(Odyssey's End is book number ten in Matt Coyle's Rick Cahill series, a series unfamiliar to me before I decided to read this volume. It is scheduled for publication on November 14, 2023.)
By this point in his career, Rick Cahill has been through life's wringer and he's very lucky to be alive, much less still out there battling the bad guys like he does. In addition to all of his old injuries, Cahill is also now facing the onset of a brain disease (CTE) that he recognizes is messing with his emotions, especially his temper. Much worse, he knows that the disease has the potential to kill him even while it steals his memories and personality. Cahill's wife recognizes the symptoms, too, and she and their young daughter have moved into the home of her parents where she feels the little girl will be better protected from exposure to Cahill's temper.
Cahill knows the clock is now ticking faster than ever for him and that he still has not banked enough to provide for his young daughter's future. He wants to keep working as a San Diego private investigator as long as he can, putting away as much as he can every step of the way. That's why when an old enemy of his approaches Cahill with what seems like a simple missing person's case (one that pays very well), Cahill decides to take the case despite all of his instincts telling him there has to be more to the case than he's being told.
Rick Cahill is a sympathetic character and it's difficult not to root for him; he's the obvious good guy in the novel. But the bulk of the story reads like a conventional thriller rather than one about a man suffering major disabilities, both mental and physical. The story is well plotted and written, and longtime readers of the series are likely to enjoy it very much. New readers like me, however, would have been better served, I think, by a deeper exploration of the brain disease Cahill is so concerned about. As it is, I did not feel nearly the sympathy for the character that I probably should have felt. And that's kind of a shame.
That is a shame. Maybe you would have felt differently if you'd read all the previous books first. I've never tried this author before. I do like the fact that his main character is a private investigator.
ReplyDeleteI'm certain I would have felt different if I had read at least a couple of the earlier books because Coyle is a good writer and there was a whole lot of action packed into this 10th series book. I really do need, I think, to avoid getting into a new series so late in the game. Others might not have the same problem.
DeleteThanks for the review. I'd be happy to send you a copy of Yesterday's Echo, the first Rick Cahill book.
DeleteMatt
Thanks, Matt. I would appreciate another look at Rick Cahill.
DeleteMatt, I'd be happy to download an e-book rather than receive a physical copy. My Book Chase email address is samhouston23@gmail.com. Thank you for the kind offer.
ReplyDeleteI sent you a kindle version.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt. I just downloaded it to a couple of my readers and I'm looking forward to reading it. I sent you a note back via the email that contained the link, but now I wonder if you will get the reply because it may just go back to Amazon. So thanks again, for your kind offer of a copy of the first book in the Rick Cahill series. All the best. Sam
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