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(Duncan Cochrane #2

They Tell Me You Are Crooked

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Two years after the murder of his daughter, Governor Duncan Cochrane must hunt down a sniper and a blackmailer.

[Crime Thriller, Political Thriller, Murder Mystery]

Two years have passed since the murder of Duncan Cochrane's daughter. As governor, he now holds the power to punish all criminals, yet he cannot prosecute her killer without destroying his political career.

Then two new threats emerge: a sniper begins targeting people in Chicago's most notorious housing project, Cabrini Green; and a blackmailer plans to reveal his ruinous family secret.

To protect his own family and those he governs, he moves into the tenements and begins parallel manhunts for both enemies. Along the way, he faces menacing gangs, a mysterious layman, indifferent police, and self-serving politicians, all of whom impede his investigations.

"They Tell Me You Are Crooked" is the second in a trio of novels detailing Duncan's rise to prominence and the personal cost of his public ambitions.

"THEY TELL ME YOU ARE CROOKED" by David Hagerty

Evolved Publishing presents the first book in the Duncan Cochrane series of crime mysteries detailing Duncan's rise to prominence and the personal cost of his public ambitions.

PRAISE FOR BOOK 1 -- "THEY TELL ME YOU ARE WICKED":

"It works as a whodunit, but it's Cochrane's story and political life that'll provide the fuel for this series." Crime Thriller Hound

..".a compelling picture of the Windy City when it was still in thrall to the mob and its own unique political machine." Shots Magazine

..".outstanding and it is so well-written and well-plotted that it is hard to believe it is a debut novel." Theresa O'Loughlin

"This is one of those surprise-ending novels that are so tightly constructed that it's hard to write synopsis without giving away an important detail. Hagerty makes a contemporary political point, but gently enough that you can just enjoy the story if you are not interested in the politics. If you are interested in modern American politics, he may help you understand how people come to take sides on a current issue." Scott D. Saifer

More Great Mysteries & Crime Thrillers from Evolved Publishing: "Hot Sinatra" by Axel Howerton; "Red on the Run" by K.M. Hodge; "Shatter Point" by Jeff Altabef; "Forgive Me, Alex" by Lane Diamond

240 pages, Paperback

Published August 15, 2016

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About the author

David Hagerty

15 books11 followers
Stories about crimes have always resonated with me, whether it was Crime and Punishment or The Quiet American. Maybe it’s because I started my career as a police reporter, or because I worked for a time as a teacher in the county jail.

More than a decade ago, when I decided to finally get serious about writing, I started with short stories based on real misdeeds I’d witnessed. I wrote one about my next door neighbor, who’d been murdered by a friend, another about an ambitious bike racer who decides to take out the competition, and a bunch of others based on characters I met in jail.

Over time these got picked up by various magazines online and in print. More than a dozen now exist, with most of the latest in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Big Pulp.

For my debut novel, They Tell Me You Are Wicked, I drew inspiration from the most infamous event in the history of my hometown: the killing of a political candidate’s daughter (though I made up all the details).

Since then, I have added two more books to the series and have the fourth nearly completed..

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Judy Johnson.
774 reviews2 followers
June 6, 2017
Although this is the second installment of the Duncan Cochrane thriller, it can absolutely hold it's own as a stand alone if you didn't read the first book, They Tell Me You Are Wicked. This is a great continuation of the story started in the first book, and finds Cochrane not only having to deal with so many circumstances he never bargained for, but having to intervene in areas where others are clearly non-caring and complacent! All this and having to deal with his own secrets and demons while trying the maintain the position he was elected into. Without any spoilers, this book is great, the characters are well developed, and it was hard to put down. It moved along nicely, the multiple plots all fit together, and leave you satisfied at the end, but also looking forward to the third book. If thrillers are your thing, then this is the book for you!
321 reviews5 followers
June 5, 2021
Another really interesting book, following Duncan Cochrane as he is now governor.
Still battling with his demons over the death of his daughter, when a young man is killed on a housing estate, to show how seriously he takes it, Duncan moves in and tries to find the killer.
I'm not sure how accurate the depiction of 1970s America is, but many of the issues resonated today.
Great book, would recommend it wholeheartedly.
Look forward to reading the next in the series.
Profile Image for Deedra.
3,864 reviews29 followers
March 26, 2023
audio:This was SO much better than book one! The characters were more fleshed out and personable.Narration by Darren Todd was well done.The story was set in the 1960's with child killings at thr forefront.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Profile Image for Larry.
Author 24 books30 followers
September 21, 2016
Who'd have ever thought that a contemporary novel about 1970s Illinois state politics would be so engrossing? Imagine a David Baldacci novel, but with more depth of character.

On one level it's a complex political and psychological thriller interweaving three simultaneous plotlines: political shenanigans and backroom deals to get a prison funding bill passed, the search for a cold-blooded sniper who's been gunning down innocents in a Chicago public housing estate, and the Illinois Governor's frostbitten relationship with his family.

First, the political story. The author has clearly done his homework, painting a jaw-droppingly believable picture of politics in the capital hallways and bars. Many of the dialogues between the Governor and his aides are brilliantly reminiscent of "The West Wing". Never mind that it takes place in the 1970s; it all feels refreshingly relevant to today.

On the next level is the crime story. The housing estate sniper would work as a stand-alone thriller plot, with an ending I'd never have guessed, but made sense in the end. The fact that it is threaded in with the other narratives makes the novel that much richer.

Then there's the personal story. It's the portrait of the Governor which elevates this novel to the top of this genre. He is a complex, multi-faceted, conflicted and often hypocritical man, haunted by past tragedy and current events that seem barely under his control. It's enough to make this otherwise typical politician a character, if not always admirable, someone who deserves empathy. His search to exorcise his demons leads him to the most unlikely of places. Fortunately, the author spares us a happily-ever-after gratuitous ending in favor of something more nuanced and satisfying.

Other characters are also very well portrayed. The reader gets to know and understand the various personalities in a short space of time, through their actions and dialogue.

I normally wouldn't give any genre novel 5 stars. But this book goes a touch beyond the expectations of the political-psychological thriller, with its complexity of plot and, importantly, by being imbued with lots of heart. This is the first novel I've read in quite awhile that I simply couldn't put down.

By the way, although it's the second book in a three-part series, it works as a standalone.

I was given an advance copy in return for my honest review. I honestly think it's great.
6 reviews
October 4, 2016
I loved the first book in the series and couldn't wait for the second one. It is every bit as good as the first--a gripping tale that grabs and doesn't let go. Can't wait for the third book now!
Author 2 books
September 27, 2016
Insomniac Duncan Cochrane, Governor of Illinois, wakes almost nightly at 2:34 a.m. It's 1970 and he's two years into his first term, still learning how to deal with pork barrel politics, initiatives stalled in committee, overcrowded prisons, insufficient funds, and a distant wife and children who don't seem to care what he wants. Then he starts getting anonymous letters about the past murder of his daughter. Somebody knows his secret.

Cochrane tries to find out who's sending the letters while he races from one political engagement to another, seeking cooperation from cynical office holders and trying to keep the media on his side. When a sniper starts picking off the residents of Chicago housing project Cabrini Green, he takes the rash step of moving into the slum to draw attention to the fact that Chicago police and housing authority are doing nothing to keep its residents safe. Then things get even more interesting.

This is a well paced political thriller with terrific writing and great characters. Cochrane is particularly involving and sympathetic, despite his flaws, because he's smart, he takes action, and he's unpredictable. The 1970s atmosphere is rendered perfectly in the styles, automobiles, and a million other details like B-boying, hot pants and VCRs. Hagerty's prose is lean and lucid.

I haven't read #1 yet, but I'm going to now. Good for anyone who enjoys a compelling story told well.

Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Jessica Mitchell.
2,053 reviews17 followers
May 5, 2017
They tell me you are crooked
David Hagerty

A mystery thriller with a governor trying to solve a mystery. Because it seems no one cares about the little town and it people.

Running as the governor can be tireding. And trying to find his daughters killer from two years ago don't help either. So when news that a sniper is killing people left and right. In a town called Cabrini. He decides somethimg must be done to help these people. He moves in, to live and gain their trust in stopping the killer. But will it be enough? Does anyone know who the killer is?
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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