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The Beholder, a Maddie Richards Mystery
 
 

The Beholder, a Maddie Richards Mystery [Kindle Edition]

David Bishop
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Product Description

* AMAZON LIST OF TOP-RATED MYSTERY SERIES
* AMAZON LIST OF BEST-SELLING MYSTERY SERIES

Maddie Richards is an efficient and resourceful detective with a secret wish that she could handle her messy personal life as well as she handles her work life. As a homicide sergeant for the Phoenix, Arizona Police Department, she has one of the highest solve rates in America. Her success leads her chief of police to assign her a serial killer case. Some sicko the press calls the Beholder is killing beautiful women. Her chief describes the case as “a career maker or breaker, get me?”
She has an ex-husband she still cares for, but who was bad for her and her ten-year-old son. Her widowed mother who lives with her is both a blessing and a trial. And, oh yes, her ex-husband has married an extremely wealthy and politically connected woman who cannot give birth. So, Maddie’s ex is filing a motion to obtain permanent custody of their son, citing the risks attendant to Maddie’s police work endanger the boy.
If that were not enough, the brother-in-law of the chief of police is using his position as an administrative assistant to sexually harass Maddie. She could file a formal complaint, but the good-old-boys network in the department is watching how she handles the situation.
Further complicating Maddie’s life is two love interests: Gary Packard, a hunk who recently moved in across the street, and Lincoln Rogers, a confirmed bachelor, who lives thousands of miles away and works for the FBI.
As the case develops Maddie learns that the victims all wore the same bra size. She must decide if this is merely a coincidence or a criterion the killer uses when selecting his victims. She also finds that each of the victims is somehow connected to the Phoenix police department. This realization isolates her further as she must pursue the killer without disclosing this theory to her department because, if her suspicion is correct, the Beholder would learn she is closing in.
As the story races toward its climax, Maddie is betrayed by those closest to her, and she begins to believe her own name may be on the killer’s list.

Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 616 KB
  • Print Length: 360 pages
  • Publisher: Telemachus Press, LLC (13 Oct 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B005VIEFD4
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #214,862 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing special 26 April 2012
By KindleFan TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a reasonably run of the mill serial killer novel with no particularly outstanding features. The heroine is a good police officer and doesn't try to do everything on her own, she actually remembers that she may have to prove the case in court and acts accordingly. The murder element is well plotted and presented and although the killer will not come as a great surprise if you are used to decoding suspense novels the clues are well presented and make sense.

There are a few things about the book, however, which I found a problem. One police officer is supposed to be sexually harrassing Maddie but this never gets resolved and is only mentioned in passing. Her husband is supposed to be threatening a custody battle about her son but again this plot thread is just dropped about half way through and not mentioned again. Her son has no character at all and is hardly present in the book (although fortunately Maddie has one of those fictional baby sitters who is always available when she needs them). I thought that there were a few too many instances in which the author told us about Maddie's underwear. I wasn't really sure what Maddie saw in either of the two men with whom she was involved because her feelings were not really well described. When someone close to Maddie dies I didn't really feel her pain at all.

In conclusion, I think that this could have been a better book. There was nothing wrong with the plot or the main character but the problems with the book meant that I didn't properly engage with the story and found it easy to put this book down (turn off my Kindle). An "all right" read - nothing special.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The Beholder - David Bishop 21 April 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
This is a murder mystery crime novel.

Maddie Richards is a homicide detective who has a successful record on solving homicides. Maddie has been put in charge of solving the case of a serial killer they call "The Beholder" because he strips his victims of their beauty and is killing these beautiful women in the most brutal and violent way. Finding the killer for Maddie is like finding a needle in a haystack and she needs to act fast before the killer strikes again.

Set in Phoenix, Arizona this is a brilliant book by David Bishop that will hold the reader from beginning to end. In this book David does not shy away from describing just how gruesome and gritty murder can be. I liked the character of Maddie and liked that it was a good strong female lead in the story. The plot is really good, it keeps you guessing and in suspense all the way through the book. I would really like to read more books about Maddie Richards.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth a read 13 April 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Writing from a woman's point of view can be tricky for a man but David Bishop manages this well. His main character Maddie Richard is a realistic cop, mother and divorcee trying to do her job while juggling home and family. Thrust into a caseload full of horror and danger; she battles on in a no nonsense style that is refreshing.

I really liked this story; there are many twists and turns to keep the readers guessing until the last. Questions were left unanswered at the end, but I'm sure that means we will get more stories on the life of Maddie Richard. I also like that he gave us an epilogue that rounded the story off nicely.

Would I read more by this writer? Certainly, the story line was very good (reminded me of the great British writer Val McDermid) and I liked the Maddie character enormously.

Carol Wills
Author of
Five Minute Fiction
A Titus Adventure
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