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Nothing Else Matters (Sam Casey Mystery)

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Nothing Else Matters by S.D. Tooley blends romance, suspense and a touch of Native American culture with flair. With a fast paced plot and richly developed characters, this tale of suspense will hook its reader through the last page. The man has no true identity except the bird tattoo on the back of his left hand and the label Sparrow. A hired gun, he shows up at the River Queen Casino prepared for a hit. But someone else beats him to the murder of Reverend Everett Smith. The Reverend is carrying $50,000 in counterfeit money and Sparrow wants answers. He won't be anyone's fall guy. A rookie cop is dead and Detective Sergeant Samantha Casey is the prime suspect for the killing. Never mind the cop's neck was broken before three bullet's from Sam's gun entered his body. And never mind that she says she didn't pull the trigger. Suspended from the force, Sam seeks answers to the young cop's death before she has to have Jake's baby in prison. But when she goes to headquarters to submit her statement, she finds herself in the interrogation room being set up for Chief of Police Connelley's death as well. Jake: the father of her child and the man Sam blames for her suspension. Of course it doesn't help that this man she's secretly married to has been promoted and has taken her position on the force. Nor does it help that she blames him for keeping information from her on her father's death. With personal relationship and work on a course from hell, Sam needs answers fast. When the owners of the River Queen Casino want to hire her to investigate the murder of Reverend Smith, Sam steps up to the plate. Using the unusual gift of psychometry, or the ability to gather information from the auras surrounding objects, Sam gathers information the cops can't possibly suspect. By picking up a glass he held, for example, Sam sees Sparrow's left tattooed hand, and the game is on. Sam's extraordinary psychic gift provides an unusual inroad for solving crime, making Nothing Else Matters a terrific read. Furthermore, the characterization and the depth of complexity of the man known only as Sparrow is not only stark and brutal, but also heart wrenching. My sincere compliments to the author of this masterpiece. If you're searching for a strong female character, unusual plotting, and a terrifically suspenseful tale, Nothing Else Matters is a must read.

Cindy Penn Reviewer

Still mentally fragile and recovering from the betrayals Sam Casey suffered in WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK, the police sergeant must now face suspension, possible homicide charges, and a rocky personal relationship with fellow detective Jake Mitchell. This is either the worst or the best time for Casey to become distracted by a murder on a casino boat that involves a strip bar owner, CIA agents, a reverend, and a hitman. Tooley fills this mystery with lively characters, witty dialogue, and a pace that speeds up in the last half of the novel as Casey recovers some of her confidence and develops an unhealthy relationship with beanie babies. Native American culture and myths are also introduced as Casey uses the gifts from her heritage to see clues while foster mother deals with their reservation's desire for a casino. Romance, suspense, and mysticism all rolled up the lastest Sam Casey novel by Sandra Tooley.

Sam(Samantha)Casey,suspended from the force,is having problems from having her car blown up and having a fellow officer killed with her gun. She is hired by the owners of a riverboat casino to investigate the murder of Reverend Everett Smith, an opponent of gambling. They wish to be cleared of his death. The Reverend is found to be carrying $500,000 in counterfeit money. There is a contract on Smith's life held by a hired killer known as The Sparrow. He has been hired to kill Smith,but someone beat him to it. When Smith is discovered to have counterfeit money,Sparrow learns that he,too, has been given counterfeit oney by his "employer".He vows revenge. There is a battle of wits between Sam and the Sparrow,who has a tattoo on his hand. Her search for the killer is complicated by the fact that the police investigation is being conducted by her husband,Jake Mitchell,who she believes was responsible for her suspension.Sam is half Sioux and has psychic powers. She has dreams of drugs and torture. The story is full of twists and surprises,especially the identity of The Sparrow. This is the second Sam Casey mystery. It is well-written,fast moving and suspenseful. There are moments of romance and humor. I enjoyed the book and hope that this will become a series...

Nothing Else Matters is the second Sam Casey series, written by the somewhat mysterious S.D. Tooley. Sam Casey is a Detective Sergeant with many unique qualities: she is beautiful, stubborn, independently wealthy, and is able to speak to the dead. She is also in trouble with her own department and is married to a fellow cop. She thinks her husband is responsible for her suspension, so when the novel opens their relationship is strained to the breaking point. After an initial introduction to Sam and her problems, the action opens at the River Queen Casino. Reverend Everett Smith is being tracked by a hired killer known as Sparrow, who only kills targets that are part of the underbelly of society. But before Sparrow can make the hit, someone else intervenes and kills the Reverend. The owners of the casino hire Sam as a private investigator, having heard of her unusual talents. Sam begins her investigation, while at the same time dealing with yet another life-altering event; she is pregnant. She and her friend Jackie delve into the seamy side of life tracking the activities of Sparrow's contacts; at the same time dealing with visions which lead her to a confusing meeting with the man himself: "She sucked in a deep breath, as if synthetic self-control were being circulated through air ducts. 'No. Far from it, actually.' He didn't look sinister enough. Didn't look like a cross between a Mafia hit man and a deranged psycho. He looked like a former star quarterback, all-American guy, maybe a decathlon champion. A guy women had dreams about." Nothing Else Matters is a sophisticated mix of an international whodunit; a peak into Indian culture and some mysteries that go beyond the temporal; and a just plain old snuggle up and read book with entertainment savvy. S.D. Tooley keeps the reader at the edge of their seat, while stirring up primitive emotional elements that creates an additional great psychological element to the story. It is a love story at the most basic level, as well as a ghost story. All elements combine to create a great read. And just who is S.D. Tooley, anyway?

Shelly Glodowski Reviewer

Nothing Else Matters is the second installment in the Sam Casey mysteries. Much like I commented on the first book, these are really good mysteries, but pretty weak in the romance department. The book picks up literally after the events of the first and is not a standalone novel. If you didn't read the first one, you'll miss a good chunk of what's going on here and who all the characters are. That said, this review will refer to events from the first book.

Being in a near catatonic state after the events of the last book, Seargent Sam Casey, suspended from the police force for suspicion of murder, is recovering in a mental rehab facility. She's also pregnant and dismayed to find that she's somehow married to Jake even though there were no witnesses to the ceremony and Sam was tricked into signing documents while recuperating in a mental facility. When she checks herself out of the clinic early, she finds that her mother is traveling to deal with reservation politics leaving her to live alone with Jake. The problem is, she's not speaking to Jake. She feels betrayed by his secrets from the first book and believes he's supporting a corrupt police captain which doesn't look good since he's been recently promoted. As she struggles with her hormones and what to do with her time, she gets an offer through her attorney to privately investigate a homocide on a river boat casino. After being blown off by Jake, the primary to the official police investigation, she accepts the private case and finds herself two steps ahead of Jake who completely undervalued Sam's special abilities to see visions and interpret moments of death. Eventually the case becomes pretty gruesome and Sam eventually ends up working with the police to solve not just a murder, but a counterfeit ring and a complicated government experiment.

I can't say that there was a tremendous amount of character development here since there are still a whole slew of unlikable characters, but I loved that the kick butt Sam Casey from the first couple of chapters of the first book came back and triumphed in her own way here. With the added crazy pregnancy hormones, I found myself laughing out loud during moments of insane beanie baby shopping and uncontrollable weaping. It was all the more funny since Jake didn't know Sam was pregnant and thought she needed to go back to rehab. The investigation was intense, brutally graphic and ultimately sad. All the characters are back for this book, but I found myself relieved that Abby, Sam's mother, was not as prominent here. If you thought the Jake/Abby relationship was creepy in the first book, this installment actually gave Sam and Jake an opportunity to interact with one another and build a relationship. As for the romance, I think the author is missing an opportunity to show us some sparks between these two. So far we're told that they love each other but we really don't see or feel it. Regardless, it's a wonderful mystery that packs some strong emotion.

This book is the 2nd in the Sam Casey series. I loved her 1st book and it sets the stage nicely for this story. You get to like the characters and believe it or not even the villain gets you in the end. A page turner with a twist. Great entertainment and a little gore. Can't wait to order the 3rd book. At $2.99 - very reasonable, for sure. I do not think we "Kindle Kuties" should pay over $9.99. Publishers better wise up. I used to be a Patterson and a Stuart Woods fan...now I won't buy their books at their ridiculous prices. Good for you S. D. Tooley!!! A new fan of Sam's!

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS (A SAM CASEY MYSTERY) S.D. Tooley Full Moon Publishing - April 2000 ISBN: 0966602129 - H.C. Mystery / P.I.

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS is the second SAM CASEY MYSTERY; the first was WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK.

Sam Casey is back again, and this time she is suspended from the force, married to Jake Mitchell, pregnant, and not ready just yet to tell Jake the news as she blames him for her suspension. This book starts off where the last one left off and goes over things of importance from WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK so if the reader has not read it, they will not be confused. There is a murder on the River Queen Casino. Reverend Smith was murdered and found with fifty-thousand dollars on his body. The owners of the River Queen Casino, Harold McFadden, William Bordon Sr, and William Bordon Jr, hire Sam to investigate the murder, and clear the River Queen of any wrongdoing. This means that she will be running into Jake, for he is assigned the case by the police department. While on the River Queen, Sam picks up a book of matches on the bar, and she gets chilled all over as she picks up images of the killer, she hears voices crying out and sees a vision of a tattoo of a bird and underneath it is the word "Sparrow."

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS is just as rich in details and grand writing style as WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK. The author manages to pull you into the story line so well that you want the story of Sam and her friends to keep on going. There is Tim the young computer genesis, Jackie Delaney the ex-hooker friend that has helped Sam in the past and would do anything for her friend Sam. There are so many extraordinary characters, each one well defined in their own way and fitting into the plot and just like WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK, you get more Native American Culture.

This book kept me hanging on every word till the very end. I can't wait for the next installment of Sam Casey. Keep up the great writing S.D. Tooley and bring us a lot more Sam Casey Mysteries.

Pam Stone

S. D. Tooley gives her readers the second installment of The Sam Casey Mysteries and what an installment it is. Having never read a Sam Casey Mystery, I expected the typical police procedural; murders occur, police work it out. Not! Ms. Tooley adds an extra touch of paranormal to this police procedural. The story picks up from the first Sam Casey Mystery, When The Dead Speak, which I recommend you read first, because both books are worthy of attention, and it will explain a lot of what's going on in Sam's life.

Detective Sergeant Sam (Samantha) is back. A lot happened to her in the first mystery, and as Sam comes home to get her bearings and face the department, she finds her mom, a Sioux medicine woman, heading home to help her people. (Reader's are updated on Sam's mother and stepfather throughout the story). Before mom heads home, she takes it upon herself to move Sam in the master bedroom and includes some of Jake Mitchell's things as well. Sam isn't so sure about Jake just yet, especially since his promotion by the untrustworthy, new police chief who doesn't like her, but her mom feels he is the one and plans to help it along. After a dinner, Sam goes with another detective to a crime scene on a floating casino. First she finds her self excluded from the information and case as detective, only to find her self dropped into the middle of it in another way. Her gift gives her the ability to see what is happening in the case without the police information about the violent killer. Sam doesn't just see the ending result of the murders, she sees how it is done and feels the suffering of the victim. It's intense, it's traumatic, and not for the faint of heart. The ending will blow you away!

Ms. Tooley has a superlative, supernatural mystery full of intense, persuasive characters in a grizzly, matchless story line. A promising series to get started on before you are left behind.

This is the sequel to S.D.Tooley's WHEN THE DEAD SPEAK.These mysteries revolve around Samantha Casey,a police detective in a small Chicago Suburb.She is half Native American' has some special powersand lives with her mother, Abby Two Eagles. In the first story she is transfered to a different division and becomes partners with Jake and Frank. This story begins with Sam recovering from emotional and physical trauma. She arrives home from the hospital to discover that she has been suspended from the police department and is under investigation for her involvement in a murder. She has an unsteady relationship with Jake;she has nightmares;she has morning sickness.A murder happens in a casino; the police take her badge and will not let her investigate. She blames her problems on Jake;he is torn between his police duties and his feelings for Sam.Eventually she is asked by the casino owners to investigate.Suspense is sustained,the plot thickens,the bad guy is most intriguing. The characters are wonderful;the side issues of the problems of Native Americans are informative without lecturing.The relationship between Samantha and Jake is resolved.There is another issue of Jake's friend,Carl,a retiring FBI agent.He is dealing with his son's mia status in Vietnam. All of the side issues are resolved,with plenty of action and suspense to keep the reader up all night.The characters are vivid,colorful,and offbeat.Unforunately the main issue of Sam's suspension and legal troubles is not resolved.All other subplots are resolved nicely,with some unique twists.This reader was left with the hope that the next story will be available soon, so that I can resolve my questions.I'm looking forward to many more in the series.

In this second Sam Casey thriller, the Chasen Heights detective sergeant finds herself stripped of her badge, suspected of shooting a fellow officer, and wondering whether she "could actually end up having this baby in prison." Sam uses her psychic powers (her Lakota genes at work) to prove her innocence and help her estranged husband, Detective Jake Mitchell, track down "Sparrow," a very twisted hit man. (In one particularly memorable scene the hit man uses a rat to kill his victim -- this is definitely not for the squeamish.)

In the course of the story, the author takes us inside the riverboat casino scene and explores the difficulties of counterfeiting those new, "counterfeit-proof" 50s and 100s. (Apparently the author was at one time a casino dealer, and her first-hand experiences come through in her storytelling.) As in the first Sam Casey novel, Tooley serves up a cast of believable, quirky characters; a compelling and seemingly doomed romance between cops; and a series of highly imaginative plot twists. If you're like me and you enjoy a little speculation about native American spiritualism, a strong female protagonist, and a good yarn, you will enjoy NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.