Good morning and welcome to this week’s installment of In the Books, featuring Luke Murphy’s Dead Man’s Hand.
In Dead Man’s Hand, we’re introduced to Calvin Watters, a former college football star whose life was changed by a single mistake. Working as the top collector in Las Vegas, Watters has developed a reputation of someone to be feared.
Detective Dale Dayton seemingly has it all: a good job and a loving family. Until one day his desire to work and exclude his family drives his wife to take their son and leave him.
Their lives are brought together when a high profile casino owner is murdered and everything points to Watters. Believing the man’s innocent, Detective Dayton faces pressure from the higher ups in his quest to find the killer after more people are found dead.
From the very beginning we’re taken into the lives of the characters and experience both the good and bad with them. It reminds us how unfair life can seem at times when we think we have everything under control, but it also shows how we each have a choice to make on whether we want to stay what we become or rise above it. I like how it shows that no matter how different we think we are, each of us often need help at some point by someone we don’t think is viable.
More than anything, that drew me into the book as I can relate to both characters. There’s a piece of me in each of them from my own football playing days to at one time balancing a relationship against my career ambitions.
When I wasn’t in nostalgia mode, I loved the story as well as it took a great number of twists and turns until it reached the home stretch. In many ways, the ending was predictable, aside from the final revelation, but that didn’t bother me. The story was told in a smooth, fast way that kept me turning the pages.
All in all, this was a very entertaining read for anyone that enjoys a good crime/mystery novel.
You can learn more about the author and his books at his website, Facebook, and twitter.
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About CP Bialois
Where do I begin? Well first I guess it's only fair to say that CP Bialois isn't my real name. It's a collaboration I made out of the three greatest pets anyone could ever want. My real name is Ed and I'm just an average person that has found a way to do what he loves.
For as long back as I can remember I loved to pretend. Whether it was with my Transformers, GI Joe, or He-Man toys I loved to create intricate plots and have them fight it out. As a fan of horror, science fiction, action, and comedy I dare say my taste in movies are well rounded. Some of my favorites were Star Wars, Star Trek, martial arts, and anything with Swarzenegger in them.
I'd write my own stories about the characters I saw in the theaters or TV or I'd just daydream about what I'd see myself as the hero of course. You can't have a daydream without beating the bad guys, getting the girl, etc. It's just not right to envision yourself as a flunky or sidekick.
As far as books I loved Sherlock Holmes, Treasure Island, Dracula, and the normal assortment. My early love was the Star Trek novels, I'd read them or the Hardy Boys relentlessly. For a time I could tell you the plot of over a hundred books not to mention comics.
I have to come clean and say that I learned to read because of comic books. I was bored, make that extremely bored when we started to read in school. Reading "the cat fell down" really didn't interest me. My dad, who continues to astound me with his insight to this day, figured comics would work. With that in mind he went to the newstand in town and bought issues of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Tales From the Crypt, and Spider-man. He patiently read through them with me until I picked it up. Whether it was him or the comics I learned to read in about two weeks and for a while few were as good as I was. For years after that whenever we'd go out he'd always spring for a couple of comic books for me.
While it wasn't exactly the perfect beginning everything I've ever read or have seen has influenced me in some way and now is the time I'd like to share some of the ideas I've had over the years with all of you. I hope you enjoy my stories, they're always fun to write and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon.
The BiaLog 