Murder in the Hollows

Jake Cashen Crime Thriller Series, Book 1

By: Declan James

Narrated by: Alexander Cendese

One small town’s dark secrets lay hidden in the hollows…

Rumors have swirled around Jake Cashen his whole life. Is he crazy like his father? Is it true they booted him out of the F.B.I. right after he cracked a career-making RICO case? Was he dirty?

Only Jake knows, and he’s not telling. He came back to his tiny hometown at the foot of Ohio’s Blackhand Hills to serve as a deputy sheriff. He hopes to punch a clock and keep his head down until retirement.

It was a solid plan—until someone put a bullet in the head of a revered county judge.

Jake’s new boss knows Jake has a particular set of skills. The Sheriff pins a detective badge on him, whether Jake likes it or not. He could have said no, but as Jake watches the locals nearly bungle the case in the first five minutes, he knows he’s all in.

As Jake digs into the murder, he soon learns Judge Rand had enemies in every corner, and someone hiding in plain sight may be plotting to bring his investigation to a deadly end.

To bring a cold-blooded killer to justice, Jake’s forced to confront every truth he’s tried to escape—even the ones that could bury him.

Murder in the Hollows is the gripping first book in the Detective Jake Cashen thriller series. Author Declan James, a former police detective, brings you authentic crime fiction that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Connelly, Box, Dugoni and Baldacci.

©2022 Declan James Books (P)2023 Podium Audio

Love Jake!

Loved the book. The main character is top notch. The women in his life are overly dramatic at times but overall great story and loved how the story unfolded.

Perfect murder, mystery, book

I enjoy listening to audiobooks while driving. This book made my 8hr round trip drive to Traverse City, Michigan fly by. If you like detective murder, mystery books, you’ll love this one.

Action and drama.

This is an excellent book with plenty of action and excitement. Kept our interest throughout. The reader is outstanding and made the book come alive!

Enjoyed it for the most part

Good story, and as a person hailing from the kind of Ohio small town portrayed in the book, I can say that for me, the story does feel familiar and authentic to what it attempts to convey.

Like some other reviewers, I would point out that the female characters are a bit shallow, anxious and overblown. And … pet peeve here … every time I read a male author describing the hero’s love interest as being “so beautiful she doesn’t need makeup,” I roll my eyes, because it’s clear she’s some man’s “fantasy woman.”

For this reason, alone, I knocked it down one star overall, which is something I do not do often. But I was just peeved enough that I actually noticed my own resentment of the female portrayals on several occasions, which tells me it was more than a fleeting blip (for me at least).

Other than this, the mystery was well plotted, and I certainly did not guess the twist. Would be interested to listen to more of these.

Okay story, bad narration

The narrator overdoes it so much that every character (other than our main character) sounds like a cartoon. The plot was rather predictable but engaging enough.