Thicker Than Water (A Leo Waterman Mystery)

Leo goes with the flow leaving the city behind him and follows the landscape in search of the young woman deep into the rain-soaked Washington woods. Even her thirst for adventure in the forest cannot be cooled even when two people are brutally killed.

Caroline is headed on to something toxic, and unless Leo can clear the air, her lethal dedication could also poison him as well. Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca marks the beginning of a spending ride. The author gives the world an intense, splendid, and somehow flawed man. The truth is that Leo is flawed; something that his father notes as well, as he stipulated in his will that he Leo can never inherit the fortune that his father acquired through the legal and illegal means until the time he is past new adulthood.

This is justified by his unconventional ways of making ends meet by working as a private investigator. However, in his job as a hired detective, he is aided by a group of street rats, misfits, the only people who are capable of working in places where only the invisible can exist. This installment is what would become the hallmark of Leo Waterman stories, and with it comes lots of suspense, body count increases and Leo and his gang of cronies find themselves in more trouble and almost killed as well. Chump Change is the first novel in Leo Waterman series by G. The book introduces a Seattle Private Investigator, Leo Waterman whom after several years of hardships in trying to make his ends meet, finally inherits a trust fund from his late father.

He cannot come to terms with inheriting such amounts of money, and his feelings and thoughts show a conscious awareness. Apparently, it appears that retirement and Leo do not mix, especially after Leo discovers that he knew the dead man. As a private investigator, Leo begins the quest for the truth and soon finds that there are more questions than the answers and the more he seeks the answers, the more he is drawn deeper into the investigation.

This series installment presents an excellent story that is intriguing and full of mysteries to solve. Much of this story is set on the eastern side of the Cascades, near the Idaho border. There is a lot of action-packed scenes that Ford has added into this debut novel. The characterization done by the author is brilliant; the characters are easy to like as well to care about.

The villains are evil, but fortunately, the author makes use of the good guys to ensure that the bad guys are brought to justice. Salvation Lake is the 9th installment in Leo Waterman series by G. It is one of the best Leo Waterstone series novels. As expected, Leo heavily relies on his gang of offbeat and irregular prisoners- George, Ralph, and others to help him.

Leo ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, whose profession is a medical examination, works on the bodies to find their cause of death while Timothy Eagan, a cop based in Seattle Police Department warns Leo not to get involved in the case. However, Leo finds it impossible to let go of the case, and goes ahead and discovers that one of the corpses was a homeless man, Charles Stone.

The other body is that of Blaine Peterson who is from a well-respected family. What could be the connection between these two victims who seem to have come from very different social spectrum?

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However, it turns out that the two men used to be married to Theresa Calder, a lady who appeared out of nowhere and then vanished after ending her marriage with Blaine. The trail that Leo follows leads him to a religious cult headed by Aaron Townsend. It is also discovered that there are historical ties related to the Mob and lethal gang which means harm to both Leo and his gang of friends. You might notice it right off the bat, especially since the chapters are extremely long.

Aug 22, Harvey rated it really liked it Shelves: Ford decided to continue this series after a large gap. This one was hard to find via library so I finally broke down and bought a used paperback. Reconnecting with a slightly more mature Leo was fun and the gang is still there. Leo puts them in some tough spots but the good guys prevail. Will definitely look for the next one. Aug 15, Darcey Tomasino rated it liked it. Not the best one Like other reviewers, I was puzzled by the changes in Leo's character. Never carried a pocket knife, let alone a gun?

He carried two guns and a sap in book four. I did skip books five and six because I didn't want to buy them, so perhaps I missed something big, like selective amnesia. Nov 27, Wpayne rated it it was amazing. Thicker Than Water Leo's adventures never disappoint. Fantastic nail biting action that kept me reading. Great story--love Leo and his mottely crew. Thank you G M Ford for another wildly entertaing, heart stopping action adventure.! Jun 21, Janice rated it liked it. Rebecca moved on and married another man, but now she's missing and her mother wants Leo to find her.

A good plot, moves at a good pace, but not as much character interaction as some of his other books. It was nice to be re-introduced to Leo Waterman after all these years 12 years since the last book! I'm definitely going to read the rest of this series, but I hope the next ones find that goofiness again.

Leave the darkness to Frank Corso, please!

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Apr 01, Rhonda rated it it was amazing. Every one of these Leo Waterman episodes has been terrific. I am right there in Seattle riding down familiar streets, passing much-acquainted territory, and smiling, laughing out loud, or cringing as Leo takes everything to the limit. Jun 16, David rated it really liked it Shelves: Really good to see Leo Waterman again, but saddened by one major retcon: Since when does Leo not use a gun?

Jul 04, Coreen Arioto rated it it was amazing. Thicker Than Water Very interesting story, I really enjoyed the characters and their enter action with each other.

The twists and turn of the storyline fresh and exciting. Jan 08, John Stanley rated it really liked it. Mar 18, Linda Berry rated it really liked it. May 10, Hobart rated it really liked it Shelves: An expanded version appears on my blog, The Irresponsible Reader. This description of a lifelong, um, acquaintance and current gun dealer probably beats the competition in this book by a hair: A corpulent corpuscle in a hideous purple suit, he looked like a Cuban headwaiter who had been held hostage in a doughnut shop. Except fo An expanded version appears on my blog, The Irresponsible Reader.

Except for the rosebud lips, he bore little or no resemblance to his father. How can you not like a book with lines like that? You have a clear picture of this guy in your head, 3. Given the phrasing, you're pretty sure just what the narrator thinks of ol' Junior Bailey. This kind of writing keeps me turning pages -- I almost don't care about plot or character. But despite the years, Ford hasn't lost a step with these characters -- Leo is still Leo. Yes, aged, and clearly affected by Rebecca's moving on.

But still the same man -- and when called upon to come to her aid, he dives right in. The folks at the bar are still as fun and tragic and silly as remembered. Rebecca's gone missing, her bad choice of husband is, too -- and no one seems to care other than her mother. Granted, she thinks Leo would've been a worse choice for Rebecca, but she knows that if anyone will look for Rebecca it'd be Leo. There's some brutal action, some good twists and turns to the tale, a few criminals that are requisitely evil and demented, and more than enough chuckles before reaching a very satisfying conclusion.

I'm so glad to see that Ford's at work on another in this series. I like the review form "International Cat Lady" Sep 25, International Cat Lady rated it 5 of 5 stars I bought this book because it was on sale super cheap on Kindle, and it sounded like it wouldn't be too bad. This was a fast-paced mystery, set in Seattle, starring snarky, sarcastic, and punny as in puns; that's not a typo Detective Leo Waterman and the bizarre characte I like the review form "International Cat Lady" Sep 25, International Cat Lady rated it 5 of 5 stars I bought this book because it was on sale super cheap on Kindle, and it sounded like it wouldn't be too bad.

With the evidence against him overwhelming, Ken simply vanished. And when his shattered family never heard from Ken again, they were sure he was gone for good. Now eleven years have passed. Will has found proof that Ken is alive. And this is just the first in a series of stunning revelations as Will is forced to confront startling truths about his brother, and even himself.

As a violent mystery unwinds around him, Will knows he must press his search all the way to the end.

Thicker Than Water (Leo Waterman, book 7) by G M Ford

Because the most powerful surprises are yet to come. This could have been the best novel of the Leo Waterman series. If the reader has invested any time at all with Leo, any plot line dealing with danger to Rebecca would result in a page-turner. Clearly, this book had a great, complex plot, lots of action, good dialogue and easily visualized scenes. However, there were three aspects of the book that kept it from being a 5-star.

First, Leo mentions to Ortega that he hasn't carried a gun in his PI capacity during his entire career. This This could have been the best novel of the Leo Waterman series. This is a continuity problem with the other Waterman novels and made me wonder whether Mr. Ford was distracted at the time he wrote this. Second, you don't carry round drums of 5. Gun tech has always been a weakness in the Waterman novels and this description of AX9 magazines was another case in point. There are 80 million gun owners in America and 50, dealers. I think it's time to ASK one of them whether the gun tech in the novels is comports with reality.

It hasn't, it doesn't and it should. Lastly, the humor tended toward the cliche' in this novel. Wry humor is appreciated, but some of the lines were time-worn. Despite these difficulties, "Thicker Than Water" is one of the better Waterman mysteries. Gun tech writing failures notwithstanding, a highly recommended read. Waterman is a wise cracking ex P. Ford's portrayal of the Seattle life is what makes this series so easy to read. Readers new to the series probably will not get the full enjoyment of Waterman's character.

In this novel he is searching for a former flame who has disappeared. To understand the relationship, it's pretty much a necessity to read the first six books in the series. Also, Waterman's relationship with the alcoholics and homeless that he uses as his eyes on the street is more fully developed in the earlier novels. One of my favorite G.

I highly recommend the Waterman series by Ford. His Corso series is good as well, but the character is not as smooth as Waterman.

When he needs help finding or tracking people he uses a group of locals who live in questionable places and always have a brown bag bottle handy. As Leo has noted, they are invisible to society at large and, therefore, get the answers he needs without being noticed. The interchanges he has with them are a highlight of these stories. In this story Leo is asked to find his missing former girl friend who had moved on and married. The weaving of his search for her, why she is missing and how it gets resolved kept me interested. A return of Leo and the boys in this sequel to The Deader the Better is very welcome.

But when Rebecca, the love of his life, dumped him to marry someone else, Leo retires. Until one day he learns that Rebecca has vanished and no one can locate her. Together with a motley crew of homeless drunks and reprobates, Leo sets out to find Rebecca. He follows her trail from 7 in the Leo Waterman series. He follows her trail from the streets of Seattle to the great North Woods. Rebecca's new husband's lies cast Leo into the path of a ruthless gang that will stop at nothing to protect what's theirs.

Will Leo survive and find Rebecca?

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Jun 03, Patricia rated it it was amazing Shelves: The old characters behave in character, the new ones grow fast. The villains are clearly villainous, while the heroes are - well, sometimes a bit more nebulous. That's one of the joys of G M Ford The plot is standard. It's the way the author twists and turns events to get to the heroic ending that makes the book.

While there is a little violence, and things do get a little scary, there is also a lot of wry humor and a fantastic finish. Jun 05, Bob rated it really liked it. Back in Seattle with an author and character I haven't visited in a good while. He is approached by his ex's mother looking for help in finding her daughter King Counties chief forensic pathologist who has been missing for a week and know one knows where she is.

Leo reluctantly agrees to make some inquiries but soon is up to his neck with threats, Back in Seattle with an author and character I haven't visited in a good while. Leo reluctantly agrees to make some inquiries but soon is up to his neck with threats, the ex's missing husband high priced yachts and Canadian drug smugglers. A good old fashioned detective story and I am glad I found it. I have found another PI to entertain me. This is the first book I have read by G M Ford and he has been added to my 'look for' list.