Book Profile - South of Hell

Being from Michigan originally myself I laughed in the back of my mind when I picked up this book thinking how entertaining it would be if it took place in Hell, MI. As it turns out, it does. I have been there before and so reading about places that I have visited and actual locations people would recognize if they visited the area such as the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor or take a drive up to Howell made it a wonderful read with added flair for me.

P.J. Parrish has a very raw style and an unapologetic use of rough language. The description of characters, setting and interaction is vibrant and pulls the reader directly into the action. This is a Louis Kincaid book and while I had no idea it was part of a series in the same way James Patterson has Alex Cross when I began reading it I will definitely be checking out more of these books.

From Amazon:

With one phone call from a man he barely recalls meeting years ago, South Florida detective Louis Kincaid heads to the Michigan town of his college days to reopen a disturbing cold case -- and finds himself confronting his own painful past secrets...secrets that risk his future with the woman he loves, detective Joe Frye. 

Ann Arbor police detective Jake Shockey wants Kincaid's help in the case of Jean Brandt, who went missing nine years ago -- and whose husband, Owen, has since been paroled. Now, Owen Brandt's girlfriend appears to be at risk, and Shockey is desperate to get involved. Kincaid soon unearths the deeply personal reasons why...and with Joe Frye assisting, Kincaid links yesterday's jealousies with today's potentially lethal vengeance. It's only a matter of time before one will win out over the other -- and before Kincaid's own shattering revelations will be forced out into the light of day.