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Relentless

(Brick Kavanagh #1)

Shawn Wilson

3.99 · Rating details · 248 ratings · 54 reviews

Cherry blossom season is Washington, D.C.’s most beautiful time of the year. But as tourists flock to the city, this year’s festivities are marred by the discovery of the naked body of a young woman floating in the Tidal Basin.

Veteran homicide detective Brian (Brick) Kavanagh is assigned to the case. He’s shocked when he learns the victim is connected to another homicide ...more

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Kindle Edition, 368 pages

Published December 17th 2019 by Oceanview Publishing

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· 248 ratings · 54 reviews

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Sep 04, 2022 Matt rated it really liked it

Always eager to to try new books and authors, I gladly accepted an ARC of Shawn Wilson’s latest novel. In order to get the full context, I chose to begin with the first in the series, which brings me to this review. Wilson provides the reader with a strong police procedural, adding depth and character development throughout, as she illustrates the struggles her protagonist has while working as a DC Homicide detective. Full of wonderful storytelling and some painful revelations, Shawn Wilson is o Always eager to to try new books and authors, I gladly accepted an ARC of Shawn Wilson’s latest novel. In order to get the full context, I chose to begin with the first in the series, which brings me to this review. Wilson provides the reader with a strong police procedural, adding depth and character development throughout, as she illustrates the struggles her protagonist has while working as a DC Homicide detective. Full of wonderful storytelling and some painful revelations, Shawn Wilson is one author worth reading for a stellar experience.

The DC area is always beautiful in the spring, but all this is dashed when a young woman’s naked body is discovered in the Tidal Basin. This calls for DC Homicide Detective Brian ‘Brick’ Kavanagh, who attends the scene in hopes of making some headway before forensics disappear and the young woman is left as a crime statistic.

As Kavanagh begins his investigation, he learns that this murder is tied to another, with close personal ties. He tries to peel back the truth from an ever-mounting pile of deception, but Kavanagh encounters fellow detectives who are keen to shelve this as a crime between minorities. Others may not care, but Detective Brick Kavanagh feels everyone deserves their fair share of investigative time.

After someone confesses to the crime, Kavanagh wonders if that is the end of it, as his colleagues seem happy to move on. However, the defence attorney might be his one chance to get to the truth. Upset by the lack of support DC Homicide offers, Kavanagh retires and begins investigating on his own. It’s only then that the dark truth comes to light and no one is safe. Who killed two innocent Guatemalans and how has Kavanagh risked the lives of everyone around him? Wilson does a masterful job in this piece stringing the reader along until the impactful ending.

New authors have always been a welcomed challenge for me, as I learn so much about them through their writing. While I have a list of go-to authors, I am happy to expand it when I come across someone who is worth my time. Shawn Wilson is one of those, as I have come to discover with this piece. She has grit and determination, allowing me to feel as though she could compete with others in the genre and perhaps surpass them. I am eager to get to the ARC of her latest book, in hopes that it is just as exciting as this proved to be.

Wilson works to build her narrative up from the opening pages, providing the reader with a stellar pathway throughout this police procedural. Her depiction of characters is spot-on and allows the reader to feel in the middle of the action, which adds more to the story. Plot twists keep the reader on the edge of their seat, as short chapters propel them to ‘read a little more’, which makes for a great reading experience. I am eager to add Shawn Wilson to my list of authors and hope others will try this book, in hopes of doing the same.

Kudos, Madam Wilson, for a stellar debut novel. I am eager to read more and see how I like your style.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/ ...more

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Dec 21, 2019 Monnie rated it liked it

Actually, this isn't a bad effort overall - certainly for a debut novel. At the same time, I have to say that compared with top-rated police series writers like Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware) or Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), this one reads more like Dick and Jane.

In part that's because I just can't relate to a guy knicknamed "Brick" - even if (or maybe because) it comes as a result of his red hair. Beyond that, I'll compare it to old commercial for pasta sauce that proclaimed, "It's in the Actually, this isn't a bad effort overall - certainly for a debut novel. At the same time, I have to say that compared with top-rated police series writers like Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware) or Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch), this one reads more like Dick and Jane.

In part that's because I just can't relate to a guy knicknamed "Brick" - even if (or maybe because) it comes as a result of his red hair. Beyond that, I'll compare it to old commercial for pasta sauce that proclaimed, "It's in there." That's true here as well, but the pot needs stronger ingredients - whether that be more adult-like dialogue, smoother transitions or more fleshed-out characters - before I can call the result delicious and, perhaps more importantly, truly be eager to read the next installment.

The main character's real name is Brian Kavanagh; at age 42, he works with his partner Ron Hayes in Washington, D.C. (somewhere I read that Ron's hair is in "dark dreads," so I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that he's African-American). Early on, they get called in when the body of a young woman turns up in the Tidal Basin; her ID can't be determined at the scene, but she's got a birthmark that may prove relevant. Not long after, Brian (yes, I really do refuse to call him Brick) and Ron get involved with the case of a missing immigrant worker at their favorite watering hole. Not long after that, the officers realize that his case and that of the murdered woman may be linked. As if all this weren't enough to keep them busy, they have to deal with a pair of police partners known to be in cahoots with a high-level muckety-muck who will stop at nothing to get his next promotion - prompting Brian to take an action that could forever change the course of his life.

Then another body turns up in another jurisdiction, making Brian suspect that a serial killer may be on the loose. That's underscored by a couple of chapters seemingly written by said serial killer, although they're inserted rather haphazardly and really don't add anything to the plot. When a man unexpectedly pleads guilty to a couple of the murders, Brian gets even more suspicious and teams up with the man's beautiful, intelligent defense attorney (oh gosh, can you guess where that will go)? Compounding the confusion, a medical examiner overlooks a crucial clue that would have stood out like a sore thumb to even the most inexperienced newbie. All that said, everything gets resolved in the end - most things satisfactorily, one not so much.

As I said early on, taken as a whole this book really is quite readable and definitely, positively shows promise - but it's sort of like a steak without much sizzle. Admittedly, this one won't make my Top 20 list of favorites for 2019, but I do thank the publisher for offering it to me to read and review.
...more

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Aug 11, 2020 Linda Strong rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley-2019, read-in-2020

Homicide Detective Brick Kavanagh and his partner, Detective Ron Hayes are assigned to investigate when a young woman is found floating in the Tidal Basin. Although no ID is found, Brick learns the victim was connected to another homicide. The case becomes very personal.

Ultimately a person of interest is arrested, but Brick is convinced that they have the wrong person. His attempts to find the real culprit is hampered by departmental policies and a rush to judgment by a senior officer not that i ...more

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Dec 19, 2019 Elaine Tomasso rated it liked it

I would like to thank Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for a review copy of Relentless, the first novel to feature Washington Metro PD detective Brian “Brick” Kavanagh.

When the body of a young woman is found floating in the Tidal Basin Brick and his partner, Ron Hayes, are assigned the case. The discovery of a second body links the cases together and suddenly Brick is involved in a task force, but not for long as a quick arrest seems to resolve the case although he’s not so sure.

I enjoyed Rele ...more

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Oct 16, 2022 Joan rated it liked it

I like this mystery. Brick (Brian) is a tenacious detective. The opening scenes describe him as being willing to scale a fence and commandeer a paddle boat to get a good look at a body dumped in the Tidal Basin. He is relentless at trying to solve the murders. Police department politics is not for him though, especially when naming a culprit is more important than making sure he is the guilty person.

Wilson has given us a god deal of relationship issues among the characters along with the investi ...more

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Nov 03, 2022 Mackey rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime-detective, crime-fiction, books-read-2022, part-of-series

I think I just really like crime fiction because no matter how far I stray into other genres, I always find my way back home. Relentless was fascinating from start to finish. I loved Brick's character, who he was as a cop and as a person. He didn't have "issues" like so many other cop stories insist that their characters have and that was such a welcome relief. The story itself was realistic, interesting and had a shocking and, somewhat, sad ending, one I never for a moment saw coming. I highly ...more

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Sep 30, 2021 Charlotte Pawson rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, thriller, edelweiss

Homicide Detective Brick Kavanagh finds the body of a young women in the Tidal Basin. He wasn’t to know this event would change his life and career. When he finds the body of the barman from his local you would not believe they were related. This thriller has it all, department politics, hostage negotiations and a man going it along to bring justice for two people who had no one. This is a fast paced story that really keeps you on the edge of your seat for the final twist.

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Dec 20, 2019 Caitlyn Lynch rated it it was ok

Shelves: thriller, crime, mystery

When homicide detective Brian “Brick” Kavanagh is assigned to the case of a young woman found floating in the Tidal Pool in Washington, D.C., the last thing he expects is a second murder to suddenly create an immediate and personal tie between himself and the victim. Hamstrung by a senior officer more interested in optics than actually solving crimes, Brick isn’t about to let this one slip through the cracks.

The premise was interesting, and with victims from Guatemala and ICE agents getting invo When homicide detective Brian “Brick” Kavanagh is assigned to the case of a young woman found floating in the Tidal Pool in Washington, D.C., the last thing he expects is a second murder to suddenly create an immediate and personal tie between himself and the victim. Hamstrung by a senior officer more interested in optics than actually solving crimes, Brick isn’t about to let this one slip through the cracks.

The premise was interesting, and with victims from Guatemala and ICE agents getting involved, timely. I liked the relationship between Brick and his homicide partner, Ron, and there was a minor romance involved too with Lily Nguyen, a defence attorney. I didn’t see the solution coming at all, and looking back, it’s because there weren’t any clues planted, something which is a bit of a problem in a murder mystery. The reader likes to either solve the mystery ahead of the protagonist, which gives us something of a smug feeling when we’re ‘smarter’ than they are, or to be surprised BUT be able to look back and spot the clues we SHOULD have put together to solve it. There were no clues, and we barely got any real insight into the killer’s psyche, also something a reader likes to get in this genre.

While grammar, language and punctuation were generally good, I did spot a few changes of tense which read awkwardly… for example “When budget time rolls around maybe this would be the year for upgrades”. ‘Rolled’ would be the correct tense in this instance. These were for the most part fairly minor and I could ignore them, but I couldn’t ignore the fact that the story just didn’t grab me and, at the end, just completely fizzled out. Relentless definitely doesn’t describe Kavanagh. He literally stumbled onto the answer, mostly because the murderer inexplicably decided to hang around with him. Comparison’s to Harry Bosch are definitely premature; maybe the author can do more with this character later in the series, but I doubt I’ll be reading any more. I couldn’t bring myself to care. Two stars.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book via NetGalley. ...more

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Jan 01, 2020 Scott Parsons rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This debut novel by Shawn Wilson features homicide detective Brick Kavanagh who has been in the business for quite a while. He is called to the scene of the body of a young woman floating in the tidal basin of Washington as the cherry blossoms bloom. While he and his partner puzzle out who killed her, Brick learns that a young immigrant named Jose who works part-time at a bar that Brick frequents has turn't up for several days. He decides to help his friend the bar owner by trying to locate Jose ...more

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Nov 19, 2022 Kathleen rated it it was amazing

In Relentless, book one of the Brick Kavanagh Mystery Series, author Shawn Wilson transports the reader to Washington D.C., for an intriguing mystery story that will keep the reader guessing and turning the pages.

Homicide Detective Brian "Brick" Kavanagh and partner Ron Hayes investigate a woman's naked body found floating in the Tidal Basin. What looks like a classic murder case is anything but that when Brick discovers that the young woman is connected to another homicide case that is personal ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Wendell H Howell rated it liked it

Good Read Late

In my opinion this author is not like Michael Connelly, just my opinion.
Loose in the beginning but much better later.

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Jan 15, 2022 T-Roy rated it really liked it

At page 50 I almost stopped, wasn't into it, but I'm glad I kept reading. After page 50 or so it improved and I wound up really enjoying this book. ...more

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May 17, 2020 Beachreader rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, police-procedural, washington-dc

This book lacks many of the elements you would expect in a murder mystery. There is no trail of clues or foreshadowing to assist the reader in trying to solve the crime. There is one red herring late in the story. There were two insertions that represented the killer's actions and thoughts, but they seemed so disconnected. The murderer is revealed near the end but I couldn't even remember his role in the story and it just seemed like the author pulled him out of thin air. I did not like the endi This book lacks many of the elements you would expect in a murder mystery. There is no trail of clues or foreshadowing to assist the reader in trying to solve the crime. There is one red herring late in the story. There were two insertions that represented the killer's actions and thoughts, but they seemed so disconnected. The murderer is revealed near the end but I couldn't even remember his role in the story and it just seemed like the author pulled him out of thin air. I did not like the ending.

One of the things that really bothered me was the geographical errors the author made. All of them could easily have been checked by looking at a map. Readers familiar with DC area will probably find these mistakes quite distracting.

The reader's focus should be on following the story, not expressing bewilderment over how Wisconsin Avenue is a leisurely walk from 15th St via Pennsylvania Avenue then Washington Circle. That is a very long distance and not one most city dwellers would walk. A cab would be more appropriate since metrorail doesn't go there.

There was also the placement of the Washington Hilton in Dupont circle when it is actually north of there in Kalarama. But the one error that started the book off wrong was when the police commented that it was too bad a body had not been dumped in the Chesapeake Bay so the Baltimore police would have had to deal with it. Baltimore is not on the Chesapeake Bay. It is on the Patapsco River which eventually flows into the Bay.

The author lived in DC at one time, and she wants her protagonist to be a man of the city. She throws out names of neighborhoods, events, places, people, restaurants, and two of our five sports teams. Detective Kavanaugh is a huge Nats fan and the Nats are mentioned many times.

This is apparently the author's first book in a series. I thought the writing was good and the setting is well described. If you don't live in the DC area, you will not nitpick the settings as I did. The plotting and pacing need work.

I am curious about how this protagonist will be developed in the next few books. It definitely isn't going to be what I thought. The ending of this book changed that idea.

As an afterthought, I should add that I was also watching parts of seasons 3 and 4 of Bosch while I was reading this book. I found myself drawing parallels and making comparisons between the two. I think the author has also read the Bosch books. If you want to read a well written police procedural series, go with Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch. ...more

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Sep 15, 2022 Gloria ~ mzglorybe rated it really liked it

This debut novel (2019) by author Shawn Wilson impresses. She introduces us to her protagonist, homicide detective Brick Kavanaugh and his sidekick Ron working out of metro Washington DC precinct. They respond to a call of a female body floating in the Tidal Basin and they are first on the scene. Not long after they respond to another call of another bloody homicide in an apartment. When they arrive, Brick realizes he knew this victim. He is passionate about justice and his ire is up. Little did ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Corinne marked it as to-read

Shelves: not-ku

Happy book birthday Shwan Wilson
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Jan 12, 2020 Lynda Stevens rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a murder/mystery novel, which is also something of a whodunnit.

The main character, with the colourful.nickname Brick, is called upon to examine and investigate a floater in the nearby docks. The floater appears to be the body of a young girl. The mystery deepens when her boyfriend is traced, for he too has been murdered - this time in his flat. Yet he was known in life to have been an upstanding young citizen with everything to live for: whatever could have been the motive for this coup ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Hunter Delametter rated it liked it

The first chapters of this book made me want to put it down and never see it again. The writing was the problem. Everything the characters said made me roll my eyes.
I don't know if things got better or I got use to it but after those first chapters, I started liking the book, but not loving it. The characters were meh. So was the plot. It felt familiar all the way through. Certainly not adding anything to the plethora of these types of books but enjoyable enough.
The reason I've taken two stars o ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Shirley Miller Kamada rated it it was amazing

Shawn Wilson’s book, “Relentless,” belongs, perhaps, to a new subgenre. While mysteries tagged “cozies” ask to be read with a cup of hot tea and “hardboileds” demand gin, “Relentless” could be paired with an espresso, double shot, straight up. I have read scores of mysteries. This one is different, in an enjoyable way.
The story is, indeed, a police procedural. And, it is a mystery. (The clues are there; most are quite subtle.) But, in tone, this book is a bit chatty. Brick Kavanagh is likable, l ...more

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Apr 26, 2020 Reggie rated it really liked it

Washington, DC homicide police detective, Brick Kavanaugh, is investigating the murder of a young woman whose body is fished from the Tidal Basin. To his shock, the young woman is the sister of a hard working young Guatemalan man, Jose’, who has been working at a local pub. Then Jose’s body is discovered at his apartment, the gang symbol for MS-XIII with his body. The local ICE agents round up a few gang members, one confesses and the MPD wraps up the case. Brick has his doubts, it was too easy. ...more

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May 03, 2020 Erica (The Literary Apothecary) rated it liked it

Gritty and timely hard-boiled detective showcasing the ominous side of the nation’s capital.

Relentless features an angst-ridden protagonist, who is very well-developed .

With a thicket of subplots, Relentess held my attention, as Wilson took me on a roller coaster ride with steep climbs and twisting turns.

Analysis: All the tropes will be familiar to those of read police procedurals. Relentless was a solid, entertaining character-driven story if rather predictable. With a slow buildup, the story ...more

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Dec 24, 2019 Jay Williams rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Brick and Ron catch a new case when the body of a young woman is found floating in the Tidal Basin. The style of writing makes for easy reading. The book includes great personal interactions that contribute to the entertainment value. The characters are unique and different, and they are developed in depth. The investigation leads to a murderer, but not after serious issues, which include Brick quitting his job. The descriptions match well with my knowledge of DC, and should be educational for t ...more

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Dec 29, 2019 Jennifer Gottschalk rated it it was ok

'Relentless' started off as a fairly ordinary crime story with significant potential. It featured likeable characters, good pacing and a touch of drama.

It is deeply unfortunate that the plot did not make all that much sense. This book could not decide if it was a serial killer suspense story, a typical cop shop / detective drama or a legal thriller. The ending was extremely disappointing and in many ways it did not make sense.

Wilson would have done better to choose one theme, focus on it and gi ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Faith Hurst-Bilinski rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

I went back and forth with this book. Sometimes I really liked it and sometimes I didn't. It started out as a by the numbers procedural. And then it got more interesting with the connections between the characters. As we got to the middle, it flipped and I was hoping it would make a big change. I don't feel that the author took real advantage of the twist that could have offered. The ending seemed to be rushed and didn't follow the evidence of the story so far. I was hoping that the threads woul ...more

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Sep 09, 2022 Bill Haddad rated it liked it

An interesting, even engaging story, but some things bothered me too much. First, the name of the central character, "Brick" was annoying, and learning it was because of his red hair just made it worse. It just goes against my sensibilities. Okay, brick-red is a thing, but calling someone a brick has overwhelming other meanings. I really liked the idea of a cup story set in DC that wasn't political, and the local color was fun. Let me just say without making a spoiler that I did not like the end ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Cindy Lauren rated it liked it · review of another edition

Parts of this book are good and parts not so much. The story had promised, but wasn't totally realized as the book proceeded. It is unusual to have good guys who drink and smoke and use a bar as HQ, but that is OK.

I wanted to really like the police detective, but he was a bit one dimensional, especially when he was dealing with the attorney.

The wrap up was a bit of a disappointment, both in terms of it being a bit cliched and the how and why didn't seem to make sense to me.
I think there is pos ...more

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Jan 06, 2020 Kathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a book for fans of detective stories such as the Harry Bosch series or Amos Decker series. Brick Kavanagh is one of the good guys and is very likable. He’s trying to do his job to the best of his ability just as most of us are. He works with some unsavory people who are only looking out for themselves. Brick has a small network of people he cares about and when his job and his personal life meet it makes doing the job even harder. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy detective s ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 Lori King rated it it was ok

I enjoyed the beginning, I thought there was good interaction between Brick and his partner and the author has a good knowledge of the story location. I felt that the other interactions in the story fell flat. The plot development seemed disjointed and didn't really flow to the conclusion of the story. Other than a couple of chuckles at the beginning of the story, I really didn't feel anything.

I received the kindle version of this book through Goodreads Giveaway which is the reason I am explaini ...more

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Dec 20, 2019 Carol Custer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It took me a little while to get into the story but once I connected with the character of Brick, I wanted to know what would happen next. In many ways, this was a mystery novel like many others. In some ways, it felt like I might have read it before; but there were enough twists in the plot to keep the book interesting. Some unexpected and sad developments caught me off guard. Overall, a pretty good read.

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Dec 22, 2019 Doug Yonce rated it really liked it

Strong entry into a very crowded field as hard-boiled cops and murders can be found in abundance. But Wilson’s entry is welcomed. The plot development and characters are well-developed. The story moves at a a quick pace, and keeps the reader coming back for more. Hopefully there will be more stories to come as well. I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Dec 28, 2019 David J. Reichman rated it did not like it

Based on this one, I wouldn't read any others.
Some may find the one-liners charming, but it seemed that every sentence between cops ended with a one-liner--which to me, was just filler.

Nothing really happened in the book until my kindle counter read 50%, and frankly, i only finished it because of (very) mild curiosity and nothing else to do this afternoon.

If you are in the mood for Harry Bosch, go for the original. ...more

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