I am delighted to share my review today for Everybody Pays by H. Max Hiller. I adore this author’s Cadillac Holland series and this latest one is the 6th and is my latest favourite. This is a series that I do think is better to read in order as you do get the background on the various regular characters.

Detective Cadillac Holland finds himself performing a dangerous dance, staying a step behind a mobster’s missing diaries and a step ahead of the criminal factions who want them.

Marion ‘Sunset’ Puglisi’s diaries go missing on the eve of the mobster’s release from prison and place Detective Holland in the middle of a brewing gang war between the remnants of New Orleans’ Italian mobsters and outside criminal factions, which includes the nearby Dixie Mafia and an ambitious Russian gangster.
Everyone is prepared to pay whatever it costs to possess the diaries, and even Detective Holland finds the price higher than he expects.

MY REVIEW

This is the 6th book in the Detective Cadillac Holland series and I have read and loved each one. This series just goes from strength to strength and this time around the author has really upped the stakes for Cadillac, Tulip, Katie and Tony.

This is a series that I would definitely recommend reading in order as it sets out the relationships between the four I have mentioned above.

When Sunset is released on parole there is something fishy about it. The rumour is that Sunset has diaries that go back several decades. These diaries could end the careers of politicians, police, and lawyers and also end their lives as well as the lives of some local mob guys as well. This book is set deeply in the world of mobsters, gangsters, criminals and pretty much the worst of the worst. Not happy just having one mobster, the author brings in several along with their lawyers and various agencies such as local police, and the FBI. Now with this mix you know there is going to be at least one or two that are going to let the chance of gaining more power, respect and money got to their heads. It seems to me that pretty much everyone has something that they need to keep secret and so the race is on to find the diaries and discover how they can be used.

Oh my goodness the author really has upped the stakes on this story. There are so many different threads with this book, I did lose myself a couple of times, but found myself back on track as I kept reading. The twists in the story just keep coming and I think the author has done an amazing job of keeping them separate until they are needed to join up[, and when they do… well it comes with a Wow!

Having Cadillac and Tony with their pasts, and then bringing them back into play again was a good move. It adds a little more detail and jogs the memory as to who Tony was and what he is capable of. Luckily having two supportive women with Tulip and Katie, the men do have the expert advice to work their way through any legal problems, they also try to keep the men on the right track. Not always successfully.

This is such a tense story and one that really kept me hooked. It does go into the pasts of some characters and others are brought to the front. As I read this I knew I was never going to see how it was going to end. As there are a few players in this book, they need their own endings. Once again the author brought them successfully and convincingly to where they needed to be.

I do think this series gets better. I do love the inclusion of food, this is one of the author’s passions and it is great to see one of his interests getting a mention.

This is a complex story and case for Cadillac, and it really stretches him on a professional and personal level. It also involves his family as well as his friends and for some, it may actually be a step too far for them. The title is very apt for this book as Everybody does pay in one form or another.

Cracking story and if you like crime thrillers then this is a series you really do need on your radar. Set in New Orleans and full of references to food, districts and streets that tantalise the tastebuds as well as building a vivid image of the area. The author’s knowledge of the area really does shine through, he has his characters running back alleys and shortcuts in their quest for the truth. This is a brilliant series and this latest book is amazing. It is one I would absolutely recommend. Expect to see this on my Top Reads of the Year list!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

H. Max Hiller’s restaurant hospitality career began with a cooking job on Bourbon Street at the age of seventeen. His resume now includes many of New Orleans’ iconic dining and music destinations. Max uses a lifetime of characters and anecdotes to add depth to his Detective Cooter Holland series. He now divides his time writing between his home overlooking the Mississippi River and working as a chef aboard a boat travelling America’s inland waterways.

Social Media Links – Twitter – Facebook – Amazon Author Page

– Indies United Publishing House Author Page

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