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Skeet Bannion #1
Every Last Secret
Winner of the Malice Domestic Best First Traditional Mystery Competition. Cherokee Marquitta ''Skeet'' Bannon thought she was leaving her troubles behind when she fled the stress of being the highest-ranking woman in the Kansas City Police Department, a jealous cop ex-husband, and a disgraced alcoholic ex-cop father. Moving to a small town to be chief of a college's campus police force, she builds a life outside of her work. She might even begin a new relationship with the amiable Brewster police chief. All of this is threatened when the student editor of the school newspaper is found murdered on campus. Skeet must track down the killer, following trails that lead to some of the most powerful people in the university. In the midst of her investigation, Skeet assumes responsibility for a vulnerable teenager when her ex-husband and seriously ailing father wind up back on her hands. Time is running out and college administrators demand she conceal all college involvement in the murder, but Skeet will not stop until she’s unraveled every last secret.
268 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2012
6 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Linda Rodriguez
69 books39 followersLinda Rodriguez’s novel, Every Last Secret featuring Skeet Bannion, won the 2011 St. Martin’s Press/Malice Domestic First Novel Competition and will be published by St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books on 4/24/2012. Rodriguez has published two books of poetry, Heart’s Migration (Tia Chucha Press, 2009), winner of the 2010 Thorpe Menn Award for Literary Excellence, and Skin Hunger (Potpourri Publications, 1995, Scapegoat Press, 2007). She received the 2010 Inspiration Award from the KC Arts Fund, the 2009 Elvira Cordero Cisneros Award from the Macondo Foundation, and the 2009 Midwest Voices and Visions Award from the Alliance of Artists Communities and the Joyce Foundation and has been both a Ragdale Fellow and a Macondo Fellow. She is the vice-president of the Latino Writers Collective, a member of International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, The Writers Place, and Wordcraft Circle of Native American Writers and Storytellers, and has published poetry and fiction in numerous journals and anthologies. Her poems have been broadcast on The Writers Almanac with Garrison Keillor (NPR) and New Letters on the Air (NPR). She is currently working on a book of poetry based on teachings from her Cherokee grandmother and another novel featuring Skeet Bannion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
April 18, 2019
Excellent detective mystery, and not at ALL the cozy I was expecting! And that's totally fine - I loved what I read, I just had the wrong expectations :-) I love that there was a softer side to parts of the book, though, mixed in with the so so so many horrible murders and violence. I also love the location - a small town outside of Kansas City - the book combines small town life with glimpses of the bigger city. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
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Content warning: discussions of child pornography in relation to crimes committed
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Content warning: discussions of child pornography in relation to crimes committed
September 20, 2012
When Marquitta “Skeet” Bannion left family and her job as a Kansas City Homicide Detective for being the Chief of Police Chouteau University, she thought she would be able to leave all the bad stuff behind and make a fresh start. It hasn’t worked out that way as pulls back to Kansas City keep making their presence felt. She was sure that, at least, she would be able to leave violent death and murder behind. The fact that the editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, Andrew McAffe, is very much dead according to rookie Police Officer Dave Parker proves her wrong. Who killed him by bashing his head in and why he or she did it will be her focus of her investigation.
Figuring it out will be much easier said than done. The victim, who had recently been in a fight with his news editor, was certainly no saint. Not only was the victim accused of various thefts and at least one sexual assault, he had his fingers in a lot of areas. As Police Chief Bannion digs into the case no secret is safe and the list of suspects grows. So too does her frustration with those who are much more concerned about politics and alumnae fundraising than finding a murderer. A murderer that clearly isn’t about to stop.
For some reason there is a blurb on this book comparing this novel to the works of Nevada Barr and Sara Paretsky. One can only conclude that comparison is made because the lead character in all cases is a female fighting, among other things, male disrespect. While being compared to New York Times bestselling authors is nice, that comparison does not address the actual storyline, type of characters involved, settings, and other elements of the book that have nothing in common with the aforementioned writers.
The novel does remind one of the excellent Sheriff Rhodes series written by Bill Crider. Both feature small police departments led by non-political bosses who are straightforward, make pains to point out to suspects that all secrets eventually come out, and understand that behind the public façade a far different person often exists. Rhodes and Bannion ask lots of questions, expect dishonesty from those often trying to hide other things that have no relation to the actual case, and both use stress reliving tactics while thinking about the case. Sheriff Rhodes sits out on the back porch and plays with his dogs while ruminating on the case. Police Chief Bannion puts music on, picks up her knitting needles, and goes to work while ruminating on the case.
“Winner of the Malice Domestic First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition” Every Last Secret is a strong debut novel featuring an interesting main character as well as numerous interesting secondary characters. The characters involved are multi dimension and complicated, like people in real life, and it does not take long at all for these characters to become very real in the reader’s mind. The action moves forward at a steady pace while gradually the character’s back stories come into pay adding depth and nuance to the work. Just under 300 pages the read is over way too soon leaving the reader wanting more.
Every Last Secret
Linda Rodriquez
http://lindarodriquezwrites.blogspot.com
Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)
http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com
April 2012
ISBN: 978-1-250-00545-8
Hardback (also available as e-book)
289 Pages
$24.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012
Book Reviews and More... http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
Figuring it out will be much easier said than done. The victim, who had recently been in a fight with his news editor, was certainly no saint. Not only was the victim accused of various thefts and at least one sexual assault, he had his fingers in a lot of areas. As Police Chief Bannion digs into the case no secret is safe and the list of suspects grows. So too does her frustration with those who are much more concerned about politics and alumnae fundraising than finding a murderer. A murderer that clearly isn’t about to stop.
For some reason there is a blurb on this book comparing this novel to the works of Nevada Barr and Sara Paretsky. One can only conclude that comparison is made because the lead character in all cases is a female fighting, among other things, male disrespect. While being compared to New York Times bestselling authors is nice, that comparison does not address the actual storyline, type of characters involved, settings, and other elements of the book that have nothing in common with the aforementioned writers.
The novel does remind one of the excellent Sheriff Rhodes series written by Bill Crider. Both feature small police departments led by non-political bosses who are straightforward, make pains to point out to suspects that all secrets eventually come out, and understand that behind the public façade a far different person often exists. Rhodes and Bannion ask lots of questions, expect dishonesty from those often trying to hide other things that have no relation to the actual case, and both use stress reliving tactics while thinking about the case. Sheriff Rhodes sits out on the back porch and plays with his dogs while ruminating on the case. Police Chief Bannion puts music on, picks up her knitting needles, and goes to work while ruminating on the case.
“Winner of the Malice Domestic First Traditional Mystery Novel Competition” Every Last Secret is a strong debut novel featuring an interesting main character as well as numerous interesting secondary characters. The characters involved are multi dimension and complicated, like people in real life, and it does not take long at all for these characters to become very real in the reader’s mind. The action moves forward at a steady pace while gradually the character’s back stories come into pay adding depth and nuance to the work. Just under 300 pages the read is over way too soon leaving the reader wanting more.
Every Last Secret
Linda Rodriquez
http://lindarodriquezwrites.blogspot.com
Thomas Dunne Books (Minotaur Books)
http://www.thomasdunnebooks.com
April 2012
ISBN: 978-1-250-00545-8
Hardback (also available as e-book)
289 Pages
$24.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2012
Book Reviews and More... http://kevintipplescorner.blogspot.com/
February 10, 2013
I hope this mystery is the first in a series, because I'd really like to read more about Marquitta "Skeet" Bannion.
Skeet left a promising police career in the city to take a quieter job as the police chief on a college campus. Then the student editor of the campus newspaper is found murdered in his office.
There are a whole lot of conventions in this mystery. The older cop mentor who Skeet still turns to for advice. The troubled and ill father who drinks too much. An attractive ex-husband. And...knitting.
But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Skeet is a refreshing new voice, and there were two aspects of the book I really appreciated. First, Skeet didn't fall madly in love and into bed with the first attractive man she encountered, and she manages to save her own ass instead of depending on a new or old lover to do it for her. Go, Skeet! She takes responsibility for her own actions and her own mistakes. Second, although knitting is a recurring theme in the book, you aren't going to feel like you're being bludgeoned over the head with it, or feel the dull throb of boredom that comes from reading knitting patterns in the middle of your mystery.
I hope Linda Rodriguez has more planned in this series!
Skeet left a promising police career in the city to take a quieter job as the police chief on a college campus. Then the student editor of the campus newspaper is found murdered in his office.
There are a whole lot of conventions in this mystery. The older cop mentor who Skeet still turns to for advice. The troubled and ill father who drinks too much. An attractive ex-husband. And...knitting.
But the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Skeet is a refreshing new voice, and there were two aspects of the book I really appreciated. First, Skeet didn't fall madly in love and into bed with the first attractive man she encountered, and she manages to save her own ass instead of depending on a new or old lover to do it for her. Go, Skeet! She takes responsibility for her own actions and her own mistakes. Second, although knitting is a recurring theme in the book, you aren't going to feel like you're being bludgeoned over the head with it, or feel the dull throb of boredom that comes from reading knitting patterns in the middle of your mystery.
I hope Linda Rodriguez has more planned in this series!
August 18, 2012
I loved the premise of this story and found the the lead character engaging. I was occasionally confused by the number of suspects, who were not sufficiently developed for me to easily distinguish them, but I see much promise in this first novel. I look forward to seeing Skeet's character develop in the upcoming two novels, one of which is scheduled for release in May 2013, and the third is currently in progress. I had the privilege of meeting the author recently and hearing her read some of her more recent work. Linda Rodriguez has a gift that is growing richer. The short story I heard her read was profoundly moving and possessed a fluidity in its narrative and dialogue that she approached but didn't quite reach with consistency in Every Last Secret. The short story (the Story of Rivka in a recently published anthology - info on Lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com) confirmed for me that she is a writer worth watching. In following Linda, I have also discovered an interesting new blog by a former female cop who shares her experiences as Sally Shield (sallyshield.blogspot.com). Sally provides great stories and great insights on why law enforcement operates as they do in various circumstances, ad raises thought provoking questions at the end of each post.
January 4, 2013
4 1/2 * Excellent first mystery. The main character, Skeet Bannion, is the newly hired chief of police at a small university. When the student editor or the campus newspaper is murdered, she has to navigate university politics and investigate suspects that include students, faculty and highly ranked administration officials. Turns out the victim was a blackmailer and lots of people have secrets. In the midst of her investigation, the personal life Skeet ran from follows her. Rodriguez does a good job connecting Skeet's personal life with her efforts to solve the crimes. The university politics is dead on. The plot draws you in then accelerates to a dramatic confrontation. The only drawback - it was sometimes confusing to match names of minor characters with their positions. There's plenty to work with for a series: the main character is multidimensional, her friends, co-workers and family have diverse personalities. I am eager to see how Skeet's personal life unfolds in the next one. This book combines interesting characters with a complex mystery. It's a great read.
May 24, 2012
Skeet is a compelling, winsome heroine in this mystery that blends the academic and small-town worlds (but just outside big, bad Kansas City) with elements of a police procedural. Further, I am intrigued by Skeet's larger personal search to come to terms with her father, her meddling ex, her Cherokee heritage, and her delightful new circle of women friends. I especially enjoyed seeing the seasoned homicide detective Skeet wrestle with the sometimes inscrutable culture of academic life as she becomes a brand-new campus police chief. Brewster, Missouri, is just the kind of town I would like to visit, with its idiosyncratic businesses on the town square--a 1960s-theme restaurant, a new-age shop, a handcraft store called Forgotten Arts, and a blue-collar bar. Yet Skeet confronts real life-and-death dangers in Brewster, and she dos so with fortitude and smarts.
July 1, 2012
I loved this debut by Rodriguez in what I hope will be a long series. Skeet Bannion leaves life on the Kansas City force to become Chief of Police for a small college. Small towns are different in many ways from life in the big city and for the most part, Skeet is happy about that. She is a complex character carrying lots of baggage which leaves room for future fascinating insights. Her new friends are equally as interesting. Once the complex mystery is untangled Skeet finds that her life may be changing in ways she hadn't imagined.
November 17, 2012
Chief of Police for a small town campus outside of Kansas City, Marquitta (Skeet)Bannion, finds her understaffed, young force having to deal with a murder. Skeet had left a high powered job wanting to change her violent life, now she must guide her group through campus politics, sordid secrets held within the academian world, and help a young boy through the worst that life can throw at you.
This was a compelling read and shows us promise of an author that will continue to grow. Ms. Rodriguez deftly handles, murders, blackmail, child pornography and more in this debut novel.
This is not a cozy novel but has characters that will draw you in and make you want to know what comes next in their lives and Skeet's life also.
This was a compelling read and shows us promise of an author that will continue to grow. Ms. Rodriguez deftly handles, murders, blackmail, child pornography and more in this debut novel.
This is not a cozy novel but has characters that will draw you in and make you want to know what comes next in their lives and Skeet's life also.
June 14, 2014
Loved the book and plan to read the rest of the series. Skeet Bannion is a believable character with strengths and weaknesses I can relate to and whom I admire for her strength, talent, and determination. As the daughter of a police officer myself, I really appreciated how Linda Rodriguez treated cops as fully functioning human beings with strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else and not just stereotypical brain-dead, heartless bullies with badges and guns. The story was well plotted and developed, leaving me guessing almost up to the end as to whodunnit, as well as to what would happen to Skeet and her dad. I got pulled into the characters' lives and found myself biting my nails from time to time. Now I have to read the rest of the series to keep up with my new "friends."
May 10, 2012
Rodriguez created a compelling character in Skeet Bannion. Definitely strong but vulnerable at the same time. Accurately captured the plotting & politics often just under the crust of a small college town The plot was complex enough to keep me guessing; I didn't cotton on to the culprit until the end. There's enough left hanging to create a good kernel for a second book.
July 7, 2012
Poet Linda Rodriguez writes a mean mystery! I loved cop Skeet Bannonion and her supporting cast: her ex hubby, boyfriend, and father (all cops with issues), her best friend (a former shrink for cops) and the 14-year-old boy Skeet reluctantly loves like a son.
June 10, 2013
This is a great debut mystery. The protagonist is multidimensional and likeable and there are lot of other interesting characters. It is the first in a series (I accidentally read the second volume first) and I'm looking forward to watching Skeet's career and personal life develop.
March 25, 2013
Debut novel. Strong Character, Good Location, Interesting Questions still to be explored, Unexpected ending. Will read a follow up.
September 3, 2020
The storyline and few of the characters have potential but overall does not add to the already crowded genre.
April 3, 2020
I liked this character driven mystery. The protagonist, Marquita Bannion is intelligent, has her flows and is deeply human.
Linda Rodriguez masters, in this first mystery, the intricacy of her various plots.
I took one star away for two reasons:
1-Probably because the novel is fast pace, tons of names and roles are given all along the novel since the very beginning. Maybe a chart would have helped the reader.
2-The protagonist is supposed to be half Cherokee. Every time the writing refers to this aspect, I found it artificial and consequently useless. It didn't add anything to the personality of the character.
I still question the subplot with the husband, but it didn't take anything away from the pleasure to read this novel.
An aparté: Linda Rodriguez is an outstanding online instructor (like Kris Neri, each one in her style). If you have the luck to see one of these classes, take it.
Linda Rodriguez masters, in this first mystery, the intricacy of her various plots.
I took one star away for two reasons:
1-Probably because the novel is fast pace, tons of names and roles are given all along the novel since the very beginning. Maybe a chart would have helped the reader.
2-The protagonist is supposed to be half Cherokee. Every time the writing refers to this aspect, I found it artificial and consequently useless. It didn't add anything to the personality of the character.
I still question the subplot with the husband, but it didn't take anything away from the pleasure to read this novel.
An aparté: Linda Rodriguez is an outstanding online instructor (like Kris Neri, each one in her style). If you have the luck to see one of these classes, take it.
March 10, 2021
I'm glad I found this series. It's set in a fictitious town outside Kansas City, MO (possibly Parkville (Park University's subterranean levels) or St. Joseph (previous home of a women's college) or a mix of the two?), with visits to KC proper. This first book is solidly constructed mystery with an appealing heroine. Technically a police procedural, but low enough on violence/ gore to almost be a cozy, this fit my mood well and I'm looking forward to reading the second in the series.
Content notes for: adult relationship with an alcoholic/ill parent, people with poor boundaries, infidelity, and references to child pornography. Also hospital scenes, and casual racism/sexism towards the main character.
Content notes for: adult relationship with an alcoholic/ill parent, people with poor boundaries, infidelity, and references to child pornography. Also hospital scenes, and casual racism/sexism towards the main character.
February 5, 2023
Margarita Bannion is the police chief of a small town and college campus, having moved from Kansas City with its much higher crime rate. She expects a much easier time in her life, but soon a student editor of the college newspaper is found dead. Margarita must track down the killer following trails that lead to some of the most powerful people in the university. She is racing against the clock because the university higher ups don't want her to advertise crime on the campus. In the meantime several other people are found dead, so that doesn't help her any.
This is an interesting book but confusing because of all the people involved.
This is an interesting book but confusing because of all the people involved.
June 21, 2021
I’m happy to find that this is the first in a mystery series featuring Skeet Bannion, a half Cherokee chief of a college campus police force. I liked the setting, a small town in Missouri, the college politics, the main characters, and Skeet, who is both tough and kind, a well-rounded protagonist. But I wished the cast of characters wasn’t so confusing. Often, I couldn’t keep track of who-was-who, which made it hard to guess who the killer might be. I also would like closer focus on Skeet and her background. I hope to see that in the next book.
August 13, 2021
For this award-winning novel (Malice Domestic Best 1st Traditional Mystery Novel Competition), poet and fiction author Linda Rodriguez created an engaging female detective, Skeet Bannion, who remains connected to her Cherokee heritage while she investigates murders in a college town. (It is the first in her trilogy that includes EVERY BROKEN TRUST (2013) and EVERY HIDDEN FEAR (2014).
As in any good mystery, the characters and humor drive this story that keeps a reader wedded to the book. Bravo!
As in any good mystery, the characters and humor drive this story that keeps a reader wedded to the book. Bravo!
March 28, 2018
I initially struggled to keep track of the many characters and suspects in this book but once I got into it, I couldn’t put it down. Good writing, interesting story telling and Skeet Bannion is a strong lead you can’t help but root for throughout the book. I look forward to reading more books in this series.
October 2, 2019
Maybe even 3.5* I don't read alot of "cozy" mysteries, but this one was actually more of a police procedural set in familiar territory for me (academia, small town on the Kansas/Missouri border). All in all, I want to try out the next in the series to see what develops for some of the main characters. There were lots of dead bodies here, but without being gritty and depressing.
March 13, 2021
wow, tough read, way too many characters, poor character development, almost gave up a few times. Is it worth it to read the next one in the series or are they all like this one? I also hated the racial slurs against Skeet, especially as she didn't react to them and they weren't discussed at all. Less than 10 years ago, shame.
October 8, 2017
Solid start to a mystery series with compelling, complex characters (own voices genre fiction! yay!). Good middle ground between a cozy and a procedural. Recommended for adult mystery fans.
May 27, 2020
Great story and lots of twists!
What a good mystery and strong believable characters. A lot to keep up with. Couldn't put it down. Will look for more from this author.
What a good mystery and strong believable characters. A lot to keep up with. Couldn't put it down. Will look for more from this author.
May 24, 2021
Read Harder Challenge 2021 - Task 5 - Read a genre novel by an Indigenous, First Nations, or Native American author.
October 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this!
An intriguing murder mystery with multiple deaths set on a college campus outside Kansas City. I loved the relatable main characters, the setting, and most of all the family challenges faced by the main character, Skeet Bannion, chief of campus police.
An intriguing murder mystery with multiple deaths set on a college campus outside Kansas City. I loved the relatable main characters, the setting, and most of all the family challenges faced by the main character, Skeet Bannion, chief of campus police.
May 14, 2023
Started slow but didn't finish that way.
April 8, 2024
I received a ARC free from Book Sirens and this is my voluntary honest review.
A library find.
April 2024.
Interesting.
Engaging.
A library find.
April 2024.
Interesting.
Engaging.
Read
August 22, 2025MARY
August 7, 2012
I love exploring the the stacks at the library. Wandering aimlessly is one way you can find interesting books and authors you've never heard of before. The last time I did that I glanced over at the new release shelves and my eye caught the bright cover of this new book by Linda Rodriguez. I didn't know anything about her and was pleased to learn she lived in Kansas City, which I am very familiar with. That means I can relate to her places in the city and I know how accurate her vivid descriptions are.
Every Last Secret is a traditional type of mystery--a police procedural style of book with a emotionally wounded and flawed main character in Skeet. I know the name is odd but so is she. We're allowed to wonder the exact meaning behind the nickname for some time but be assured the name will be explained eventually. Besides the name doesn't have to make sense. Nicknames given by family rarely do.
Skeet is an interesting character. She's a nice mix of big city detective and small town police chief, now having to balance the frustrating politics of her new job. I loved watching her wrestle with this problem, juggling the different academics, some of whom are suspects. It was a dicey situation for her and handled well. But because of the situation there are almost too many suspects to consider...but each one is given a plausible reason to be considered. Good job Ms. Rodriguez. It definitely kept me guessing.
While the investigation is going on and the second murder occurs, the author manages to weave in personal snippets about her ex-husband, father, their bad relationship and even a couple of female friends. Yet at heart this is a mystery and stays focused on the murder, with all other aspects of the story revolving around solving it. And I certainly can't forget Brian, the teenager who she lets stay with her. His character, while not fully developed, is just what's needed to round off Skeet's rough corners and works great in the overall plot.
There are a couple of dangling plot threads I was concerned about. After checking on the authors website I learned the final edits for the next book in the series, Every Broken Trust, had been turned in to the editor. I'm assuming these questions will be dealt with in this new release.
I'm done rambling now, so enjoy. I did.
Every Last Secret is a traditional type of mystery--a police procedural style of book with a emotionally wounded and flawed main character in Skeet. I know the name is odd but so is she. We're allowed to wonder the exact meaning behind the nickname for some time but be assured the name will be explained eventually. Besides the name doesn't have to make sense. Nicknames given by family rarely do.
Skeet is an interesting character. She's a nice mix of big city detective and small town police chief, now having to balance the frustrating politics of her new job. I loved watching her wrestle with this problem, juggling the different academics, some of whom are suspects. It was a dicey situation for her and handled well. But because of the situation there are almost too many suspects to consider...but each one is given a plausible reason to be considered. Good job Ms. Rodriguez. It definitely kept me guessing.
While the investigation is going on and the second murder occurs, the author manages to weave in personal snippets about her ex-husband, father, their bad relationship and even a couple of female friends. Yet at heart this is a mystery and stays focused on the murder, with all other aspects of the story revolving around solving it. And I certainly can't forget Brian, the teenager who she lets stay with her. His character, while not fully developed, is just what's needed to round off Skeet's rough corners and works great in the overall plot.
There are a couple of dangling plot threads I was concerned about. After checking on the authors website I learned the final edits for the next book in the series, Every Broken Trust, had been turned in to the editor. I'm assuming these questions will be dealt with in this new release.
I'm done rambling now, so enjoy. I did.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews