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Collateral Damage (Matt Royal Mystery)

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Trouble surrounds Matt Royal despite his residence in paradise. It seems that Florida's Longboat Key isn't paradisiacal for everyone. A young man is shot by a sniper while he's walking on the beach near the Hilton, just a day after his wedding. Then a dinner boat runs aground after nearly colliding with Royal's boat. Then the bodies of two more murder victims are discovered, both of whom had been passengers on the dinner boat. When a town resident is killed, it looks like a serial killer has invaded paradise. The killings aren't connected in any obvious way, leaving Royal's friend, Detective J.D. Duncan, without any obvious hope of solving the crimes. Then a former soldier from Royal's past shows up, the father of one of the victims, and Royal joins the search for the elusive killer. Every now and then another death occurs, leaving the reader, like Royal, to puzzle out the connection that links the murders.

Some aspects of the plot are hard to accept. Royal is a retired lawyer. The victim's father wants Royal to start a lawsuit -- against whom, he's not sure -- to help gather information against the murderer of his son. I found it difficult to believe that the police would willingly hand over their investigative file to him; giving open files concerning recent unsolved murders to private lawyers just isn't done. If you can suspend your disbelief in that regard, however, the story that follows is entertaining. It isn't particularly credible but that's standard for a thriller, and it's not much more difficult to believe than some newspaper stories.

The need to suspend disbelief isn't limited to the plot. One of the characters -- a waitress -- is the typical part-time computer hacker; a couple of community college computer courses and she can hack into airline and bank records, not to mention databases maintained by rental car, credit card, and telephone companies. Another character works for a double secret American intelligence agency. Royal's convenient friendships with people who can instantly access any information he needs is good for plot development but not so good for verisimilitude.

The investigation sends Royal down several blind alleys, all in a reasonably effective attempt to keep the reader guessing. An interesting plot twist occurs when Royal begins to wonder whether he can trust the quasi-romantic interest in his life. The solution to the complex puzzle -- the link that binds the murders -- is interesting although I had the feeling I was reading plotlines recycled from other thrillers and mashed together in an attempt to create something new.

Although Royal engages in the occasional episode of hand-to-hand combat, he has a more fully developed personality than the standard tough guy character. Someone during the course of the novel accuses Royal of being a philosopher. He's no Aristotle, but he's capable of subtle thought, a trait often lacking in fictional tough guys. All the characters -- even the minor ones -- are refreshingly intelligent.

H. Terrell Griffin writes vividly, if not originally, about Royal's service as a Green Beret in Vietnam. His writing style in general is fluid, tight, and cliché-free. He blends action and exposition effectively, although the story is a bit exposition-heavy toward the end.

Collateral Damage is the sixth Matt Royal novel but the first I've read. It likely won't be the last.

Matt does it again. Another episode in the tales of Matt Royal and his buddies. Lots of action and intrigue. This one will keep you guessing until the end.

On Longboat Key, Florida, newlywed Jim Desmond goes out for his morning jog the day after he married. His new bride Meredith of Savannah waits for him to return to their room at the Hilton, but a sniper kills the Atlanta resident.

Jim's grieving dad Charles "Doc" Desmond asks his Vietnam War U.S. Marine buddy former lawyer turned local beach bum Matt Royal to investigate. Matt agrees to help his comrade in arms who desperately needs answers to receive some closure. Meanwhile Longboat Key's police detective J.D. Duncan investigates the Desmond homicide as well as the mass murder of three people on the Dulcimer dinner cruise ship. When clues lead to Laos drug trafficking, Matt asks his pals Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren to help him.

The latest Royal investigative thriller (see Wyatt's Revenge and Bitter Legacy) is a suburb Florida Keys whodunit. The story line hooks the audience with the opening line and never lets go until the final confrontation as readers will relish Royal's investigation ably backed by recurring characters Logan and Jock that nicely converges with the official one conducted by J.D.

Harriet Klausner

Fast-paced. Focused. A crisp writing style that keeps you on the edge of your seat. This latest Griffin novel has more twists and turns than the road through Deal's Gap, NC, known as "The Dragon." Once again, Matt Royal and his friends, Logan Hamilton and Jock Algron, crisscross the Southeastern US and the Caribbean in their efforts to solve murders and avoid getting killed.

Collateral Damage opens with the shooting of a newlywed the day after his wedding. He was jogging along a beach on Longboat Key, Florida when he was shot in the chest by a high caliber rifle.

Later that night, Longboat Key resident Matt Royal and his long-time friend Logan Hamilton took Matt's boat out to Sister Keys to do a bit of fishing. While out there, they saw a dinner cruise boat go dark and come to a jarring halt on a sandbar. The only casualty was the captain of the ship. The next day after the grounding, Matt found out two more people had been murdered and thrown overboard.

Six weeks later, the father of the young man who was killed on the beach came to see if Matt could help him discover who murdered his son. Come to find out, the father had served with Matt in Vietnam. Local police welcomed his help as the cases were growing cold. Matt gathers his friends together to help him solve a case with surprising ties to his past.

Collateral Damage is the sixth Matt Royal mystery written by H. Terrell Griffin. There is no shortage of adventure, intrigue, and the possibility of romance as the story unfolds in the hot Florida sun. Each book has increased in depth and pacing; and the adventures are a fast-paced joy to read. The character-driven mystery series has gained Griffin the respect of his loyal fan base.

This series is a must-read for those who love a good mystery based in the Florida Keys.

When it comes to wrapping a traditional mystery inside an international espionage thriller novel, there is none better than, author H. Terrell Griffin and no better character than retired Florida lawyer and professional beach bum, Matt Royal. In this, the sixth Matt Royal Mystery, the whole cast of unforgettable characters are present. Longboat Key detective, Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan, who Matt is nursing a flame for, Jock Algren the mysterious "government agent" whose agency remains nameless, but Jock has the Presidents 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 mid-day sun in the heart of summer are the usual pass times. But when a young bride groom 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 when 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 that 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 Capt. of the ship, who died of a broken neck, was probably killed by a pro, the mystery deepens.

Matt and J.D. Duncan approach the investigation from separate angels, but share information and when an Asian assassin tries to knife Matt on the beach, and two Asian's were seen on camera boarding the dinner cruise, Matt follows the lead along with his buddies, Logan and Jock, whose government contacts lead them to an aid group in Cambodia and a wealthy heroin exporter.

If you were to compare Griffin's prose style to a runner, he'd be a marathon runner. The pace is steady and built for the long run. The "course" on the plot leads many places that may or may not lead to the finish line, but logic dictates that each step be explored. Along the way, the reader will have a hard time putting the book down. The dialog is relentless and hardboiled and to the point, the scenery of south Florida comes to life and even if you are reading in Alaska in the dead of winter you'll find yourself unbuttoning your shirt.

A cross between Jimmy Buffett, John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee, and Tom Clancy, the characters are funky, but dangerous. The bad guys are a collection of characters that Griffin brings to life in a very real and evil way. And throw in the budding romance between Matt and JD Duncan, and you have all of the elements for a fantastic read and a romp through sandy beaches, funky bars and shady motives.

There is not anything missing in this story, it's all here and will nail you to your chair and have you ordering margaritas and planning a trip to the Keys.

H. Terrell Griffin is another winner for Oceanview Publishing that readers will not want to miss. I want to thank Oceanview and NetGalley for providing the review copy.

Collateral Damage (Matt Royal Mystery)