Crime thrillers and mysteries are my favorite book themes and I almost always have a couple of mysteries on my reading list at any given time. I was a little intrigued by the cover art for Hawk MacKinney's Hidden Chamber of Death--it made the book's content a truly "hidden" mystery and I was excited to read and review the novel. What did I think of Hidden Chamber of Death?

I received a complimentary copy of this book for use in my review--and you can win a copy in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post! All opinions are my own.
 
Quick Summary of Hidden Chamber of Death. Hidden Chamber of Death is a compelling tale of intrigue, murder, deception and suspense that leads retired Navy SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram in search of the connection between seemingly random murders and a banking conspiracy.

​Working with the local homicide investigator, who just happens to be a former Navy buddy, Craige Ingram's attempts to protect a lonely widow and solve the case before another person dies are only thwarted by a psychotic killer whose motivation is based on pure depraved pleasure. In this first book of the MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY SERIES, the instincts and skills Ingram and his buddy acquired as Navy SEALS are tested to their limits.

What is he/she up to? I love asking myself that question when I read a mystery! It doesn't always happen though. I found myself meeting each new character introduced by MacKinney with a little doubt and skepticism. The author did a wonderful job keeping a little mystery around his characters--and that adds so much to the suspense of the story. While I wanted to like (or dislike) characters immediately--I wasn't sure about some of them and their motivations. I like wondering about characters for a bit! I like that I grew to like and dislike characters through the plot development and not through each character's initial description. 

MacKinney creates more than a likeable hero in Ingram. I expected to like the main character--but, MacKinney takes it a step further in that he made me want to follow the main character's future adventures and future stories from the series. Ingram is an "old fashioned" character, I think. He's the dependable, real-world, guy that everyone wants in their corner. The story reminded me of the old detective shows and crime dramas that I watched on t.v. with my Grandpa when I was a little girl. It's not a dated story--it's just one of those books where you say, "You don't find someone like that everyday."

Would I recommend Hidden Chamber of Death by Hawk MacKinney? The author creates an action packed, suspenseful, easy to read story with characters readers will enjoy. Readers will fall easily into the setting through the the author's descriptions and dialogue--and will want to follow future Moccasin Hollow mysteries. I would recommend this book to murder mystery fans--who also enjoy a bit of a conspiracy and creativity.

​Buy the book:  Amazon   Barnes & Noble

Meet the Author: Internationally acclaimed author and public speaker, Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspapers. Following graduation, he served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel.

In addition to professional articles and texts on fetal and adult anatomy, Hawk has authored several novels that have received national and international recognition.Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. This was followed by the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. In a change of direction, October of 2012 saw the release of Hawk’s first science fiction novel, The Bleikovat Event, in The Cairns of Sainctuarie series. Volume II, The Missing Planets, was released in 2014 with Volume III in the works.

​Hawk’s latest project focuses on The Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Hidden Chamber of Death is Book 1 in the series.

​Connect with the author:  Website  

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