This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Journalist and novelist John DeDakis (pronounced deh-DAY-kiss) is a former editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer."
DeDakis is the author of three novels in the Lark Chadwick mystery-suspense series: Fast Track, Bluff, (ArcheBooks) and Troubled Water (Strategic Media Books).
In Fast Track, Lark solves the mystery of a car-train collision that orphaned her as an infant. In Bluff, Lark investigates the death of Holly Stone, the daughter of her friend and mentor Lionel Stone. To research the story, DeDakis hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru.
DeDakis is currently working with Pittsburgh psychologist Joyce Wilde on a self-help memoir about their mutual losses (working title: "Healing from Grief: A Conversation").
DeDakis is also working on his fourth novel in the Lark Chadwick series (Working title: "Bullet in the Chamber").
He is working with agent Garry Dinnerman of Beverly Grant Associates (BGA) to bring the screenplay adaptations of his novels to the attention of Hollywood. John's literary agent since 2004 is Barbara Casey.
DeDakis is a manuscript editor and writing workshop leader. During his nearly 45-year, award-winning career in journalism (25 years at CNN), DeDakis has been a White House Correspondent and interviewed such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.
He lives in Washington, D.C. and teaches journalism at The University of Maryland – College Park.
Reviewed by Julia Hopkinson for Readers' Favorite
Troubled Water is the third in John DeDakis's United States-set crime thriller series featuring Lark Chadwick, a young and ballsy investigative newspaper journalist with a nose for a sharp headline, a clever angle, and the solving of murders. This book sees Lark leave her Wisconsin home, job, and friends for a new post in Georgia. Moving from the weekly Pine Bluff Standard to the daily Columbia Sun-Gazette is already a change of pace, but she also finds herself a reluctant part of the story when, on her first night in town, she almost literally stumbles across the body of a teenage girl. Within days, a second victim is found in the same spot and Lark is determined to identify the killer. She finds that she is not short of suspects, and worries that one or two may be taking a personal interest in making her the next headline.
Troubled Water is the first of John DeDakis’s books I’ve read, but the excellent story largely stands alone and does not rely on previous knowledge. Lark is a prickly but likeable heroine, and both a professional and compassionate reporter. DeDakis’s own background and experience as a journalist is evident throughout the book and provides an interesting angle on the whodunit genre. The story is well paced and developed and is a very easy, smooth read, which keeps you guessing until a very effective reveal. I was convinced I knew the identity of the murderer, and was completely wrong! I’m very pleased I’ve discovered the world of Lark Chadwick. I can wholeheartedly recommend Troubled Water and will definitely be reading the earlier books in the series.
