Loved it! 😍 (posted by Joanna on Reedsy Discovery. 11.27.19)

Deadly Enterprise is the second book in the Mike Stoneman thriller series, set in New York. I read the first, Righteous Assassin, and enjoyed it, but you could easily read this one as a stand-alone, as there is enough of a recap of previous events from the first book. I actually liked this one even better than the first as the characters have matured and the well paced plot relies on suspense about their fate rather than obligatory twists. I received a free copy from Reedsy in exchange for an honest review.

Set a few months after the events of Righteous Assassin, Mike is undergoing rehab following his shoulder injury, and enjoying his relationship with Michelle the Medical Examiner. His partner Jason is temporarily paired with the arrogant and impulsive Ray. When a young woman washes up dead of an overdose, the top brass are not interested, wanting them to focus instead on the murder of a local shopkeeper, because it’s causing political and racial tensions. However Michelle suspects that other young women have died in the same way, and persuades Mike to look into it unofficially, drawing him into the web of a prostitution ring run by a shady cop with mob ties…

Chapman has written a believable and very readable thriller, sensibly moving on from the serial killer plot line of the first book to a more typical murder investigation, but with plenty of complications to keep it interesting. I liked the way the relationship between Mike and Jason has evolved, even when they’re not working together, as well as Mike’s loyalty towards his former partner Darren. The fact that he also has to endure months of painful physical therapy felt realistic too – so many heroes seem to bounce right back into the next case after being shot, which never rings true.

The departmental politics were another indication that the author knows his way around a police department but they didn’t overshadow the plot. Touches of humour lightened the tone – like the grumbling of a police force deprived of their donuts because of a rat infestation! It’s well written, the action is easy to follow, and it’s much less gruesome than the first book, with no gratuitous violence or sex, and the language was true to life. I also really liked the cover image which sets the tone perfectly. Recommended for fans of Harry Bosch.