Private eye Sam McNamara is back for a third adventure in Fraser’s (Skully: Perdition Games, 2015, etc.) new thriller, investigating a crime that hits close to home and forces her to suspect her own friends.
Sam and her boyfriend, former policeman Reece, are now engaged and living in Toronto, but he finds himself at loose ends in the city. He misses the rural life and feels out of place among Sam’s friends, with the exception of one: Abby, a ballet dancer whose girlfriend, Talia, is overseas with the Canadian Armed Forces. But after Abby is found dead after slitting her wrists in a bathtub—and also found to be four months pregnant—some of Sam’s friends suspect Reece is the father, as he was one of the men she knew best. Meanwhile, Sam’s psychiatrist friend, Roger, is embroiled in an affair with former patient Brenda; her husband, Graham, is brutally murdered on the same day that Roger is visiting her. As Sam and Reece investigate Graham’s death, they’re not sure whether to suspect Roger, who seems to be hiding something; one of Brenda and Graham’s teenage children, whose stories don’t add up; or Graham’s ex-wife, who spent several years in prison for murdering her own mother. Sam and Reece must try to untangle the truth from the lies even as Sam’s friends remain hostile toward Reece. Overall, Fraser crafts a strong mystery that sweeps readers along with the two well-developed main characters. Sam’s and Reece’s personal issues and friendships are just as compelling as the question of who committed Graham’s murder. Every twist, turn, and moment of misdirection will keep readers guessing, but these elements never feel overly telegraphed or intentionally misleading. The story also moves along at a brisk pace and ends on a dark yet satisfying note that will leave readers eager to find out what happens next in the series.
An absorbing tale that will delight mystery lovers and those who like a good dose of suspense.—Kirkus Reviews
Red Rover, Perdition Games by L.E. Fraser is a fast paced novel that lives up to its subtitle: “Death is the prize in a twisted game.” Red Rover, Perdition Games truly begins with the death of an ex-football player and the suicide of a National Ballet dancer, with Dr. Roger Peterson at the center of both deaths. Dr. Roger Peterson is a bestselling author who is also a well-known psychiatrist, and a childhood friend of PI Samantha McNamara. Toronto PI Samantha McNamara tries to see her former friend as the innocent party, but as more and more facts come to light, she finds it harder and harder to trust in Peterson's innocence. Red Rover, Perdition Games would appeal to readers who enjoy fast paced fiction with a terrifying killer.
Move over The Following, Criminal Minds, NCIS, and Blue Bloods - there is a new PI in town and her name is Samantha McNamara. Samantha McNamara is a character that I sympathized with. She needed to find out how the deaths were connected, but she did not want to think the worst of Dr. Roger Peterson. Yet when push came to shove, she stepped up and faced a terrifying killer, with only her fiancé, Reece Hash, at her side. The pair made quite a team and it was interesting to see how their romance affected their professional lives. I really enjoyed the whole “trust no one and stay alive” aspect of Red Rover, Perdition Games by L.E. Fraser as it kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next.
Red Rover is the third installment of the Perdition Games series by L.E.Fraser. Although I have not read the other books by this author, I will certainly be searching them out now. This book hits the ground running and does not stop, even when it reaches its chilling finale. It is full of espionage and intrigue with technological, psychological, and legal terminology that will keep the reader guessing at every breath-taking turn. I could not put this book down.
Red Rover is a children’s game, which like adult mind games, can traumatize the players. Fair play is unheard of as far as this story is concerned. Reece Hash was a policeman who is now working with his partner, Sam McNamara, as a PI while Sam is still at school working towards her PhD. A close childhood friend of Sam’s commits suicide, so while reeling from the aftermath, they are hired by another from her close group of friends – psychiatrist and renowned author Roger Peterson – after the husband of Roger’s lover is murdered.
This book has a gripping storyline that does not allow the reader to breath and relax for one second. The characters are so believable, you could almost walk into any home and find them sitting there. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to all crime lovers, as the story and its execution are so breathtakingly brilliant.—San Francisco Book Review
