Black Frog

Author B.D. Smith (The Ice Maiden, 2017) continues to showcase his crime-thriller passion with Detective Doug Batemen. This is the second detective book in the standalone series. While the storyline fits the bill for police procedural and delivers an expert crime element, the novel could have been fleshed out a bit more—the reader almost always enjoys a little more background and detail to fill in the gaps. To add to the believable mystery is an also-engaging relationship between the male and female detectives.

Sublime Line: “Fans of great detective series such as True Detective or The Killing will find a home with B.D. Smith and his lead detective, Doug Batemen.”

There is a bit of a time jump from the first book. Things aren't as expected but they are interesting. The characters are back and there is a weird mystery to solve. There are plenty of twists and surprises. It feels like the series is still in the developing stage. The plot is fast paced with plenty of action. I will be anxiously waiting for the next book!

Maine

The Black Frog is the name of the local restaurant near the courthouse. The law enforcement professionals include county sheriff deputy, state police detective, and phone contact with FBI. The murders are oddly linked and even more oddly executed. The serial rapist seems to be of a religious sex cult. All very weird but oddly compelling. There are also professional and romantic undercurrents. I read it in one hot morning. The ending is just plain strange.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Black Rose Writing via NetGalley.

Black Frog by B.D. Smith is a well-written mystery that held my attention throughout the book. While it is the second book in the series, it worked as a standalone novel.

The story takes place in central Maine and the main protagonists are Detective Doug Bateman with the State Police Major Crime Unit and Anne Quinn with the Piscataquis County Sheriff’s Department. Doug is called in to investigate a murder where vintage axes have been used and Anne is investigating a bizarre series of sexual assaults. I won’t go into more details in order to avoid spoilers.

The story line is intricate, believable and had some surprises. It includes themes of murder, sexual assault, sexual harassment, drugs, and even some romance. The characters are well developed and the author did a great job of giving enough description to make the Maine woods and small towns come alive.

One item that was confusing to me until nearly the end was the prologue which took place during World War II. How does it fit in? The remainder of the novel takes place in contemporary times. Intrigued? I recommend reading the novel to find out how it fits into the story line. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Many tanks to Black Rose Writing, B.D. Smith and Net Galley for a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Black Frog is the 2nd in the detective series, but can be read as a standalone novel. It is a page turner as Doug and Anne both detectives are busy investigating different cases when the rapist Doug is investigating turns his attention to Anne.

If you like police type novels, then this is the one for you as it definitely keeps you at the end of your seat. The characters are well written and the plot is believable.

This book was provided free of change in exchange for my honest opinion. I definitely recommend this book

I give this book a 4 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️