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(Duncan Cochrane #1

They Tell Me You Are Wicked

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Duncan Cochrane wanted to be governor... until the murder of his daughter six weeks before election day.
~~~
Shots Magazine says: "...a compelling picture of the Windy City when it was still in thrall to the mob and its own unique political machine."
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When Duncan Cochrane's daughter is murdered, the candidate for governor can only focus on finding her killer.


As the police investigation follows a trio of unlikely leads, Duncan realizes that his best shot at justice is the bully pulpit of the campaign trail, so he returns to the race and makes crime fighting his mantra.


Soon he discovers that his own ambitions may have caused her death, yet by then he knows that he must win the election or risk political and personal failure.
~~~
Crime Thriller Hound says: "It works as a whodunit, but it’s Cochrane’s story and political life that’ll provide the fuel for this series."
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EVOLVED PUBISHING PRESENTS the first book in the series detailing Duncan Cochrane’s rise to prominence and the personal cost of his public ambitions. [DRM-Free]
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Scott D. Saifer says: "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."
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THE "DUNCAN COCHRANE" SERIES BY DAVID HAGERTY:
Book 1: "They Tell Me You Are Wicked"
Book 2: "They Tell Me You Are Crooked"
Book 3: "They Tell Me You Are Brutal"
Book 4: "They Tell Me You Are Cunning"
~~~
MORE GREAT CRIME THRILLERS FROM EVOLVED PUBLISHING:
"The Oz Files" Series by Barry Metcalf
"A Point Thriller" Series by Jeff Altabef
"Forgive Me, Alex" by Lane Diamond
"The Syndicate-Born Trilogy" Series by K.M. Hodge

ebook

First published August 22, 2015

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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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5 stars
21 (25%)
4 stars
25 (30%)
3 stars
23 (28%)
2 stars
11 (13%)
1 star
2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
Profile Image for Timothy Ward.
Author 12 books123 followers
November 20, 2016
A governor's race and murder mystery in 1978 isn't the norm for my genre reading coziness, but this one became quite cozy as I rushed through to the end to find the killer. Strong use of the time period in setting and character was enhanced as we felt the main character's pressures from society and family in his attempt to balance winning an election while solving the mystery of a lost loved one. I was glad to see in the end that this will be a series because I'm excited to experience another story in this world and through Duncan's family.

*Full disclosure, I am an author with the same publishing company, Evolved Publishing. However, this is my honest appreciation of a high-quality story.
260 reviews1 follower
August 27, 2020
Bored with this book. It sounded like it was going to be a suspenseful store, but I'm halfway through and couldn't care less about any of the characters.
Profile Image for Sarah June.
39 reviews
July 28, 2019
This is a gripping story that pulled me right in the very first page, and kept me guessing and on my toes to the very end. It is a fast-paced, engrossing political thriller and mystery featuring Duncan Cochran, a candidate for the governor of Illinois, a pleasingly complex character with a good moral compass but challenged with flaws and various short-comings. As if running for the top Illinois seat is not enough, Duncan and his family face grief and devastation when they find their daughter murdered. In the final stretch of his campaign, Duncan wrestles with the question of completing the race while also being caught up in question of who did it? The mafia? A political enemy? Someone from his meat-packing days? A stranger or someone closer?

I particularly enjoyed the book's setting of late 70s Chicago, and its uppercrust suburbs. The author is skilled in painting scenes from that storied city with its notorious winds, shady political and crime past, plus the sprinkling in of famed restaurants and public art pieces. This a good read set in pre-computer times which added the enjoyment as we follow Duncan hunting down pay phones and writing hand-written notes and letters.

Though set in the not-so-distant 1970s, the book's central themes and moral questions remain current and relevant today. "They Tell Me You Are Wicked" is the first in four featuring Duncan Cochrane. Start off with the firstone and enjoy the series. It's well written and well worth the time.
Profile Image for Nico Barbee.
90 reviews17 followers
February 18, 2017
They tell me you are wicked by David Hagerty is an interesting read for me because I generally don't do the political crim stuff. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this story very much. The writing style was something I had to get used to but I did enjoy it.

The characters were very well developed. There was drama within the story but not so much that it took away from the main story line. Well done Hagerty! Well done. This is one that I would definitely recommend to others that enjoy this genre of story!
6 reviews
September 3, 2015
What a great read! It grabbed hold of me on the first page and didn't let go until the very end. Well-written, suspenseful and made me think (about the choices we make as parents, among other things) long after the book was over. Looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Holly Nasello.
49 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2022
It's 1976, and the race for Governor of Illinois is getting heated. Duncan Cochrane never thought his family would be a target with crime running rampant in Chicago.

During Duncan's campaign for Governor, his daughter is brutally murdered, and the police have leads... The labor union is one of Duncan's most prominent financial supporters, but their ties to organized crime have the police suspecting them of nefarious deeds. The other suspects questioned by police have a long history of repeat prison sentences.

Duncan now has a new platform for his campaign: Shut the revolving door on prisons. This crackdown could make or break his campaign, but Duncan only cares about one thing - finding his daughter killer, and putting him away for life.

They Tell Me You Are Wicked is thrilling, fast-paced, and a mystery you want to solve. This book is written by David Hagerty, who was a police reporter. He took his knowledge of investigations and police procedures into this story.

Duncan is the typical 1970s family man with a spotlight on his back. When his daughter is murdered, Duncan decides to move on with his campaign in her honor. Hagerty does a great job painting a picture of the mid-70s. The reader sees his conflicts, but from Duncan's point of view, we watch his family start to collapse. His other daughter developed depression, and in the 1970s, mental healthcare was minimal. Technology is limited, meaning DNA evidence is not an option in determining his daughter's killer.

Hagerty also touches on the racial issues of Chicago in the 70s. When Duncan decides to crack down on crime, he self-investigates his daughter's murder and finds many of the suspects are disproportionately black.

Duncan is self-centered. The story is from his perspective, but he tends to choose paths in his best interest rather than that of his family. Instead of focusing on healing and supporting his family, Duncan continues his race for governor. His wife starts to become withdrawn, his daughter develops depression, and his son, who was sent to military school, is insensitive and hostile. I understand grief and emotions were a sign of weakness in the 70s, but the family unit doesn't seem to be restored by the final page.

I give this book 4/5 stars because it is engaging, edgy, and a good political thriller.
Profile Image for Ceelee.
278 reviews4 followers
April 1, 2022
I got this book from Barnes&Noble by mistake.. Not their fault, I was in a hurry and clicked on tte wrong book. Instead of paying postage to return it, I decided to read it. The title was intriguing so I figured it might be la pretty good read. AAUGH! Definitely not for me. The writing was just bad. I mean, who in Chicago says "besmirch" and no American calls a flashlight a torch. The characters were flat plastic people. Josie and Glynis were melodramatic, and Duncan, the candidate for Governor of Illinois was a stereotyped politician throwing his weight around. The son was a spoiled privileged white kid. I didn't see much of Lyndsey, from what I did see I didn't like her.
I figured out the mystery at the beginning because it seemed pretty obvious to.me. The title didn't seem to fit the story but did catch one's interest. To.me, they were all wicked. My take is that it doesn't matter which political party you represent, you can still be a jerk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
95 reviews2 followers
May 3, 2020
The first book in the Duncan Cochrane series left me with indifference as to whether or not to continue. It's the story of a working class man attempting to enter the world of politics only for tragedy to strike his family. Although well written, I struggled to be entertained by the political story line and was disappointed with the story of the murder. It was obvious early in the story as to whom the killer was and disgraceful that the outcome was what one would expect in todays' politics - namely, the cover up of the real killer. The characters also left me wanting to find an emotional connection to any of them, yet, I couldn't. After the murder of the political candidate's daughter, I still struggled to feel any empathy for them as the story moved on to the end when I wanted to understand the choices that were made but which left me feeling with a bad taste in my mouth.
1 review1 follower
January 5, 2022
I love a thriller with twists and turns that I don't see coming - and this kinda delivered. The setting of the late 70s wasn't really clear for me, as the story could arguably have been set in any time period. The story centred on Duncan Cochrane, as the title series suggests and I bought into him quite quickly. Some of the other characters were given less to buy into, but supported the story telling.

It's a page turner, as I was keen to know what happened, or rather who made it happen...

I found the ending a little disappointing - not the outcome, but the abruptness...I guess it's left to pick up in the next book in the series.

An easy read that keeps you interested.
Profile Image for Agnes Muscoreil.
1,248 reviews13 followers
June 22, 2020
Duncan Cochrane is running for Governor of Illinois. . . then his daughter gets murdered six weeks before the election. Now he is more intent on catching her murderer than he is on chasing his political dream. But he soon discovers that his best chance of finding the murderer may be from his campaign podium - fighting crime becomes his prime focus, and is winning him lots of voters in this corrupt state. But sometimes you are better off not knowing, as he will soon learn. A fascinating look at Chicago back in the days when the mob ruled and politics was king.
47 reviews
August 18, 2020
I received this book through Voracious Readers. Duncan appeared to be a good person at the beginning of this book. The murder of his daughter was a terrible blow but did not prevent him contuing with his political ambitions. By the end of the book he had become a politician. His daughter's death was less important gthan keeping family secrets in case his followers found out. He is not yet actually corrupt but I gather there are other books coming and if it follows the pattern of this, he will become the typical corrupt politician that American writers so frquently portray.
E
Profile Image for Robyn.
36 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2020
*I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only*

I was unsure about this book at first as it isn't something I would typically read.
However, I am pleasantly surprised, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is well-written and suspenseful without being outrageously over-the-top as some other suspense novels are.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
26 reviews2 followers
Read
July 21, 2020
I received this as a free read from Voracious Readers Only. It was a good choice!

The story line reminded me of a real life story that happened in this timeline, but not to the same office in this state.

It definitely brought all the characters to life - what happens in the background to very public matters! They were personable. You wanted to know what they were thinking, what choices they would make.

I recommend this book, especially if you enjoy the old Chicago politics.
Profile Image for johanna.
14 reviews
August 13, 2020
very different from my usual reads!
the book provided an interesting insight into the corruptness of american politics from the perspective of someone who ordinarily would not be extremely affected by the decisions or lack thereof from politicians. however, with the murder of his daughter, he (albeit for personal reasons) obtains an urgency to win the election so as to receive justice for his daughter.

the murder mystery portion was gripping and had me enthralled right until the very end.
5 reviews1 follower
August 13, 2020
The overall book had a good story that pointed out how people may come about their political views. It wasn't my style of book. I am not a fan of political novels but I am glad that I gave it a chance as a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. I struggled to read it despite the very entertaining and exciting ending. I believe that if you like political stories this would be right up your alley.
Profile Image for Sheilina.
132 reviews2 followers
April 8, 2021
*book provided by voracious readers in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this suspense filled mystery. I found the mix of the governor's candidacy, family complexity and perspectives of crime and poverty a really compelling background to this sad story. The story is well told, with some interesting pauses, reflections and the reader has plenty of potential suspects until at least half way through the book.

I'd recommend it as a good, swift read.
105 reviews3 followers
October 18, 2020
Great story. I received my complimentary copy from Voracious Readers Only. After reading the first chapter, I had idea what the book was about, but as you continue reading, you realise exactly what the relationship the first chapter has to the rest of the book. A great twist to the story. Enjoyed it immensely.

15 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2021
A murder mystery that takes place during a race for State Governor set in 1978. As a child of the 70's I enjoyed the references to clothing, bands, and songs. This story will have you guessing until the very end... when it becomes a "what would I do ?".
I can hardly wait to read the next book to see what life has in store for Duncan and his family.!!
6 reviews
August 30, 2021
I received this book through Voracious Readers. Sadly although the book was well written I found the heavy bias on the politics a little monotonous. The way Duncan approached his quest to find the truth was unrealistic in my opinion and as a Brit, American politics can be a tricky genre. Sadly I found the family storyline too weak to create a balance.

15 reviews
March 20, 2022
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only

This was an interesting political thriller set in the 70s. I love the musical references of the time. I did pick the killer early on, but I was second guessing myself along the way. The story ended a bit abruptly for my liking.
90 reviews5 followers
November 8, 2019
I love a good murder mystery! This book pulls you in right from the start, I couldn’t put this book down , I had to find out who the killer was! Great book and a must read for any mystery lover! I received a review copy from voracious readers
Profile Image for Lisa.
152 reviews
January 28, 2020
Written by a colleague, the first of this mystery series is a fun read. The narration brings the reader into Chicago politics, specifically the back story of a Chicago politician. There are twists and turns that keep the pages turning, and a true surprise at the end.
Profile Image for Pat Eroh.
2,611 reviews29 followers
March 29, 2020
This is a very compelling book by an author who is new to me. This author has written a wonderful book with believable characters. I am looking forward to reading more books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
14 reviews
April 5, 2020
I received a complimentary review ebook from the author via voracious readers only.

A must read book, I was hooked from page one and couldn't put it down The characters are strong and believable, I felt as though I was in the story with them. I can't wait to read other books in the series.
18 reviews1 follower
April 17, 2020
I received this book from the author through Voracious Readers in exchange for an honest review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes a twist in their plot line.
Profile Image for Catherine Pageault.
33 reviews1 follower
May 5, 2020
This book is a wonderful thriller. The plot has many twist and turns and is incredibly hard to put down once you start reading. Follow Duncan running for governor while also been confronted with family drama and secrets.
Read
December 1, 2020
I have just finished this book and have to say I really did enjoy it. I felt we got to know all the characters and went through all their emotions with them throughout the book. I could not wait to read on.
18 reviews1 follower
April 15, 2021
This was a well written book, but not for me I'm afraid - whilst nominally a crime novel, the balance between crime and politics swayed too far to the latter for my tastes; and being a Brit, the Amercan politics did not resonate.
23 reviews1 follower
May 3, 2021
Great writing. I sure wasn’t expecting who the killer would be!

The story moves along quite well.. A good mix of politics and murder. Looking forward to the next 3 books in the They Tell Me You are....series.
64 reviews
July 28, 2019
Excellent page turner in my state of Illinois. This could be a true story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews

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