Donald Levin

Martin Preuss is a cop beleaguered by a boss that hated him, and who just happens to be his former brother-in-law, a son with severe handicaps, memories of a wife who has been dead for a number of years, and a police chief who is retiring leaving him at the mercy of his brother-in-law and threatening to make an incompetent sycophant his new boss. He needs a new life, but instead, he catches a new case-a missing wheelchair transport van along with a handicapped young man and a care-worker who attends him.

When the wheelchair bound young man turns up in a church parking lot scared and disoriented, but otherwise unharmed, Pruess begins an all out search for the missing van and the care-worker. As in most organizations, however, Pruess must fight his bosses and his co-workers in order to be allowed to do his job. Driven by personal identification with the handicapped because of his son, and their care-workers whose dedication and commitment he respects, Pruess will stop at nothing to find the person responsible.

Told in a straight-forward simple style that is easily understandable, Guilt in Hiding is a police procedural mystery characterized by well developed characters each committed to his or her own agenda. It is an entertaining, even gripping, read punctuated by real information about group homes for the severely handicapped and their dedicated care-givers. The book is well written, well edited and entertaining; well worth the reading time for anyone who loves mysteries, police procedural investigations or who just loves reading about slimy crooks and the beleaguered detectives that chase them. 5-Stars Clabe Polk… (más)

Easter Sunday 2009 ... Ferndale Detective Martin Preuss is called out during the evening to investigate an after hours shooting at the Cake Walk Bakery. With one employee murdered, and another seriously injured, is the bakery shooting a random robbery attempt gone wrong? As Detective Preuss conducts an investigation into the shooting, he discovers that there is an intricate web of mystery surrounding the motive, and the possible people who could have been involved in committing the shootings, including local drug gangs and a radical Iraqi terrorist element connection. Balancing the frustrations of the investigation, the treachery and betrayal within his own police department, and his close relationship with his young son Toby, Detective Preuss is determined to solve the case at any cost.

In The Baker's Men, the second book in The Martin Preuss Mystery Series, author Donald Levin weaves a riveting mystery / police procedural tale that follows Ferndale Police Detective Martin Preuss' latest investigative adventures.

Set in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale, The Baker's Men is a fast-paced, action packed, and gritty crime / mystery tale that easily draws the reader into Detective Preuss' investigation of the Easter night bakery shooting.

Author Donald Levin provides the reader with a gripping storyline that has enough mystery, suspense, drama, treachery, betrayal, and intriguing twists and turns that keeps the reader guessing, while weaving an intricate and complicated web of what the motive of the crime could have been, and the a spectrum of possible participants who could have been involved in committing the crime. And if that isn't enough to captivate the reader, the author adds a wonderful touch of sensitivity and humanity into the storyline with the heartwarming relationship between Detective Preuss and his young son Toby, who has Cerebral Palsy.

This is an exciting story police procedural / crime mystery story that has realistic characters; witty dialogue and interactions; rich descriptions of the setting that transports the reader to the suburbs of Detroit; a fascinating in depth behind the scenes look at police procedural and investigative techniques; and a complicated storyline that draws the reader into the criminal world of drug gangs, terrorist plots, and local greed and betrayal. The author provides a story that has a wonderful balance between the crime investigation and the backstory into Detective Preuss' life and investigative style. This is the kind of mystery series that easily keeps the reader captivated, guessing, on their toes, and wanting more!

Even though The Baker's Men is the second book in The Martin Preuss Mystery Series, it can be a standalone read, but why not do yourself a favor and read this riveting series in sequential order so you can follow Detective Pruess on every new investigative adventure!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Pump Up Your Book Tours.

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