(This is a "Sequel Series" to the Jack Turner Suspense Series - picks right up after Book 4) In Book 1 of the new Joe Boyd Suspense Series, Lt. Joe Boyd and his partner Hank Jensen have been tasked with creating a brand new Cold Case Squad for the Culpepper Police Department. Hoping to garner some much-needed positive publicity, their captain asks them to solve a string of unsolved murders from the 1980’s. Before they get far, Joe is interrupted with an alarming request from his good friend, Professor Jack Turner. Jack and Rachel believe they have stumbled upon evidence of a horrific crime dating back to the early 60’s, when their lake front house was built. Now it looks like Joe’s first case—instead of creating good publicity—might expose a terrible scandal involving a prominent Culpepper family’s ugly secret, one they’ve managed to keep hidden for over 50 years.
Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of 27 novels including The Unfinished Gift, When Night Comes and The Reunion. Over 1.3 million copies of his books are in print or downloaded. He's won 3 Carol Awards (finalist 6 times), 4 Selah Awards and 4 of his books have been finalists for RT Review’s Inspirational Book of the Year. His novels have received over 47,000 Amazon reviews (4.7 Avg).
A member of Word Weavers International and ACFW, Dan writes fulltime in the Daytona Beach area. He and his wife Cindi have been married 46 years. You can find out more about his books or follow him on other social media sites from his website at http://www.danwalshbooks.com.
Almost a continuation of the wonderful Jack Turner books, If these Walls Could Talk focuses on police sergeant Joe Boyd and his partner Hank Jensen, with Jack Turner still a character, but in a slightly minor roll.
Captain Pendleton decided, after success with a few recently solved murders, that Joe and Hank should be promoted and head up a cold case department. Joe (now Lieutenant Boyd) was tasked with solving cold cases beginning with the 1980's. Finding what to work on first was a mystery. A greater mystery was laid before them when his good friend Jack called with what looked to be evidence of an even older case right there in his cabin.
While remodeling a newly purchased home at the lake, Jack found words carved onto 2 x 4's under the drywall indicating a message the boards could spell out. What that message turned out to be would take days of research which some people might not want uncovered; a message dating back to the racist hatred of the 60's.
***************************************
I’m always trying to find books my husband and I can listen to as we travel. If I can get the audio of this book, I most certainly will. I loved this book and I know he will too.
Dan Walsh has created another mystery with the right amount of clues to keep the reader fascinated. And in this time of social unrest, this book is eerily relevant.
If These Walls Could Talk by Dan Walsh is a wonderful story of suspense and a historical lesson all rolled into one. These novel does show the harsh reality of segretion during the 1960's in the South, so be prepared for some hard truths. Not that it took away from the story. It made the current mystery element even more haunting. I love how Walsh tied both of the time lines up nicely with justice being served. I really enjoyed spending more time with Jack from the previous series, and I loved getting to know Joe a lot better in this one. I really can't wait to see what Walsh comes up with next. These are fabulous stories that touch at the human core of humanity. Fans of Jaime Jo Wright might want to pick these novels up.
It's such a blessing to finally find a Christian author who writes clean books I enjoy reading! This author is proof that Christians can write great detective and cold case stories free of offensive language and crude situations. The main character in this series, a cold case detective in a small town in GA, is a family man and Christian who actually lives like a believer in Christ.
I loved the unique way evidence was stumbled upon in this story. Detective Joe Boyd gets his cases as if they have purposefully been directed to him to investigate and solve, which fits the supernatural life of a Christian perfectly as they seek to serve the Lord with their vocation. This story was only solved after evidence came to light in a renovation that revealed a puzzle that could only have been made in a certain way at a specific time and place.
I typically don't like dual timeline novels, moving back and forth between eras. This story had more storytelling from the past than I enjoy and the extra storyline didn't move the plot forward, so I gave it a 4 star rating rather than 5. It's more interesting to me to learn the past events through witnesses, memories and personal records found by the investigators instead of a narration. But, I don't think most readers will mind and some will love the extra emotional pull of the back story! There was also a good character in the beginning that just disappeared from interacting soon after, and I wondered about him in the conclusion, whether he was still around and what he thought about the resolution.
I believe most readers who love cold case Southern mysteries will truly enjoy this book and this series, and a Christian audience who appreciates solid, clean stories should love them. I highly recommend it.
It’s a nice detective story. Joe Boyd and Hank Jensen are tasked with setting up a cold case group to investigate crimes from the past. Joe’s friends, the Turners, buy a house on the lake and decide to tear out some interior walls. In the process they find some carvings on some of the studs. The message, what they can find of it, is ominous and precipitates a call to Joe.
It is a bit of a dual time story since the crime took place back in 1964, a time of racial unrest and social ferment. The story is set in the South, and the old guard is pretty racist. While the folks involved are not Klansmen, they favor the group. A couple of college students are involved, one black and one white. They hope to make changes and bring the level of the Southern blacks up to par with the white folks in the South.
These college kids are involved with SNCC, Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. SNCC in this novel is given favorable or at least neutral treatment. However, it was a communist front group set up to exacerbate racial tension and division in the country. None of that is explored in the novel. The college boys are altruistic and join in the efforts.
Being a dual time novel, the investigation proceeds while clues get unearthed, and the back story is given in the chapters taking place in 1964. The detectives are good characters, and they add some humor and color to the story. The carvings on the 2x4’s make for an interesting set of clues, but how did those clues go unnoticed in the building process? That’s a bit of a stretch. I did enjoy the book. Dan Walsh writes well, and the plot moves along at a decent pace.
An interesting opening story in the Joe Boyd Suspense series! Joe was introduced in the Jack Turner stories and now has his own series. Jack is a military history professor at the local university and Joe is a police detective. After their paths crossed, they became great friends. The story opens with Joe getting a new assignment, and Jack and his wife buying a new lakefront house. Walsh has refined his style of weaving events from many years earlier into current events, moving back and forth between the two eras. As Jack and Rachel begin some renovations on their new property and discover some unsettling things in the walls, Joe is starting to look into cold cases. What Jack shares with him takes him back about fifteen or twenty years earlier than his chief requested, but their discovery is too alarming for Joe to ignore. As Walsh draws the reader into events that took place over fifty years ago, I had no problem following along because I was growing to manhood during that time period. I felt as though I was back in my late teen years, listening to older adults talking about what was happening all over the South. I sensed a sadness at certain events in the book, just as I feel a great sadness when I remember what times were like back then. The past cannot be changed but we can continue to work for justice to be done, just as Joe and his partner, Hank, were doing. I enjoyed the action and suspense.
one couple, shes preg, bought a house at the lake, he tore down some walls and found a message on the studs that someone was chained and asking for help
he called his detective friend who is working on cold cases. the house was built in the 1960's hes looking into finding where the wood was supplied from
meanwhile there is a family in the 1960's , they are builders. there are 2 sons, one at college, the other working the family construction. they have black workers they dont pay much. the college son has a black friend , his brother doesnt like that and he doesnt like his brother going to college either. the mom is dead. the dad is doing the best he knows how to try and make the company more profitable but the dad and older son are raciest
so they catch the younger son trying to get his stuff out of the house and run away. they tie him to a pole in the barn. his black friend comes to rescue him but the dad and older brother catch them
they untie the brother and lock him in the house. the older brother kills him
years later the cold case cops figure it out from the wood studs in the house . the black friend had scratched the message into the wood by where he was being held. they later built the house with that wood not noticing it
they arrested the older brother and the younger one resigned from city council. he gave half his money to his friends mom who was still alive and she got to see the wood her son scratched the message into
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Professor Jack Turner asks Joe Boyd to investigate crimes dating back to the early 1960's. Problem: The horrific crimes might expose a terrible scandal involving a prominent Culpepper family. They've kept a secret hidden for over fifty years.
I've looked forward to this book ever since finishing Perilous Treasures. The characters are like old friends you miss when you're not together. Reading this book was like a reunion.
We live in an early 1900's home. Several years ago we opened a small section behind our upstairs furnace. There were many turn-of-the-century toys, albums, and clothes in the space behind it. We contacted the original owners and returned their treasure to them. That memory came to me as I read Jack Turner finding a message in his place that he was in the process of remodeling.
I loved this book. The suspense built throughout the story and was great when the reveal came. And ... it addresses a problem this country still struggles with. Racism.
I loved this read and look forward to the next book.
Dan Walsh has become one of my favorite authors. I have read everything he has for the kindle and read some of his books on paper before I got my first kindle. In If Walls Could Talk Mr. Walsh writes from the view of the cop of Culpepper PD Joe Boyd who with Hank Jensen is assigned to the new Cold Case Division of the dept. Their first case has Joe back to working with his old pal from previous books, Jack Turner. Jack has just bought yet another lake cabin and is preparing to renovate it to accommodate his going family. As seems to happen with Jack's lake cabins he finds a message in the wall and contacts Joe and so again they are off and running to solve the mystery. No old Nazies in this one but the read is every bit as good as the Jack Turner books. I am anxious to see if there is the next book in this series and I will be pre-ordering it. There is just nothing like Dan Walsh to keep a reader turning pages.
Third try for a house on the lake. Not a cabinet but a house built in 1964. Perfect except they wanted open concept. Jack starts taking down the walls kindly to discover letters engraved on some of the 2x4 studs. After putting as many boards together as possible the message pointed to murder. Calling Joe to take a look its decided the studs in the attic need to be looked at and the paneling in the babies room needs to come down also. Any other drywall removal will spend on what's found. Joe and Hank solve their first cold case. Read what caused the senseless murder, years of guilt for his friend. Great job. Thank you for sharing your story telling ability.
Jack describes renovating a lake front property (despite every other property they own leading to trouble (apparently - I haven't read the earlier books)).
Then he renovates the lake front property. (I started losing interest)
Then he discovers something unpleasant (my interest was re-piqued at this point).
Then he explains to his wife why he thinks it's something unpleasant.
Then he calls his policeman friend and explains all the steps above.
Then the policeman (while being a bit of an arse to his deputy) explains all the steps above.
At that point I had enough, skipped to the end. There's probably some interesting stuff about civil rights and racism, but it is just far too repetitive for my liking.
While I enjoyed this book, I had a hard time getting into it. I even put it down at one point. When I picked it back up, I immediately became involved in the story. I had a hard time putting it down. I enjoyed the history of the civil rights and still can't believe that it was that bad in the south, but I know it was.
The reason I downgraded the rating to 3 stars is that the characters kept referring to the construction downfall of the eighties. At the same time, they referred to it being during the Carter administration. Carter lost the election in 1980 and wasn't president during the eighties, Reagan was. It just got to the point of really bothering me.
I enjoy Walsh's books, but this one just barely missed the mark for me.
Jack and Rachel Turner buy a lakefront cottage as a vacation home. While they are tearing out walls, they discover 2X4s with a disturbing message carved on them. Someone had been imprisoned near these 2X4s and expected to be murdered. Jack's friend Joe Boyd has just been appointed to head up a two-man cold case unit for Culpepper when Jack calls with his mysterious tale. Jack and his partner begin to search for the answers which takes them into the civil rights struggle of 1964. Step by step, Jack and Hank uncover the victim and the culprits, bringing justice to a grieving family. Walsh delivers a solid police procedural. This is the first of his suspense stories I've read. I hope to follow it up with others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Sgt. Joe Boyd was called into the office of the Captain for the Culpepper Police Department. The Captain has created a department for cold cases, and has chosen Joe and Hank Jensen to investigate unsolved murders from the 1980s. Also, he was now Lt. Joe Boyd. Via a friend, Joe and Hank come across some planks carved with messages that indicate someone was in serious trouble. This was a crime that dated back to 1964 in racially divided Georgia. Even though this is fiction, the hatred and prejudice between peoples of differening ethnicities were/are very real. The author does a good job of covering this difficult topic. It is worth reading whether you have heard accounts or remember living through these turbulent times.
I absolutely loved reading If These Walls Could Talk. The suspense was a bit lighter than the Jack Turner series as this novel was more of mystery and I welcomed the switch up. The beginning was a bit slow and sometimes predictable but everything got a lot better as I neared the middle of the book. I hadn't read a really great mystery in a while and now I can't wait to see was else Walsh has in store for this mystery filled Joe Boyd series. I totally recommend If These Walls Could Talk. The mystery is thrilling, the issue or Civil Rights is portrayed very well, and all in all it's a wonderful novel.
This is a suspenseful who done it and a great story that captures your attention from the start. Walsh created a unique way for Lt. Joe Boyd to stumble onto a 1960s cold case which starts the drama for the newly formed Cold Case Unit. The history of that particular period is devastating but portrayed accurately and is woven into the story through the killer’s, victim’s, and other characters’ minds.
Walsh painted the scenes with vivid imagery in both contemporary and historical settings. I highly recommend this book and give it a strong five stars. This is the first in the Joe Boyd series which follows the Jack Turner Series.
The detectives in Culpepper, GA. aren’t the busiest men in town generally. Their boss decided they need a new division aka The Cold Case Unit. So instead of receiving a pink slip, Joe and Hank were promoted to Lieutenant and Sergeant in the new unit. About the same time, Joe’s good friends Jack and Kate buy a lake front home with a mystery on the inside. It quickly becomes obvious that it has the clues to an old murder. Definitely a great new cold case! Well worth the read!
While remodeling his recently-purchased lakeside vacation home, history professor Jack Turner discovers a series of letters carved into some of the 2 X 4 studs. Putting the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle, Jack uncovers a desperate plea for help that probably dates back to the 1960s, when the house was constructed.
Following the clues, Jack, his friend Lieutenant Joe Boyd of the Culpepper Cold Case Squad, and Joe's partner Hank solve a missing person / homicide case that is more than 50 years old.
The unusual experience of discovering first clues was a grabber and kept me turning pages until the end. The supporting plot was intriguing and truthfully familiar for readers who lived through that tumultuous time. I liked the ‘up close and personal’ descriptions of feelings as the plot progressed. The character Roy was so brief and unfinished I wasn’t sure why he was even mentioned. I liked the portrait of Joe and family well enough to anticipate reading more of the corresponding books.
Very well written. I like how the author was able to successfully marry 2 time periods into order to solve the cold case. I felt like I was actually resident of Culpepper, along with the characters: The Rhodes', Joe, Hank, Jack, and Rachel. The summer of 1964 and the Civil Rights movement was a disturbing yet pivotal time in history. The author did not sugarcoat views and actions. I felt that the ending was rushed and could have been flushed out more. I kinda guessed the mystery but it still was a very good and entertaining read.
This was a first in a series. The book jumped between current day and 1964, a time of great civil unrest. The book takes place in the South. A new cold case department is started in the police department with Joe and Hank leading it. Their first investigation takes them to 1964 when strange clues come to light. This book really held my interest. It was hard to read some of the parts that dealt specifically with the racism and hatred during this time but it gave me a new appreciation for the people who worked so hard and took so many risks to make a difference.
I thought this was a good book. Before I started the book I read some of the previous reviews and I was concerned with negative comments regarding the racist language used in the book. After reading the book I can conclude that the book simply brings to light the racism that existed in some portions of the southern states of our nation during the 1960s. The book does not condone or support racism. It simply tells a story and in the end, good triumphs over evil.
A page-turner based on detectives searching out some cold case files and uncover evil from the past. This book includes some interesting history of the racial issues in the deep south from the 1960's era.
This is a well-done, clean heart-breaking story, and a great read. I would have liked for the legal issues to be more developed, and I felt that Mason - though a good man in many ways, should have had to pay a legal penalty for his silence.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
I think Dan out did himself with this extremely inventive plot. At first I didn't want to read about civil rights issue and racism but I'm glad I kept reading. This was a gripping story that hard a "feel good" ending with justice served.
The myster was very entertaining and thought provoking. Dan Walsh is truly a master story teller. I really appreciate that he can spin a tale without the need for graphic violance, sexual overtones or foul language. Thank you Dan for your creative and wholesome writing skills.
If these walls could talk . . . . I imagine most people have heard that saying. Jack Turner found some walls that did talk. And they opened Joe and Hank’s first cold case file.
I’m not going to tell you what they said. I don’t want to give away the plot. Just know that the words were very intriguing.
I’m enjoying Dan Walsh’s new series so much that I’ve already jumped into the second book, An Inconvenient Death. You’re going to enjoy them both.
Another great book from Dan Walsh, taking us back too an era many of us will remember. He's managed to portray the feelings of that era so well! Mason & Whitney's experiences are told in such a realistic way; tension runs pretty high at times. In his new role as head of the Cold Cases Dept, Joe and Hank are determined to uncover the truth behind the grim plea for help carved on a stack of lumber. I found their integrity in handling this case very inspiring.
While renovating their recently-purchased lake house, Jack and Rachel Turner discover a message---a plea for help---carved into the wall studs. They tell their friend Joe Boyd, a police detective who has recently been promoted to lieutenant and put in a charge of a new cold case squad in Culpepper, Georgia. This absorbing novel alternates between the account of Joe's investigation and the story of the crime, which is connected to some prominent local citizens.
Normally, I'm not a mystery or detective reader but I enjoyed this clever murder mystery. Once we know "who done it", we still need to follow to make sure there is sufficient evidence. The author keeps us involved by slowly rolling out the clues. There is also a good message about social norms of the mid-60's and now. Dan does a good job of sharing his message without hitting the reader over the head with it!
I cannot describe how I feel about this book. It has over whelmed me. I loved every word written. I had a few tears at places in the story but when I got to around 82 percent and to the end of the book I actually cried. You see, I do believe no matter what color you are we ALL matter. (June 27, 2020) Dan did a fantastic job with the historical aspects of this read. I still feel the internal impact this story had on me.
Dan does a wonderful job of keeping the reader turning pages. I didn’t want to put this book down. Dan did a good job of moving between the sixties and present time. He brings his characters to life as he develops them throughout the book. He brings enough history in so you know what is happening and doesn’t bog the reader down with too many details. Well written book Mr. Walsh.