Die-Off: 5 (A John Marquez Mystery) - Hardcover

Russell, Kirk

3.92

53 ratings by Goodreads

9780727882837: Die-Off: 5 (A John Marquez Mystery)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 072788283X ISBN 13: 9780727882837

Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd, 2013

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John Marquez is back - but his mission is the same: shut down animal traffickers. Still attached to the California Fish & Game's Special Operations Unit, it's the open, unsolved investigations that now land on his desk.

Then a tip call comes which reveals the location of a gun used to kill two young women camping along the Klamath River two years ago. At the same time, Marquez is on the hunt for a notorious animal trafficker known as Rider, who's rumoured to have a hideout in mountainous northern California. The subsequent discovery of thousands of invasive northern pike triggers a cascade of clues and questions that draws Marquez away from his pursuit of Rider. Or do they? Is there a connection?

When a Siskiyou County investigator and an ambitious sheriff question Marquez's interest in the murders of the two women and his relentless presence in the remote northern county, the stakes rise ever higher - and the way forward is fraught with risk.

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Review:

"Agent John Marquez, investigator for the Special Operations Unit of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, is hunting for a gang of traffickers who deal in live animals and priceless animal parts--elephant tusks, tiger skins, rare birds and snakes. All Marquez knows about the frustratingly elusive gang is that the ringleader is named Rider. So when he gets a call from someone claiming to be Rider, pointing him to a gun supposedly used in the brutal murder of two young women two years earlier, Marquez is intrigued. But how does Rider know about the gun? Is he merely leading Marquez on a merry chase to distract him from finding the animal traffickers? A feisty local sheriff, a renegade biologist, a plot to stock California's rivers with deadly northern pike, more murders, a kidnapping, sex, and drugs all play a role in this complex but gripping story. In the hands of a less-talented writer, this multilayered, complicated plot might have fallen apart, but Russell makes it work, taunting, teasing, upsetting, and challenging the reader"--Booklist

"Cooked at a slow simmer, the story explodes in the second half, demanding readers' full attention"--Library Journal

"The tension rises as the unpredictable plot skitters and jitters along, powered by smoothly understated prose"--Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Redback

"Russell has crafted an addictive police procedural on speed, with requisite intricate plotting and a stunning conclusion. It's all in the details, which Russell manages to juggle adeptly. If you've missed Russell in the past, grab the first title in the series (A Killing in China Basin), too"--Library Journal Starred Review of Counterfeit Road

"Readers looking for a superbly crafted, cleverly plotted, highly suspenseful thriller with a larger-than-life hero need look no further than Redback--or, indeed, the entire John Marquez series. Outstanding!"--Booklist Starred Review of Redback

"Marquez's fifth (Redback, 2011, etc.) is chillingly descriptive and packed with suspense, secrets, violence and nonstop action."--Kirkus Reviews

"Russell's solid fifth mystery featuring Lt. John Marquez"--Publishers Weekly

About the Author:

Kirk Russell lives in Berkeley, California. He is married with two daughters and is the author of the highly-acclaimed John Marquez crime series and Ben Raveneau thrillers.

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