Monday 30 May 2022

False Positive - Andrew Grant - Detective Cooper Devereaux Book 1

False Positive
Detective Cooper Devereaux Book 1
aka Andrew Child
ISBN 9780345540768
eISBN 9780345540775
ASIN B00S3R6HXG


This is the fourth volume I have read by Andrew Grant, actually it is the second by just him, I have read the two he wrote with his brother Lee Child, published under the name Andrew Child. I believe Grant has 9 books published under the name Andrew Grant, and two contributions to anthologies. He has also contributed to one anthology as Andrew Child. I picked a few of his books after reading Even. I have enjoyed both his offerings in the Reacher series, and also now enjoyed both of the books I have read in his own series.

I believe Grant has three series and a standalone novel. I have yet to decide if I will read each series in parallel, between the 2 Reacher novels and the first in Detective Cooper Devereaux Series and the first in the David Trevellyan Series I am certain I will read all the books he has published.

I stated in a previous review that I had not known that Andrew Grant was Andrew Child and had read this story, I would have stated that it reminded me a lot of the Reacher novels. Except this time David Trevellyan if still active duty for the Royal Navy and home office. But his style, panache, and focus are similar to Reacher’s. The same could be said for Detective Cooper Devereaux. And other that he is still actively a police officer even greater similarities. 

The beginning of the description of this book states:

“Alabama detective Cooper Devereaux makes no apologies for his luxe lifestyle or the way he does his job. Most cops haven’t lived the kind of life he has—starting out as an orphan, raised by a grizzled cop savior—and most don’t use his kind of high-risk tactics. But he may have met his match in fellow detective Jan Loflin, who’s fresh off a long undercover stint in Vice when they’re partnered on a case that will test them both beyond their direst nightmares.

A seven-year-old boy has disappeared from his home in the Birmingham suburbs. But the more Devereaux digs into the missing child’s background, the more he discovers about his own, eventually shaking loose a series of harrowing truths—about bloodlines, mass murder, obsession, and what two damaged detectives have in common with the innocent victim they’re so desperate to save.”

Cooper does not always follow the rules. But he always seeks to get the bad guys and protect the innocent. He has a storied past, and in this story that past catches up to him and there are secretes unravelled in the case he is working, that reveal things from his own past. Things he was not aware of and some he was deceived about. He even reaches a point of questioning his own reason for being who he is. There are several cathartic moments in the story for both Cooper and for Loflin. But most important of all, there is a missing child to be rescued. But to find out what happens you will need to read this excellent story.

Many readers of this book would make comparisons to Reacher, especially if they are aware of the author’s legal name. But Cooper is a different character and the story told in a different manner. I appreciated that the chapters starting at nine have the day and number of hours the child has been missing. I greatly appreciated seeing into Devereaux’s mind, process and thought patterns.  

This story was very hard to put down. I stayed up many hours later than I should have on a work night to finish the story. I devoured it over a single day in a few different sittings. It is an excellent read. If you love a good crime, suspense, thriller with great action this is a book for you. I am certain fans of Reacher, Bourne, Jack Ryan could all appreciate Cooper and how he gets the job done. It was a great second read from Grant’s pen! 

Books by Andrew Grant:

David Trevellyan Series:

Detective Cooper Devereaux Series:

Paul McGrath Series:

As Andrew Child with Lee Child:
Jack Reacher Series:

Books Andrew Grant Contributed To:
In the Company of Sherlock Holmes
Murder and Mayhem in Muskego




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