Double Take

It's round two for our hero Mike Connolly, and it's a doozy. Mike's challenges in Double Take, the second in Mr. Hilley's "Mike Connolly Mystery" series, make his first case (see Sober Justice) seem fairly tame. It's hard to know where to begin. Let's try here: Mike Connolly is retained by a certain Harvey Bosarge, who is an apparent suspect in a overkill bombing that vaporized a member of a prominent local family. I say "apparent." You could attach that descriptor to just about everybody in this crime novel, as almost nobody is who they seem to be--especially Mr. Bosarge. Caught up in an investigation that involves a half-dozen federal agencies, various local law enforcement agencies, as well as private security personnel, Mike weaves his way through a maze of intrigue and deceit that seems to have no end. Navigating the now familiar landmarks of Mobile Bay and it surroundings, we travel into the oozing black mud of the Alabama bayou, seedy back streets hosting a variety of activities few people of scruples would choose to discuss, and even on to the French Quarter of New Orleans in all its scandalous glory. All this to track an odd-bedfellow collection of characters caught up in political corruption, drug smuggling and the sex trade. Oh, the fun just goes on! Mike brings his own foibles to the table, much as we saw in Sober Justice. Mr. Hilley shows us a very real Mike Connolly--now sober and saved--who struggles with the demons of his past life. He takes two steps forward and slips back one--much like many of us who have emerged from a dark, pre-Christian past and have baggage to unload that, at times, seems to stick to our hands. We all understand Mike, we all sympathize with Mike, and many of us empathize with Mike. If you like a grass-roots tale of crime and consequences--physical, moral and spiritual--Double Take is a sure bet. Ready for round three!

Double Take by Joe Hilley involves Mike Connolly, a lawyer, in another exciting mystery. When Mike agrees to take Harvey Bosarge's case, he soon finds himself caught in much more than a simple murder. Steve Ingram was a millionaire playboy and president of Ingram Shipbuilding Company. His company did government work, so his fiery death brought in the ATF, FBI, and, of course, the local police. Harvey's story about being hired by the husband of Steve's current girlfriend seems to have many missing pieces-especially as Mike collects more information. When Mike is visited by the local senator's liaison and can't get any straight answers from Giles, the head of security at Ingram Shipbuilding, he knows there is much more going on than he is being told. Soon, Mike finds the lives of each person he has working on the investigation being threatened. He discovers his friend, Hollis, beaten and wrapped in a fish net. His electronics expert is found dead. Suddenly he deduces that his own family is at risk and he whisks them off to his Uncle Guy for safekeeping. Joe Hilley can really spin a story! His writing is fast-paced and keeps you guessing to the very end. He then follows up with a Readers' Guide for personal study or group discussion. If you like mysteries, you will love this. -- Linda Demorest, Christian Book Previews.com

Great book! Well written. His work of caliber to early John Grisham's writings.

Joseph Hilley has done it again! I read his first book & was quite surprised with how much I liked it. I read this second title in a record three days. For me that is very quick as the mother of two preschoolers I don't have a lot of time to indulge my love of reading. The book kept me on the edge of my seat. I can't wait for the next one to come out.