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The Detective Next Door
He is a detective in the town he lives in, a military veteran, and a loving husband. He can now add murderer to that list when he catches and kills a young man who tries to break into his car during the night. His neighbor helps him hide the body. When his Detective Sergeant assigns him to a missing person case, the young man whom he killed, he thinks he has gotten away with it. Things complicate further when his neighbor passes away and a very determined fellow detective shows up to look into the death. The dismembered body is partially still on the neighbor's property. In this fast-paced novel, laden with dark humor, follow the narrator as he tries to come to terms with his past while dealing with the present. W.C. Gordon is a law enforcement officer and a military veteran. He lives at his home in South Florida with his wife and dog. The Detective Next Door is his first novel.
210 pages, Paperback
Published May 14, 2020
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 17, 2020
Warning: Sensitive topics (abuse, rape etc)
Also, this summary is taken directly from Amazon so as to avoid spoilers.
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He is a detective in the town he lives in, a military veteran, and a loving husband. He can now add murderer to that list when he catches and kills a young man who tries to break into his car during the night. His neighbor helps him hide the body. When his Detective Sergeant assigns him to a missing person case, the young man whom he killed, he thinks he has gotten away with it. Things complicate further when his neighbor passes away and a very determined fellow detective shows up to look into the death. The dismembered body is partially still on the neighbor's property.
🦄🦄🦄
The detective next door is a dark humour thriller novel by W. C. Gordon.
This is a fast paced novel with a surprising twiet at the end which I didn'tsee coming but in hindsight it was expected.
The detective is your everyday cop with a problem that would find him in serious hot water (read to find out) so his only solution is coverup.
This is a dark humour book, but there were times when it didn't feel dark just disrespectful. Even if the character is the way he is there were times when he disgusted me with the way he acts (e.g. talking about a woman's body just after interviewing a victim of a horrible crime). The moments could have been chosen better because there's a fine line between dark and disturbing.
Putting aside the unappealing character, the story is good, there isn't much content for us to work with when it comes to the main plot and felt more like a summary of a bigger book.
I did however (as I said before) like the ending, that was smart and the writing is also good.
Overall, an ok book for a quick read if you can handle the 'dark humour' scenes.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 6.75/10
Melina L.
Also, this summary is taken directly from Amazon so as to avoid spoilers.
🦄🦄🦄
He is a detective in the town he lives in, a military veteran, and a loving husband. He can now add murderer to that list when he catches and kills a young man who tries to break into his car during the night. His neighbor helps him hide the body. When his Detective Sergeant assigns him to a missing person case, the young man whom he killed, he thinks he has gotten away with it. Things complicate further when his neighbor passes away and a very determined fellow detective shows up to look into the death. The dismembered body is partially still on the neighbor's property.
🦄🦄🦄
The detective next door is a dark humour thriller novel by W. C. Gordon.
This is a fast paced novel with a surprising twiet at the end which I didn'tsee coming but in hindsight it was expected.
The detective is your everyday cop with a problem that would find him in serious hot water (read to find out) so his only solution is coverup.
This is a dark humour book, but there were times when it didn't feel dark just disrespectful. Even if the character is the way he is there were times when he disgusted me with the way he acts (e.g. talking about a woman's body just after interviewing a victim of a horrible crime). The moments could have been chosen better because there's a fine line between dark and disturbing.
Putting aside the unappealing character, the story is good, there isn't much content for us to work with when it comes to the main plot and felt more like a summary of a bigger book.
I did however (as I said before) like the ending, that was smart and the writing is also good.
Overall, an ok book for a quick read if you can handle the 'dark humour' scenes.
🦄🦄🦄
Rated 6.75/10
Melina L.
March 4, 2023
Full Review:
https://www.papercutslive.com/post/bo...
Dark, twisted, humorous and surprising. The Detective Next Door is a fine example of the troubles that come along when you’re trying to cover up a murder. Let this be a lesson, just don’t do it.
I first read a short story by W.C. Gordon in the Crime Fiction Anthology “Jacked” from Run Amok Crime. I got a kick out of his story “Live, Like A Suicide.” I remember it may have been one of the shorter stories in that collection, and I was curious to see what he could do in a longer format.
Bringing us to “The Detective Next Door.”
The story of an ex-military soldier turned detective, who gets into a little trouble, and starts to realize the cover-up is just too much.
His neighbor happens to witness the trouble he gets into, and the two of them come up with this plan to cover his tracks. Of course that is just too simple. Throw in an unexpected death, a missing person’s report, and being close with the family of the missing person, all while trying to save yourself.
It’s a murder mystery thriller. It’s a fast read, brutal at times mixing the world of the military with solving cases that are a little too close to home.
And it’s funny too. Full of sarcasm and cynicism. In fact that is probably what I liked most about the book. The presentation of it gives us the point of view of the detective trying to cover up this thing. With that we get a lot of off-the-wall thoughts. Like deep thoughts that people probably never say out loud, but here it works because we are reading the detective’s mind.
With this presentation and point of view, it allows you to read the story on the faster side. A couple of hours and you’re done. It’s cool because in the past I’ve said I like when the dialogue tells the story. Well in this one, the sarcastic thoughts he gives us keeps things moving.
Just be warned, you may get angry with a few parts. Some of the conversations between the cops after interviewing some of the assault victims. You may want to keep telling yourself this is a piece of fiction. I realize that is hard considering things like this really happen.
I can appreciate some of the surprises closer to the end. Along with how things happen without the writer coming out and saying something happened. It keeps you alert, maybe using the old “less is more” thought process.
There are a couple of flashbacks to the military as our main character meets up with an old friend. Those scenes get a little in-depth with some of the jargon and technicalities. This is what I probably didn’t like the most about the story. These technical terms are not overbearing. At no time does this sound like an instruction manual. It doesn’t take anything away from the story as a whole. I just have a habit sometimes glazing over those parts. I don’t really need to know the model numbers of things. Some people really like that part of storytelling. But for me, just tell me it’s a gun or whatever.
Overall I enjoyed it. I could have used without the little political commentary early in the story, as it reminded me 45 actually happened, but that’s me.
I enjoyed the overall style I think, the presentation from WC Gordon, and I’d like to see what he does next.
https://www.papercutslive.com/post/bo...
Dark, twisted, humorous and surprising. The Detective Next Door is a fine example of the troubles that come along when you’re trying to cover up a murder. Let this be a lesson, just don’t do it.
I first read a short story by W.C. Gordon in the Crime Fiction Anthology “Jacked” from Run Amok Crime. I got a kick out of his story “Live, Like A Suicide.” I remember it may have been one of the shorter stories in that collection, and I was curious to see what he could do in a longer format.
Bringing us to “The Detective Next Door.”
The story of an ex-military soldier turned detective, who gets into a little trouble, and starts to realize the cover-up is just too much.
His neighbor happens to witness the trouble he gets into, and the two of them come up with this plan to cover his tracks. Of course that is just too simple. Throw in an unexpected death, a missing person’s report, and being close with the family of the missing person, all while trying to save yourself.
It’s a murder mystery thriller. It’s a fast read, brutal at times mixing the world of the military with solving cases that are a little too close to home.
And it’s funny too. Full of sarcasm and cynicism. In fact that is probably what I liked most about the book. The presentation of it gives us the point of view of the detective trying to cover up this thing. With that we get a lot of off-the-wall thoughts. Like deep thoughts that people probably never say out loud, but here it works because we are reading the detective’s mind.
With this presentation and point of view, it allows you to read the story on the faster side. A couple of hours and you’re done. It’s cool because in the past I’ve said I like when the dialogue tells the story. Well in this one, the sarcastic thoughts he gives us keeps things moving.
Just be warned, you may get angry with a few parts. Some of the conversations between the cops after interviewing some of the assault victims. You may want to keep telling yourself this is a piece of fiction. I realize that is hard considering things like this really happen.
I can appreciate some of the surprises closer to the end. Along with how things happen without the writer coming out and saying something happened. It keeps you alert, maybe using the old “less is more” thought process.
There are a couple of flashbacks to the military as our main character meets up with an old friend. Those scenes get a little in-depth with some of the jargon and technicalities. This is what I probably didn’t like the most about the story. These technical terms are not overbearing. At no time does this sound like an instruction manual. It doesn’t take anything away from the story as a whole. I just have a habit sometimes glazing over those parts. I don’t really need to know the model numbers of things. Some people really like that part of storytelling. But for me, just tell me it’s a gun or whatever.
Overall I enjoyed it. I could have used without the little political commentary early in the story, as it reminded me 45 actually happened, but that’s me.
I enjoyed the overall style I think, the presentation from WC Gordon, and I’d like to see what he does next.
October 11, 2020
Book Name: The Detective Next Door
Genre: Thriller
Summary: He is a detective in the town he lives in, a military veteran, and a loving husband. He can now add murderer to that list when he catches and kills a young man who tries to break into his car during the night. His neighbor helps him hide the body. When his Detective Sergeant assigns him to a missing person case, the young man whom he killed, he thinks he has gotten away with it. Things complicate further when his neighbor passes away and a very determined fellow detective shows up to look into the death. The dismembered body is partially still on the neighbor's property
My Opinion: This is a very short read which is filled with dark humor, twists and it proves extremely surprising to it's readers and people who are into detective stories. It's not a typical detective story, instead this book is blend of everything from harsh realities to dark emotions wrapped in small and engrossing chapters which got my attention at the very moment I started reading it. It's a table coffee read, especially for fall, October and Halloween as it's gives out those scary chilling vibes at few places. Having a legal background, the book doesn't fail to impress it's readers with accuracy. It's a book that takes the readers on a exciting journey where you see life through multiple people and start feeling for them. It's a great book indeed.
Good and Bad: I really liked the short chapters, the reason why I felt it was fast paced was cutting and an engaging start to each chapter, in a way it's actually so engrossing and evokes curiosity.
My favorites from the book:
When few sensitive topics pop up in the story, I love how they are handled, it makes things so dark yet humanely sensible.
Target Audience: 15+ audience is sure to love it. People who love dark, deep thrillers will find it more interesting.
What to expect: Thrill, twists and an enagaging plot.
Final verdict: The story goes on too well and I definitely will suggest this book to all my fellow readers.
Rating: 4 /5
Genre: Thriller
Summary: He is a detective in the town he lives in, a military veteran, and a loving husband. He can now add murderer to that list when he catches and kills a young man who tries to break into his car during the night. His neighbor helps him hide the body. When his Detective Sergeant assigns him to a missing person case, the young man whom he killed, he thinks he has gotten away with it. Things complicate further when his neighbor passes away and a very determined fellow detective shows up to look into the death. The dismembered body is partially still on the neighbor's property
My Opinion: This is a very short read which is filled with dark humor, twists and it proves extremely surprising to it's readers and people who are into detective stories. It's not a typical detective story, instead this book is blend of everything from harsh realities to dark emotions wrapped in small and engrossing chapters which got my attention at the very moment I started reading it. It's a table coffee read, especially for fall, October and Halloween as it's gives out those scary chilling vibes at few places. Having a legal background, the book doesn't fail to impress it's readers with accuracy. It's a book that takes the readers on a exciting journey where you see life through multiple people and start feeling for them. It's a great book indeed.
Good and Bad: I really liked the short chapters, the reason why I felt it was fast paced was cutting and an engaging start to each chapter, in a way it's actually so engrossing and evokes curiosity.
My favorites from the book:
When few sensitive topics pop up in the story, I love how they are handled, it makes things so dark yet humanely sensible.
Target Audience: 15+ audience is sure to love it. People who love dark, deep thrillers will find it more interesting.
What to expect: Thrill, twists and an enagaging plot.
Final verdict: The story goes on too well and I definitely will suggest this book to all my fellow readers.
Rating: 4 /5
July 25, 2020
☕Detective novels are supposed to be my favorite because I feel I am made for all the suspense that keeps me going. Usually, in detective novels it's the detective who finds the guilty but things are pretty much different here in this book and that's what totally got me in the first place. The storyline is not just unique but also very dark ans rough at times. It's a very fast paced crime thriller where the readers are engaged from the very first page, it turned more gripping because the chapters are very short, while reading I felt I am completely them in a blink of an eye!
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There are few adrenaline rushing scenes, the book is mostly brought to the readers via dialogues, I could actually hear the characters talking, though some scenes might be triggering for children and sensitive readers. The best part of the book is the ending, it was something that was worth waiting, it's a very short and interesting story which also brings out some social topics, not that's it totally focuses there but I love the setting and backdrop, it wasn't too sharp or too blur! The language is easy, automatically travels into the readers head though I feel it could have been a bit more polished.
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If you are into drama, thrill and a dark read with an unique storyline, this would be a treat for you! Also, it's not time consuming, give it a go!
Rating: 3.8🌟
October 10, 2020
Fast paced
🌸 #book review 🌸
Author: w.c.gordon
Pages: 212
Genre: crime fiction, dark humor
Format: kindle
🔹
The detective next door by w.c.gordon is a fast faced book with a dark humor. Which follows a detective who has killed a young men because he tired to break in his car. His friendly neighbors helped him to hide the body. As he is a detective he knows what things can be used to find the murderer. He vanished all the things that may result in finding of him. Soon enough he was ordered to find a lost men. The men who was lost was the same men who was murder by the detective. He was confident that no one was going to find about it but things didn't go as per plan and he was in a stage that he didnt know what he wanted to do.
There some incident that I have found very hilarious while there are some disturbing incident as well.
The chapters are short which one can read in their busy schedule easily. The narration can be better. No matter how good a story is but the narration and the writing style plays a huge role on it. Because of the narration I had bad reading experience with this book
🔸
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
🌸 #book review 🌸
Author: w.c.gordon
Pages: 212
Genre: crime fiction, dark humor
Format: kindle
🔹
The detective next door by w.c.gordon is a fast faced book with a dark humor. Which follows a detective who has killed a young men because he tired to break in his car. His friendly neighbors helped him to hide the body. As he is a detective he knows what things can be used to find the murderer. He vanished all the things that may result in finding of him. Soon enough he was ordered to find a lost men. The men who was lost was the same men who was murder by the detective. He was confident that no one was going to find about it but things didn't go as per plan and he was in a stage that he didnt know what he wanted to do.
There some incident that I have found very hilarious while there are some disturbing incident as well.
The chapters are short which one can read in their busy schedule easily. The narration can be better. No matter how good a story is but the narration and the writing style plays a huge role on it. Because of the narration I had bad reading experience with this book
🔸
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5
July 28, 2020
I love to read crime thrillers a lot as I put my mind into solving the case and guessing the culprit. The Detective Next Door is the debut novel of the author W.C. Gordon. This is the story of a detective who do not like the incident report making part of his job. According to the protagonist, being a detective in real life is much more different than being a detective in TV shows. Many times they have to look into the cases which are not even worth looking at. Story involves case conversation between the detective and the victims and how the detective kept on moving from one case to another.
Story gets interesting when the detective was assigned the case where he is the murderer himself. What gonna happen when the fellow detective joins to look into it? Grab a copy of this book and unveil the suspense yourself.
Book has some mature content, so you should pick this only if you are comfortable reading it. The story could have been framed properly. The pace of the novel is fast and it was a quick read for me.
Story gets interesting when the detective was assigned the case where he is the murderer himself. What gonna happen when the fellow detective joins to look into it? Grab a copy of this book and unveil the suspense yourself.
Book has some mature content, so you should pick this only if you are comfortable reading it. The story could have been framed properly. The pace of the novel is fast and it was a quick read for me.
November 3, 2020
The Detective Next Door is an amusing and entertaining initial offering by a talented newcomer to the mystery/procedural scene. And I do mean scene as in crime scene. Not surprisingly, The Detective Next Door takes place in Florida, where all great crime stories begin. Think Hiaasen, Dave Barry, Leonard, MacDonald, and far too many others to mention.
The reader is grabbed from the first page when our combative hero asks why a complainant demands that action be taken about a post on social media. The ensuing dialog is priceless not only for its content but for its delivery. Soon enough, trouble ensues as our contentious detective runs into a B & E that goes bad in the worst way. It consumes the detective and illustrates the ramifications of one bad act on one good guy.
The Detective Next Door by W.C. Gordon should be read by anybody who is a fan of procedurals. As is the case here, Mr. Gordon writes well and engagingly about police work, a subject that he knows intimately from his background in law enforcement.
The reader is grabbed from the first page when our combative hero asks why a complainant demands that action be taken about a post on social media. The ensuing dialog is priceless not only for its content but for its delivery. Soon enough, trouble ensues as our contentious detective runs into a B & E that goes bad in the worst way. It consumes the detective and illustrates the ramifications of one bad act on one good guy.
The Detective Next Door by W.C. Gordon should be read by anybody who is a fan of procedurals. As is the case here, Mr. Gordon writes well and engagingly about police work, a subject that he knows intimately from his background in law enforcement.
August 1, 2020
✔ Each chapter is very short and crisp. This book is charming yet moving fast, giving us people and places, scenes and situations that are instantly relatable and you can finish it in one go.
✔I personally felt that the climax is more interesting in terms of quality content than the beginning.
✔At the core of this book, there is a well crafted plot written in a way that injected some rich colour and complicated emotions into the chronicles of domination and rebellion.
✔ Also, it gives us some hilarious moments sometimes in between this dark and edgy storyline.
To be honest, it lacks detailed efficiency for gripping and impactful plot and premise to present something to the readers which would add spice in their reading. So it needs little efforts and modifications.
Language is simple and easy to understand. Author's writing style is also good. But I felt narration could have been much better.
In a nutshell, its a nice read but I don't say everyone will enjoy it. Though I would recommend it to the mystery lovers.
Rate: 3.5
✔I personally felt that the climax is more interesting in terms of quality content than the beginning.
✔At the core of this book, there is a well crafted plot written in a way that injected some rich colour and complicated emotions into the chronicles of domination and rebellion.
✔ Also, it gives us some hilarious moments sometimes in between this dark and edgy storyline.
To be honest, it lacks detailed efficiency for gripping and impactful plot and premise to present something to the readers which would add spice in their reading. So it needs little efforts and modifications.
Language is simple and easy to understand. Author's writing style is also good. But I felt narration could have been much better.
In a nutshell, its a nice read but I don't say everyone will enjoy it. Though I would recommend it to the mystery lovers.
Rate: 3.5
July 29, 2020
The Detective Next Door is a murder mystery where the a detective killed the man who breaks into his car at night. Although the protagonist hide the body on the neighbor's property with the neighbor's help but things turned upside down when the detective was asked to work on this case.
When Sergeant assigned him the missing person case, his reaction was like as if he has seen some ghost. What detective will do? Will he be able to save himself from being caught?
This is the first book by the author. The Narration is smooth and clear. Language of the book is simple and easy to understand. But author needs to work more on the plot to make it more gripping.
If you love to read murder mysteries and books on detectives, you can pick this. It's a story with murder, rape, abuse, harassment, etc. It's a quick read which I was able to finish in a single sitting.
When Sergeant assigned him the missing person case, his reaction was like as if he has seen some ghost. What detective will do? Will he be able to save himself from being caught?
This is the first book by the author. The Narration is smooth and clear. Language of the book is simple and easy to understand. But author needs to work more on the plot to make it more gripping.
If you love to read murder mysteries and books on detectives, you can pick this. It's a story with murder, rape, abuse, harassment, etc. It's a quick read which I was able to finish in a single sitting.
July 30, 2020
Came across this author on Instagram and the book looked interesting so I gave it a try. I’m glad I did! It was a quick and wild read. Definitely some dark humor and plenty of serious subject matter. It kept my attention and kept the pages turning. I would recommend for anybody that like some crime fiction with a little twist.
June 19, 2020
An accidental murder, a dismembered corpse, and a web of lies haunts this gripping debut from Gordon.
The protagonist is a regular cop who likes to do his duty with as much diligence as possible and be left alone otherwise. What when a break-in turns deadly, the fact that he, a white cop, killed a man of color forces him to cover up the murder. As the police investigation closes in, he finds himself scrambling to come up with an escape plan.
With his experience as a law enforcement officer, Gordon gives a fresh twist to the usual genre tropes: the nitty gritty of the inner workings of law enforcement, the investigative details, and red herrings. Despite its grim theme, the story makes for a breezy read.
The fast-paced narrative, the sly, dark humor, and the increasingly complex life of the protagonist make this a must-read for lovers of psychological thrillers.
The protagonist is a regular cop who likes to do his duty with as much diligence as possible and be left alone otherwise. What when a break-in turns deadly, the fact that he, a white cop, killed a man of color forces him to cover up the murder. As the police investigation closes in, he finds himself scrambling to come up with an escape plan.
With his experience as a law enforcement officer, Gordon gives a fresh twist to the usual genre tropes: the nitty gritty of the inner workings of law enforcement, the investigative details, and red herrings. Despite its grim theme, the story makes for a breezy read.
The fast-paced narrative, the sly, dark humor, and the increasingly complex life of the protagonist make this a must-read for lovers of psychological thrillers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews