Someone Had to Die by Jack Luellen
Published: March 8, 2022
Torchflame Books
Pages: 397
Genre: Police Procedurals
KKECReads Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.
Jack Luellen is a Denver, Colorado, attorney with over 30 years of experience. In practice, Jack has tried cases to courts and juries and has written hundreds of briefs, motions, and memoranda, to state and federal courts, including federal courts of appeal and the United States Supreme Court. In 1990, Jack first started working on cases related to the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena and had investigated the case in the years since that time. Jack’s investigations have taken him to foreign countries and included interviews with notorious and infamous witnesses. This work has been the background to Jack’s upcoming novel; Someone Had to Die. Jack is the proud parent of an amazing daughter and is a weekend warrior on the tennis courts.
For James Butler, a partner in a prestigious boutique law firm in Orange County, that case is the 1985 murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Though the murder occurred more than 35 years ago, James can’t shake the nagging feeling that maybe the investigators missed something. The more James digs into this cold case, the more unwanted attention he gathers from powerful forces on both sides of the border who would prefer to keep the case closed.
“Well, this just got real.”
James is a successful attorney with a thriving practice. He also has an old case that haunts him. With the help of an exceptionally gifted paralegal and some other well-appointed characters, James embarks on a journey that will take him to places he has never been. And it might cost him his life.
This was well researched. It was undeniable from page one that a lot of passion, time, dedication, and compassion went into writing this novel.
It was also evident that Jack Luellen is an attorney. The man is brilliant and knows how to research a case.
This novel is based on a true story, mixed fact with fiction beautifully. I loved James and Erica and found their chemistry very natural. I enjoyed how the plot unfolded; it felt very authentic.
I was not familiar with this case before reading this book, so I appreciated how detailed the explanations were. While exceptionally well written, this was a very dense book, and I had to slow down to make sure I was catching all of the information.
This novel mentions several documentaries that I will have to check out because this case was bananas. I found the writing, plot, characters, and ending brilliantly done.
I love that this book ended on a cliffhanger, which means hopefully, we will get more with James, Erica, and the team!