The Pine Barrens Stratagem

English language

Published April 30, 2022 by Black Rose Writing.

ISBN:: 978-1-68433-871-9
Goodreads:: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58841897-the-pine-barrens-stratagem

(1 review)

Private Investigator Steve Rockfish needs cash, like yesterday. The bad news is that yesterday, a global pandemic raged, and Maryland was headed toward a lockdown that would ultimately lead to cheating spouses no longer "working late," and hence a lack of new clients.

Rockfish's luck changes when a Hollywood producer reaches out, but the job is two states away and involves digging up information on a child trafficking ring from the 1940s. What he uncovers will be used to support the launch of a true crime docuseries. He grabs a mask, hand sanitizer and heads for South Jersey.

On-site, Rockfish meets Jawnie McGee, the great granddaughter of a local policeman gone missing while investigating the original crimes. As the duo uncover more clues, they learn the same criminal alliance has reformed to use the pandemic as a conduit to defraud the Federal Government of that sweet, sweet, stimulus money.

It's …

Private Investigator Steve Rockfish needs cash, like yesterday. The bad news is that yesterday, a global pandemic raged, and Maryland was headed toward a lockdown that would ultimately lead to cheating spouses no longer "working late," and hence a lack of new clients.

Rockfish's luck changes when a Hollywood producer reaches out, but the job is two states away and involves digging up information on a child trafficking ring from the 1940s. What he uncovers will be used to support the launch of a true crime docuseries. He grabs a mask, hand sanitizer and heads for South Jersey.

On-site, Rockfish meets Jawnie McGee, the great granddaughter of a local policeman gone missing while investigating the original crimes. As the duo uncover more clues, they learn the same criminal alliance has reformed to use the pandemic as a conduit to defraud the Federal Government of that sweet, sweet, stimulus money.

It's not long before the investigation turns up some key intel on a myriad of illicit activity over the last eighty years and Rockfish rockets toward a showdown with the mafia, local archdiocese and dirty cops. COVID-19 isn't the only threat to his health.

1 edition

Nerywood reviewed The Pine Barrens Stratagem by Ken Harris (Case Files of Steve Rockfish, #1)

Review of 'Pine Barrens Stratagem' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Disclosure: I got this ebook as an advanced reader copy (ARC) for free from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. Nobody read a copy of this review before it went public. There are no spoilers in this review.

Such a great book that were there days where I didn't want to put it down. Ken is just the right guy to write this book as he retired from the FBI as a cybersecurity executive.

There are a couple of a very harsh and quick transition in the book that made me pause for a moment and think before continuing on.

When you read the prologue you may wonder why this is included, and there is a good reason for it as it does relate to the main story at hand. And when these stories do relate it was a HOLY SHIT moment for me. They don't include an exact …

Disclosure: I got this ebook as an advanced reader copy (ARC) for free from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. Nobody read a copy of this review before it went public. There are no spoilers in this review.

Such a great book that were there days where I didn't want to put it down. Ken is just the right guy to write this book as he retired from the FBI as a cybersecurity executive.

There are a couple of a very harsh and quick transition in the book that made me pause for a moment and think before continuing on.

When you read the prologue you may wonder why this is included, and there is a good reason for it as it does relate to the main story at hand. And when these stories do relate it was a HOLY SHIT moment for me. They don't include an exact time frame so you can't know exactly when this happening.

There were parts of this book that I found to be boring and almost wanted to skip right past them but by reading it lead up to some action and drama happening.

There are a number of times when it feels like the character is going right into a trap, which tells you that the author has a great way with words.

From the beginning it almost seemed like there were multiple stories and you can't tell how they relate to each other, and the author doesn't explicitly mention how they connect so you will have to make the connection yourself.

There was at least once when reading that I thought the story was starting to come to a close, but then something happens which made me want to keep reading.

There's always a good and bad person in every book, and in this book sometimes the role of good or bad may switch. I want to give more on how and why this happens but that would spoil part of the book.

The book ends in a way that allows for there to be a second book in the series, and I hope that happens, and would love to see how the author continues it.

"But it's best if we only dwell on what we can control. That means no worrying or playing the couldna, wouldna, shoulda game."