BY REASON OF PRIVILEGE

A nine year-old boy is killed by a hit-and-run driver who is under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Detective Luis Ortiz, the boy's uncle, is assigned to the case and is unable to develop solid evidence against the driver. His investigation, however, opens the proverbial can of worms and uncovers a world of international heroin smuggling, betrayal and murder, all protected by the thin veil of money.

Read as Luis Ortiz and his former partner, Detective Fred Hodge, expose a drug-smuggling ring operated by Mathew Garcia, an unwitting pawn in a larger, more sinister ring.

Local, small-time drug users who had thought that they were immune to the law because of their lofty social stations are arrested and the house of cards begins to crumble.

Rocco Quintana, a thug used by the ring-leaders to do the heavy lifting of drug transport and murder, is ordered to eliminate loose ends as they appear. The problem is that these frayed ends unravel faster than Quintana can deal with them, placing him at the targeted end of the ring-leader's wrath.

As in my previous two novels, all the characters are real and believable, making this a must-read for the suspense aficionado

*****

Dr. Cynthia Lea Clark, Review Coordinator for Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine had this to say:

Detective Luis Ortiz’s nephew is run over by a drunk driver, the son of a very wealthy business man. Ortiz heads up the investigation and uncovers a heroine smuggling ring. But the high priced attorney hired to protect the driver plays fast and loose and gets the case dropped. He convinces the State’s Attorney that their case is simply circumstantial.

Frustrated, Ortiz continues the case. He meets forensic investigator Kathryn DiAgostino and before long he finds himself longing for her. Passion in fact, passion he thought was long gone.

In the meantime, his team is uncovering a series of superficial crimes of what seems to be privileged criminals but eventually they begin to find a deeper world of deceit and power.

Money is the root of all evil, and BY REASON OF PRIVILEGE exemplifies this cliché. As Ortiz follows the money we follow Ortiz on a wild ride.

Once again Frank Caceres has woven a tale of mystery, treachery, and deceit. Not only that, but he has taken a horrible event, the loss of a child and in this case brought closure, which is never easy. Dr. Caceres has done another great job.

On a scale of 1 to 5, I give it 4.8!

Cynthia Lea Clark, Psy.D.

*****

Maurice Williams posted this review in Bookideas.com:

Stoned and drunk Matt Garcia, twenty years old, careens home in his expensive sports car and accidentally runs over nine-year-old Tommy Colon. Matt is so drunk that he doesn't realize what happened. He parks eight blocks away to sleep off his drunkenness as Tommy lies dying in the street.

Tommy's parents, Pete and Gari Colon, unaware of the accident, are busy preparing a Thanksgiving banquet for their extended family. They hear sirens and rush to the accident. Pete's brother-in-law, Luis Ortiz, a Tampa policeman, gets assigned to the hit and run case. Since the driver skipped, Luis suspects drugs and calls in Fred Hodge, a specialist in drug related crimes.

Matt's father, who is already involved in criminal activity, arranges to have his son's car repaired immediately to avert suspicion from his son. As the story develops, it becomes apparent that the father is involved with some very dangerous Albanians. Luis, because it was his nephew that was killed, doggedly pursues the evidence. The Albanians become alarmed and resort to some drastic measures.

This action-packed novel takes the reader through many twists and turns as Luis Ortiz and Fred Hodge relentlessly pursue every clue. What started off as a hit and run gradually evolves into something far more serious. Those involved in the criminal activity, no matter how much they plot to save their own necks, become very much at risk as the Albanians try to cover their tracks. You will enjoy this cleverly plotted novel.