Death Before Coffee

Death Before Coffee by Desmond P. Ryan

Release: February 8, 2019
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Copper Press Publisihing
Source: Zooloos Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads ,Amazon

By 2:27 on a Thursday afternoon, the one-legged man from Room 8 at 147 Loxitor Avenue had been beaten to death with a lead pipe.

Twenty-eight minutes later, Detective Mike O’Shea is testifying in a stuffy courtroom, unaware that, within an hour, he will be standing in an alleyway littered with beer cans and condoms while his new partner uses a ballpoint pen to flick bugs off of a battered corpse.

When a rogue undercover copper leaves Mike balancing what is legal with what is right, an unlikely rapport develops between Mike and the lead homicide investigator, a cop’s cop in stilettos.

At the end of his seventy-two-hour shift, three men are dead, and Mike O’Shea is floating in and out of consciousness in an emergency room hallway, two women by his side.

In the second of the Mike O’Shea Series, Death Before Coffee weaves a homicide investigation through the life of an inner-city police detective intent on balancing his responsibilities as a son, brother, and newly single father with his sworn oath of duty and the promise he made himself to find the man who murdered a former partner.

About the Author:

Born and raised in Toronto, Desmond P. Ryan graduated from UofT and joined what was then the Toronto Police Force. He has been a front-line officer, a beat cop, a patrol sergeant, an instructor at the Toronto Police College, and a detective over the almost thirty years of his career.
Whether as a beat cop or a plainclothes detective, Desmond dealt with good people who did bad things and bad people who followed their instincts. Now a retired detective, he writes crime fiction. Des is presently working on the Mike O’Shea Series and the Mary-Margaret Series, both published by Level Best Books.

Desmond lives in the Toronto neighbourhood known as Cabbagetown, where he can be seen wandering about, considering his next plot point or on his way to the pub.

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Death Before Coffee Review:

I thought “Death before Coffee” was a charming sequel to “10-33 Assist PC,” and I enjoyed revisiting the characters.

Firstly, this book felt rawer than the first because the author dwells on Mike’s grief over the people he lost in the previous book. The first book had more action and adventure, whereas this was emotionally grounded and moved me. I appreciate the author taking this angle and focusing on the character’s feelings. Some moments that touched me were when Mike tried to stop a suicide from happening or when he connected with Ron’s personal life. The author portrayed his emotions realistically, showing his rage and anger at how unfair things happen.

Moreover, the author beautifully adds a touch of humor where I laughed loudly, especially at certain moments, like when the reporter asks Ron questions, making him look foolish. Similar to the first novel, the author has an uncanny knack for incorporating humor in a crime thriller novel, and this aspect made the series stand out for me.

Perhaps the only downside to the story is that the author focuses on Mike’s emotions so much that the crime could be better. There were no shocking twists or turns; it was a no-brainer when we got the reveal. Also, the story sometimes digressed from one case to another, and I didn’t get closure in some of them. I hope the author will continue these arcs in the first book, as I want to see Mike back in action to catch the bigger villain.

Overall, “Death Before Coffee” is a fun addition to the series, and I am excited to read the next book!