Article first published as Book Review: The 13th Target by Mark de Castrique on Blogcritics.
Mark de Castrique does it again...this time a standalone mystery unrelated to the previous two series he has written. Like other books by him, “The 13th Target” is a fast-moving mystery that keeps the reader in suspense right to the end. And, as usual, the end is a surprise and only when reflecting back it makes sense of “who dun-it” and why.
The plot starts off with Russell Mullins, a former Secret Service agent, receiving a call that Paul Luguire had committed suicide. You see, Russell was a private investigator assigned to guard Luguire, a Federal Reserve executive and the chief liaison with the United States Treasury. Mullins suspected the death was not a suicide and because he was no longer with the Secret Service he was not allowed to investigate the death. He took leave from work and set on a mission to find out what really happened.
Through his investigation, Mullins encountered a detective that listened to his concerns, a reporter that was on a mission to investigate him as the suspect, and a former Secret Service colleague now in the Federal Reserve's cyber-security unit. Each played a significant role in the plot.
As well as these three main characters, de Castrique brought in others necessary to expand the plot and create a suspenseful murder mystery. I appreciate his character development; each character was brought to light in a way that the reader was fully aware of him or her and the role each played. This is certainly a skill of a good writer. Author de Catrique’s writing is rich in its approach as he creates a plausible, thought-provoking plot, especially when you sit back and contemplate the Epilogue. Is this really how decisions are made to strike on the next target?
Fantastic read! “The 13th Target” by Mark de Castrique will have you on the edge.
The 13th Target
Mark de Castrique
Poisoned Pen Press (2012)
ISBN 9781590586174
Reviewed by Irene Watson for Reader Views (5/12)
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