Book Review: Collateral Damage by H. Terrell Griffin

When it comes to wrapping a traditional mystery inside an international espionage thriller novel, there is none better than H. Terrell Griffin and no better character than his retired Florida lawyer and professional beach bum Matt Royal.

In this, the sixth Matt Royal Mystery, Collateral Damage, the whole cast of unforgettable characters is present. There's Longboat Key detective Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan, who Matt is nursing a flame for, and Jock Algren, the mysterious “government agent” whose agency remains nameless, but Jock has the President's direct number. Then there is Logan Hamilton, a fellow Vietnam vet, and Matt’s old First Sergeant, Jimbo Merryman.

Life on Longboat Key, Florida is usually quiet. Fishing, happy hour, drinking and avoiding the midday sun in the heart of summer are the usual pastimes.

But when a young bridegroom is shot dead on the beach the morning after his wedding, apparently by a sniper, the lazy days are interrupted. The local police, including J.D. Duncan, are puzzled. But then when Matt and Logan are on an evening fishing trip and witness the grounding of a dinner cruise ship and several people are killed, all involved wonder if the two events could be connected.

Then Matt is contacted by an old army buddy, Charles “Chaz” Desmond. Desmond was a medic in Matt’s Ranger platoon, hence the nickname Doc. After Matt was severely wounded and Doc’s best friend was captured and tortured, Doc disappeared into a secret CIA special forces group. He’s now a wealthy business owner and the young groom who was shot on the beach was Doc’s son.

Doc wants to hire Matt to find the killer. When it turns out that two of the people on the cruise ship were knifed and not killed by being thrown overboard during the grounding, and that the captain of the ship, who died of a broken neck, was probably killed by a pro, the mystery deepens.

Article Author: The Dirty Lowdown

I have been known to quote Raymond Chandler as pickup lines in shady bars and I do most of my research in the apartments of tall blonds. I am an amateur bass player nicknamed The Dirty Lowdown, and have published short stories and poetry in magazines that have strangely gone out of print. …

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