read more books with the same characters and/or even a prequel to these events

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband read this book and rated it. He said that he enjoyed the storyline, the characters and the ending. He did feel like the book took too long to read because the author included too much unnecessary information. Thanks to Greenleaf for the Goodreads giveaway.