Never Been Found (Tomas O'Malley Thriller) - Book Review

A well written and engaging story, Never Been Found by Kenneth S. Kappelmann is a fast and furious thriller told in the first person by Homicide Detective Tomas O’Malley. Set in Chicago’s worst area of the South projects, Detective O’Malley is thrust into the trifecta underworld of drugs, prostitution, and murder. O’Malley summarizes his current case “I had a missing girl, a dead father, a mob boss who was openly letting his turf get taken, some dead hookers…” and then the novel gets complicated.

The intense plot is introduced by a prologue set in a cemetery with gun-toting Jamal facing an armed man. Jamal Jackson, a young, likable basketball star and his family are central to O’Malley’s investigation. Their story is skillfully woven into the plot. We have a murdered father and a daughter,  Jessica, who is missing. She could be dead. She could be hiding out somewhere or kidnapped.  O’Malley needs to find her or her remains to solve the murder case.

O’Malley is joined by his friend and ex-partner, Detective Sullivan, who is investigating the deaths of several prostitutes. Could the cases be related? This breath-taking fast-paced thriller includes some graphic murder scenes. The dead girls are about the same age, from the same area and suffered the same level of beating and cause of death. “Strangled with a rope… cause of death is stabbing.” The coroner is precise and thorough but has not yet been able to connect the murdered girls.

The author’s ability to enable the reader to visualize his characters is notable. A small cocky man “had light brown hair and was wearing a button-up shirt with the top three buttons open, revealing a few gold chains and a hairless chest. To say he was not built would be an understatement.” The man made jokes with the ladies, posturing as he strolled toward the detectives. In another scene, O’Malley is asked how he felt. He answers, “I’m pissed. I feel like crap. In less than twenty-four hours, I have been framed, arrested, betrayed by my boss, been to a funeral, and had a gun pulled on me by a gangbanger. And it is not even dinnertime yet.”

The reader will relate to the vivid personalities of the characters, whether they are likable, quirky, or deplorable.  Kenneth S. Kappelmann also takes the reader on a tour of authentic eateries and other places in Chicago as his protagonist investigates the murder of Malcolm Jackson.

O’Malley must temper his gut feelings about the case with theory and modern police technology as he deals with an epidemic of widespread organized crime in Chicago. The novel will keep the reader’s interest and attention from the first page. The reader will be intrigued by witnessing big-city police work as the mystery of the who-done-it becomes more complicated. Will O’Malley get his man? What is the secret behind the missing Jessica? Did Jessica kill her father?

Never Been Found is a murder mystery that will sooth your crime-solving, clue-finding itch and delight your inner detective.

This novel is the first in a series featuring Tomas O’Malley.