Synopsis

PI Steve Rockfish’s father loses part of his retirement savings in an online romance scam while partner Jawnie McGee handles the firm’s newest client who spins a tale of alleged spousal infidelity. Rockfish ignores his current case load and becomes fixated on tracking down those responsible for the fraud. Restitution is coming in the form of cash or broken bones. At the same time, Jawnie’s surveillance of the cheating spouse reveals more acts of kindness than sex leading to a client who doesn’t want to believe the good news.

Unbeknownst to the partners, each investigative path leads the partners to the Church of the Universal Nurturing II where the fraud is on a cryptocurrency level. Their new SunCoin is marketed as the only post-rapture currency accepted inside the pearly gates. After all, who wants to show up to the after party with out-turned pockets and not get past Heaven’s paywall?

Church elders court Rockfish and his new-found Hollywood wealth with an old-fashioned honey pot. The danger level ratchets up as Rockfish counters by sending the firm’s two new confidential informants undercover only to find the church’s endgame grift is larger and deadlier than anyone expected.

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Review

This second installment in the Steve Rockfish series takes us on another ride with crazy coincidences and a continued obsession with the Covid virus (aka masks etc).

Jawnie is a new partner for Steve after he realized how much her tech knowledge could benefit him and the firm. Let’s just say she brings him into the 21st century and he can actually remember some of the things she has taught him which only helps him be more efficient, at least in the office. He gives her a new perspective on life and a new career. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. However, Steve has to remember to treat her like a partner and not the hired help. He is getting better but is still learning to remember to include her in various cases and such.

Steve and Jawnie find themselves in the middle of a case with a potentially cheating spouse. What they don’t expect is to tumble into a cult-like religion in the basement of an adult store that has the makings of a disaster and a scam geared towards gullible men by using a honeypot to draw them into the scam. What the scammers don’t count on is taking advantage of Steve’s dad and his determination to set things right for his dad.

We also meet a new character, Lynn, that starts out as a CI but quickly shows her worth to Steve and Jawnie. We also see Raffi back in this novel, Steve’s good friend, to help uncover the truth in the church. There is plenty of banter between Steve and Raffi and there are times you wonder whose side Raffi will be on as things start to shake out.

This book is full of adventure and has a fairly fast pace. We see growth in all of the characters and have a deeper understanding of who they are and what they can accomplish. I enjoyed the camaraderie between everyone and I was cheering for our intrepid detectives to get to the truth before anything bad happens. Many times it was a close call, but they triumphed in the end despite the multiple close calls.

This is a fun series and make sure you read the first book to understand Steve and Jawnie better. We give it 5 paws up.

About the Author

Ken Harris retired from the FBI, after thirty-two years, as a cybersecurity executive. With over three decades writing intelligence products for senior Government officials, Ken provides unique perspectives on the conventional fast-paced crime thriller. While this is his first traditionally published novel, he previously self-published two novellas and two novels. He spends days with his wife Nicolita, and two Labradors, Shady and Chalupa Batman. Evenings are spent cheering on Philadelphia sports. Ken firmly believes Pink Floyd, Irish whiskey and a Montecristo cigar are the only muses necessary. He is a native of New Jersey and currently resides in Northern Virginia.

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