Casey Barrett

The Tower of Songs is book 3 in author Casey Barrett’s Duck Darley series but this thrilling book reads fine as a stand alone.

As the story starts off we witness billionaire Danny Soto being abducted. Fast forward to his teenage daughter Layla and her mom hiring private detective Duck Darley to find her missing father. They have video of Danny Soto being abducted from their penthouse in Manhattan. Layla tells Duck she suspects her grandmother Nai Nai is involved. Nai Nai is the mysterious matriarch of the family and she is well connected.

Private eye Duck Darley is a force to be reckoned with honestly. I enjoyed following alongside him as he tried to find Soto while battling his own demons since he is a recovering addict.
He mentions his former partner and close friend Cassandra Kimball and I was hoping she’d make an appearance in this book, which she does when she helps Duck on the case.

I really enjoyed the writing throughout and the NYC setting. The book takes us from NYC Manhattan to Long Beach Island and the author’s descriptive writing easily transported me to these settings. I also enjoyed the fast pace of the story as it twisted and turned. I didn’t know if Nai Nai was involved in her son’s disappearance or if it was the wife Nicole or who else was behind it. The ending wraps up nicely but also leaves it wide open for the next installment and there was a surprise at the end that I did not see coming. Although this installment reads well as a stand alone I think reading the first book would be helpful in getting a more in depth knowledge of Duck’s background story.

https://bookwormnai.wordpress.com/2019/09/27/the-tower-of-songs-a-duck-darley-no...
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Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. My free review copy of The Tower of Songs (A Duck Darley Novel) by Casey Barrett was courtesy of BookTrip / Meryl Moss Media.… (more)

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Against Nature” by Casey Barrett , Kensington Publishing Corporation, July 2018

Casey Barrett has written an intense, intriguing, mysterious, suspenseful, riveting and page-turning novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, and Thriller. The timeline for this story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes his dramatic cast of characters as complex and complicated.

P.I. Ducky Darley is being called away from his present job by a text from his former partner, asking for his help. Both of them had taken a bullet for each other.

His former partner Cass, has just lost her boyfriend, and feels that it is foul play. Cass’s former boyfriend was writing a book about doping experiements during the Olympics. There are dangerous emotional and physical threats, brutality, deaths, and betrayals. Who can Ducky depend or count on? Each person seems more shady than the last. There are twists and turns, and quirky and strange characters.

I would highly recommend this intense action packed adventure for readers who enjoy these genres.… (more)

I read a lot of mysteries, so as far as this genre goes this was decent writing for a first time author. There were several things that put me off about the book, the first being that one of the main characters is a professional dominatrix I find that revolting. Not to mention that I am Jewish, and there is reference to an S&M event with a Orthodox rabbi which is even more ridiculous. I don't understand why this needs to be a theme of this book. Also the main character in the book is a alcoholic pill popper, and the amount he ingests would put most people in a coma. Not very likable characters.… (more)