Bitter Legacy

Matt Royal Mystery #5

by H. Terrell Griffin

Best-Selling and Award-Winning Author

Matt Royal has gotten himself into a royal mess

After a week away, Matt Royal's ready to get back to the Longboat Key good life—good fishing, good food, good beer, and more good fishing. But Matt comes back to bad news: while he was away, a sniper tried to kill one of his best friends. Even worse, now that Matt's back, someone's trying to kill him. And whoever is trying to kill him is trying really hard.

With no clue who's after him or why, Matt soon finds he's at the center of a mystery involving a lawyer's murder, a tourist left for dead, a ruthless biker gang, a reclusive billionaire with nothing to lose, and an ancient document that could bring ruin to some of the most entrenched financial interests in Florida.

Between solving the mystery and staying alive, Matt's got his hands full. But he'd better watch out or his hard-charging ways could get him sideways with the newest member of Longboat Key's police force, the undeniably attractive Jennifer Duncan. For Matt, it's shaping up to be a really long week.

Perfect for fans of John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee

While all of the novels in the Matt Royal Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Blood Island
Wyatt’s Revenge
Bitter Legacy
Collateral Damage
Fatal Decree
Found
Chasing Justice
Mortal Dilemma
Vindication

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

360 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2010

About the author

Award-winning novelist H. Terrell Griffin is a board-certified trial lawyer who practiced in Orlando for thirty-eight years. He and his wife, Jean, divide their time between Longboat Key, Florida, and Maitland, Florida. Griffin is also the author of Blood Island, Murder Key, and Longboat Blues. Blood Island was named an award-winning finalist in the 2008 National Best Books Awards, Fiction & Literature: Mystery/Suspense category.

Series:
* Matt Royal Mystery

Reviews

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable Matt Royal mystery. For some reason, killers are out to get Matt and Logan, his good friend, (the only thing that saved him was a paperback copy of Atlas Shrugged or some other Randian tome, although how he ever got the book into a pocket escapes me,) but they have no idea why. Does it have some connection to an old islander who had been beaten up while trying to contact Matt? And why are their digs being ransacked? Who wanted Jason Blackmore, a down-in-the mouth lawyer dead?

Matt gets to practice his wiles on J.D. (don’t you dare call her Jennifer), the new detective working for Matt’s friend Lester, the police chief. And there’s the “Hacker” whoc manages things from afar, not to mention Jock who works for a super secret US government agency and when you add Matt, Logan and Jock together, you have a modern version of the Three Musketeers.

My only question is why the author felt it necessary to engage in a long monologue on evil using an extreme example from Vietnam just after he explained to J.D. why he felt he could operate on the fringes of the law to protect himself and his friends. It’s a strain in some books that bothers me; this idea that the law doesn’t work and that only by going outside its framework can justice be achieved.

Still, despite these personal gripes, the story flows well, the characters are developed, and it certainly holds one’s interest.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Royal is in big trouble which is nothing new to Matt but this time someone is trying to kill him and he has no idea why. Matt is not the only target. Matt’s friend Logan Hamilton is shot in the chest as he heads toward a lunch date with Bill Lester, the chief of police of Longboat Key.

Matt had just returned to Longboat Key after spending a week boating around southwest Florida with Jessica Connor. Matt had met Jessica in Europe months before and she had come to Longboat Key for a visit and was heading back home.

When Matt unloaded the boat and went to open his front door he found an urgent note from Bill Lester that Lester needed to talk to him ASAP. Lester informed Matt that Logan had been shot but not killed. Lester had Logan set up in a hotel since he thought it best that it wasn’t made public that Logan had survived the shooting.

The story slowly comes together when Lester receives a call from Sarasota Police Department that they have a patient at Sarasota Memorial Hospital that is in a coma but has a piece of paper with Matt’s name and address as well as Logan’s. The man is Abraham Osceola, a black man and a Seminole Indian that Matt met briefly sometime ago. Evidently someone on patrol the previous Friday had questioned Osceola since he was outside Logan’s building. Osceola told the officer he was looking for Matt Royal and stated he needed Matt’s help with a big money deal.

Jock Algren, Matt’s pal, has flown in to lend a hand with the investigation. Jennifer Duncan, a new member of the Longboat Key police force, is not particularly pleased with the methods used by Matt, Logan and Jock to gain their information but she insists on being in on the search for the person or persons behind the shooting of Logan and the attack on Osceola.

A lawyer in a small town is murdered, a ruthless biker gang is somehow involved and it takes a lot of digging to uncover the truth and discover what Osceola had attempted to bring to Matt that would set off a horrible chain of events.

This novel is the fifth Matt Royal Mystery and is fast-paced and exciting.

[Erwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

J.D. and M.R., A Future?

My first Royal novel was number 5. Based upon this experience I can say it doesn’t appear to be necessary to read the books in sequence. If reference is made to a previous novel it is done in such a way that the reader can take for granted that more than the offering is unnecessary. Mr Griffin creates with Bitter Legacy a tight plot with enough back story to make the reader believe that he knows all the characters Griffin furnishes. There is much death in this novel. More death than one would expect to encounter on any street in the good ole US. But it is a detective story, and that seems to be part of the genre. I must say all death is handled within the decency of good taste. I tried to figure out how to describe this novel, and came to the conclusion that it is a good romp on a Florida key, with well drawn characters with believable abilities and a satisfying ending. I will read Mr Griffin again, very much enjoyed his attempt to entertain me.

[Denis La Force · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart and edifying. The end comes several times and you will find many words that will fill the blanks in your crossword puzzle.

Other authors are offering Matt Royal types as protagonists who live in the everglades. I think that I like the way Mr. Griffin spins his yarn from the premise of an actual historical event, and little know people, as the basis for a possible major shift in the economic future of certain negros. His acknowledgement at the end is to be reflected upon in light of the present "black lives matter".

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like reading the Matt Royal series! I call Florida my home state because I lived there the longest. Spending much time in the areas that are mentioned in the book, I can relate and visual the scenes as they are written. Matt Royal is in a pickle again. Someone took a shot at his friend and now those persons are coming after him. There is something he supposed has that they want but Matt does not know what. As the pieces come together, Matt and his friends go after the guy and find there is more to the story. Lots of action!

[Laura Poppenwimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Matt Royal series is fun to read, the plots are intricate enough to keep your interest. The characters are just that characters, each with their own idiosyncracies. I have read several of these books out of order and the plots stand on their own and necessary information from prior stories included so you don't feel you have missed something.

[Lynn Vaughan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lynnie

Great book. Enjoyed it completely. I live in Florida and great seeing places around the area mentioned.

Love the story line and all the information about the Seminole Indians. Was great to read and learn about them.

[sharon gima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical tough guy Sam Spade (ok, so I'm old) type book. Reminded me somewhat of the John MacDonald color coded series. May or may not read another by the author-have to be in the right mood.

[Carol Giannasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I have read all the series and this was one of the best. You will not put this book down until finished

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was centered closer to Longboat Key than some of his other mysteries which made it more interesting.

[anonymousreader]

to-read

[Rocky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was hard to put down cause you wanting turn the next page to see what was going to happen next.

[Tom sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding !!

[Jonell Yoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the LBK locations!

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

HoHum.

[IslandRiverScribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Logan Hamilton gets shot in the very first sentence on the very first page of the very first chapter in this fifth entry to H. Terrell Griffin’s Matt Royal series. For those who have been reading this series in sequence, we know exactly how much this incident will upset the proverbial applecart in Matt Royal’s world. But Matt doesn’t know about it; he is out on his boat with his soon-to-be-ex-lover and has actually been gone for about a week.

And because Matt wasn’t home when Abraham Osceola (see “Blood Island”) came knocking, Abraham tries to find Logan. By the next day Abraham is in a coma, Logan has been shot in the chest, Abraham’s local attorney is dead from a shotgun blast and Matt is looking down the barrel of a gun himself. And while Matt survives this round, it becomes a matter of ultimate survival to determine not only who has contracted all this, but why. In one calendar week all is revealed – and what is revealed is the face of evil.

It appears, from the opening chapters, that Griffin is trying to make this entry as much of a standalone novel as possible. There are definitely financial advantages to that tactic. If I had never read Griffin before and if I had not known the contents of the four previous entries, I would have been fooled into that belief. I would have finished the book, probably thinking it little more than the typical action adventure novel, a fine shoot ‘em and stab ‘em, a call-in-the-black-ops-for-backup type of story. And for those readers who are thus fooled, I feel sorry.

In trying to create the image of a standalone, Griffin uses a smooth, generic summarizing technique on past events that make them seem other than what they really are. First, Logan is shot in the chest but the doctor’s extensive examination makes no mention of the chest damage from his heart surgery, which was a large part of the first novel. Secondly, Griffin implies that Abraham Osceola is just a casual acquaintance of Matt Royal, when, in fact, he is directly responsible for Matt staying alive in the second book. I raised an eyebrow at these set-ups and read on.

Then, when Matt tells Jessica (the soon-to-be-ex-lover) that Logan has been shot, she is written as being confused by the telling and basically disinterested, as if Logan means nothing to her. However, in the last novel, Jessica spent several weeks traveling with Logan and Matt, rolling in the blood and gore with Logan, and being repeatedly attacked as she and Logan served as back-up for Matt. Yet Griffin writes the scene as if she doesn’t know Logan at all. Again, I was a bit confused by this approach but I quirked the other eyebrow and read on.

However, when Griffin’s summary implied that the demise of Matt’s career and marriage was a case of basic burnout and growing apart, respectively, I dropped my jaw. If you have read the previous books, you know that neither of those events transpired in that matter. In fact, you know that Griffin has left out the very important fact that Matt’s ex-wife, and the love of his life, was a significant part of the case in the third book and dies in that book. At this point in the story, I was no longer confused; I was appalled at what amounted, at best, to lies of omission and I dropped the book’s rating.

Fortunately, Griffin did not try to rewrite more history by altering his characterizations of Matt, Logan or Jock. Their personalities and their actions in this entry are consistent with the way they were written previously. Griffin has made Matt Royal a very complicated, intelligent and sensitive character. Griffin does not hesitate to let Matt’s internal monologues speak deeply and succinctly to emotional, political and ethical points. And, quite frankly, understanding what has happened to Matt in the previous books is part and parcel to understanding the stance he takes, in this novel, on self-protection, the law and soul-deep evil.

And just as past events in past novels shape the events in this work, the knowledge about Royal’s childhood, brought out in this entry for the first time, will probably shape the events of future works. And so will the entry of the new character, Detective J. D. (Jennifer Diane) Duncan, a cop whose belief in policing by the book is shattered in this novel as completely as Matt’s belief in the law was shattered in the first book.

Regardless of how Griffin glosses over some pretty significant events from previous books, his action sequences are top-notch. They are logically thought out and they rely on planning and intelligent improvisation rather than coincidence, luck and a deus ex machina. And Griffin’s words lead to clear visuals – very clear visuals.

But don’t let those words that read “The Final Days” at the start of the last section lull you into thinking that the phrase is a synonym for “Epilogue.” Don’t skim the section thinking that Griffin is just tying up the loose plot threads as epilogues are want to do. And don’t forget the proverbial advice about the fat lady singing until you actually read the words “The End.”

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking a hint from other authors, such as Carl Hiaasen and Jeff Lindsay, H. Terrell Griffin sets his story in a fascinating Florida, that sets the tone for this wildly entertaining mystery. Matt Royal, retired soldier, lawyer, and occasional fisherman and beer drinker, becomes entangled in a web of conspiracy when an attempt is made on his life, and the life of his best friend, Logan. Royal, assisted by the chief of police, Logan, and his buddy Jock, a high up member of a secretive government agency with considerable influence and resources, embarks on a cat and mouse chase to find the people who want him dead.

The small town Florida setting allows Griffin to juxtapose his protagonist and supporting characters, all of who seem to possess that rare quality found only in small town, working class America, with the cold corrupt tone of the rich greedy villains. On top of the attempts at his life, Matt Royal is also forced to learn to work with the new female detective, J.D. Duncan, who not only threatens to disrupt the "good ole boy" cooperation between Royal and the Longboat Key Police Department, but also stirs feelings somewhere deeper in Royal's heart. Duncan is a great fish out of water, by the book, contrast to Royal's more maverick ideals. Through J.D. Duncan, Griffin manages to produce a surprisingly believable, romantic subplot.

This is the fifth novel to feature Matt Royal, but as this was the first novel I read, I don't think it is important to read the other installments in the series before reading this one. From the moment I began reading this book, I could not put it down! The novel takes place over a weeklong period of time, and is divided into sections by the different days of the week. With the fairly short chapters and quick pacing, this novel had me flying through the pages and kept me engaged to the very end. As a fan of great mysteries, interesting characters, and beautiful settings, I found Bitter Legacy to be a great read!

Thanks to the author and publishers for the opportunity to read this as part of the First Reads program.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bitter Legacy: A Matt Royal Mystery by H. Terrell Griffin
4 STARS

Well now I have read all seven of the Matt Royal Mysteries. Now I will have a long wait for the next one. Hope it is not to far away.
Matt Royal is a retired lawyer turn beach bum who gets into a lot of messes with people trying to kill him many times. They have never suceeded.

Matt is a loyal friend and in return has good friends too. Someone tried to kill his friend Logan than they tried to kill him. He has no clue for who wants him dead this time. His good friend Jock shows up to help him with all his skills and contacts. Jock works for a top secret goverment agency. He can pick up a phone and call the President of the U.S.A.

The body count rises of all the ones who are sent into kill Matt & Logan. They were both trained in the vetnam war and were heros. So the rest of the world see that Matt is a retired lawyer and Logan retired in business both early. They were trained to lead. Logan was a sniper and chopper pilot. Matt was an L.T. special forces.

They both drink too much and eat out a lot. They care about the people around them and help where they can. Thier community returns thier feelings and let them know when they hear something that can help them.
I bought this ebook on Amazon.

Book Description taken off Amazon


After a week away, Matt Royals ready to get back to the Longboat Key good life good fishing, good food, good beer, and more good fishing. But Matt comes back to bad news: while he was away, a sniper tried to kill one of his best friends. Even worse, now that Matts back, someones trying to kill him. And whoever is trying to kill him is trying really hard.With no clue whos after him or why, Matt soon finds hes at the center of a mystery involving a lawyers murder, a tourist left for dead, a ruthless biker gang, a reclusive billionaire with nothing to lose, and an ancient document that could bring ruin to some of the most entrenched financial interests in Florida.Between solving the mystery and staying alive, Matts got his hands full. But hed better watch out or his hard-charging ways could get him sideways with the newest member of Longboat Keys police force, the undeniably attractive Jennifer Duncan.For Matt, its shaping up to be a really long week.

Publisher: Oceanview Publishing; 1 edition (December 20, 2010) 364 pages ISBN: 1933515961

[Carl Brookins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth in the Matt Royal series. It’s a punchy, hard-bitten thriller that starts at a run and accelerates from there. If the runner tires a bit toward the end of the marathon, well, that’s not so surprising. If readers are looking for a tightly wound, very male trio of protagonists, here they are, all interesting characters with strong back stories mostly hinted at. They are three buddies who have each other’s back with little question, regardless of circumstances or how big and evil is the adversary.
Principal operator here is Matt Royal, our narrator. He’s a retired lawyer, living a pleasant life on Longboat Key down in the Florida Islands. He’s just coming back in town from a week of sun, seafood, sex, and beer, with a fine example of American womanhood. Meanwhile his second best friend, Logan Hamilton, has been plugged by a sniper.
Town’s in turmoil, several unknown thugs are apparently gunning for Royal, and a citizen Matt met once wants his help with an unknown but possibly valuable law suit. The plot is not very complicated but it is eminently satisfying for readers who like this sort of thing. The framework gives the narrator plenty of opportunity to comment on various societal ills and the author uses those opportunities. He uses them well, and I never felt as if the story had been set aside for a few pages while the author expounded. All the details enriched Matt Royal’s character and never were a distraction. I lost track of the number of attempts on Royal’s life, all of which ended badly for the professed killers, but there were several, varied, inventive and fun.
The novel is aptly named and roars to a satisfying conclusion with almost no missteps. Smoothly written, I enjoyed the novel immensely. This is a strong thriller with every attribute one expects in the genre.

[Dashlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a week away from home, Matt Royal’s ready to get back to the Longboat Key's great life including some good fishing, good food, good beer, and more good fishing, but unfortunetly Matt comes back to really bad news. Hes found out that a hired sniper tried and almost killed one of his best friends, but even worse, coming back, hes discovered that someone wants him dead and whoever is trying to kill him is not giving up so easily.. With no clue or evidence on who’s after him or why, Matt soon finds himself at the center of a mystery involving a lawyer’s murder, a tourist left for dead, a ruthless biker gang, a reclusive billionaire with nothing to lose, and an ancient document that could bring ruin to some of the most entrenched financial interests in Florida. Trying to solve the mystery and stay alive, Matt’s pretty much got his hands full, but he’d better be careful or his personality may get him sideways with the new addition to the Longboat Key Police force, the very attractive Jennifer Duncan.


"Bitter Legacy" by H. Terrell Griffin was incredible and very exciting. This fast paced Thriller, kept me reading until the end. The characters were very interesting, as was the plot. It started off very fast, which I never expected, but enjoyed because I despise slow books. I constantly tried to figure out the mystery, as every mystery "detective" should, but unfortunately it was very difficult for me. Its a great read and I encourage many to try reading "Bitter Legacy" by H. Terrell Griffin. People who enjoy the challenge of figuring out the mystery, and or enjoy thrillers that keep you unto the book until the end, should undeniably look this book up. Good luck and Have fun reading!

[Starr Gardinier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as the motor moves along character Royal’s boat Recess on Florida’s waters, author H. Terrell Griffin propels the reader forward to Bitter Legacy’s conclusion. Chapter by chapter and line by line, Griffin snags the reader’s attention and doesn’t let go.

Retired attorney Matt Royal wanted nothing more than to spend carefree days on Longboat Key. Unfortunately, they are not as relaxed as he imagined; instead he is shot at and practically blown up. Royal and his longtime friend Logan Hamilton are smack dab in the middle of a fatal riddle. Someone wants them dead and they have no idea why. Despite the aid of Royal’s best friend Jock Algren and others, Royal endures a week from hell. Amidst fighting off hired members of from a coldblooded biker gang hired by a cosseted billionaire with nothing else to do, Royal and friends discover an old document that could rein down financial devastation to the affluent of Florida.

In walks Jennifer Duncan, the newest officer to join the ranks of Longboat Key’s finest. Her apparent good looks and easy laugh could distract Royal and be his undoing at a time when he needs his wits about him.

Through the weaving of some very well-defined characters, Griffin subliminally makes the reader turn the pages. Once you start, you’ll find this is one book you won’t be able to set aside. In the words of Matt Royal, “… and that’s the way it went.”

Reviewed by Starr Gardinier Reina, author of “One Major Mistake”

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is one of H. Terrell Griffin’s Matt Royal Series. I read Wyatt’s Revenge in the same series and wanted to read more about Matt Royal and his adventures. Matt is a retired attorney and former Special Forces member who now lives in Longboat Key, Florida and enjoys his new life, fishing, and handing with his friends. But Matt’s life is not very quiet when his best friend, Logan is shot. Though Logan survives, Matt and another friend, Bill Lester, the police chef send Logan into hiding and try to find out who is the assassin. In this action packed thriller, Matt also gets involved with Jennifer Duncan, a beautiful newbie on the Longboat Key police force.

The book is full of action, a connection to the Seminole Indians and old land rights and plenty of adventure. It is a thriller that will have you guessing right up to the end. You also found out more about Matt’s Vietnam experience and what true evil is.

While I enjoyed Bitter Legacy, Wyatt’s Revenge is still my favorite. H. Terrell Griffin writes good thrillers and I want him to continue to write more in this series.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good one. teh 81 yr old black indian came to matts with a document to get mineral rights for his people. he got hit over the head and was in a coma the whole book till he died.

mat had spent the week with the lady he met in the last book , she went back to whatever country she works in and he met JD the new cop lady where he lives. i hope he likes her better, dont like those long distance relationships.

so all these people were trying to kill mat and his friends. biker guys. the old man behind it died, his albano daughter took over. seh got caught as did all but one of the bad guys (or they were killed)

i enjoyed it more than a few of his others. there is one other book he wrote but i cant find it at any library. one other one is on line and i'll read that later.

[Ishmael Seaward · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot started off okay, but became more and more improbable as the story unfolded. The unlying premise, about the Seminoles and Black Seminoles, treaties, etc. is fine. But the new female deputy? Basically a cardboard cut-out who apologizes for her actions. Some friend who fortuitously shows up, works for an unnamed supersecret agency, who calls in his agency buddies for help? Get real. All kinds of people getting shot? by the protagonist and his buddies? and his actions go unquestioned by the local authorities? No way.

Cross this author off my list.

[Henry Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Royal and his friends come under attack for unknown reasons. It seems to be connected with a Black Seminole named Abraham Osceola who claims to have found a document that would make the Black Seminoles very rich.
I was able to predict some of the character connections, but not the total story.
The author takes too long at the end of the book tying up the loose ends, but it is still a great read.
I wish the author didn't dwell on flashbacks to Vietnam in such depth.

[Jacquelynn Fritz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read in the series, but I plan to read more. I love the setting and it reminds me of when I lived in Key West. The main characters are great friends who back each other in solving the mystery. They are trying to find out who is trying to kill Matt and why. It would be a great summer read as it easy to read.

[Kaija · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series. I have been reading it out of order, but I enjoy the mysteries they have, and the way the story is told. I did find there was a lot of attention to detail in this book compared to Wyatt's Revenge though. It was interesting to learn a small bit of the history of Florida during this book too.

[Teresa Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terry Griffin does not disappoint in this Matt Royal mystery. Someone is trying to kill him and he doesn't know why. Go on the journey with Matt, Logan, Jock, and the new detective in town, J.D., as they figure out how a strange old man, an albino woman, a Black Seminole Indian, and a biker gang fit into the story.

[Suze · Rating 5 out of 5]

BITTER LEGACY

BITTER LEGACY

This is the third Matt Royal book I have read, I am not reading them in order - but it doesn't matter- each one is self-contained and very complete. Bitter LEGACY had everything, mystery,intrigue, sexual innuendos, deep friendships and loyalties. Very, very good book.

[Naomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really striking me as a "guys" mystery. Plus, there is a little too much drama in it for me...The main character and scenes almost out of the show "The Glades", so if you like that show, you will like this series.