August Origins by Alan Lee

August Origins by Alan Lee
Publisher: Sparkle Press
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Private Investigator Mackenzie August moves to Roanoke to start over.
So does a criminal kingpin nicknamed The General.

The town isn’t big enough…

After years as a Los Angeles homicide detective, Mackenzie August has traded flashing lights for quiet streets, single fatherhood, and the occasional dull PI job. But peace doesn’t last long. When Sheriff Andie Stackhouse shows up with a folder of murdered girls and a plea for help, Mackenzie finds himself drawn into a case that’s equal parts tragedy and trap.

The victims are young. The killings are savage. And the trail leads straight into the halls of a local high school, where a rising gang leader known only as *the General* is recruiting soldiers and burying secrets.

Against his better judgment, Mackenzie poses as a teacher, pushing his cover story to the limit. Between the dangerous charms of a beautiful attorney named Ronnie, and the deadly cat-and-mouse hunt unfolding around him, Mackenzie must confront what he left behind in Los Angeles: the part of himself that’s willing to break the rules to do what’s right.

Mackenzie August has left Los Angeles and the police department behind him. Moving back home to Roanoke, Virginia, Mack starts fresh in a newly purchased house with his father and Mack’s toddler son. Barely making ends meet as a local PI he’s cautiously intrigued when the local Sheriff wants him to return to the local high school to teach English and while undercover find out about the local drug trafficking. Mack’s life quickly gets complicated and dangerous.

I purchased this book on a whim and am very, very glad I did. I found this story to be a gripping hard-boiled detective series and strongly reminiscent of Robert Parker’s Spenser series. While Mackenzie’s character is absolutely his own and unique, I do admit that the feel and tone of the book was very comfortable and familiar to me. I knew within the first few pages that I’d enjoy the book and I was proved happily correct.

There is a good cast of primary characters around Mack and I look forward to them hopefully being depend and expanded upon over the course of this series. This first book is an excellent one for setting the scene and introducing everyone and I am eager to keep going. The plot is well woven and an interesting – but standard – detective mystery. I half guessed (got some parts and missed others) a lot of what was going on but still vastly enjoyed the ride and even enjoyed all the pieces coming together at the end.

There were a few threads left hanging – which knowing this is only the first book in an ongoing series didn’t bother me at all. While there is not a cliffhanger ending the final chapter does begin to pave the way for where I expect the second book is going.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have already purchased the second in the series and am eager to get into it. Readers who enjoy an American PI/detective protagonist with a dry humor and hard boiled tone like Robert Parker or Robert Crais should find this an enjoyable and absolutely worthwhile read. A new author I am very pleased to have stumbled across and a series that is absolutely going onto my to be read list. Recommended.