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Playing Dead: A De La Cruz Case File
The nightmare is over. Alexander “Rotten” Carter is dead. But when his body is dumped in Cleveland Homicide Detective Jesus De La Cruz’s neighborhood, there are more questions than answers. Rotten was dressed up like the king of hearts, right down to the dagger in the suicide king’s temple. The elaborate staging is perplexing at the same time it seems to be sending a message. As Cruz investigates, he discovers Rotten Carter was more complex than the simple villain he had painted him to be. So is his murder, which is related to the deaths of his two lieutenants months prior. Both were strangled and found, with playing cards in their mouths. Jacks. As the body count climbs, connection tie back to a dead CI and an accident that made a cop a widower. A web becomes apparent with one man in the Narcotics Detective Matt Yablonski. But is he the spider or another fly? Critical Acclaim for Books by TG “A fun addition to Wolff's Diamond series. Fast-paced and chock-full of enough hard-boiled humor to make Raymond Chandler jealous. With a chapter title like ‘Naked Man Surfing and Other Odd Hobbies’ and a line like ‘Being dead isn't as much fun as I thought it would be’—how can a reader go wrong?” —Michael Bruce Blackwell, author of Wildlife on the Serengeti, for Psycho Therapy “Salty, sarcastic, tough as they come, Diamond is a woman you want by your side, not in your rearview mirror. TG Wolff proves she is on top of her game with her latest Diamond Mystery.” —Stephen Burdick, author of Yesterday Rising and The Gray Detective, for Psycho Therapy “TG Wolff’s novel is for crime-fiction fans who like it action-packed and hard-edged. Written with feisty panache, it introduces Diamond, one of the most aggressive, ill-tempered, and wholly irresistible heroines to ever swagger across the page.” —David Housewright, Edgar Award-winning author of Dead Man’s Mistress, for Widow’s Run “TG Wolff’s Detective De La Cruz is caught in the crosshairs of solving heinous crimes, defending himself against a wrongful lawsuit, helping an abusive drug dealer’s family, thwarting his mother’s matchmaking, and falling in love. Pit against those who subvert justice and twist the law to suit their own ends, Cruz stands true while suffering his own demons—everything a hero should be. Wolff’s unsentimental and precise writing draws readers. Add Exacting Justice to your ‘to be read’ pile.” —E. B. Davis, mystery author “Working with an incarcerated population, I deal regularly with people who have made poor life decisions but who can be inherently funny, surprisingly talented, or overly concerned. I know that simple labels of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ don’t work in the real world. In Exacting Justice, TG Wolff created characters just as messy, complicated, and dynamic as real life that keep you wanting to read page after page.” —Vincent Giammarco, Director of Behavioral Health Care
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2024
Playing Dead is a mystery. A body is put on display in Det. Jesus De La Cruz’s neighborhood. The victim isn’t random but some Cruz and the Cleveland police have been after, Alexander “Rotten” Carter. There was nothing plain and simple about this murder. Point in fact: the corpse was dressed as the king of hearts…the suicide king. Now Cruz is on the case to find answers to Carter’s killing and to the activities that hit much closer to home.
Bottom line: Playing Dead is for you if you like complex mysteries and being part of the detective’s professional and personal life.
At the time of this recording, Playing Dead was days away from release, so there are no reviews to pull from. So, I’m putting my M2D4 hat on and critiquing my own book.
Strengths of the story. Playing Dead is the 4th book in the series that deals as much with the ups and downs of the personal life of Jesus De La Cruz as it does the details of the mystery. The characters continue to grow from past novels, making it feel like we are catching up with old friends.
The main characters of Cruz, his fiancé Aurora, best friend Det Matt Yablonski, and awkward brainiac Professor Grayson Manor are fully developed, having strengths that bridge challenges and weaknesses their work against their success. The side characters often offer comedic relief to the intensity of the murder.
The mystery itself ties off storyline from the last two books. Reading prior books is not a necessity in following the mystery itself. The motivations and actions of the suspects is fully contained within this book. Reading the prior stories will be helpful in understanding the emotional strain the victim, Rotten Carter, cause to the cast of characters.
The story is told linearly including both Cruz’s on-the-clock and personal time. This drives the pacing as Cruz, like all of us, juggles the demands of a challenging professional life and a full private life, which includes a best friend who is treading dangerously close to over-the-line.
Where the story fell short of ideal: For lovers of stand-alone mysteries where the story is one-hundred-percent about the murder, the incorporation of personal life may not be as rewarding.
As with all series, starting with book four may has the potential to leave new readers feeling either like they are left out of the story or not getting as immersed in the emotions the characters are feeling. The author (me) worked to make it welcoming to new readers, but this is always a challenge of series.
Bottom line: Playing Dead is for you if you like complex mysteries and being part of the detective’s professional and personal life.
At the time of this recording, Playing Dead was days away from release, so there are no reviews to pull from. So, I’m putting my M2D4 hat on and critiquing my own book.
Strengths of the story. Playing Dead is the 4th book in the series that deals as much with the ups and downs of the personal life of Jesus De La Cruz as it does the details of the mystery. The characters continue to grow from past novels, making it feel like we are catching up with old friends.
The main characters of Cruz, his fiancé Aurora, best friend Det Matt Yablonski, and awkward brainiac Professor Grayson Manor are fully developed, having strengths that bridge challenges and weaknesses their work against their success. The side characters often offer comedic relief to the intensity of the murder.
The mystery itself ties off storyline from the last two books. Reading prior books is not a necessity in following the mystery itself. The motivations and actions of the suspects is fully contained within this book. Reading the prior stories will be helpful in understanding the emotional strain the victim, Rotten Carter, cause to the cast of characters.
The story is told linearly including both Cruz’s on-the-clock and personal time. This drives the pacing as Cruz, like all of us, juggles the demands of a challenging professional life and a full private life, which includes a best friend who is treading dangerously close to over-the-line.
Where the story fell short of ideal: For lovers of stand-alone mysteries where the story is one-hundred-percent about the murder, the incorporation of personal life may not be as rewarding.
As with all series, starting with book four may has the potential to leave new readers feeling either like they are left out of the story or not getting as immersed in the emotions the characters are feeling. The author (me) worked to make it welcoming to new readers, but this is always a challenge of series.
February 27, 2024
I love mysteries so I wanted to read through this on with Detective Jesus De La Cruz. The beginning is a great opener for a mystery book of any type. Two sisters come to De La Cruz for help with a dead person. And it is a surprising twist in the very beginning of the book about who the dead person is. And why he was dressed the way he was. It is an urban crime to say the least without giving away any details about the plot or crime😉
Some of the people who knew the victim are willing to help De La Cruz solve the crime, but some are not. This is a great writing dynamic which makes the readers want to read the book. Also this book is part of a series of books written by the author and while you do not have to read the previous book you can read it to get more of an understanding of who the victim is and what happened prior in the book’s history.
De La Cruz is written as a very interesting and relatable to the readers, he is an everyman. When you read his story you can just automatically relate. I found the ending quite to wrap things up for everyone pretty nicely except it left me wondering as a reader if who they found to have killed the victim really did. He was saying “I’m sorry Nate. I’m so sorry…” I wonder what he meant.
Overall this was an engaging mystery read and I would be curious to see where the story is headed in the next book with De La Cruz and crew.
Some of the people who knew the victim are willing to help De La Cruz solve the crime, but some are not. This is a great writing dynamic which makes the readers want to read the book. Also this book is part of a series of books written by the author and while you do not have to read the previous book you can read it to get more of an understanding of who the victim is and what happened prior in the book’s history.
De La Cruz is written as a very interesting and relatable to the readers, he is an everyman. When you read his story you can just automatically relate. I found the ending quite to wrap things up for everyone pretty nicely except it left me wondering as a reader if who they found to have killed the victim really did. He was saying “I’m sorry Nate. I’m so sorry…” I wonder what he meant.
Overall this was an engaging mystery read and I would be curious to see where the story is headed in the next book with De La Cruz and crew.
February 21, 2024
MY THOUGHTS -
Oh my word, talk about a spider webby story! Lots of dead guys, lots of suspects, all connected to each other in one way or another. This author does a great job of walking you through everything.
It did get a tiny bit confusing because there are just so many characters to keep track of. But the main characters are excellent and they stay consistent throughout the story. I was never lost for long though because the author did a good job of bringing me back.
Besides all of that… I also loved just the “human“ side of the story. The characters have lives. Cruz is married to Aurora and they are currently trying to sell their home and looking for another one. I absolutely love this whole process! So, I love that the story was half murder mystery and the other half was just about their every day lives. I think this really made me connect to the characters more.
Even though this one was a tad slow for me about half way, it didn't stay that way for long. It soon pick up and was a solid, quick mystery!
I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Partners in Crime Tours - Thank You!!
Oh my word, talk about a spider webby story! Lots of dead guys, lots of suspects, all connected to each other in one way or another. This author does a great job of walking you through everything.
It did get a tiny bit confusing because there are just so many characters to keep track of. But the main characters are excellent and they stay consistent throughout the story. I was never lost for long though because the author did a good job of bringing me back.
Besides all of that… I also loved just the “human“ side of the story. The characters have lives. Cruz is married to Aurora and they are currently trying to sell their home and looking for another one. I absolutely love this whole process! So, I love that the story was half murder mystery and the other half was just about their every day lives. I think this really made me connect to the characters more.
Even though this one was a tad slow for me about half way, it didn't stay that way for long. It soon pick up and was a solid, quick mystery!
I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Partners in Crime Tours - Thank You!!
February 19, 2024
I enjoyed this police investigative procedure novel. For those of us who have come to be engaged in De La Cruz's life, this is a good addition to his continuing story. Wolff has managed to strike a balance between the police work and Cruz's personal life. I like his commitment to his friend, Yablonski, and the relationship he has with his finance, Aurora. The investigative procedure is an experience in following every lead possible, including the use of medieval fighting implements.
Much of the personal relationship drama we read about in this novel is rooted in previous books in the series. While this novel reads well on its own, De La Cruz is an engaging character and reading the earlier books would be fun too. Wollf's writing style is a pleasure to read and this is a good novel for those who like to know as much about the detectives as their work in solving the murders.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Much of the personal relationship drama we read about in this novel is rooted in previous books in the series. While this novel reads well on its own, De La Cruz is an engaging character and reading the earlier books would be fun too. Wollf's writing style is a pleasure to read and this is a good novel for those who like to know as much about the detectives as their work in solving the murders.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews