Rod Pennington

Book source ~ NetGalley

Someone snooping where they shouldn’t be gets killed. With high security and survellience video it’s a head scratcher how the murderer got in and back out without leaving evidence. But there’s always evidence if you know where to look.

This started out pretty good. A locked room murder is always fun to try to figure out. However, it soon became a ho-hum mystery with over-the-top characters trying to outdo how awesome they each are, so much so that they miss clues. The detective’s daughter in particular is supremely eye rolling. Could she be more perfect and awesome at every single thing she does? Conveniently and neatly wrapped up with a fast track romance tossed in for good measure. Rich people with money to burn grease the plot along but don’t make it any more interesting. Overall, a very meh read.… (mehr)

Rod Pennington has written a book that kept me glued to my phone for a little over 24 hours (that’s a record for me!), with exceptions for taking care of family members and household things. This story was even better to me than any cop show on television.
The two cop MCs, Detectives Albert Pryor (veteran) and Kevin Cummings (rookie) were a force together, and separately. Pryor’s experience coupled with Cummings’ tech savvy combined to make this a story you can’t help but keep reading. Plus, adding in some of the other characters quirks and personalities made for quite a read.
I was given a copy of this book for my honest opinion.… (mehr)

Detective Albert Pryor is reminiscent of Nelson Demille’s John Corey, if you add a dog, a new tech savy partner, a daughter enjoying her grandfather’s wealth and a murder or two you have a really engaging police procedural. There are some very interesting hypotheses in a closed room setting, a ton of very scary scenarios, a whole lot of snarky comments.

This book has everything that makes it a hit for me - well developed characters, just enough of the backstory to flesh out what is happening in the present, a solid murder mystery, and really great dialog. Thank you NetGalley and EpulpPress.com for a copy.… (mehr)

Pryor & Cummings one-ups the locked-room mystery with an entire locked building where a scientist is murdered. There is no gun and no suspect despite the building being locked up and the high-tech surveillance security reveals no one coming or going.

The site is a massive computing center where earthquake predictions are generated by super-scientist and media personality Plato Vane. He’s an entitled jerk, surprised that he would even be questioned but then with a name like Plato Vane (hear Vain) you know he has to be a jerk.

The relationships are internecine. The main detective, a walking trope-machine named Albert Pryor has a daughter who dated the deceased and is dating his current partner. Vane is married to Pryor’s ex-wife to add to Pryor’s joy. Pryor is walking copaganda, you know the schtick, the good cops are persecuted, sure they cross the line, but they clean up the messes we can’t handle.

If author Rod Pennington were paid per cliche, he would not need to write another book. However, mystery readers often love cliches, it makes new books seem like a comfortable old sweater, soft from hard living. Pryor is a very stereotypical character, the irascible, often violent, cop who crosses the line. There is nothing original about him. The plot, though, is fresh, though absolutely not anchored in reality. The mystery is fair and the solution quirky and unique. There are good points that somewhat mitigate the tiresome cliches and stereotypes.

Pryor & Cummings at GoodReads, it has not been added to the publisher’s site
Rod Pennington at GoodReads

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2022/06/25/pryor-cummings-by-rod-pen...… (mehr)