The prose is crisp and delectable and the overall writing featuring descriptions that pull readers into a dark wave sweeping through a city. The chilling story is fast-paced, twisty, and with the potential to hold readers awake throughout the night. — Bertin Drizller

5 STARS: A serial killer on the loose, a city on edge, and a rookie, not your run-of-the-mill detective still learning the trade in the most ruthless of manners are elements that set The Red Hand by Michael Stephen Daigle apart, a fourth entry into the Frank Nagler Mysteries.

Ironton, N.J.is terrified by the bodies that pile up, counting nine bodies over several months. There is no clear M.O. for the murders and the diversity in the style of killing makes it even more difficult to determine if they are orchestrated by the same person. But there is so much more to that: the victims are people with different backgrounds — and Nagler has to establish the connection between them and solve the mystery. But how?

It is a far-from- a-burner kind of book to read, and the author creates a compelling character for a protagonist, a rookie detective with personal and family issues. His wife’s health is declining and in spite of all he has to worry about, his first case is a complicated one and he finds himself pithed against an unpredictable and savage murderer. The vulnerability of the protagonist and the inhumanity written into his personality attract the sympathy of the reader instantly. Michael Stephen Daigle is deft with the developmental arc, allowing readers to watch as the characters evolve through the conflict, learning to walk straighter from their initial, sluggish steps.

The Red Hand is the first novel I am reading from this author, and while it is part of a series, it reads perfectly as a standalone novel. The prose is crisp and delectable and the overall writing featuring descriptions that pull readers into a dark wave sweeping through a city. The chilling story is fast-paced, twisty, and with the potential to hold readers awake throughout the night.

https://thebookcommentary.com/index.php?view=Book_Detail&Book_id=192&reviewID=75

“The Red Hand” was named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2019 Big NYC Book Contest

Named Second Place winner for mysteries in the 2019 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards

Named a Notable 100 Book in the 2019 Shelf Unbound Indie Book Awards

Named a Distinguished Favorite in the 2020 Indepndent Press Awards

A Nominee in the 2020 TopShelf Book Awards

Available At: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00P5WBOQC)

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-red-hand-michael-stephen-daigle/1132368097

kobo.com and walkmart.com

Audio version of THE SWAMPS OF JERSEY at audible and itunes.com

Coming soon: Audio version of THE RED HAND, read and produced by Dane Peterson.

Here’s a sample: https://www.facebook.com/imzadipublishing/videos/215441556340654/