Fatal Decree by H. Terrell Griffin

Last year, I stumbled upon the Matt Royal series by author H. Terrell Griffin. The novels follow Matt Royal, a middle-aged lawyer who, fed up with the state of the legal system, retired to the small island of Longboat Key, Florida. But small town life didn't stop Royal from finding excitement. Over the course of six novels, Matt found himself directly involved in conspiracies that rocked his hometown. Through his friendship with Bill Lester, Longboat Key's chief of police, and with the help of his drinking buddy Logan, and his friend Jock, who conveniently works for a top secret, high ranking government agency, Matt became a kind of extension of the local law enforcement.

Things seemed to change when J.D. Duncan, a female detective from Miami, joined the Longboat Key force. Her addition, and insistent moral code, caused Matt to not only re-evaluate his actions, but to discover emotions he thought he would never feel again.

In Fatal Decree, the latest novel to feature Royal, we find the characters facing the biggest mystery they have ever faced. When the body of a local woman is discovered floating in the bay, Matt is immediately called by J.D.  It turns out, the body has a whale tail earring in her ear, and the initials KKK carved into the back of her neck. Even more terrifying, this is the signature of of a serial killer from Miami who J.D. investigated, and who hasn't been active for years. Now Matt must help solve the case before more islanders or killed. He hates to imagine the worst, but he is scared that the killer may target J.D. next.

I was completely invested in this series the moment I began reading. Unlike other series authors, Griffin has managed to maintain his standards of both quality and content. Seven books in, he still manages to explore unique cases and take his characters into different emotional territory. It was really nice to see Matt and J.D.'s budding relationship come to a head, especially because it didn't play out in the predictable way I feared it was going to. Griffin love of Florida and the people who inhabit it is made obvious by his detailed descriptions of settings and the inclusion of small town characters that give the sometimes outlandish story a much needed dose of reality. With Fatal Decree, Griffin proves that he is very much at the top of his game. Any fan of fast paced and original mysteries is sure to enjoy this novel.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2013:week 4, book 4)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 and is filed under ,,,,,,,,,,. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.

8 Responses to “Fatal Decree by H. Terrell Griffin”

  1. Hi Ethan

    I read the Amazon review and marked it as helpful. It looks pretty darn good, please enter my name in the draw for the chance to win a copy. Thanks!
    carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi ethan! I marked it helpful! my email is sareiner@hotmail.com

    thanks! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I marked the Amazon review helpful, very truthfully. I've been looking for a new series - can you tell me which is the first one? Thanks! My email is ladypuercoloco@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. parwaizriaz@gmail.com

    I completed the above step.

    I hope I win ..:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ethan - Thanks for the opportunity to win this book. I read and responded helpful to the review. My email is taw2854@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just started reading the first book in this series and can tell already that I will be reading them all with eagerness. Thank you for your detail review and your time in doing so.

    mgdecarlo@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just read the review and marked it as helpful. I'm always looking for new authors and this series looks great. I 'll look forward to reading them. My e-mail is sandygray1247@yahoo.com.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Congratulations to Angela and Carl! They will each receive an autographed copy of "Fatal Decree" by H. Terrell Griffin. Thanks to everyone who entered this contest and especially to the publisher for providing copies of this novel. Be sure to check back for more exciting giveaways

    ReplyDelete

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