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Human Collateral: A Miles Darien Detective Thriller
Would you sacrifice a body part to pay off a debt? She did!Private Detective, Miles Darien, is hired by Cora Sims to find her missing daughter Olivia, who has been living alone in Chicago. Miles enlists his best friend, investigative journalist, Ryan Duffy to assist in the search. Mrs. Sims has no idea where her daughter works or how she makes a living. First, they must uncover the clues which will lead them to her workplace, hoping to connect with someone who can take them to Olivia. They eventually succeed in uncovering her workplace and who she is staying with. When they find Olivia, she's barely alive as a result of an infection after having a kidney surgically removed. Turns out the kidney was payment for an illegal loan given by criminals who prey on people in dire financial trouble by forcing them to use their bodies as collateral.Olivia can't seek medical care or go to the police because the criminals have threatened to kill her if she does. Miles and Ryan must bring down the criminals to keep them from silencing Olivia.They join forces with the FBI to look for the syndicate behind these loans. The syndicate is also hunting them down to erase any trail that would lead back to them. Who will erase who first?
313 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2022
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 20, 2022
When a young woman goes missing it’s up to two lifelong friends, Miles Darien and Ryan Duffy, to get to the bottom of things. When Miles starts his PI service in Lakeville, he didn’t anticipate a desperate mother to come knocking at his door. Cora Sims asks Miles to find her missing daughter, Olivia, after she up and leaves one day to start a new life in the big city of Chicago. With the help of his best friend, Ryan, Miles tracks down Olivia and undercovers a loan-shark organization that asks for organs as collateral. A penniless Olivia doesn’t realize how dangerous her situation is until it’s too late. In Harry Pinkus’ thriller novel: Human Collateral characters dodge bullets left and right, but will everyone make it out alive?
Author Harry Pinkus has written a riveting crime fiction story that is clear, concise and to the point. There is not a single plot structure or character that doesn’t fit in the story. The book is realistic when it comes to the political chain of command and police procedures. Even though Miles notes how the FBI blocks him from their investigation, he’s not trying to step on anyone’s toes or override police procedures to get the information he’s looking for. Generally, in murder mysteries, you have the noisy detective who jumps through loopholes to get to the bottom of things, not caring who they have to step over to find their killer. Not Miles though, he respects the police force and doesn’t push the investigation. Even though, as a reader, I wanted more information to help find the killer, I respect Miles for not bulldozing through the chain of command and letting the FBI do what they do best.
This is a realistic police procedural that puts the facts over the need for thrills. We follow the investigation with few surprises due to the methodical method with which everything is provided. Miles and Ryan’s day-to-day life is one that readers can understand, if not relate to, because of how grounded they are. Every character in this story has a very polite air about them. Their conversations reflect this and everyone has the same cordial sensibility.
Human Collateral is a compelling mystery novel that takes readers into the trenches of the private investigator world and tells a crime fiction story that feels realistic while still being interesting. If you are a reader looking for a meticulous who-dun-it that takes a pragmatic approach to solving a heinous crime, then this will certainly entertain you.
Author Harry Pinkus has written a riveting crime fiction story that is clear, concise and to the point. There is not a single plot structure or character that doesn’t fit in the story. The book is realistic when it comes to the political chain of command and police procedures. Even though Miles notes how the FBI blocks him from their investigation, he’s not trying to step on anyone’s toes or override police procedures to get the information he’s looking for. Generally, in murder mysteries, you have the noisy detective who jumps through loopholes to get to the bottom of things, not caring who they have to step over to find their killer. Not Miles though, he respects the police force and doesn’t push the investigation. Even though, as a reader, I wanted more information to help find the killer, I respect Miles for not bulldozing through the chain of command and letting the FBI do what they do best.
This is a realistic police procedural that puts the facts over the need for thrills. We follow the investigation with few surprises due to the methodical method with which everything is provided. Miles and Ryan’s day-to-day life is one that readers can understand, if not relate to, because of how grounded they are. Every character in this story has a very polite air about them. Their conversations reflect this and everyone has the same cordial sensibility.
Human Collateral is a compelling mystery novel that takes readers into the trenches of the private investigator world and tells a crime fiction story that feels realistic while still being interesting. If you are a reader looking for a meticulous who-dun-it that takes a pragmatic approach to solving a heinous crime, then this will certainly entertain you.
June 9, 2022
Jennifer Ibiam
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed By Jennifer Ibiam for Readers’ Favorite
All Ryan wanted was a break from his journalist job and a holiday at his best friend’s home. But the vacation turned into the biggest adventure of his life. Ryan’s best friend was Miles, a P. I. extraordinaire who gained fame by bringing down a corrupt political party. His feat brought in a client named Mrs. Cora Sims, who wanted to find her daughter Olivia. Cora knew Olivia was missing when she received an impoundment notification of the car she had loaned her daughter. Ryan teamed up with Miles for a job that seemed like a simple investigation. However, the case degenerated into hunting down a ring of loan sharks cum organ traffickers. They took Olivia’s kidney and now wanted hers and Miles’ lives. Who goes down first? Find out in Human Collateral by Harry Pinkus.
How far would you go to raise money for your passions? Human Collateral by Harry Pinkus was a riveting tale of cheating death, crimes, showing kindness, giving hope, near losses, and finding love. This novel would appeal to those who enjoy lighthearted stories with some action. I loved everything about Human Collateral, from the even pace to the storyline and development. Organ trafficking is a pandemic, and the illegal market is expanding. While some people deliberately sold their organs, others did so through deception and coercion. Pinkus sheds light on this issue in the most captivating way. I loved the characters as they were impressive. George, Ryan, Jim, Olivia, Audrey, and even Molly were appealing. I also loved the relationship between Bobbie and Miles. If only all landlord-tenant relationships were that great. Thank you for a beautiful book.
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed By Jennifer Ibiam for Readers’ Favorite
All Ryan wanted was a break from his journalist job and a holiday at his best friend’s home. But the vacation turned into the biggest adventure of his life. Ryan’s best friend was Miles, a P. I. extraordinaire who gained fame by bringing down a corrupt political party. His feat brought in a client named Mrs. Cora Sims, who wanted to find her daughter Olivia. Cora knew Olivia was missing when she received an impoundment notification of the car she had loaned her daughter. Ryan teamed up with Miles for a job that seemed like a simple investigation. However, the case degenerated into hunting down a ring of loan sharks cum organ traffickers. They took Olivia’s kidney and now wanted hers and Miles’ lives. Who goes down first? Find out in Human Collateral by Harry Pinkus.
How far would you go to raise money for your passions? Human Collateral by Harry Pinkus was a riveting tale of cheating death, crimes, showing kindness, giving hope, near losses, and finding love. This novel would appeal to those who enjoy lighthearted stories with some action. I loved everything about Human Collateral, from the even pace to the storyline and development. Organ trafficking is a pandemic, and the illegal market is expanding. While some people deliberately sold their organs, others did so through deception and coercion. Pinkus sheds light on this issue in the most captivating way. I loved the characters as they were impressive. George, Ryan, Jim, Olivia, Audrey, and even Molly were appealing. I also loved the relationship between Bobbie and Miles. If only all landlord-tenant relationships were that great. Thank you for a beautiful book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews