Stitches (The Michael Taylor series book 2) by Tiffany Lewis
Summary:
Oakland Police Detective Michael Taylor is faced with another gruesome case: a dead man with no eyes and lips sewn shut. After catching a grisly Bay Area serial killer, Michael is hit on all sides by change. He starts his investigation with a rookie detective for a partner, his love life is in turmoil, and the pressure at the PD is mounting as the newly minted partners receive a second case that is being pressed as a priority. Michael, the consummate loner, has to manage all of his new relationships, keep his wits and juggle the demands of the PD as he tries to get justice for his victim.Â
Just as the tag team start to hit a stride, the murder attempts start to pile up and Michael is in the cross-hairs. The duo must work fast to defend their victim and save Michael’s life.
When a victim of gruesome torture turns up in Oakland, CA, Detective Michael Taylor is put on the case to figure out who the dead man is and what happened to him. Why was he dumped in public? Why were his lips stitched shut? What secrets does he hold?
This is book two in Tiffany Lewis’ Michael Taylor series, but you certainly don’t need to read book one in order to understand Stitches. Lewis does a great job setting the scene and introducing Michael and the rest of the Oakland cops and cast for this high stakes murder mystery. While the story has several POVs, Michael and his partner, Alex, take the spotlight as they work together on not one, but two murder cases.
Chock full of PD descriptions and lingo, Stitches takes the reader behind the scenes of an investigation. Not just the action scenes though - finding the victim, the interviews, and the chase. Lewis shares the full process with us, from databases and informants to desk work and evidence cataloging. As someone with little experience in and knowledge of detective work, I loved being able to visualize each step in the process and how different departments interacted. It created a well-rounded story that felt detailed enough to be real.
And of course, what’s a good secretive story without some heart-pounding action? (I promise to keep this spoiler-free!) Lewis does a great job setting the stakes for this mystery, and once the case gets hot, she steps it up another level! When the danger hits too close to home for Michael, he must depend on his wits and partner in order to stay safe and finally close the case. The action scenes were well-written and easy to follow, and terrifying enough that I was on the edge of my seat hoping for Michael to survive.
If you can’t get enough of Stitches, there’s more! Lewis sets the stage for an even bigger scheme as Stitches comes to a close, with even higher stakes for Michael and Alex. You can fine more about Tiffany Lewis and her Michael Taylor series in her Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Tiffany-Christina-Lewis/e/B00JLJO40S?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1583328177&sr=8-1.
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