[close]
False Friendby Andrew Grant
Detective Cooper Devereaux series
2.5 stars
From The Book:
An arsonist is targeting schools in Birmingham, Alabama—with devastating effect. Detective Devereaux—a man you can’t quite trust and should never ignore—must put a stop to the elusive pyromaniac’s reign of terror before more damage is done. Or worse, before students’ lives are lost. But as Devereaux sifts through the ashes of the case, a grisly discovery at a burned-out school sends the investigation spiraling in a new, terrifying direction. The detective and his partner are dragged into a nightmare world by revelations of gruesome rituals, the disappearance of local citizens, and allegations against city officials of shocking crimes that stretch back decades.
With innocent lives on the line, progress is hampered by friction between the police department and the FBI, and interference from factions of the local underworld complicate matters further. Devereaux doesn’t make excuses for his willingness to work outside the lines, but just as he needs to be at the top of his game, he’s rocked by echoes from his troubled past that threaten to engulf his daughter and girlfriend—and fracture the life he’s only recently begun to rebuild.
My Thoughts:
I've read better by this author. The story was okay but the characters were very hard to like at all. The adults are idiots and the children are brats and at least one of them is an outright, seven year old, sociopath. Cooper Devereaux is struggling with personal demons of his own. His policing methods are mostly on the edge and many times just short of illegal. The series thus far has been unbelievably grim with no light in view at the end of the tunnel. I don't think I will be continuing this one.
