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Incentive for Death
Eight murders. Seven days. A business model that turns deaths into profits.
On a beautiful spring morning in Washington, D.C., a high-profile attorney is found dead at his desk. No signs of struggle. No obvious cause of death. Metropolitan Police detectives McDermott “ Mac” Burke and Oliver Shaw are called to investigate what looks like a natural death.
It is anything but.
The medical examiner finds a single pin prick on the lawyer's neck. The M.E. suspects he was injected with sux, a drug that stops the heart and disappears from the body within hours. Someone killed this man and made it look like nothing happened.
As Mac and Oliver dig deeper, a pattern emerges. The dead attorney sold his life insurance policy to a viatical settlement company, which buys policies from healthy insureds and collects when they die. Prematurely, in some cases. As had the next victim. And the one after that.
With the body count rising and a conspiracy reaching further than anyone anticipated, Mac and Oliver move fast before the people behind it disappear and take the truth with them. The first book in the Mac and Oliver series, Incentive for Death is a tightly-plotted Washington, D.C. police procedural that will keep you reading well past midnight.
Perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Robert Dugoni and John Sandford.
"Enjoy this pulse-pounding treat" Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author.
"A fascinating debut. The action is explosive and intense as it plays out on the complicated stage of Washington, D.C." Patricia Gussin, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and Co-Founder of Oceanview Publishing.
On a beautiful spring morning in Washington, D.C., a high-profile attorney is found dead at his desk. No signs of struggle. No obvious cause of death. Metropolitan Police detectives McDermott “ Mac” Burke and Oliver Shaw are called to investigate what looks like a natural death.
It is anything but.
The medical examiner finds a single pin prick on the lawyer's neck. The M.E. suspects he was injected with sux, a drug that stops the heart and disappears from the body within hours. Someone killed this man and made it look like nothing happened.
As Mac and Oliver dig deeper, a pattern emerges. The dead attorney sold his life insurance policy to a viatical settlement company, which buys policies from healthy insureds and collects when they die. Prematurely, in some cases. As had the next victim. And the one after that.
With the body count rising and a conspiracy reaching further than anyone anticipated, Mac and Oliver move fast before the people behind it disappear and take the truth with them. The first book in the Mac and Oliver series, Incentive for Death is a tightly-plotted Washington, D.C. police procedural that will keep you reading well past midnight.
Perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michael Connelly, Robert Dugoni and John Sandford.
"Enjoy this pulse-pounding treat" Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author.
"A fascinating debut. The action is explosive and intense as it plays out on the complicated stage of Washington, D.C." Patricia Gussin, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and Co-Founder of Oceanview Publishing.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 3, 2023
About the author
James Spoonhour
1 book8 followersI write Washington, D.C. police procedurals. My detectives Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw, work homicide for the Metropolitan Police Department. Their cases tend to be complicated and dangerous.
Before I started writing fiction, I spent years inside the world that informs these stories. I was a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, worked a major leak case at the Pentagon, went to Georgetown Law at night, served as an investigator for the D.C. Public Defender, practiced as a trial lawyer most of my career, and taught law at Loyola University Law School in New Orleans.
I have spent a lot of time around investigations, courtrooms, and the kind of people who end up in both.
INCENTIVE FOR DEATH is the first Mac and Oliver book. The second, PREPARE TO DIE, is on its way.
I also write newsletters and the backstory of Frisco, the Robin Hood of Hackers, who is often drawn into my D.C. homicide investigations. You can find them at my website: jamesspoonhour.com
I live in North Carolina and play tournament croquet. Yes, seriously.
Before I started writing fiction, I spent years inside the world that informs these stories. I was a Special Agent with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, worked a major leak case at the Pentagon, went to Georgetown Law at night, served as an investigator for the D.C. Public Defender, practiced as a trial lawyer most of my career, and taught law at Loyola University Law School in New Orleans.
I have spent a lot of time around investigations, courtrooms, and the kind of people who end up in both.
INCENTIVE FOR DEATH is the first Mac and Oliver book. The second, PREPARE TO DIE, is on its way.
I also write newsletters and the backstory of Frisco, the Robin Hood of Hackers, who is often drawn into my D.C. homicide investigations. You can find them at my website: jamesspoonhour.com
I live in North Carolina and play tournament croquet. Yes, seriously.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
October 1, 2023
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley but it has been in my library for some time. It was a really fast paced police detective novel. I fairly flew through it, and it kept my interest right to the end. I really liked the fact that the two excellent detectives and their boss had a great relationship. As a first novel it was promising but the fault I found with it was that everything just worked too well. If they needed to speak to anyone they just picked up the phone and it was answered. They had a cyber guy who could get into the impossible. One detective had an ex wife with whom he still lives and has an ideal life. Overall it was good but a bit more true to life would make it better.
September 27, 2024
Another find in the Download Now section. With an interesting plot and good characterization; I like police procedurals a lot.
However, I couldn’t get used to the staccato writing style, that sometimes reads as if this was a documentary. I don’t need information on every street and cross street Mac and his colleagues take when driving somewhere, nor when every building they enter was build. I think this author has a great talent but sadly it is presented in a way that didn’t appeal to me.
Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Edelweiss for this review copy.
However, I couldn’t get used to the staccato writing style, that sometimes reads as if this was a documentary. I don’t need information on every street and cross street Mac and his colleagues take when driving somewhere, nor when every building they enter was build. I think this author has a great talent but sadly it is presented in a way that didn’t appeal to me.
Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and Edelweiss for this review copy.
September 21, 2023
Two things struck me after I finished this book: First, I really enjoyed Washington, D.C., homicide investigators McDermott "Mac" Burke and Oliver Shaw (just don't call him Ollie) and hope to read more books with them as the stars of the show. And second, if the repetitive parts of this one were weed-whacked, the book probably would be half as long. By the end, it got very tiring to have the detectives regurgitate every detail of the case they're working on to every new character they meet.
That out of the way, though, I found the plot unique and timely. While I'm aware of the practice of selling large life insurance policies at a discount to get cash now (somewhat akin to reverse mortgages), the possibility of hastening the deaths of the sellers to boost profits never occurred to me.
But apparently it did to the company in question here, although it took a while for Mac and Oliver to suspect what was going on. When a local hot-shot lawyer is found dead in his office, it appeared to have happened by natural causes. A closer look, though, reveals a tiny prick on the man's neck - and the medical examiner (an astute one, to be sure) suspects he'd been injected with horse tranquilizer succinylcholine, once famously but erroneously touted as a "cure" for COVID-19, which dissipates in the body too fast to be identified after death.
That prompts Mac and Oliver to look a bit deeper, and that's when they learn the victim recently sold a substantial life insurance policy to one of the so-called viatical companies. That, in turn, leads to the discovery that this dead guy is neither the first nor only victim who met an untimely death shortly after selling a policy. But who's behind it all? Ah, therein is the substance of the rest of the book. Mac and Oliver get a ton of expert assistance from co-workers and long-time friends; even Mac's ex-wife Maggie Hampton, who actually still lives with him from time to time and may or may not be working for a clandestine U.S. government agency, gets into the act.
But time is of the essence; once they learn about the other victims, they realize that unless the killer(s) are stopped, more are sure to follow. Whether they prevent that from happening - and how - is up to other readers to find out; I'm not going to tell. Now, I'm looking forward to reading another installment - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this one.
That out of the way, though, I found the plot unique and timely. While I'm aware of the practice of selling large life insurance policies at a discount to get cash now (somewhat akin to reverse mortgages), the possibility of hastening the deaths of the sellers to boost profits never occurred to me.
But apparently it did to the company in question here, although it took a while for Mac and Oliver to suspect what was going on. When a local hot-shot lawyer is found dead in his office, it appeared to have happened by natural causes. A closer look, though, reveals a tiny prick on the man's neck - and the medical examiner (an astute one, to be sure) suspects he'd been injected with horse tranquilizer succinylcholine, once famously but erroneously touted as a "cure" for COVID-19, which dissipates in the body too fast to be identified after death.
That prompts Mac and Oliver to look a bit deeper, and that's when they learn the victim recently sold a substantial life insurance policy to one of the so-called viatical companies. That, in turn, leads to the discovery that this dead guy is neither the first nor only victim who met an untimely death shortly after selling a policy. But who's behind it all? Ah, therein is the substance of the rest of the book. Mac and Oliver get a ton of expert assistance from co-workers and long-time friends; even Mac's ex-wife Maggie Hampton, who actually still lives with him from time to time and may or may not be working for a clandestine U.S. government agency, gets into the act.
But time is of the essence; once they learn about the other victims, they realize that unless the killer(s) are stopped, more are sure to follow. Whether they prevent that from happening - and how - is up to other readers to find out; I'm not going to tell. Now, I'm looking forward to reading another installment - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review this one.
August 27, 2023
I was fortunate enough to have read the advanced copy of Incentive for Death. This murder mystery was a ‘can’t put down’ book with a great plot written by a debut writer. Kept me interested in how arrests would eventually be made.
Critique: less height and dress descriptions and charts.
Otherwise, a really good read!
Critique: less height and dress descriptions and charts.
Otherwise, a really good read!
November 5, 2024
Incentive to read!
Incentive for Death is not a classic whodunit! The reader knows almost from the beginning who the murderers are. So how does debut author James Spoonhour keep the reader’s interest? He immediately introduces investigating officers McDermott “Mac” Burke and his partner Oliver Shaw of the Washington DC police department, and they come alive, as does the setting in the District of Columbia. The book follows the investigation of the several murders in detail as the police first deduce that the killings are connected and then look for who is behind the crimes. It gave me a good picture of the processes the professionals used (although I suspect at least one of Mac and Oliver’s techniques is not quite the norm!). It also gave me one of my many smiles in the form of a confidential informant whose identity is not known even to the officers receiving the information.
In addition to interesting insights into police procedure, Incentive for Death presents a vivid picture of the setting and the people. There are many details of the landmarks and neighborhoods of Washington and nice recounting of natural-sounding conversations that both enlightened me about the police techniques and let me see the people involved, especially how their skills and personalities created a winning team. The characters came across as real, real enough that I REALLY wanted Mac to stop smoking, although I doubt he will!
The murders are taken seriously, as is appropriate, but nonetheless the book gave me many smiles and even some laughs. There is a lot of cleverness, such as the murderers’ use of the drug succinylcholine , commonly known as ”sux”. What a name for a murder weapon! The cleverness continues all the way to the last page, when something interesting happens to Mac’s former wife that gave me one of my many smiles…. But not my last one!
The author obviously paid a lot of attention to detail, and that attention was not confined just to the story itself. The dedication was worth reading and was a nice introduction to the author. Then the book concludes with discussion questions that are worth reading even if you are not in a discussion group. I don’t think I have ever before gotten a chuckle from a discussion question, but this book certainly provoked one.
I hope to see more from John Spoonhour soon.
I received a review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing.
Incentive for Death is not a classic whodunit! The reader knows almost from the beginning who the murderers are. So how does debut author James Spoonhour keep the reader’s interest? He immediately introduces investigating officers McDermott “Mac” Burke and his partner Oliver Shaw of the Washington DC police department, and they come alive, as does the setting in the District of Columbia. The book follows the investigation of the several murders in detail as the police first deduce that the killings are connected and then look for who is behind the crimes. It gave me a good picture of the processes the professionals used (although I suspect at least one of Mac and Oliver’s techniques is not quite the norm!). It also gave me one of my many smiles in the form of a confidential informant whose identity is not known even to the officers receiving the information.
In addition to interesting insights into police procedure, Incentive for Death presents a vivid picture of the setting and the people. There are many details of the landmarks and neighborhoods of Washington and nice recounting of natural-sounding conversations that both enlightened me about the police techniques and let me see the people involved, especially how their skills and personalities created a winning team. The characters came across as real, real enough that I REALLY wanted Mac to stop smoking, although I doubt he will!
The murders are taken seriously, as is appropriate, but nonetheless the book gave me many smiles and even some laughs. There is a lot of cleverness, such as the murderers’ use of the drug succinylcholine , commonly known as ”sux”. What a name for a murder weapon! The cleverness continues all the way to the last page, when something interesting happens to Mac’s former wife that gave me one of my many smiles…. But not my last one!
The author obviously paid a lot of attention to detail, and that attention was not confined just to the story itself. The dedication was worth reading and was a nice introduction to the author. Then the book concludes with discussion questions that are worth reading even if you are not in a discussion group. I don’t think I have ever before gotten a chuckle from a discussion question, but this book certainly provoked one.
I hope to see more from John Spoonhour soon.
I received a review copy of this book from Edelweiss and Oceanview Publishing.
December 19, 2024
I would like to thank Oceanview Publishing and James Spoonhour for granting me a digital copy of this book.
3 ⭐ - a fun and easy read. Based in Virginia, it follows detectives Mac & Oliver who have been working together for a long time. One day, they get a new case - a rich lawyer is found dead and both detectives need to find the culprit. Who is responsible for this death?
3 ⭐ - a fun and easy read. Based in Virginia, it follows detectives Mac & Oliver who have been working together for a long time. One day, they get a new case - a rich lawyer is found dead and both detectives need to find the culprit. Who is responsible for this death?
April 14, 2023
A fairly easy read.
Detectives Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw have been working together a long time, and Mac still lives with his ex-wife Maggie - although he still doesn’t know what she does for a job!
A wealthy lawyer is found dead, and then they realise that there are others who have died in suspicious or open cases. They find evidence of who it could be, but with the help of a friend find nothing on the suspects. This being Washington/Virginia it’s not a long stretch for them to consider that they’re CIA. Mac and Oliver get help from a few informants - not sure whether this would really happen, and the chief doesn’t seem to be too bothered by how they got their information.
Their relationship seems a bit too good to be true, with the chief falling over himself to help them. Maggie meanwhile breaks rules to help her ‘husband’!
Think Mac has a drink problem…several drinks and driving, followed by a few when he gets home to Maggie - how does he actually work?
Although an easy read,, a bit frustrating at times.
Detectives Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw have been working together a long time, and Mac still lives with his ex-wife Maggie - although he still doesn’t know what she does for a job!
A wealthy lawyer is found dead, and then they realise that there are others who have died in suspicious or open cases. They find evidence of who it could be, but with the help of a friend find nothing on the suspects. This being Washington/Virginia it’s not a long stretch for them to consider that they’re CIA. Mac and Oliver get help from a few informants - not sure whether this would really happen, and the chief doesn’t seem to be too bothered by how they got their information.
Their relationship seems a bit too good to be true, with the chief falling over himself to help them. Maggie meanwhile breaks rules to help her ‘husband’!
Think Mac has a drink problem…several drinks and driving, followed by a few when he gets home to Maggie - how does he actually work?
Although an easy read,, a bit frustrating at times.
November 6, 2023
Real Rating: 3.75* of five, rounded up because it's stingy not to
The Publisher Says: They all sold their life insurance policies to the same company—and now they’ re all dead. Mac and Oliver are on the case.
On a beautiful spring morning in Washington, D.C., a high-profile attorney is found dead in his office. McDermott “Mac” Burke and Oliver Shaw, homicide investigators for the Metropolitan Police Department, are called to investigate. There appear to be no signs of foul play, but there is also no obvious sign of a natural cause of death.
The detectives are perplexed until the medical examiner notices a tiny pin prick on the lawyer’s neck and theorizes that the man was injected with succinylcholine—aka “sux”—which is a common horse tranquilizer that dissipates quickly in the body.
As Mac and Oliver begin to look further, they discover that the lawyer had sold his life insurance policy to a large viatical company. Then, they realize that more deaths under mysterious circumstances have occurred among those who’ve sold their policies to the same company.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Lots of coincidences, lots of conveniently available people able and willing on no notice at all to answer the detectives' questions, and the men investigating the crimes (that might not be crimes) never follow a blind alley or take a wrong turn for long. No one in their chain of command ever questions how they got the information they have, taking their word for whatever they're saying without pushback or demands for sources.
Mac is divorced from Maggie. She lives with him still. She also breaks rules (sort of, that is if as she's hinted at being employed by A Gummint Intelligence Agency she sure as heck does) to help him out. Everyone loves these guys! They're so lovable, hell, I'd marry 'em both!
That's really the sum total of my grumbling. Oh, and the fact that they rehash basically the entire case to date whenever they talk to someone new. What works for me is their inability to set aside the essential unfairness of the viatical "services" industry, which I learned about in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic. Lots of gay men had the kind of jobs that come with life insurance, and were definitely not going to live very long; a large number of them sold their life insurance collection rights to investors for 50% of face value so as to be able to live with some shreds of dignity until they died.
Capitalism rots.
So anyway, the detectives don't think hurrying the inevitable in order to maximize your profits is acceptable investment management, and set about proving that's what some unkind souls have done. That they succeed is inherent in the genre. The way they go about achieving that success is the fun part. I enjoyed their antics, for the most part, and will definitely read the next one in the series. Oceanview, a relatively new player on the series-mystery publishing scene, is doing a lot of books like this one...not Big Names, unconventional plots and detectives, settings one doesn't necessarily expect for the kind of mystery being told. This one, set in Washington, DC, for example...it's not race-based "urban" or rankly political, it's an interesting business crime. I am all for this publishing house keeping up the good work they're doing with worthwhile new authors like (retired? lawyer) James Spoonhour.
The Publisher Says: They all sold their life insurance policies to the same company—and now they’ re all dead. Mac and Oliver are on the case.
On a beautiful spring morning in Washington, D.C., a high-profile attorney is found dead in his office. McDermott “Mac” Burke and Oliver Shaw, homicide investigators for the Metropolitan Police Department, are called to investigate. There appear to be no signs of foul play, but there is also no obvious sign of a natural cause of death.
The detectives are perplexed until the medical examiner notices a tiny pin prick on the lawyer’s neck and theorizes that the man was injected with succinylcholine—aka “sux”—which is a common horse tranquilizer that dissipates quickly in the body.
As Mac and Oliver begin to look further, they discover that the lawyer had sold his life insurance policy to a large viatical company. Then, they realize that more deaths under mysterious circumstances have occurred among those who’ve sold their policies to the same company.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Lots of coincidences, lots of conveniently available people able and willing on no notice at all to answer the detectives' questions, and the men investigating the crimes (that might not be crimes) never follow a blind alley or take a wrong turn for long. No one in their chain of command ever questions how they got the information they have, taking their word for whatever they're saying without pushback or demands for sources.
Mac is divorced from Maggie. She lives with him still. She also breaks rules (sort of, that is if as she's hinted at being employed by A Gummint Intelligence Agency she sure as heck does) to help him out. Everyone loves these guys! They're so lovable, hell, I'd marry 'em both!
That's really the sum total of my grumbling. Oh, and the fact that they rehash basically the entire case to date whenever they talk to someone new. What works for me is their inability to set aside the essential unfairness of the viatical "services" industry, which I learned about in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic. Lots of gay men had the kind of jobs that come with life insurance, and were definitely not going to live very long; a large number of them sold their life insurance collection rights to investors for 50% of face value so as to be able to live with some shreds of dignity until they died.
Capitalism rots.
So anyway, the detectives don't think hurrying the inevitable in order to maximize your profits is acceptable investment management, and set about proving that's what some unkind souls have done. That they succeed is inherent in the genre. The way they go about achieving that success is the fun part. I enjoyed their antics, for the most part, and will definitely read the next one in the series. Oceanview, a relatively new player on the series-mystery publishing scene, is doing a lot of books like this one...not Big Names, unconventional plots and detectives, settings one doesn't necessarily expect for the kind of mystery being told. This one, set in Washington, DC, for example...it's not race-based "urban" or rankly political, it's an interesting business crime. I am all for this publishing house keeping up the good work they're doing with worthwhile new authors like (retired? lawyer) James Spoonhour.
October 9, 2023
Cherry blossoms litter D.C.’s Reflecting Pool walkways with a lush pink carpet. It’s spring in the nation’s capital when detectives McDermott “Mac” Burke and Oliver Shaw investigate the suspicious death of a high-profile law firm’s managing partner. The attorney had no significant medical history, but he worked long hours and amassed a list of disgruntled lawyers who had been fired for not producing the billable hours dictated by the firm.
A medical examiner detects a pin prick on the cadaver’s neck, and Mac and Oliver surmise that the victim may have been injected with succinylcholine, aka “sux.” Sux --- aside from the obvious implication for the dead attorney --- is a tranquilizer that veterinarians inject into horses, one that quickly dissipates. A large dose for a human causes instant death, leaving only trace amounts of potassium. “So, the method may be fairly easy to determine. It’s just a matter of whodunnit.”
Contemporaneously, the detectives sleuth another death at a sports stadium, this one not an attorney. Questioning family members of the decedents, Mac and Oliver glean a possible common thread: Both dead men had sold their term life insurance policies to a viatical company at a steep discount. Portland Life Solutions collects full benefits when the former policy holders die, a true incentive for death. Cops don’t believe in coincidence, “people dropping dead who are all connected to this viatical company.”
More curious death cases resulting from causes other than the unique succinylcholine murder weapon wind up in Mac’s lap. That common thread is twined with others to make a sturdy rope that becomes a metaphoric noose for the perpetrators. Karma is a killer, justifiable homicide.
Mac is happily divorced --- with benefits. He and his ex, CIA operative Maggie “Mags” Hampton, share a home and occasionally a bed. The ménage works for them. And Mags has connections that Mac can’t access, a symbiotic relationship that many married couples envy.
More than a finely honed detective procedural plump with investigative forensics, James Spoonhour's INCENTIVE FOR DEATH delves into the lives of law enforcement personnel: what makes them tick, the overwhelming desire to take the bad guys --- and gals --- off the street. The concept of this phenomenal mystery “hard-boils” to a simple phrase: the need for greed.
Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy
A medical examiner detects a pin prick on the cadaver’s neck, and Mac and Oliver surmise that the victim may have been injected with succinylcholine, aka “sux.” Sux --- aside from the obvious implication for the dead attorney --- is a tranquilizer that veterinarians inject into horses, one that quickly dissipates. A large dose for a human causes instant death, leaving only trace amounts of potassium. “So, the method may be fairly easy to determine. It’s just a matter of whodunnit.”
Contemporaneously, the detectives sleuth another death at a sports stadium, this one not an attorney. Questioning family members of the decedents, Mac and Oliver glean a possible common thread: Both dead men had sold their term life insurance policies to a viatical company at a steep discount. Portland Life Solutions collects full benefits when the former policy holders die, a true incentive for death. Cops don’t believe in coincidence, “people dropping dead who are all connected to this viatical company.”
More curious death cases resulting from causes other than the unique succinylcholine murder weapon wind up in Mac’s lap. That common thread is twined with others to make a sturdy rope that becomes a metaphoric noose for the perpetrators. Karma is a killer, justifiable homicide.
Mac is happily divorced --- with benefits. He and his ex, CIA operative Maggie “Mags” Hampton, share a home and occasionally a bed. The ménage works for them. And Mags has connections that Mac can’t access, a symbiotic relationship that many married couples envy.
More than a finely honed detective procedural plump with investigative forensics, James Spoonhour's INCENTIVE FOR DEATH delves into the lives of law enforcement personnel: what makes them tick, the overwhelming desire to take the bad guys --- and gals --- off the street. The concept of this phenomenal mystery “hard-boils” to a simple phrase: the need for greed.
Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy
July 6, 2023
I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for an advance copy of Incentive for Death, a stand-alone police procedural featuring Detectives Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw of MPD, Washington DC.
A high powered lawyer is found dead in his office with no obvious cause of death. The Medical Examiner finds a puncture mark and suspects the victim was injected with succinylcholine, but it’s a fast dissolving drug so there is no proof. Mac and Oliver are left to investigate the murder of a man with no known enemies. Then they find that the victim sold his life insurance policy to a specialist company and wasn’t the only only to do it and die.
I enjoyed Incentive for Death, which has an absorbing plot and some likeable characters. It is told mostly from Mac’s first person point of view so the reader gets close to the investigation and can fully understand every step he and Oliver take. I liked the clarity and logic of it. On the other hand, there are other voices involved so it’s not so much of a whodunnit as a how to get to an arrest. I am a sucker for police procedurals so this approach greatly appealed to me and I got absorbed in all the manoeuvring, some of it less legal than others, and in a novel (to me) emphasis on how to make the illegally gathered information suitable for court.
Given that the plot is about money there is a fair amount of talk about it. I found the detail of where it went and when a bit boring, but it does make the case and makes sense, but I really didn’t need a spreadsheet, even if I am a fan of spreadsheets, in my reading. Despite this the plot moves along at a decent pace and is continually developing and held my interest throughout.
I understand that this is a debut novel so there are a few teething problems. The writing is a bit clunky and there is too much description of what people are wearing and what routes they take to their destinations. I understand that the writer wants the reader to feel situated with the area and recognise the characters but it’s too noticeable and distracts from the plot.
Incentive for Death is a good read that I can recommend.
A high powered lawyer is found dead in his office with no obvious cause of death. The Medical Examiner finds a puncture mark and suspects the victim was injected with succinylcholine, but it’s a fast dissolving drug so there is no proof. Mac and Oliver are left to investigate the murder of a man with no known enemies. Then they find that the victim sold his life insurance policy to a specialist company and wasn’t the only only to do it and die.
I enjoyed Incentive for Death, which has an absorbing plot and some likeable characters. It is told mostly from Mac’s first person point of view so the reader gets close to the investigation and can fully understand every step he and Oliver take. I liked the clarity and logic of it. On the other hand, there are other voices involved so it’s not so much of a whodunnit as a how to get to an arrest. I am a sucker for police procedurals so this approach greatly appealed to me and I got absorbed in all the manoeuvring, some of it less legal than others, and in a novel (to me) emphasis on how to make the illegally gathered information suitable for court.
Given that the plot is about money there is a fair amount of talk about it. I found the detail of where it went and when a bit boring, but it does make the case and makes sense, but I really didn’t need a spreadsheet, even if I am a fan of spreadsheets, in my reading. Despite this the plot moves along at a decent pace and is continually developing and held my interest throughout.
I understand that this is a debut novel so there are a few teething problems. The writing is a bit clunky and there is too much description of what people are wearing and what routes they take to their destinations. I understand that the writer wants the reader to feel situated with the area and recognise the characters but it’s too noticeable and distracts from the plot.
Incentive for Death is a good read that I can recommend.
December 26, 2023
I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
What a great book The story begins with Mac and Oliver being called to respond to death of a powerful lawyer. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered the M.E. at the scene. She told them that the death looked suspicious. During her autopsy, she discovered what looked to be a prick where a needle was inserted. Mac along with Oliver begin their investigation. As they were proceeding, they discovered that a similar occurrence happened just recently. There was a death in a hit and run which also seemed to be connected. They discovered that each of their individuals had sold their life insurance policy to the same company.
During their investigation they found film of two individuals who were at the scene where the deaths happened. Using a CI, they were able to discover that the individuals were in the data base, but the message they received signified that these people were part of a government agency.
As they got closer in addition to discovering more deaths that had the same MO, they received an envelope from a unknown party providing them with names. Using this information, they were able to verify that these individuals were the people discovered at the scene. With this information they put in place a plan to arrest them.
To discover who these individuals were, who was the ringleader, what happened during the arrests and how Mac's ex-wife played a role in the story, then you need to read this book. You won't be disappointed.
What a great book The story begins with Mac and Oliver being called to respond to death of a powerful lawyer. When they arrived at the scene, they discovered the M.E. at the scene. She told them that the death looked suspicious. During her autopsy, she discovered what looked to be a prick where a needle was inserted. Mac along with Oliver begin their investigation. As they were proceeding, they discovered that a similar occurrence happened just recently. There was a death in a hit and run which also seemed to be connected. They discovered that each of their individuals had sold their life insurance policy to the same company.
During their investigation they found film of two individuals who were at the scene where the deaths happened. Using a CI, they were able to discover that the individuals were in the data base, but the message they received signified that these people were part of a government agency.
As they got closer in addition to discovering more deaths that had the same MO, they received an envelope from a unknown party providing them with names. Using this information, they were able to verify that these individuals were the people discovered at the scene. With this information they put in place a plan to arrest them.
To discover who these individuals were, who was the ringleader, what happened during the arrests and how Mac's ex-wife played a role in the story, then you need to read this book. You won't be disappointed.
December 17, 2023
An interesting spin on the insurance industry highlights how fraudsters would always find ways and means to make a quick buck. The underlying premise of the story is about a practice in the insurance industry wherein an intermediary buys a live insurance policy from an insurer especially those who find it difficult to pay the periodic charge. These policies are bought at a heavy discount and the intermediary pays the remaining premium till maturity and encashes the policy at its full value. The difference is the benefit accrued to the intermediary for his efforts and investment. This seems a fairly clean transaction till things take a bad turn when these people who had prematurely encashed their policies start dying with no underlying cause so that the intermediary benefits from a quicker return on the investment. An imaginative idea that has been well-written, keeps the reader hooked till the very end. On the whole an enjoyable read.
June 12, 2024
I received a free ARC ebook of Incentive for Death from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
The suspicious death of a lawyer in his own office begins this multi-layered tale. The sharp eyes of a medical examiner who notices a pin prick on the victim's neck starts the two detectives on a trail that leads to more victims, lots of money, and CIA secrets. In many ways, this detective novel is written like a police report; it is logical, organized, and clearly delineates the path the two dedicated detectives, Mac and Oliver, follow.
The structure of the investigation and the trust of the detectives in each other's skill set shine here. Their preparedness before interviews and their subsequent observations are outlined as standard practice for homicide detectives. In many detective novels there is a disdain for commanding officers. In this case, Spoonhour presents the commanders as supportive and smart.
This novel is a worthy entry in the homicide detective genre.
The suspicious death of a lawyer in his own office begins this multi-layered tale. The sharp eyes of a medical examiner who notices a pin prick on the victim's neck starts the two detectives on a trail that leads to more victims, lots of money, and CIA secrets. In many ways, this detective novel is written like a police report; it is logical, organized, and clearly delineates the path the two dedicated detectives, Mac and Oliver, follow.
The structure of the investigation and the trust of the detectives in each other's skill set shine here. Their preparedness before interviews and their subsequent observations are outlined as standard practice for homicide detectives. In many detective novels there is a disdain for commanding officers. In this case, Spoonhour presents the commanders as supportive and smart.
This novel is a worthy entry in the homicide detective genre.
September 29, 2023
A debut novel, Incentive for Death (2023) by James Spoonhour is a taut police procedural set in Washington D.C. The death of the managing partner of a law firm is determined as inconclusive and is investigated by homicide detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department. Experienced and capable detectives McDermott “Mac” Burke and Oliver Shaw are tasked with the case, but there are few leads and little forensic evidence. A succinct narrative details the lengths Mac and Oliver must go to discover possible links between a number of suspicious deaths. An enjoyable crime tale that captures a detailed dogged detective team, interesting characters and action, making for a four stars rating. With thanks to Oceanview Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.
September 11, 2023
It's not perfect but I want to encourage the author to write more books in the Detective Mac Burke series.
Detectives Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw are partners in the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. The first call sets the stage for a series of bloodless murders with motives that are not obvious at first. The diligence is meticulous (and a little sneaky at times) and sometimes takes a little work to make it suitable for prosecution, the characters are interesting, and the plot is well done. How could I not like a protagonist who is also addicted to Basmati rice?
The only thing that bored me was the turn by turn noting of city travel.
I requested and received an EARC from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
Detectives Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw are partners in the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. The first call sets the stage for a series of bloodless murders with motives that are not obvious at first. The diligence is meticulous (and a little sneaky at times) and sometimes takes a little work to make it suitable for prosecution, the characters are interesting, and the plot is well done. How could I not like a protagonist who is also addicted to Basmati rice?
The only thing that bored me was the turn by turn noting of city travel.
I requested and received an EARC from Oceanview Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
October 23, 2023
Det's Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw are called to the scene of a prominent lawyer's death. Collapsed on his desk, the only hint a small puncture mark on his neck. The tox screen doesn't show much but potassium- a leftover trail from "sux" used by anesthesiologists.
They then discover related "unknown" deaths of seemingly healthy people all linked to an insurance company. What links them is of course money.
Mac lives with ex-wife (odd) and she works at the CIA (of which he is supposedly unaware). The deaths are linked to the agency and she "helps" Mac/Oliver annonymously.
Kind of slow/plodding in places as we follow along on the hunt for the perps.
They then discover related "unknown" deaths of seemingly healthy people all linked to an insurance company. What links them is of course money.
Mac lives with ex-wife (odd) and she works at the CIA (of which he is supposedly unaware). The deaths are linked to the agency and she "helps" Mac/Oliver annonymously.
Kind of slow/plodding in places as we follow along on the hunt for the perps.
November 18, 2023
Incentive for Death, a debut novel, written in the traditional and familiar police procedural format, provides mystery fans with everything they expect —fascinating characters including a novel detective team, an immersion into D.C. life, and a unique premise—people murdered after selling their life insurance policies. I am a true fan of crime fiction and police procedurals and this one impressed me a lot—as it will anyone who knows anybody who has life insurance.
April 26, 2023
The Incentive , - James Spoonhour
A well-written,, written, interesting police procedural with a twist.
Note: It is funny, I wasn't even AWARE prole could sell their life insurance policies, however this is the 2nd mystery have read this month with this premise...
Until next time, stay safe!
A well-written,, written, interesting police procedural with a twist.
Note: It is funny, I wasn't even AWARE prole could sell their life insurance policies, however this is the 2nd mystery have read this month with this premise...
Until next time, stay safe!
October 11, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced detective novel. For a debut novel it was intriguing, colorful and the character development very good. It kept my interest from beginning to end. The interaction between Mac his coterie of detectives, researchers and Oliver was excellent. I did like the way in which Mac's wife was introduced and became the "queenpin" of the novel.
January 25, 2024
Excellent story! So many dead ends and opportunities for management to declare the deaths as unsolvable. Is it greed or a love of controlling life and death? And how to find out the how, who and why, This detective story is well done. It holds the interest and kept me engrossed. I like the slices of home life for the detectives. Well done!
December 6, 2024
This is a police procedural that starts with an orderly accumulation of factoids and possibilities and builds to a fever-pitched finish. The reader gets to know each victim as a good person who is suddenly dead. It is intriguing to watch as two detectives build a credible case out of odd pieces of information. There is a fun race to a hopeful conclusion.
May 15, 2023
Excellent murder mystery. Detectives try to figure out whodunit. Big business or some other nefarious person/people with an incentive to kill for life insurance payouts? I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.
August 1, 2023
DNF. The author's attempt at Dragnet-style writing doesn't work very well. There are awkward sentences, redundant phrases, and plot holes from the beginning.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
January 1, 2024
I couldn't wait to continue reading this book every time I put it down! I was incredibly pleasantly surprised at this debut novel - a real page-turner, and one that kept me engaged throughout. Highly recommended, and I can't wait to connect with Mac and Oliver and Mags and company again!
June 3, 2026
Plenty of thrillers have clever plots. Few have detectives you actually want to spend time with. Mac Burke and Oliver Shaw are that rare pair.
I finished this wanting more of these two specifically. The announcement of a sequel called Prepare to Die is the best news I've had this month.
I finished this wanting more of these two specifically. The announcement of a sequel called Prepare to Die is the best news I've had this month.
November 6, 2023
Enjoyable read. Page-turner. Fairly complex plot line with unique subject matter. Washington DC setting was integral.
March 13, 2024
excellent!
Really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are well developed and kept me turning pages all the way through. Can’t wait for more from this author.
Really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are well developed and kept me turning pages all the way through. Can’t wait for more from this author.
April 26, 2024
It made me think about 40s noirs and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.
Well plotted, entertaining and thrilling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Well plotted, entertaining and thrilling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 20, 2026
Purely unbiased. Great debut novel. Gave it 5 stars.
June 27, 2023
An interesting spin on the insurance industry highlights how fraudsters would always find ways and means to make a quick buck. The underlying premise of the story is about a practice in the insurance industry wherein an intermediary buys a live insurance policy from an insurer especially those who find it difficult to pay the periodic charge. These policies are bought at a heavy discount and the intermediary pays the remaining premium till maturity and encashes the policy at its full value. The difference is the benefit accrued to the intermediary for his efforts and investment. This seems a fairly clean transaction till things take a bad turn when these people who had prematurely encashed their policies start dying with no underlying cause so that the intermediary benefits from a quicker return on the investment. An imaginative idea that has been well-written, keeps the reader hooked till the very end. On the whole an enjoyable read.
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