Title: Red Tide by Jeff Lindsay
Billy Knight Thrillers Book Two
Publisher: Diversion Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 228 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From Jeff Lindsay, the bestselling author of the DEXTER series, comes the long-awaited sequel to his debut novel, TROPICAL DEPRESSION, featuring ex-cop Billy Knight.
Billy Knight wants to ride out Key West’s slow-season with the occasional charter and the frequent beer. But when he discovers a dead body floating in the gulf, Billy gets drawn into a deadly plot of dark magic and profound evil. Along with his plucky, gun-happy friend, Nicky, and Anna, a resilient and mysterious survivor of her own horrors, Billy sets out to right the wrongs the police won’t, putting himself in mortal peril on the high seas.
Review:
Red Tide, the second novel in Jeff Lindsay’s Billy Knight Thrillers series, is an intriguing mystery that culminates with an action packed adventure on the high seas.
After his latest relationship hits a rough patch, Billy Knight needs a diversion to take his mind off his romantic troubles. While doing a favor for a friend, Billy and his friend, Nicky Cameron, find a dead body floating in the gulf. When the authorities are unwilling to investigate the death, Nicky convinces Billy to look into the case. Against his better judgment, Billy, along with Nicky and Ukranian immigrant Anna Kovacik, head to Miami in pursuit of the person responsible for luring Haitian refugees to their deaths.
Billy is an ex-LAPD cop who moved to Key West following the tragic murders of his family. He is happy with his new career operating a fishing boat, but with his latest relationship falling apart, he is beginning to feel a little dissatisfied with his life. When he does a little digging into the Haitian refugee situation, he quickly realizes that uncovering leads is going to be next to impossible not to mention incredibly dangerous. He might have been able to tell Nicky no, but after learning the truth about what happened to Anna’s family back in the Ukraine, Billy knows he has no choice but to investigate.
Billy gets some much needed background information from a friend in Miami and what he learns is truly staggering. When it becomes obvious Nicky and Anna are not going to let the matter rest, they return to the seedy docks of Miami in hopes of getting a lead about who behind the illegal smuggling operation of Haitian nationals. When his only source of information turns up dead, Billy finds himself in a very tricky situation with the local authorities. By the time the matter is sorted out, he discovers Anna has been kidnapped. Nothing will dissuade him from rescuing her from her captors, and armed with nothing but the name of the ship and its probable destination, Billy calls in a favor and hits the high seas in hot pursuit.
Set in the 1990s, Red Tide is a low tech but high octane mystery. The characters are brilliantly developed with endearing quirks that make them a little unique but quite appealing. Jeff Lindsay’s descriptive prose bring the characters and the setting vibrantly to life and the serious overtones of the unfolding storyline are relieved by Billy Knight’s wry sense of humor. The mystery is compelling and moves at an even pace until the novel’s thrilling conclusion. A great addition to the Billy Knight Thrillers series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy.
