The Group by Kevin Doyle | Book Review ~ $10 Gift Card Available | #Mystery #PoliceProcedural @GoddessFish @WildRosePress
A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.
Book Details
The Group by Kevin R. Doyle Published by Wild Rose Press on 01/12/2014
Genres: Action & Adventure, Police Procedural, Mystery
Format: Audiobook, eBook, Paperback
Pages: 268
Source: Goddess Fish PromotionsProfessor Ron Green could only blame himself as his marriage teetered on a precipice. Even though the affair had been over for months, he felt accused by every icy stare his wife sent his way. What could be worse than this slow motion disaster?
The murder of his ex-lover could be worse. Becoming the prime suspect in her murder could be worse. Discovering another murder related to his lover's death, and making himself the scapegoat by telling the police about the connection could be worse.
Someone is killing harmless members of the focus group where he met his lover. What did the group do to cause this horrible vengeance? Who could feel hurt by anything Ron and the others had done in those two brief days?
Ron must answer those questions and find the killer before he ends up taking the fall. Or worse, before the killer finds him.
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Excerpt from The Group
Ron wondered, briefly, just how much they really knew. He’d kept his e-mails and phone calls to Diane to a minimum, and had made sure they never had their picture taken together.
“Professor Green?” The woman interrupted his thoughts.
“Do I need a lawyer?” He directed his question towards the woman, Detective Lipscomb.
“Not as far as we’re concerned. We’re in the earliest stages of the investigation, naturally, and we just need some background information.”
“How did you get my name?”
“Hey, buddy,”—this from the guy at the door—”We’re the ones who’re supposed to be asking the questions, and you’re supposed to be—”
“Jack, he asked a legitimate question. Mr. Green,” Lipscomb said, “what was your relationship with Miss Brewster?”
“None, lately,” Ron said.
“But in the past?”
“In the past we–hell, you have to know all this anyway. We were lovers.”
“Are you married, Mr. Green?”
“Yes,” he responded, looking at the female detective.
“How long?” The guy. Ron looked his way.
“Eight years.”
“This your first affair?” The woman.
“I really don’t see how that’s any of—”
“It is our business,” said Hollis. “You want to answer or you want to get a lawyer?”
“Do I need one?” Ron felt as though on some sort of eternal merry-go-round, always returning to the same starting point.
“You’re not a suspect.” The man.
An unspoken “yet” seemed to hang in the air between the three of them.
Excerpt provided by the author/publisher for use in this post.
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Purchase Links for The Group
Amazon – OneLink for every country
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My thoughts on The Group
Kevin Doyle’s “The Group” takes readers on a thrilling journey through the life of Professor Ronald Green, a flawed yet utterly relatable main character. As a police procedural suspense novel, it masterfully weaves a web of suspense, intrigue, and unexpected twists.
The story kicks off with Professor Green’s life spiraling out of control after an affair with Diane Brewster, a woman he never saw coming. Doyle skillfully portrays Green’s descent into chaos, pulling readers into his emotional turmoil as his marriage and family hang in the balance.
However, the real shocker comes when Diane is found dead, and Green becomes the prime suspect in her murder. The tension ratchets up as he discovers he might be a serial killer’s target, making his predicament all the more harrowing. Doyle keeps readers on the edge of their seats with a gripping narrative and a plot filled with twists and turns that will leave you guessing until the very end.
One of the novel’s strengths is the flawed yet likable main character, Ron Green, who evokes empathy from readers despite his mistakes. The pacing is generally well-executed, maintaining a sense of urgency and intrigue throughout the story. The unexpected surprises and a satisfying twist at the end add layers of excitement to the narrative.
Doyle skillfully leaves room for sequels, keeping readers eager for more of Green’s adventures in this suspenseful world. “The Group” is a compelling police procedural with a flawed hero, a rollercoaster plot, and a surprising ending that keeps you hooked until the final page. Kevin Doyle’s debut novel is a must-read for suspense and mystery fans.
I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.
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I love my Amazon Kindle Unlimited Subscription. So many books, so little time!
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About Kevin R. Doyle
A high-school teacher, former college instructor, and fiction writer, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of numerous short horror stories. He’s also written three crime thrillers, The Group, When You Have to Go There, and And the Devil Walks Away, and one horror novel, The Litter.
In the last few years, he’s begun working on the Sam Quinton private eye series, published by Camel Press. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award for Best First PI Novel. The second book, Heel Turn, was released in March of 2021, while the third in the series, Double Frame, came out in March of 2022.
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Easy Amazon Info Link
Amazon – OneLink for every country
Barnes and Noble Google Books Kobo
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Giveaway!
Kevin R. Doyle will win a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Visit more stops on this Goddess Fish tour for extra chances to win!
Official Tour Page for The Group
Full Tour Schedule:
September 12: Archaeolibrarian – I Dig Good Books! promo only
September 19: Sandra’s Book Club
September 19: Gina Rae Mitchell
September 26: Our Town Book Reviews
October 3: Guatemala Paula Loves to Read
October 3: The Avid Reader
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Did you read a lot when you were a child?
Oh Lord, for sure. Almost constantly and whenever I could. Was often hard for my folks to get me out of the house.
What is your writing process?
Tracie, it’s never exactly the same way twice, but roughly goes something like this. I start with basic idea and sketch out a partial (one or two pages) outline to get started. Then I begin a first draft, often going straight by the seat of my pants. I use the idea in the outline as a starting point, then just see where things go.
Once I have a draft completed, I go back and write a more detailed outline that covers all the main beats of the story. This is often around three to four pages long, and if there are problems with the plotting, it usually shows up there. Keep in mind that often where I end up on first draft is nowhere near where I thought I’d be going, so I then have to revise most of the work to make sure beginning, middle, and end all synch up.
Usually as I’m doing second draft, I also am outlining each chapter (a paragraph or so) on a separate document so if I have to go back and change or add things to scene, I can spot right away where to go. Once outline, chapter outline, and second draft are completed, I look things over. I may need to revise portions, or the entire thing, again, but eventually I get to the point where the content, the story, is set and complete.
By this point, I haven’t yet really worried about how the thing reads, so I then go through to polish the manuscript up to make sure paragraphs, sentences, and words all sound the way I want them to sound. I have a list I’ve developed over the years of words and actions I tend to use too much, and at some point I’ll use Find/ Replace to go through and correct a lot of those.
After that, just as I always harped to my students, I print the entire thing off and read it through out loud for one final copy edit before sending it off to publisher. Mixed in with all of this I usually have a file for character biographies so I can keep them straight, a file where I track the timeline of the story so I can make sure it all fits together nicely, and a file of stray things I need to research, doublecheck, go back and fix, or whatever.
For right or wrong, that’s the basic formula I follow. It took me writing a couple of books and realizing mistakes I made in the composing process to come up with this.
The excerpt sounds really interesting.
This sounds like a wonderful book.
Wow Gina. Thanks so much for your kind review. It’s kind of interesting how things have turned out because, while other people have raised the possibility of sequels with Ron Green, in truth the two sequels that emerged from The Group, When You Have to Go There, and And the Devil Walks Away, have focused on the cop characters in the book rather than on Ron. I have an idea for a further development of his story but haven’t gotten around to it yet. By the way, I hope you don’t mind my shameless plug for the next two books in the series, both currently available.
Thank you so much for hosting and reviewing.
The Group sounds like an exciting and entertaining book.