Blueblood by Matthew Iden

Blueblood by Matthew Iden in the second in a series of crime novels featuring Marty Singer, retired DC homicide detective.  Marty’s 30 year career ended a year earlier after he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.  But he can’t quite leave the job behind or the cancer either for that matter.  In the previous book, A Reason to Live, Marty is called upon to protect the daughter of a murder victim.  That murder was one of his old cases from twelve years earlier.  Now Sam Bloch, a MPDC lieutenant in the narcotics branch enlists his help to investigate the murders of several area police officers, none from the same jurisdiction.  Interdepartmental politics are complicating any joint effort to solve the murders but Bloch expects Singer can streamline the process.  Meanwhile Marty learns his chemo treatments have failed to completely obliterate his cancer.  Grasping at the chance to give his life purpose, Marty decides to postpone the surgery that would partially remove his colon.

Singer’s investigation starts with undercover narc officer, Danny Garcia.  Garcia was shot in the head with a .22 then beaten post mortem.  The other victims include a beat cop from a sketchy Southeast DC suburb, an Arlington PD officer working gang related crimes, a Montgomery County patrolman, and a Rockville, MD cop… all similarly brutalized and murdered.  With little information forthcoming from the victim’s families, Singer starts poking around at the gangs in Southeastern DC.  He learns that Garcia was on the take, an action that could provoke the wide reach of the Salvadorian gangs.  But Garcia’s connection to the other victims is not obvious.  Some other motive has to be in play. Singer stirs the pot within the various departments, within the gangs, and within the victim’s families to see what ugly secrets spill out.

OK so Blueblood is not quite the caliber of A Reason to Live, the previous Matthew Iden novel which I raved about in an earlier review...  the plot not quite as clever, the prose not quite as polished, and Marty not quite as appealing.  Nonetheless, it offers a credible story, a likable character and an enjoyable quick paced read… a solid performance in my estimation.  I’m chalking up my mild disappointment to over expectation.  As for more from Matthew Iden, I’m in.