Book Review: Rules of Crime

Rules of Crime

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rules of Crime (Thomas & Mercer 2013) is the tenth Detective Jackson mystery by L.J. Seller and the first I’ve read. It won’t be the last. It opens as Detective Jackson is trying to relax and wind down on a Hawaiian vacation with his girlfriend, bored by all the easy-going life and manana attitude that is part and parcel of island vacations. He is horrified (but secretly thrilled) to receive a frantic call from his daughter that his ex-wife and the mother to his child is missing. Though he isn’t too worried–his ex has an alcohol problem–he uses this to escape paradise and return to the rush and tumble of an active investigation.

From, there, the drama never stops as we join his efforts to follow clues, chase down suspects, interview reluctant witnesses, quickly determining this is not an alcoholic binge, but a kidnapping with a time clock on it. He realizes it’s up to him to save the life of a woman he has divorced but whose death would devastate his only child. Add to this, the mystery of Lyla Murray, college freshman dumped at the Emergency Room, almost naked, beaten, and close to death. Seller’s does a great job weaving the two plots together, developing a cast of characters who seem as real as an prime time TV show. I found myself wishing the book wouldn’t end.

Now, excuse me while I go order the other nine Detective Jackson mysteries.

Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is webmaster for six blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for Examiner.com and TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, Cisco guest blog, Technology in Education featured blogger, IMS tech expert, and a bi-monthly contributor to Today’s Author. In her free time, she is the editor of a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum, and creator of technology training books for how to integrate technology in education. Currently, she’s editing a thriller that should be out to publishers next summer. Contact Jacqui at her writing office or her tech lab, Ask a Tech Teacher.