Tumbling Down

Detective Jericho #6

by Walter Marks

TUMBLING DOWN
A Detective Jericho Novel
The brutal murder of a waitress leads a Long Island detective to the most complicated case of his career in this sixth installment of a series.
Detective Neil Jericho of the East Hampton Police Department is visiting his daughter, Katie, when he receives a call from his supervisor, Chief Krauss. A waitress was found murdered and Krauss wants Jericho to investigate. The victim is identified as 21-year-old Sally Espinosa Baez and an examination of her body reveals that she is a transsexual. Jericho turns to dispatcher Evangeline “Vangie” Clark for help. Vangie and her wife, Ingrid, attend meetings of the Hamptons LGBTQ Center and she can assist with the nuances of the case. The search for Baez’s next of kin leads Jericho to Phyllis Sonnenschein, an LGBTQ activist and candidate for town supervisor of East Hampton. Sonnenschein opened her home to Baez and she believes the killing is a hate crime. Evidence gathered at the homicide scene points in that direction. Meanwhile, Jericho’s girlfriend, tattoo artist Rainbow, and her business are targeted by a member of a hate group. As both cases intensify, Jericho discovers surprising secrets in Baez’s past that may hold the key to her murder. The latest installment of Marks’ (Amazing Detective, 2017, etc.) series starring Jericho deepens the development of the central characters while featuring a complex murder mystery full of surprising twists and turns. The narrative is anchored by Jericho, a dedicated detective with an unerring sense of justice. His devotion to his job cost him his marriage and he is determined not to make the same mistakes in his relationship with Rainbow. The supporting characters are equally well-developed, particularly Vangie, a 911 dispatcher who aspires to move up within the department. The investigation into the murder of Baez unfolds methodically as Jericho uncovers the tragic circumstances of her past and the mystery surrounding her death...
A finely paced crime thriller that should appeal to new and established fans of the series.



The gruesome murder of a local waitress draws Jericho into the unfamiliar world of the LGBTQ+ community in Sag Harbor. In the midst of a complicated investigation, he also has to deal with the intricacies of East Hampton politics and a potential threat to his girlfriend Rainbow. Will Jericho be able to solve this murder while navigating everything else going on in his life? His fierce search for justice leads him to a conclusion that will leave readers stunned.

Reviews for other Jericho Novels:

“Marks provides his intriguing principal characters with solid backgrounds and he puts the central mystery front and center from the start. The relationship between Jericho and Susannah gives the book a good, romantic spark. The whodunit initially seems straightforward, but it offers surprise twists that add further dimension to the characters. A fast-paced mystery with plenty of action and colorful characters”— Kirkus reviews “THE BATTLE OF JERICHO”

“Marks’s suspenseful second crime novel featuring Det. Sgt. Neil Jericho (after 2014’s Death Hampton) contains more than a few surprises. Readers should be prepared for a shocking ending.” - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Detective

375 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 5, 2018

Reviews

[Ted Tayler · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Not so much a novel as a treatise on gender fluidity"

I've often wondered what it meant when writer's groups talked about 'writing to market', but this is clearly what they mean. Take a white-hot topic and attempt to weave it seamlessly into the plot of a thriller series featuring a cop with a heart. Will it sell in vast numbers? Possibly, because the highly-emotive subject of gender is flavour of the month right now. Is it a page-turning read with likeable characters? Not really. Hartung is a white-supremacist and Krauss is a bigoted senior cop who can't stand seeing women getting promoted in the police force. If they're black and gay, then that's just two more strikes against them. I imagine other stories in this Jericho series work better with a standard murder investigation? I've not read any of them so I can't judge, but trying to shoehorn this subject into a police procedural didn't work. The pages occupied by technical stuff regarding fingerprints, computer files and so on were mind-numbing. As if the pages had been lifted from a manual. The same went for the description of the various trans options (which are far more than I had realised) and how this affected their lives. It never felt like the natural flow of a real story. Again, it seemed to have been regurgitated from a journal. The best I can say about it is it's topical.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detective Jericho investigates the murder of waitress Sally Baez.
For me not enough of a mystery, and much too much of gender politics, coupled with the description of the technical side didnot make an entertaining read.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/23/2020)! 🎁

[Bruce McLennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and topical. I did like reading this one. While it took a somewhat cliched approach to the hardbitten detective genre there was something new. Marks delves into the world of the LGBTQ and attempts to guide us in the intricacies of a group of very confused people. I think they've added a few more initials as they add more sexual identities to the list. He also brings in another of my pet hates, the lemming-like need for everyone to have a tattoo in our modern society. Whatever happened to individualism?

It's a simple story of murder and money with a trail muddied by bigotry. My only criticism is that the trail wasn't that muddied and I picked up the likely killer as soon as she was introduced to the reader. But hey, maybe that's just me.

Another little oddity in the story was Marks' characterisation of the two Australians who were possible suspects. At first, the name of their boat 'Crack a Fat' was very Australian and gave me some hope that the author wasn't totally clueless. But then to name one of the Aussies 'Chip' was totally clueless. No Australian has ever been called Chip. As American as the Fourth of July, Chip is something that Aussies eat with their fish, not something they name their kids. And what Australian says 'hooroo' when they mean goodbye? That went out in the fifties.

He got a few things wrong which leads me to ask, what did he get wrong about the LGBTQIAPD stuff? I think they've added a few more sexes since this one too. When will it stop? My head is hurting.

Anyway, faults aside, it was still a good read.

[Bryony Marsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an ebook that frequently telegraphs “self published” – the free copy I received had some formatting problems and grammatical errors – but if a publisher were to pick up this author, we might see something that comes to be regarded as a crime fiction classic.

Jericho is interestingly flawed: a detective who ultimately does something immoral, in order to see that justice is served. Unusual! The LGBTQ angle was what caused me to read the story, as the news that it was available for free reached me from a fellow TG writer... but ultimately this isn’t really a book about transgender people, except as a community of victims. As such, it’s a little bit behind the times, but maybe that’s still the mainstream view. The lesbian sidekick, Vangie, manages to educate Jericho on the mysteries of gender and sexuality, but it feels a bit synthetic: Jericho is too nice! The story itself is gritty... kept me interested all the way through... had an extremist subplot that didn’t seem to fit or be necessary... ultimately seemed a little bit disappointing. (Really trying hard not to include a spoiler here!)

The book breaks some unwritten rules, I feel. Incorporating diagrams within the text is distinctly unusual in a novel; making ‘señora’ a hyperlink to Wikipedia was patronising; describing real places in present tense before dropping back into the story. Nothing a good publisher couldn’t fix!

[Karyn H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice Served with Jericho!

Within the 259 pages of Tumbling Down: A Detective Jericho Series Book 6 written by Walter Marks is as real as it gets. I have not read the past series but after reading this well executed Series book 6, I have no choice but to dive into the others. When crime hits the LGBTQ community in past books I've read it was downplayed as not a very important issue. Here Walter has sensitized readers to the fact that they are human as anyone else and deserves justice for hate crimes committed against them.
When waitress Sally Baez is murdered and Detective Jericho's visit is cut short from visiting his daughter, I knew this will be an amazing book. As the case unfoldsJericho learns that the victim was actually a transsexual. This reader like the discussion in the book about the LGBTQ community was humane and very sobering..
The book has a very modern depiction of the LGBTQ community. With Jericho's wife becoming a victim of this type of crime as well. I've been fastened to this book from beginning to end. Tumbling Down was highly entertaining. It's good to see the writer's point of view on issues that are present in our society.

[M]

A caution to potential readers who might purchase for $2.99

This book is a freebie of sorts for me, because it’s a Kindle Unlimited read. The sample was intriguing, although at times the formatting was bad—sentences broken and interrupted; single spaced, then double spaced; and miscellaneous indents. I thought the book formatting would be okay, so I downloaded and began reading.

I made it to the 15% mark, and then I had to stop, because the format/layout steadily worsened as I got into the book. It felt nauseatingly like I were reading whilst in a car. So, this is a DNF for me.

If you’re planning to purchase this as a Kindle read, note that the sample is what you’ll get. Too bad, because this is a mystery/crime fiction which I would normally have read to the end. The forensics, technical details, physical descriptions, sexual/gender politics, etc—mentioned by some reviewers—don’t bother me.

[Margaret Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book by Walter Marks that I have read, but it is the fifth book in a series. I have to give the author full credit for finding his way through all the gender types used in this story. I also think he has done a credible job of showing character growth of Jericho. This is a murder mystery, but the path to finding the murderer is much more convoluted than usual. Even half way through the book, I still hadn't figured out who did it and why. One of the things I found most helpful was a map of the area of Long Island where the story takes place. Others may not appreciate it, but I am a map lover and I deeply appreciate being able to orient myself as I read. I also enjoyed the extraneous characters, such as the Australian yacht boys, that pepper the story. Just as these things happen in real life. Thanks, Mr. Marks!

[Pat Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very complex case

This homicide story was a very complex case. Sally started life as a male, but always felt female and eventually changed gender with the help of a woman who defended the rights of people with gender issues. This woman was about to run for Govenor.
Jericho was the detective assigned to solve Sally's murder.
A 911 telephone agent, Vangie, dreamed of becoming a detective too. She helped Jericho solve the case and also saved his life.
I enjoyed the story up until Jericho tampered with evidence to protect someone. His motive was good, but it was still disappointing.
Read it. Its a good story.

[Stuart F. Stowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five star hit

This is an ugly, gritty storu'll not want to put it down






This is an ugly, gritty story involving a gruesome murder and the LBGT community. There are many twists and turns as our detective struggles to come up with answers and the ending is a satisfying surprise. Although the story enters into some touchy territory, it treats the subject and the characters with understanding and respect. I recommend this book as one that will challenge , inform and entertain you.

[Black Butterfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

JERICO PAYS DEARLY FOR BEING GOOD AT HIS JOB. I WONDERED WHY THE VERY GOOD EMPLOYEES ALWAYS GET PENALIZED BECAUSE THEY DO A GOOD JOB. THAT IS SO UNFAIR, HE JUST CAN’T CATCH A BREAK IN HIS WORK OR PERSONAL LIFE. AS IGNORANT AS THE CHIEF IS HOW HE EVER MADE CHIEF IS A MYSTERY. I GUESS BEING TOTALLY CLUELESS IS A JOB REQUIREMENT NOW. JERICO IS A VERY GOOD DECTECTIVE AND A VERY NICE GUY AND NOT APPRECIATED VERY MUCH. CONGRATULATIONS TO ANGIE, I WAS SO HAPPY FOR HER SHE DESERVED THAT. ;D

[Sandass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good cop, or just 'sorta good?'

Detective Jerico works alone a lot. While working on the murder of a female who'd recently transitioned, he accepts help from a 911 dispatcher. The dispatcher saves Jericho's life when a disgruntled klansman type gunman goes after him and a group of LGBTQ friends gathered at a memorial service.
As the book grew to a close, Jericho began hiding facts about the case in an attempt to shield someone close to the crimes.

[Evelyn Grabas · Rating 5 out of 5]

As per usual, an excellent read. Mr. Marks does not disappoint. Good detective work sans the hard drinking, womanizing, bad-assed attitude. How refreshing. I look forward to reading more in this series.
One thing, Mr. Marks should tell his "eagle-eyed" proof reader is to clean her glasses or get her eyes checked, one or the other or both. There were errors, which is unforgivable in a quality novel.

All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this series and author to one and all. Try it, you'll like it.

[Jeanene Olson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible formatting for an E Book.

The story was interesting, but it was not properly formatted. Terribly difficult to follow the plot when only part of a sentence is on a virtually blank page. The rest is on the following page. I’ve never read a E Book that had that kind of layout.

[Markay C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story fine but needs editing

I like this series well enough and would've given a better rating except there were enough editing issues including the pagination that put me off they were so distracting. It's as if the process of uploading into the kindle publishing format was rushed or something. Hope the rest of the series isn't like that.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars novel

No wasting time, this novel starts strong and continues with vigor until the end. I like this kind of novel rather than those spending pages on detailed description of a place or situations but light on the main story.

[Robbyn L Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed story

I enjoyed this story though not as much as a couple of others. Still definitely worth a read. Marks makes the characters come to life like read people. Looking forward to book 7.

[paulette sarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great police thriller

This story kept you guessing until the end. Lots of insight into the transgender community. Loved the way Jericho brought about justice. Can't wait to read more about Jericho adventures.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read

A good book about police procedure. Surprise ending. You can't go wrong trading this book! Highly recommended. Very interesting characters.

[Anand Gupte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four star rating, why?

The theme is very fascinating for mature reader. Details are very vivid. Very adult language. So I have to restrict myself to give this five stars.

[Garrett Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting murder mystery with a cool ending

The story has some interesting slants on its way to bring solved with an entertaining cast of characters and an unusual ending

[Debi Hook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

I enjoyed the story but the editing was terrible. Not sure if it is self edited but it was very distracting.

[Karen greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another very good read in this series. I like that the author has very diverse characters that leads the reader in a different direction from the usual murder mystery.

[Cal Bambi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a wonderful read

This was for me a fun read. Great story line, lots of twists and turns and an array of interesting characters. What more could a reader want?

[gwen graves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

Good story, interesting characters. I did have the killer figured out half way thru the book,I still enjoyed reading the story

[Susan Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another interesting investigation by Detective Jericho and Vangie, the 911 operator. Interesting epilogue. I do question that it is the 3rd book where he covers up for a murderer.

[Ceashark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

I am enjoying this series. I love the characters and their stories, and a good law enforcement story. Put together, it’s a great read.

[RALPH BURDICK · Rating 5 out of 5]

A time to have it pinned on you !

Great read. Had all the ups and downs with the twist and turns to keep the pages turning. Do yourself a favor and read it, Mikey liked it also.

[Fancy]

dnf. dialogue was mundane. too much read like a manual. worthy topic.

[patricia sendelbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Detective Neil Jericho gets assigned the most interesting cases.