Wyatt's Revenge: A Matt Royal Mystery (Matt Royal Mysteries) [Hardcover]

H. Terrell Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2009 | Series: Matt Royal Mysteries

On balance, retired trial lawyer turned-beach bum Matt Royal is a pretty laid-back fellow. But when Laurence Wyatt, one of Matt's best friends, is murdered, Matt trades in his easygoing ways for a hard-hitting quest for revenge. Matt knows the Longboat Key police will do their job in investigating. But for Matt, finding Wyatt's killer isn't a job; it's personal.Determined to do whatever it takes to solve Wyatt's murder, Matt takes matters into his own hands and embarks on a clandestine investigation. Soon, Matt finds himself in hot pursuit of a cadre of remorseless criminals and trained killers, but the tables turn and Matt becomes the pursued. Faced with mounting danger, Matt calls for backup from his buddies Jock Algren and Logan Hamilton.Matt Royal would go to the ends of the earth to exact revenge for Wyatt's murder, but will he go outside the law?Expect the unexpected in this wild and dangerous ride from Longboat Key, Florida, to Frankfurt, Germany, because hell hath no fury like Matt Royal scorned.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Matt Royal displays an amusing gift for understatement—whether intended by the author or not—in Griffin's fourth mystery to feature the retired trial lawyer and Vietnam vet who makes Florida's Longboat Key his home (after 2008's Blood Island). When the book's love interest asks Royal what's going on after his car has been firebombed and, in another violent incident, shots fired at him, Royal responds, I'm not sure. Someone's trying to kill me, I think. Someone is indeed trying to stop Royal from pursuing the hit man who blew out the brains of a close friend, history professor Laurence Wyatt. Wyatt and a fellow Florida academic, who was gunned down on the same day, had been researching the Nazis and Vichy France. Amid the predictable shootouts and hostage takings, readers should be prepared for some awkward prose (e.g., The death of a friend impales you with a barbed javelin of despair). (Nov.)
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About the Author

Award-winning novelist H. Terrell Griffin is a board-certified trial lawyer who practiced in Orlando for thirty-eight years. He and his wife, Jean, divide their time between Longboat Key, Florida, and Maitland, Florida. Griffin is also the author of [i]Blood Island[/i], [i]Murder Key[/i], and [i]Longboat Blues[/i].

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oceanview Publishing; First Edition edition (November 16, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933515538
• ISBN-13: 978-1933515533
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #485,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Matt swaps his easygoing life for Wyatt's Revenge, October 28, 2009

By 

M. Lignor (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wyatt's Revenge: A Matt Royal Mystery (Matt Royal Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Hi Readers,

Matt Royal is a very relaxed guy. He is a retired lawyer and ex Green Beret living a life of ease on Longboat Key in Florida. Matt's best friend, Laurence Wyatt, is assassinated by a professional hit man and, as a result, Matt swaps his easygoing life to go on a quest for wyatt's Revenge.

Matt is good friends with the police Chief of Longboat Key and is aware that Chief Lester will do everything necessary to solve this case but, to Matt, this is personal and he is determined to find Wyatt's killer. The only thing missing from Wyatt's place is his laptop. It's hard to figure out who would have wanted Wyatt dead as he is now a professor. Although, he was once a savage Green Beret. Matt takes matters into his own hands and starts on a secret investigation of his own helped by Logan Hamilton and Jock Algren who are old friends from his Army days. Soon, he finds a group of trained killers that he knows had something to do with Wyatt's death and soon the hunter becomes the hunted. As Matt and his buddies learn the truth about Wyatt's death they find treachery and danger that was larger than any of them expected. And, from an unlikely source. Matt and his friends travel from Longboat Key to Europe and everywhere in between to run down clues that Wyatt had left behind. I'll give you a hint. The year is 1945, the end of the war in Europe. Nazis are involved, along with a Captain in the OSS and an Arab that owns a bank. It just gets better and better. Expect the unexpected and I can guarantee that this is a real page turning mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page.

I heartedly recommend this to myster fiction readers, WWII fans and anyone in between. It is very fast paced and takes you from place to place so you can't nap in between chapters. Mr. Griffin has written three other Matt Royal mysteries which I plan to read when I can. I have to admit that when I saw the book advertised the first thing I thought of was that it was a story about Wyatt Earp. Boy, what a nice surprise was waiting for me when I received Wyatt's Revenge. It is an entertaining book that any mystery addict will enjoy. Of course, anything that brings the good old Nazis to the forefront is interesting. Authors don't write about them anymore because they are old news but, you have to admit they were unforgettable villians and we love to hate them. Good Job Mr. Griffin!!!

Mary Lignor, reviewer for [...]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Action Packed Mystery, April 8, 2010

By 

April M. Hanson (Lincoln, ME) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wyatt's Revenge: A Matt Royal Mystery (Matt Royal Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Matt Royal is a retired trial attorney enjoying the relaxed life on Longboat Key, Florida when his best friend and Vietnam War mentor, Laurence Wyatt, is murdered execution style. Though Matt has full faith in local law enforcement, this is personal so he sets out to find those responsible and bring them to justice. What he finds takes him to Germany to solve a mystery that goes back decades and will lead him where he never expected. He enlists his friends, Jock Algren and Logan Hamilton, to help unravel the mystery and get the revenge that Wyatt deserves.

"Wyatt's Revenge" is the fourth installment in the Matt Royal series, written by author H. Terrell Griffin, but is the first book I have ever read by this author. He does a very good job of introducing the reader to characters that, no doubt, were part of the previous books and I really didn't feel like I was missing any information regarding the main characters or their relationship to one another. The story moved quickly and, while I did figure out part of the mystery rather early, I think that was intentional as the reader is privy to some information that the characters are not. In this testosterone fueled, action packed mystery, knowing that little piece of information doesn't matter as you will still be turning the pages furiously to find out what happens next.

My only complaint, now I have to go buy the other 3 books in the series to find out what kind of trouble Matt Royal was previously involved in. If it was even half as exciting as "Wyatt's Revenge", it will be well worth the expense.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Revenge, May 30, 2010

By 

Janice M. Hidey (Sykesville, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Wyatt's Revenge: A Matt Royal Mystery (Matt Royal Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Matt Royal is a retired trial lawyer and ex-Green Beret who has been enjoying a laid-back, beach bum existence on Longboat Key in Florida when one of his best friends Lawrence Wyatt is killed by a professional hit man. Why would anyone want to kill Wyatt? He was a history professor. Matt finds out it was a professional hit and knows he needs to investigate to find out what Wyatt was involved in that someone paid to have him killed.

As Matt investigates, he finds out that Wyatt was doing research on Nazi Germany and he must have come across some sensitive material that has someone willing to kill to cover his or her tracks. Matt calls on two resourceful friends Jack Algren and Logan Hamilton, which is helpful as they journey to Frankfurt, Germany to solve the mystery. For Matt it is personal and he is out to get those who had his friend killed. Along the way though things change and he needs to be careful as he is now being pursued.

Griffin writes an exciting thriller as Matt travels not just in Florida but also to New York and Germany. Matt Royal, a likeable guy, "takes care" of those who are responsible for Wyatt's death. Is it justice or revenge? Griffin knows how to write a real page-turner and I look forward to reading more of his Matt Royal works.