Motive

Dennis M. Adams, a retired Detective with the Buffalo NY Police Department, has had his first crime novel published in 2021. It is called Motive. Although novel indicates a work of fiction, or fabrication, this is only partly true. He explains that many of the incidents and events that appear in the book are based on real life occurrences. In fact, the entire ensemble cast of the Coterie is a conglomeration of character traits and personalities of command officers and detectives he has worked with.

The Coterie is a social group of mostly retired cops, supervisors and detectives, who meet on a weekly basis for camaraderie and to reminisce about ‘back in the day’ when they were at the top of their game. Then the group is called to action when one of their own, retired Chief of Homicide Joe Morgan, alerts them that his grandson had been murdered and announces that the Police Department’s investigation has come to a standstill, as the murderer is believed to be deceased. Morgan knows the case should not be closed until the motive for the murder is determined. Lives depend on it. The Coterie takes up the investigation and is determined to find the motive utilizing some new technology, ‘old school shoe-leather’ investigating, and ingenuity. The members of the Coterie proceed to usher readers through solving several homicides, closing a cold-case murder, and uncovering corruption in the PD. In the end, they do find the motive for the killing of Joe Morgan’s grandson. And yes, it is deadly.

Motive is a fast-moving police procedural mystery that is filled with memorable characters who we all can identify with. The many twists and turns will keep you turning pages; wanting to find out how it ends, but all the time not wanting it to end.