Hampstead County Police Department is embroiled in scandal after corruption at the top of the force was exposed. Cleared of involvement and returned to active duty, Detective Sergeant Casey Wray nonetheless finds herself at a crossroads when it becomes clear not everyone believes she’s innocent.
Corruption
Partnered with rookie Billy Drocker, Casey works a shocking daytime double-homicide in downtown Rockport with the two victims seemingly unknown to one another. And when a third victim is gunned down on her doorstep shortly after, it appears an abusive ex-boyfriend holds the key to the killings.
Murder
With powerful figures demanding answers, Casey and Billy search for the suspect, fearing he’s on a murderous rampage. But when a key witness goes missing, and new evidence just won’t fit, the case begins to unravel.
Danger
With her career in jeopardy, Casey makes a shattering discovery that threatens to expose the true darkness at the heart of the murders… with a killer still on the loose…

I stumbled upon the Detective Casey Wray crime series on the Large Print shelves of my local Public Library. After reading and enjoying ‘Black Reed Bay‘ (2021), the first book in the series, I was surprised that this series hasn’t been more heavily promoted. I think it deserves a wide readership.

I was delighted to find that my Public Library also had a copy of the recently published second book in the series, ‘Shatter Creek‘(2025), so I dived in,

‘Shatter Creek’ carried straight on from the events in ‘Black Reed Bay‘. in which Casey Wray uncovered substantial corruption in her police department; a discovery which has placed her own career under a cloud and has led to the hiring of a new Captain of Detectives from outside the local force.

Like the first book, ‘Shatter Creek‘ had a propulsive plot, full of secrets, betrayals and threats for Casey Wray to unravel and navigate. This time around, Casey is more aware than ever that she doesn’t really know what is going on or who, if anyone, she can trust. All she wants is to focus on collecting evidence and working out who shot a prominent, if dodgy, businessman in broad daylight. Instead, she finds herself having to spend as much energy on managing the politics as she does on solving the case.

exactly what it was that I was so pleased with. There’s nothing innovative in either form or content in the book. It’s a police procedural with well-drawn, strong characters driving the action. The thing is, everything in the book works. I found the prose engaging without ever drawing attention to itself. The pacing kept me wanting to read one more chapter. The ending made me hope I won’t have to wait three years for the next book. 

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Here’s how Rod Reynolds describes himself on his website

“At age 29, I hadn’t written a word of fiction since secondary school. Five years later, my debut novel was published by Faber & Faber. Along the way, I discovered a passion for writing and creating stories that has become my life’s work.

My journey included studying for an MA in Novel Writing at City University, London; dragging my wife and children around historic murder sites in Texarkana, USA, on a research trip; dragging them back to Arkansas to visit gangster hangouts from the ’40s; and countless hours hammering the keys on this very keyboard. 

I’ve picked up some good habits (some of them even related to writing!), some bad habits (your characters can only look off into the distance so many times, Reynolds), and a world of new friends (the crime writing community is incredibly welcoming and filled with awesome people).​

Writing comes with ups and downs, but it’s a privilege to get to share my stories with you, my readers, and it’s one that I don’t take lightly. Whenever you pick up one of my books, know that I’ve poured my heart and soul into it, because anything less isn’t good enough.”