Fatal Decree by H Terrell Griffin

Fatal Decree (Matt Royal Mystery)

by H Terrell Griffin

Best-Selling and Award-Winning Author

Serial killer loose on Longboat Key


When a serial killer shows up on Longboat Key after a twelve-year absence, Matt Royal is stymied. The first woman killed on Longboat Key has ties to a secretive government agency for which Matt's best friend, Jock Algren, works. Was this a coincidence or was she a targeted kill?

Matt's friend, Longboat Key detective Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan, investigates the murders—but also seems to be a target of the killer. Why? And where has the killer been for the past twelve years? And why has he come to Longboat Key when his earlier kills were all in Miami? The mystery deepens when Guatemalan gangbangers try to kill Matt and J.D. and suspicions grow that Mexican drug cartels are somehow involved.

The director of Jock's agency orders him to do whatever is necessary to find the killer because of the death of the woman with connections to the agency. Will Jock simply take out the murderer or allow J.D. and the law to arrest, try, and convict the bad guys?

Matt's life is further complicated by J.D.'s growing dissatisfaction with island living—and her thoughts of returning to Miami.

Perfect for fans of John Sanford and Robert Crais

While all of the novels in the Matt Royal Mystery Series stand on their own and can be read in any order, the publication sequence is:

Blood Island
Wyatt’s Revenge
Bitter Legacy
Collateral Damage
Fatal Decree
Found
Chasing Justice
Mortal Dilemma
Vindication

Reviewed by Mystereity Reviews on

2 of 5 stars

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This isn't the first Matt Royal book I've read, and I enjoyed all the others I read, but this one was disappointing; it didn't measure up to the previous books in the series. The action read like an cheesy 80s movie; the dialogue was very cliche and stilted. It almost sounded like it was written by an over-eager high school freshman in a creative writing class. Every chapter ended with a "But little did we know..." or "But we never made it to..." to build suspense for the coming chapter, I guess. Unfortunately it didn't come. The plot itself was so convoluted as to be unbelievable and predictable. I don't know if this concept just petered out or what, but maybe it's time Matt and friends retired for good.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 May, 2013: Finished reading
  • 25 May, 2013: Reviewed