Into the Fire

All the Devils Are Here by Mark Dawson is Book 4 of the Atticus Priest Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers.

Book 4 finds Atticus Priest, Private Investigator, and his police detective girlfriend ("Mac") trying to keep their distance from each other as she faces a custody challenge from her ex-husband for her two children. 

In the meantime, Atticus is hired to investigate the estranged wife – soon to be divorced – of a horribly unlikeable and wealthy real-estate developer who is facing some heat about bribing council members to secure building rights on certain properties. He needs dirt on her which he thinks will be easy to find since her business of "wild swimming" and all the products associated with it for mental and physical well-being are just props she doesn't believe in. She does it for the money and she's acquired a devoted and lucrative following on her social media platform.

Parents visit the police station regarding their adult son (Thomas), former military with PTSD, claiming he's missing. Another female detective who served takes their inquiry and vows to look into where he might be, having vacated the shelter where he had a room.

Atticus poses as a journalist for a magazine to interview the estranged wife and manages to get an appointment.

Five longtime friends gather regularly at a particular pub, one of whom is Thomas, but at this evening session, Thomas, after getting very drunk, gets angry and threatens to go to the police over something that they've all kept secret for years. Guilt is eating away at him. The female leader of their group tries to reason with him, but this night he's not having any of it. He mentions a girlfriend he's spoken to about it but won't give her name. When the episode is over, their leader decides they have to find out what this girlfriend knows to determine their next steps.

Atticus sees a dark-dressed stranger rifling through the garbage in back of his office but is too late to get to him. 

This is the background laid out in divided sections before the piece-by-piece confluence of events leads to a bizarre and dangerous relationship between all of it with Atticus right in the middle of it. 

It seems like it can never come together at times between the five sociopathic friends, with the exception being Thomas, the greedy couple seeking a divorce, Atticus, Mac, and the other detective, but it does. Death presents a real payback for some, but life goes on for others. 

Atticus discovers a unique friend and makes plans to increase his business while able to do what Mac cannot in her position. 

It's a good tale and an interesting mystery. Atticus is always entertaining, one of my favorite characters. 

Highly recommend The Atticus Priest Series. 

(Some profanity.)

Father, you know all hearts and minds. Please continue to bless Mark and his writing, giving him the stories you have just for him to tell. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.