Lethal Relations

by Lo Monaco

Terry Strong is a PI with a Black Belt in Taekwondo and ceaseless determination. Fred Greene has been murdered in his own home while watching TV. The police have arrested his girlfriend, Barbara Metcalf. But Barbara's brother, attorney Donald Remick, doesn't believe she did it. Remick hires Terry to prove Barbara's innocence. But it won't be easy. All the evidence points right to Barbara. Even Fred's son, Robert, believes Barbara shot his father. She had been at the Greene residence that night just as Robert was leaving. Later that night, Fred was found dead...by Barbara. Trying to untie all the twisted knots of relationships has Terry frustrated and confused, while at the same time, her relationship with her sometime SO, Carl Black, compounds the stress. Adding to that, the puzzling connection between Robert Greene and Donald Remick's daughter, Sylvia, makes this a mystifying and difficult case to solve. Terry finally unweaves all the strands and, with the help of her Black Belt, brings this case to a shocking conclusion which no one expected.

198 pages, Paperback

Published August 31, 2021

About the author

A native Californian, I have recently returned from Italy, where I lived for almost 16 years. I am a former judge for the Private Eye Writers of America Shamus Awards. I am a former editor of Futures Mysterious Anthology Magazine, both print and online versions. My first novel, “Lethal Relations”—(self-published) was Short Listed for the 2018 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards for Mystery and Mayhem section. (It was subsequently republished by Level Best Books.) My second novel “Poison Butterfly,” was also self-published. My third novel, “Suddenly Deadly,” (self-published) was Short Listed for the 2022 Chanticleer Int’l Book Awards for Clue section.

Reviews

[Karen Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Whodunit from Start to Finish


Lethal Relations was a solid 4.5. A captivating story from the first pages to the unexpected twist at the end. Terry Strong, female P.I. and taekwondo black belt, is hired by attorney, Don Remick, to prove his sister, Barbara's innocence in the murder of Don's brother-in-law, Fred Greene. The problem is that all the evidence clearly points to Barbara. But as Terry investigates, she discovers that Fred had enemies and family members who have motives to kill him and none of them will tell the whole truth to Terry. Through the twists and turns of the investigation Terry unveils the complicated dynamics of the family.

I liked Terry and her assistant Jack. I also enjoyed Terry's on-again/off-again love interest local police officer, Carl. The book was fast paced, well written and thoroughly enjoyable. I look forward to more mysteries for Terry Strong. I received this book from The Review Crew but it did not influence my review.

[Seraphia Bunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lethal Relations by Lo Monaco is a mystery to discover who killed the late Fred Greene and why. In this book, we are introduced to Terry Strong. Terry has been hired by a prominent attorney, Donald Remick , to investigate a case concerning his sister. Donald’s sister has been arrested on suspicion of killing Fred Greene, but Donald doesn’t believe that she committed the crime. When Terry accompanies him to visit his sister in jail, Terry hears the ring of truth in the sister’s words. Now she must embark on the mission to discover who really committed the heinous crime. Along the way to discovering the truth, Terry will be juggling her personal life as well. Still battling the pain of a divorce she never wanted, she struggles with her feelings toward another. Through twists and turns the truth will be found, but Terry must be careful because someone doesn’t want the truth to be learned.
Lethal Relations is the first book by Lo Monaco that I have read. I enjoyed reading this book very much. Terry is an engaging character who helps draw you into the story. The author gives us brief glimpses into Terry’s past when it comes to the relationship that she still mourns. The author does an excellent job keeping you on your toes with piecing together who committed the crimes. Yes, crimes, because the crimes don’t stop at one. The puzzle begins to show that there has been more going on than it initially appears. I like the fact that Terry doesn’t have just the one case that she is working on. With the help of her partner she is able to cover more ground and even do follow ups when needed.
There honestly isn’t anything that I don’t like about this book. This story doesn’t have a perfect happy ending. For me, I find the ending to be a mixed bag but I still liked it. One of my pet peeves when it comes to mysteries is that if I can figure out who the guilty party is long before the story ends, it’s not any good. The story does an excellent job keeping me on my toes in concern to who is really the culprit. The author balances the mystery with humor in just the right places to engage and entertain. I absolutely loved it.
I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. This is a book that I would recommend and read again. Everything comes together so nicely. There is a bit of disappointment for me, but I’m okay with it. The story is well blended and well written overall. A fun mystery that many will enjoy.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this fast-paced story from a new author. I liked Terry Strong, the PI in the story, and felt that she was tenacious and clever. I also liked the supporting characters, especially Jack. The story moved along at a good pace with several red-herrings and real clues that kept me guessing which way the story was going to go. I thought I knew who had committed the murder, but there was a surprise twist at the end that I didn't see coming at all. A good mystery and a fast read.

Thank you to Lo Monaco and The Review Crew for a copy of this book. This did not influence my review in any way.

[Amy Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A solid 4.5 stars... What an absolute pleasure it was to read Lethal Relations by Lo Monaco. Terry Strong PI is hired by an attorney to clear his sister's name in the murder of his brother in law. She is taken down a road of curious characters, lies aplenty, and unforeseen dangers that put her and her partner in harm's way. It's a good thing she has a black belt in Taekwondo and a quirky personality to boot.

If you enjoy Evanovich's Stephanie Plum escapades, you will thoroughly enjoy Ms. Strong's adventure. As I came to a close on this story, I decided I quite enjoyed Terry and was sad to see us part. However, upon reading the About the Author section my heart rejoiced to see that Monaco is already working on a second Terry Strong PI book. Hallelujah! I cannot wait to follow her on another humorous romp!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lethal Relations by Lo Monaco is a first person narration by the protagonist, Terry Strong, who is a female private investigator. She is emotionally a wreck but a really decent detective. An attorney named Donald Remick, who is kind of a jerk but cares about his family, has hired her. His sister, Barbara is in a situation-she has been accused of murdering his wife's brother, Fred Greene. Fred's wife had recently died; she had been a victim of MS but had died from a case of the flu, and he lived a home with his son Robert. Remick's wife, Evelyn, is an unlikely suspect who ends up in the hospital with the same flu that killed he sister-in-law. She and her husband have a daughter, Silvia. Barbara had been Fred's paramour who assumed there was a marriage in the future, now that the wife was dead. Yes, it is confusing but pretty much kept all in the family. Barbara is in jail, awaiting either bail or proof she is innocent. There is a long list of possible suspects, which Terry begins immediately to whittle down, step by step.

There is a nice balance between the investigation and Terry's private life. Although she is in her thirties, her partner is Jack, her Tai Kwon Do instructor, who is working for her, accumulating hours to apply for his own investigator's license. She lives with her mother, and with her dog. She has an ex-husband, Kyle, who was much older than her, with whom she is still in love, and an on-again, off-again boyfriend, Carl Black, who is a police lieutenant. She puts up with no sexual harassment from Remick, who is kind of a dirty old man, but deals with him firmly without making an issue of it. She is an interesting woman and well written.

This book had the feel of an era gone by-like Dragnet. It was written in a formal, straightforward way, not a lot of adjectives, but plenty of description. The mystery was a good one, unveiled bit by bit, with plenty of worthy subjects with plenty of motivation for killing Greene. I look forward to Terry Strong's next case.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the plot some of it I saw coming and other parts were very much a surprise. I thought to much filler was used that wasn’t needed. I am unsure why it had the little bit of romance between Terry and Carl which had nothing to do with the plot or the story. I felt it took away from the story and was used as filler. 3.5 rounding it up to a 4 star.

What I did like was the characters, how the story was laid out and how it all came together. Yes I was pretty sure who did the killing and the why of it but the author puts one heck of a twist on things. It is mind blowing and a shocker. It can be so surprising how one murder can affect so many people breaking a family in two.

When Terry is hired to clear the name of the killer’s girlfriend who happens to be the sister to the victim’s brother in law, if you think that is confusing just read the book to find out just how confusing it can get. The author does leave hints along the way that you most likely will pick up on before Terry does. Some hints you will never get others are very easy. Terry is living a dangerous game of cat and mouse trying to find the killer and all that might be affected. The plot is complex and mind blowing. The characters are easy to like some more so than others. Even the killer I thought was nice, there is no hate going on that you can see, the killing isn’t really based on hate. It is more a need for silence. It is very interesting and does keep your attention once you get past the filler. The authors does a great job keeping the mystery going, filling it with danger, lies and decent. I really liked the surprise ending.

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started slow, but I’m glad I gave it a chance. After a chapter or so, it was an entertaining read, which kept me engaged and wanting to see how it ended. One of my criteria for a good mystery, is not being able to figure out the ending before I get to it. I had several guesses, and I thought for sure I had figured it out, but I hadn’t.

I get the sense from the book that it will be the first in a series. There was a fair amount of character development in this book – enough to keep you interested, but also leaving some things unanswered so that there is room for more in future volumes. I found all of the characters interesting, if not appealing, there were a few characters that you just couldn’t like, but we weren’t supposed to. I give credit to the author for making even the unlikeable characters interesting enough to want to know how things end for them.

I liked the “non-traditional” aspects of the main character and her partner/assistant. I was annoyed at first that you didn’t quite get it at first (or I didn’t), but I realized that I appreciated not being hit over the head with either character. If Ms. Monaco had, it could have seemed like the she wanted to make a point, but I appreciated that she made it just a part of the character, not something that you HAD TO BE AWARE OF.

I hope this truly is the first in a series. I’d really like to get to know the characters in more detail and see what happens next for Terry Strong and the crew.

[Lisa Gillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This aptly titled book starts off with a bang and pulls you in immediately. A man is dead, his girlfriend is the accused killer, and she’s being represented by her brother — an attorney whose wife is the sister of the deceased. Our narrator is the P.I. hired by the attorney to help prove his sister’s innocence. Her investigation takes the reader on a fast-paced, well-plotted journey with lots of twists along the way.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. It has a noir-ish feel without being overly hard-boiled. Terry Strong, the aforementioned P.I., is a bit V.I. Warshawski and a bit Kinsey Millhone, but not derivative — she has plenty of dry wit and unusual backstory to make her unique, along with a small cast of interesting supporting characters. I particularly enjoyed her bantering relationship with Jack, her colleague and instructor in Taekwondo — a skill that I was hoping Terry would get to use at some point in the story (and I wasn’t disappointed).

The mystery itself is a good one. As the investigation progresses, you become rightly suspicious of at least one character fairly quickly, but there is much byplay that unfolds in ways you couldn’t have predicted. The book is so entertaining that you don’t really grasp some of the creepiness involved until the very end. It’s a real page-turner, and Terry is a “strong” addition to the pantheon of female literary detectives.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book gratis in exchange for an honest review.

[Cyndy Bailes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lethal Relations by Lo Monaco is the first of what will hopefully be a series about PI Terry Strong and her young assistant Jack. Terry is hired by attorney Donald Remick whose sister Barbara has been arrested on a charge of murder. Donald is convinced his sister is innocent but at times Terry is not too sure. As Terry works to solve this case she also interacts with former boyfriend Carlson Black who is a police officer. I found myself quickly and thoroughly engrossed in this mystery. There are a number of well-developed characters, and I enjoyed the many twists and turns of the plot. The surprise ending made sense once it was revealed. Monaco’s writing style is very enjoyable to me as she creates a well fleshed out story. I am looking forward to reading the next book involving Terry Strong but meanwhile recommend this one heartily.
I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[J.C. Kenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Strong is a former model who now works as a private investigator in Lethal Relations, a delightful mystery from Lo Monaco. When Terry is hired to prove that her client's sister is not a murderer, she's drawn into an intricate web of familial relations where looks are certainly deceiving, and may be deadly.

This is a fast paced novel that calls to mind Kinsey Millhone with a touch of Stephanie Plum added to the mix. Terry is a likable heroine, her assistant Jack is a breath of fresh air, and her mother is the kind of mom we'd all love to have. If you're a fan of Sue Grafton, or PI mysteries in general, Lethal Relations is the right book for you.

[Edyee Stocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first couple of pages I was hooked! I love the character Terry Strong! I loved all the twists and the intertwined the characters were in the book, whenever I thought I had it all figured out she threw in more twists and complications! The author kept me guessing until the very end. I will definitely want to read more of her books!

[Joanne DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was excellent! Highly recommend it! Loved the story, the characters were believable and the author kept you wondering “who done it?” right until the end. Witty & humorous too!

[Mara Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tenatious female private investigator with humor and wit.

A light detective read, one that will keep you guessing more than you thought! I'm a big fan of dry wit, and the author serves it up often and keeps your attention with more humorous bantering, while throwing curves to keep you engrossed in the murder investigation.

The title itself, “Lethal Relations,” gives a clue to the basis of the mysterious paths this novel takes a reader. We meet a female private investigator in her 30s, witty and determined, who is hired to solve a confusing and conflicting case.

Terry Strong, who lives with her mother and her fox terrier, does her best to unearth clues and solve a case to prove an accused murderer is innocent. Barbara Metcalf is sitting in jail, allegedly for killing her boyfriend, who was also the brother of her brother's wife (confused yet)? And Strong, our heroine, is hired by Metcalf's brother to prove Metcalf's innocence. While she strives to untwist the knots of the case, we are treated to her trying to balance stressful conditions in her own life and relationships.

There's Jack, Terry's Taekwondo instructor, and who also partners with her to earn his hours towards his own private eye license. Also thrown in the mix is mom, who thinks Terry's ex-husband was too old for her, (let alone Terry) and who would like more grandkids, (and not from Terry's brothers and sisters). Then there's her on-again, off-again relationship with Carl, a detective on the local police force. He already has supposedly solved the crime, as far as he's concerned. His suspect is in jail. But Terry has been hired to prove him wrong. So there's more dry humor there when she has to ask for his help.

I enjoyed this “cozy” mystery more than I thought I would, as usually these lighter mysteries don't hold my interest. But the author throws enough humor and a lot of unexpected twists to keep the reader guessing and turning the pages to find more frustrating clues. Terry Strong is a likeable and determined woman P.I. with a tenacious attitude that will make you laugh. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

[JP Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It was a whodunnit it book from the start. Very fast paced kept it moving and interesting! Loved the characters in this book they felt so real!

I was glad to see there will be another book coming along as I will be sure to grab it!

[Maryanne simmonz · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 star review

Well written mystery story. Just enough twists and turns to the plot to keep my interest. I loved that the violence was minimal and the sexual encounters were just enough to keep Terry real but not overpower the story. I hope that there will be more stories about Terry and her adventures.

[Gregory Stout · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN IMPRESSIVE DEBUT PI NOVEL
I cut my teeth, so to speak, on detective fiction written by the likes of Raymond Chandler, Michael Z. Lewin, Ross MacDonald, and more recently Dennis Lehane. And so, when I pick up a private detective novel, I have a pretty good idea what to expect. Lots of violence. Dead bodies a-plenty. Corrupt cops. Psychopathic killers. You get the idea. No so, though, with Lo Monaco’s elegant debut novel in the Terry Strong series, Lethal Relations. For one thing, Terry is a woman, in itself a bit unusual, in that most PI protagonists are men. Terry is a solid investigator, which puts her in the team picture with a very small number of other female professional PI’s like V. I. Warshawski, Angie Gennaro and Maggie McGuane. Terry, who is a former model, now in her thirties and living with her mother and her dog, is smart, determined, well-dressed and, just for fun, extremely short-tempered. She has been hired by an attorney named Donald Remick to investigate the murder of his brother-in-law, Fred Greene. Fred has been shot in the head while watching television with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. (There are worse ways to go.) The police, represented by Detective Lieutenant Carlson Black, think Remick’s sister, Barbara Metcalf, is the killer, and have a fair amount of circumstantial evidence to bolster their case.

Of course, if it were that simple, we wouldn’t have a novel, we’d have an obituary. And so, as the investigation unfolds, the reader is introduced to a deep roster of possible other suspects, including Greene’s own son, Robert; Remick’s daughter, Silvia; Greene’s former business partner, Samuel Ebbs—the list goes on. In the end, the solution is reasonable and logical—no mysterious telegrams arriving in the next-to-the-last chapter, no long-lost relatives showing up on the doorstep after a twenty-year absence in Australia—just a satisfying, if a bit downbeat, resolution.

The mood of Lethal Relations is light, and the story moves along at a brisk pace. I paced myself as I went along, for much the same reason as a person my take his or her time over an exceptionally good meal. I wholeheartedly recommend what I hope will be the first of many Terry Strong mysteries.

Gregory Stout, author of Gideon's Ghost and Lost Little Girl

[Please Pass the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lethal Relations by Lo Monaco is a murder mystery told from the first person point of view and main character, a private investigator named Theresa (Terry) Strong. The murder itself is unique in that all of the characters have close degrees of separation. The deceased, Fred Greene, has allegedly been shot and killed by his lover Barbara (Barbie) Metcalf. Her lawyer, Donald (Don) Remick - who is brother to Metcalf and related to Greene through his wife, Evelyn - has hired Strong to help him exonerate his sister. To complicate matters further, Fred Greene's son is in a relationship with Don Remick's daughter. It's left to Terry, who has her own relationship issues to sort through, to try and untwist a case that appears to be a clean shot...until the karate-ace and private investigator finds a new twist that, if she's not careful, could tangle her up into as well.

Lethal Relations is a highly entertaining mystery with the added benefit of a female lead who is both strong and smart, but who also has just enough of her own issues to further fatten an already nice, thick arc with an absorbing subplot. Lo Monaco writes with wit and authenticity, giving Terry a voice that instantly engages. I loved the convoluted web of relationships and as Monaco deftly unpeeled each layer I was certain I had the mystery sorted out myself. Imagine my surprise and delight when a spanner is thrown in to create an energetic twist, something that even a prolific reader and lover of who-done-its isn't at all expecting. This was an easy five stars from me and I look forward to having more adventures with Terry Strong going forward.

Review written for Readers' Favorite.

[Lo Monaco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Terry Strong is a character who reminds me a little of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. Not a copy, but similar. The ending is really a shocker. I wasn't expecting that at all. I thoroughly recommend this book.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting plot and great characters. Had me guessing until the very end. I highly recommend this book.