Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite

The former NYPD detective and now a private Investigator Joey Mancuso would never have guessed that the text message he received from an anonymous contact − which instructed him to go to one of New York’s subway stations at a specific time − would lead him to a murder scene. To the NYPD’s and Mancuso’s team of private investigators’ horror, Mancuso receives four similar anonymous texts over the next few days, leaving them staring at four more murder scenes. Why was the murderer texting Mancuso? Perhaps what Mancuso found more frustrating was the fact that both his team and the NYPD barely had any solid leads for the cases, except for the consistent words “white male” and “blue trench coat with a hoodie” by different witnesses describing the man who was clearly on a killing spree. The FBI takes charge of the investigation which had New York’s media houses buzzing with headlines, obliging the NYPD and Mancuso’s team to watch from the sidelines. Was the killer going to strike again? Despite having few suspects, all of whom seemed dead-end leads, a few clues, and with the help of the NYPD, Mancuso is determined to nab the killer. Get yourself Owen Parr’s A Deadly Scam: A Joey Mancuso, Father O'Brian Crime Mystery - Book 9 to know how it all goes down.

Grab a bag of popcorn because once you turn to the first page, you will only drop the book after flipping through the last page. Owen Parr hatches an intriguing plot with amazing twists, cliffhangers, and an exciting cast. He unfolds the storyline insightfully, yet at the same time maintains a subtle tone throughout the narration, keeping readers on edge with suspense, tension, and thrills. He gives impressively vivid depictions of scenes and characters. He captures the mood and setting of scenes uniquely, making me feel like I was right there with the cast in every scene, helplessly watching them make their every move. I loved how he generates a dramatic effect in his action scenes. This coupled with a great sense of wit made the reading experience quite a hilarious ride. In particular, I found Mancuso’s interaction with NYPD’s Vance quite amusing. The cast was wonderfully developed, each of their traits and sentimental moments being well brought out. Mancuso is NYPD’s best investigative brain, yet he meets a villain who seems to always be a step ahead of him. A Deadly Scam is a magnificent piece of work. Although being the latest installment in a crime mystery series, it is a stand-alone read and will appeal to murder mystery enthusiasts.