Razing Stakes

by T.G. Wolff

The first day of summer is the last day of a young accountant’s life. Colin McHenry is out for his regular run when an SUV crosses into his path, crushing him. Within hours of the hit-skip, Cleveland Homicide Detective Jesus De La Cruz finds the vehicle in the owner’s garage, who’s on vacation three time zones away. The setup is obvious, but not the hand behind it. The suspects read like a list out of a the jilted fiancée, the jealous coworker, the overlooked subordinate, the dirty client.

His plate already full, Cruz is assigned to a “special project,” a case needing to be solved quickly and quietly. Cleveland Water technicians are the targets of focused attacks. The crimes range from intimidation to assault. The locations swing between the east, west, and south sides of the city. This is definitely madness, but there is a method behind it.

The two cases are different and yet the same. Motives, opportunities, and alibis don’t point in a single direction. In these mysteries, Cruz has to think laterally, yanking down the curtain to expose the master minding the strings.

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2022

Reviews

[Melissa Ammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

Razing Stakes is book 3 in the De La Cruz Case Files, but can easily be read as a standalone. I would classify this genre as a police procedural … mixed in with some very interesting characters and a couple of different story lines happening in Razing Stakes.
Let me introduce you to Detective Jesus De La Cruz who starts out this story with a hit-and-run, the victim being Colin McHenry. While working to solve this case, Detective De La Cruz is called to the mayor’s office to work on a “special project.” Let me also introduce you to his girlfriend, Aurora Williams. She is a schoolteacher who happens to be suspended from her job. While suspended, she is temporarily working as a bartender and a freelance artist. Let me also introduce you to De La Cruz’s best friend, another detective, Matt Yablonski, and his wife Erin (who also happens to be Aurora’s best friend). With the main story, there is an underlying story involving Yablonski being involved in some other undercover work and there were some seriously bad dudes out for his blood. There are quite a few other characters in this tale that lend to the story in their own ways. Not to mention the romance between De La Cruz and Aurora (she calls him Zeus).

If you enjoy police procedurals, I am quite certain you will enjoy Ms. Wolff’s writing style. It is easy to follow and, in this particular book, I found it interesting the way in which she tied all of the stories together. I also enjoyed her portrayal of De La Cruz’s family relationships, as well as the Williams’ family relationships. Oh, and who can resist a book with a line like this: “Monday morning decided to come early again.” Another favorite line: “There is never enough cheesecake.” I think some of us can relate to these sentiments. The theme throughout: “Happy hunting, Detective.”

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good police procedure novel with an emphasis on the personal life of the hero. Much personal information and action is included in the plot and it somewhat overshadows the actual murder investigation. We get a good idea of the relationship between Detective De La Cruz and his girlfriend, soon to be fiancé Aurora. Their relationship, De La Cruz's relationship to his mother, to his work mates and friends are prominent.

This is the third in a series and the first I've read. While the police procedure read well, the relationships were a bit fuzzy for me. The relationship actions obviously had roots in previous novels. The attacks on Cleveland Water personnel De La Cruz investigates and the homicide near the end of the book did not have the impact on me they could have had I read previous novels.

I enjoyed the police procedure even though puzzled by some of the relationships because current feelings and actions have roots in earlier novels in the series. This is a book for mystery readers who like knowing about the hero and his life as much as the actual work on the murder.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Pat Fayo Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in this De La Cruz series, and the only one I have read. This book can be read as a standalone but for me, I feel if I had read the previous two, I may have a better reading relationship with De La Cruz. As I was reading, I felt there are actually 3 storylines…the incident of the crushed victim by a vehicle, another murder case he was called into and then the developing romance between him and Aurora, his girlfriend. With this being said, you would think that there would be so many characters you wouldn’t be able to keep them and the storylines straight! Not so….TG Wolff moves his storylines along very smoothly so it all fit well together. For me I would say this is a crime romance book. The book seems to focus more on DeLa Cruz’s relationship with Aurora. (Not that I didn’t enjoy this part). Maybe his career was more prevalent in the previous books. All in all, I did enjoy this book and I think others would also. HAPPY HUNTING DETECTIVE!

Many thanks to #partnersincrimevbt and the author, TG Wolff, for an ARC copy of this crime romance fiction. I have read and reviewed voluntarily. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[T.G. Wolff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Jesus De La Cruz begins the first day of summer with an accountant, the victim of a hit and run. There is no obvious reason for a up-and-coming account manager to have died by such a personal means. This mystery is meant to be solvable. Happy Hunting Detective!

[T.S. Hottle]

Well done. Different take on Cleveland than what I used to write. Plus, I haven't been back much.

Wolff does not skimp on raising the stakes (no pun intended.) And Lydia Reisman is the ultimate control freak.