Death Before Coffee Book Review

Death Before Coffee was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Book: Death Before Coffee 

Author: Desmond P Ryan 

Publication date: 8th February 2019 

Genre: Police procedural 

Rating: 3 stars 

Synopsis 

By 2:27 on a Thursday afternoon, the one-legged man from Room 8 at 147 Loxitor Avenue has been beaten to death with a lead pipe. Twenty-eight minutes later, Detective Mike O’Shea is testifying in a stuffy courtroom, unaware that, within an hour, he will be standing in an alleyway littered with beer cans and condoms while his new partner—the man who saved his life thirteen years ago—flicks bugs off of a battered corpse with a ballpoint pen. 

When a rogue undercover copper prematurely hauls in the prime suspect, Mike blows a fuse, resulting in an unlikely rapport developing between him and the lead homicide detective sergeant, a woman known for her stilettos and razor sharp investigative skills. 

At the end of his seventy-two-hour shift, three men are dead and Mike O’Shea is floating in and out of consciousness in an emergency room hallway, two women by his side. 

Death Before Coffee, the second book in the Mike O’Shea Crime Fiction Series, weaves a homicide investigation through the life of an inner-city police detective intent on balancing his responsibilities as a son, brother, and newly single father with his sworn oath of duty. When faced with death, Mike is forced to make decisions that stir up old memories, compelling him to confront his demons while fighting the good fight

My Thoughts 

For my review on book one please check out 10-33 Assist PC Book Review. 

Characters- 8 

In this story we aren’t in troduced to many new characters, we meet many faces again from book one which I really enjoyed. Many of the side characters of book one became more prominent in this story which I really liked. There is a lot of trauma from book one and although this book is set 15 years later we can see how this has affected them over the years and is still affecting them. 

Atmosphere – 8 

This was a very tense read. Mike is under a lot of pressure and also dealing with a lot of trauma. The weight of what happened in book one is still sitting on Mike. This is a very intense read with some graphic scenes just like book one. 

Writing – 8 

I really like Desmond’s writing. It is very easy to get absorbed into. Desmond has a way of sucking you in and really bringing you along with Mike and following his investigation. 

Plot – 7 

I didn’t enjoy this plot as much as book one. In this we are just following a murder investigation which I still enjoyed but not as much as book one. I can see where this story is going which I am excited to read as we continue on this series and I hope Mike finds out the answers he is looking for. 

Intrigue – 7 

Due to not enjoying the plot as much as book one I didn’t find myself as intrigued which is okay but there is a certain other story line that I am more invested in which I hope becomes a more prominent story line. 

Logic – 7 

This all makes sense. We are in a contemporary world so nothing too crazy happened. Although I am still questioning Mike and some of the decisions he makes throughout this novel. 

Enjoyment- 8 

I had a good time with this story and am looking forward to reading book three.