ARC Review: The Dark Circle by Robert J. Mrazek

The Dark Circle
Author: Robert J. Mrazek
Series: Jake Cantrell (Book 2)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (August 9, 2022)

Description: From award-winning author Robert J. Mrazek, ex-army officer Jake Cantrell embarks on a harrowing journey, unraveling the conspiracy behind an opioid epidemic and strange disappearances in upstate New York.

Jake Cantrell tried to put his past behind him and settle down after suffering an unjust disgrace as an army officer. He works as a campus security officer at a small college in upstate New York. But things aren’t so placid in his leafy new environs. A mass opioid crisis threatens to devastate the campus. When two football players on the new drug attack Jake with bats, Jake is fired for the excessive force he has to use to subdue them.

Newly unemployed, Jake is retained by Lauren Kenniston, the editor of the Groton Journal, to find missing college student Deborah Chapman, a gifted young jazz vocalist who has performed at Carnegie Hall.

Along with Bug, the eighteen-year-old wolf hound he saved in Afghanistan, Jake sets out on the search. Battling street gangs, nefarious secrets, and an enigmatic group called the Knights, Jake is set for a brutal showdown that could mean Deborah's rescue--or Jake's demise.

Fans of Robert J. Mrazek's award-winning thrillers are in for a non-stop ride into the abyss with the second installment in his critically acclaimed series.

My Thoughts: Jake Cantrell has just lost his job as campus security for a small college in upstate New York when he is approached by local reporter Lauren Kenniston to look into the disappearance a Deborah Chapman. Deborah is a college student and a gifted jazz singer. 

Since Jake doesn't have anything to do, and Lauren is offering $200 a day, he decides to try even though he has no experience as a private investigator. He's soon deeply involved with the opioid crisis that is flourishing in the area. He finds Deborah in a crib for drug-addicted prostitutes and then has to discover how this bright, talented virgin ended up there.

He and Lauren, who lost a brother to opioids, begin to look into things and discover that Deborah was apparently targeted by a sex cult and she wasn't tie first victim. Their search leads them to a shady casino, corrupt cops, corrupt government employees, and a cabal of rich dudes.

The story has a lot of violence as both Jake and a couple of people he is working with are targeted and beaten by the villains. Jake returns the favor and leaves a trail of bodies behind him before settling for some vigilante justice.

I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller. I really liked the descriptions of upper New York State and the cities and small towns that are rotting from within. The characters were engaging. 

Favorite Quote:

When it comes to alcohol, my personal philosophy has always been to take it or leave it. Since Afghanistan, I haven't left it. It usually cuts down on the nightmares. In idle moments, I take comfort in the thought that I have personally stabilized the economy of Tennessee.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.