On the same day that Detective Jennifer Diane Duncan (J.D. for short) is working a murder case, she receives a text with a picture of an old friend. This old college friend of J.D.'s, Katie, was presumed dead when her husband was found murdered a year ago and Katie disappeared. There was way too much blood at the crime scene for anyone to have survived for long. As J.D. is working this murder investigation, and receives another text picture from Katie, the two cases begin to blend together. J.D. and her boyfriend Matt Royal start following up on leads with both cases, and the more they investigate, the more they are certain they are connected. Matt is a retired lawyer living in this quaint little town of Longboat Key off the west coast of central Florida. J.D. has only lived here a couple years, but has made a name for herself as a thorough investigator. The further they pry, more bodies start turning up dead. Now they have several unsolved murders, a couple of disappearances, a Mafia boss and organized crime all tangled together in this investigation. Can J.D. and Matt find the leader that all those interrogated refer to as Bonino? And will they find Katie alive and well?

FOUND is a scintillating mystery that will keep you turning the pages. It is fast-paced and action-packed. There are more dead bodies than anyone can say grace over. H. Terrell Griffin uses superb descriptive language to draw the reader into this lovely gulf coast area setting. He makes you feel that you are right there with J.D. and Matt investigating these crimes, running on the beach or sipping a cold one on the outdoor cabana of a local restaurant. He packs the pages with many other supporting characters that are an eclectic mix of personalities and who add depth to the story. There are so many twists and turns to this plot, you need a road map to keep up. Mr. Griffin seamlessly blends stories of the past during World War II with the present in the telling of this tale. This is the first Matt Royal Mystery that I have read, but I will certainly be reading the seven others that have preceded it. I'm a fan! If you are a mystery buff, you do not want to miss FOUND.

Book Summary

The quiet of Longboat Key, Florida, is shattered when an old man is shot to death and his murderer is killed while fleeing the police. Strange documents in German and Arabic are found in the killer's car then an old friend of the murdered man disappears. The island's only detective, Jennifer Diane (J.D.) Duncan receives a text message with a picture taken that morning of a college friend whom she thought was dead. Matt Royal and J.D. are pursued by men who would do them harm, and Matt's best friend, Jock Algren, a shadowy operative of the U.S. government's most secretive intelligence agency comes to visit the island. As the mystery deepens, a ragtag group of devious and dangerous characters intrudes on the lives of the islanders, creating a kind of havoc unusual for a sun-splashed island full of retirees and beach bums. Matt, J.D., and Jock rush to find the answer to why one old man was killed and another disappeared, the meaning of the photo sent to J.D. of her almost surely dead college friend, and why somebody is trying to kill them.