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Follow Me to the Edge
Rookie detective Joe Finch knows better than most what tragedy looks like. But trying to solve the brutal murder of an entire family? Just another day in Cooper.
Even for the sleazy backwater of Cooper, Nebraska, the multiple murder of an entire family, brutally bludgeoned to death in their beds, is big news.
Detective Joe Finch, raw with guilt over his partner’s traumatic shooting during a routine traffic stop, hopes the case will at least focus his mind. But then he discovers that the crime scene is the house he grew up in, and the ghosts of his own tragic childhood come rushing back to confront him.
As Finch dredges the corrupt and criminal mires of Cooper in a desperate search for the truth, the only certainty is that everyone there is lying. Caught between greedy politicians, a violent cartel boss, an ambitious reporter and a sinister cult lurking in the cornfields on the outskirts of town, Finch is soon out of his depth.
In a town where the law exists only to be bent or broken, can Finch steel himself against entrenched evil and the haunting spectre of his past—and live to serve justice in Cooper?
Even for the sleazy backwater of Cooper, Nebraska, the multiple murder of an entire family, brutally bludgeoned to death in their beds, is big news.
Detective Joe Finch, raw with guilt over his partner’s traumatic shooting during a routine traffic stop, hopes the case will at least focus his mind. But then he discovers that the crime scene is the house he grew up in, and the ghosts of his own tragic childhood come rushing back to confront him.
As Finch dredges the corrupt and criminal mires of Cooper in a desperate search for the truth, the only certainty is that everyone there is lying. Caught between greedy politicians, a violent cartel boss, an ambitious reporter and a sinister cult lurking in the cornfields on the outskirts of town, Finch is soon out of his depth.
In a town where the law exists only to be bent or broken, can Finch steel himself against entrenched evil and the haunting spectre of his past—and live to serve justice in Cooper?
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
January 16, 2025
Welcome Back to Cooper...
FOLLOW ME TO THE EDGE
by Tariq Ashkanani
No spoilers. 5 stars. Cooper, Nebraska, 1993, Detective Joe Finch is assigned a new partner and a new murder case...
The victim...
David Richardson lived in the country on the fringes of Cooper surrounded by cornfields, but...
He was found murdered with a knife at the edge of a dark body of water...
In fact...
Richardson's whole family, including the baby, were also found murdered back at the family home...
The more the two detectives delve into the murders, the more they begin believing a drug cartel is responsible...
... as well as some dirty Cooper cops (starting at the top with the police chief)...
Or possibly...
... a hippie-like community living on one of Coopers' abandoned farms had something to do with the killings...
Adding to Joe's full plate...
...his girlfriend Zoe has packed all her belongings, moved out of his apartment, and broken things off with him...
Welcome back to Cooper...
Now go back home!
But...
Don't drink and drive through town as you leave... especially a cocktail the bartender calls a last word...
I liked this continuation of the Cooper saga very much. As the ex-wife of a Sheriffs homicide detective, I found the characters very authentic and believable (if not the story itself). The town of Cooper was like a character with its crime and hot, humid weather.
If you liked WELCOME TO COOPER, you'll want to pay a little return visit with this novel.
FOLLOW ME TO THE EDGE
by Tariq Ashkanani
No spoilers. 5 stars. Cooper, Nebraska, 1993, Detective Joe Finch is assigned a new partner and a new murder case...
The victim...
David Richardson lived in the country on the fringes of Cooper surrounded by cornfields, but...
He was found murdered with a knife at the edge of a dark body of water...
In fact...
Richardson's whole family, including the baby, were also found murdered back at the family home...
The more the two detectives delve into the murders, the more they begin believing a drug cartel is responsible...
... as well as some dirty Cooper cops (starting at the top with the police chief)...
Or possibly...
... a hippie-like community living on one of Coopers' abandoned farms had something to do with the killings...
Adding to Joe's full plate...
...his girlfriend Zoe has packed all her belongings, moved out of his apartment, and broken things off with him...
Welcome back to Cooper...
Now go back home!
But...
Don't drink and drive through town as you leave... especially a cocktail the bartender calls a last word...
I liked this continuation of the Cooper saga very much. As the ex-wife of a Sheriffs homicide detective, I found the characters very authentic and believable (if not the story itself). The town of Cooper was like a character with its crime and hot, humid weather.
If you liked WELCOME TO COOPER, you'll want to pay a little return visit with this novel.
February 10, 2022
I’m delighted to be the first person to rate and review this book, because I’ve such good things to say about it. So, let the praise singing begin…
It stands to mention that the author is an Edinburgh solicitor. With an apparent boner for all things Americana, specifically the neo-noir variety of small towns and brutal crimes. This is a not unusual thing, from books to Guillermo De Toro’s recent Nightmare Alley. The exoticism of noir cannot be denied, neo or otherwise.
Anyway, in Ashkanani’s first book he welcomes you to Cooper, a fictional Nebraska town as dirty and crime-heavy and bleak as any noir would have its setting be. And sure enough, it’s a bleak story of a detective and a serial killer battling wills and wits. A solid debut.
In this, his sophomore effort, the author takes you back to Cooper for an (arguably) even darker and more disturbing visit. Takes you back in time too, back to pager time. Another set of cops, this time a dedicated local and his newly assigned partner, a cowboy-looking fresh outta Texas detective. Together they set off to investigate a brutal slaying of a local family, made all the more brutal for the main protagonist since it occurs in the walls that housed his childhood once upon a time.
In a parallel narration, there’s a cult. A relatively small cult on a verge of boiling over into the sort of final act madness that makes the news. Gotta love a good cult story.
The two tales connect in interesting and unpredictable ways. In fact, one of the best things about this book, is its unpredictability – a must for a discerning mystery reader. But it has other strengths too, mainly the writing itself.
Ashkanani’s debut was good, this is really, really good. This is a talented author stepping up his game kind of good. It’s visceral realism at its best, a bleak place rendered with cinematic vividness so much so that it becomes it own character. Nebraska is never inviting in fiction, not the fiction I’ve read, but it does always lend itself to a sort of oppressiveness and here, once again, it hangs over the characters like a heavy grey cloud, obscuring all light. And in the ensuing darkness, desperate, traumatized people do terrible things to each other. Now that’s noir, that’s the very soul of it. What lurks in the shadowy corners of the mind, the soul, the street…
The author gets it just right. Well done. This dark dynamic read is neo-noir at its finest and ought to delight mystery fans of all varieties. Follow it to the edge, gaze into the abyss there, mind what gazes back. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
It stands to mention that the author is an Edinburgh solicitor. With an apparent boner for all things Americana, specifically the neo-noir variety of small towns and brutal crimes. This is a not unusual thing, from books to Guillermo De Toro’s recent Nightmare Alley. The exoticism of noir cannot be denied, neo or otherwise.
Anyway, in Ashkanani’s first book he welcomes you to Cooper, a fictional Nebraska town as dirty and crime-heavy and bleak as any noir would have its setting be. And sure enough, it’s a bleak story of a detective and a serial killer battling wills and wits. A solid debut.
In this, his sophomore effort, the author takes you back to Cooper for an (arguably) even darker and more disturbing visit. Takes you back in time too, back to pager time. Another set of cops, this time a dedicated local and his newly assigned partner, a cowboy-looking fresh outta Texas detective. Together they set off to investigate a brutal slaying of a local family, made all the more brutal for the main protagonist since it occurs in the walls that housed his childhood once upon a time.
In a parallel narration, there’s a cult. A relatively small cult on a verge of boiling over into the sort of final act madness that makes the news. Gotta love a good cult story.
The two tales connect in interesting and unpredictable ways. In fact, one of the best things about this book, is its unpredictability – a must for a discerning mystery reader. But it has other strengths too, mainly the writing itself.
Ashkanani’s debut was good, this is really, really good. This is a talented author stepping up his game kind of good. It’s visceral realism at its best, a bleak place rendered with cinematic vividness so much so that it becomes it own character. Nebraska is never inviting in fiction, not the fiction I’ve read, but it does always lend itself to a sort of oppressiveness and here, once again, it hangs over the characters like a heavy grey cloud, obscuring all light. And in the ensuing darkness, desperate, traumatized people do terrible things to each other. Now that’s noir, that’s the very soul of it. What lurks in the shadowy corners of the mind, the soul, the street…
The author gets it just right. Well done. This dark dynamic read is neo-noir at its finest and ought to delight mystery fans of all varieties. Follow it to the edge, gaze into the abyss there, mind what gazes back. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
March 29, 2022
A most excellent follow up to one of my favourite books of last year- Welcome To Cooper - a kind of origins story of sorts and I would recommend reading the first one first.
The sub title could easily be Stories from the edge - this is gritty small town noir at its very best, mixing up a clever murder mystery witn the underbelly of a town run on dubious personality and ingrained corruption. It is a story of the grey edges, a morally ambiguous tale where you root for those you should condemn.
This won't be for everyone pretty much in the same way the debut wasn't- the author pulls no punches in this unrelenting yet wildly entertaining read - but I loved it as I loved the first and I'm honestly hoping for many more tales of Cooper and its increasingly intriguing inhabitants.
Recommended.
The sub title could easily be Stories from the edge - this is gritty small town noir at its very best, mixing up a clever murder mystery witn the underbelly of a town run on dubious personality and ingrained corruption. It is a story of the grey edges, a morally ambiguous tale where you root for those you should condemn.
This won't be for everyone pretty much in the same way the debut wasn't- the author pulls no punches in this unrelenting yet wildly entertaining read - but I loved it as I loved the first and I'm honestly hoping for many more tales of Cooper and its increasingly intriguing inhabitants.
Recommended.
December 31, 2022
*Living on the Edge*
New detective Joe Finch is reeling from his partner being seriously shot and in a coma. Since then he only wants to work on his own.
A tough case comes up and just his luck his past comes back to haunt him as the horrific slaughter of a family is committed in his former childhood home. The home where once again there were 2 dead bodies when he was a child. The bonus is he knows every nook a cranny of the house including hiding places.
He has to work with a more experienced partner which goes against the grain as he is a free spirit.
During his hunt he faces a Russian mob, a cult and corruption in the Police Force & beyond not to mention the most annoying reporter who would grate on even the most mild mannered of people. Will he escape with his life and catch the killer…..
New detective Joe Finch is reeling from his partner being seriously shot and in a coma. Since then he only wants to work on his own.
A tough case comes up and just his luck his past comes back to haunt him as the horrific slaughter of a family is committed in his former childhood home. The home where once again there were 2 dead bodies when he was a child. The bonus is he knows every nook a cranny of the house including hiding places.
He has to work with a more experienced partner which goes against the grain as he is a free spirit.
During his hunt he faces a Russian mob, a cult and corruption in the Police Force & beyond not to mention the most annoying reporter who would grate on even the most mild mannered of people. Will he escape with his life and catch the killer…..
January 1, 2023
I absolutely loved Tariq Ashkanani's debut, Welcome to Cooper when I read it last year and was delighted to see it crowned Bloody Scotland's Debut of the Year 2022. I've recommended it at every opportunity and so despite Cooper being a deeply troubled town, I couldn't wait to return there. It's always interesting to read an author's second book, especially when the first was as brilliant as Welcome to Cooper and I wondered how Tariq Ashkanani would handle a revisit. However, any concerns were quickly swept aside and my belief that he is one of the most exciting new crime fiction authors writing today was soon confirmed; I devoured Follow Me to the Edge and read it in a day.
It's not necessary to have read Welcome to Cooper because this is a prequel of sorts and indeed, the books could be read in chronological rather than published order. That said, given what we learned about Detective Joe Finch in the first novel, I found it fascinating to meet him as a younger man. Even at this point in his career, Joe is a complex individual who blames himself for the catastrophic injury suffered by his partner, Frank. Following the shooting at a routine traffic stop, he makes the decision to get his detective badge but as tragic as Frank's situation might be, his first major case is utterly monstrous.
Tariq Ashkanani never flinches when it comes to portraying the violence some people are capable of but his writing is never gratuitous. The sheer horror of the brutal deaths inflicted on the Richardson family – including four month old baby Jacob – is only described in the aftermath but is still almost too awful to contemplate. Matters are further complicated for Joe because the murders took place in his childhood home and it immediately becomes evident that he is still tormented by his past. His tragedy is only superficially linked to this one but naturally it does trigger some difficult emotions for Joe and in what is as much a perceptive character study as it is a murder mystery thriller, discovering what shaped this complicated, introverted man is riveting.
He is clearly somebody who has built walls to protect himself and as a consequence to the devastating events in his past, he claims he prefers to work alone. Nevertheless, he is partnered here with Brian Ackerman. Described as a burnt-out wreck of a detective, Ackerman has recently transferred to Cooper from Texas but as the more experienced officer, Joe has no choice but to work with him. Ackerman only briefly appears in Welcome to Cooper but in Follow Me to the Edge, he became one of my favourite characters in the story. As with everybody here, he is undoubtedly flawed and damaged by what he has seen and done but in a town where everybody seems to be hiding something, he is a more likeable inhabitant.
I liked Joe too and as the pair follow various leads without making much headway, the terrible choices and decisions he makes are easy to understand, even when both the short and longer-term risks are inescapable. Their sense of frustration and impotence, especially after some shocking revelations which make it hard for both Joe and the reader to know who can be trusted, is powerfully expressed and a dark melancholy pervades the book throughout. Interspersed between the main storyline are chapters about a woman called Laura who seems to epitomise the saying about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. She has clearly escaped a dire situation but as the novel progresses, it becomes obvious that she has returned to a place she left in the past. Her reappearance doesn't seem to be universally welcomed and there are wonderfully chilling hints regarding this strange group of people and what they might be capable of.
A small town full of dark secrets, a damaged cop and a religious cult sounds like a plot we've read several times before but Tariq Ashkanani is such a superb writer, it never feels anything less than fresh and exciting. This is the sort of gritty, risky fiction I most love; the razor-sharp writing penetrates the corrupted underbelly of the town but it also explores guilt, regret and just what people can be driven to. Uncompromising, twisted and almost unrelentingly grim, Follow Me to the Edge isn't a comforting read but with a sense of place that crackles with energy and characters who leap from the page, it is another first-class thriller from an author who is now most firmly a must-read for me. Very, very highly recommended.
It's not necessary to have read Welcome to Cooper because this is a prequel of sorts and indeed, the books could be read in chronological rather than published order. That said, given what we learned about Detective Joe Finch in the first novel, I found it fascinating to meet him as a younger man. Even at this point in his career, Joe is a complex individual who blames himself for the catastrophic injury suffered by his partner, Frank. Following the shooting at a routine traffic stop, he makes the decision to get his detective badge but as tragic as Frank's situation might be, his first major case is utterly monstrous.
Tariq Ashkanani never flinches when it comes to portraying the violence some people are capable of but his writing is never gratuitous. The sheer horror of the brutal deaths inflicted on the Richardson family – including four month old baby Jacob – is only described in the aftermath but is still almost too awful to contemplate. Matters are further complicated for Joe because the murders took place in his childhood home and it immediately becomes evident that he is still tormented by his past. His tragedy is only superficially linked to this one but naturally it does trigger some difficult emotions for Joe and in what is as much a perceptive character study as it is a murder mystery thriller, discovering what shaped this complicated, introverted man is riveting.
He is clearly somebody who has built walls to protect himself and as a consequence to the devastating events in his past, he claims he prefers to work alone. Nevertheless, he is partnered here with Brian Ackerman. Described as a burnt-out wreck of a detective, Ackerman has recently transferred to Cooper from Texas but as the more experienced officer, Joe has no choice but to work with him. Ackerman only briefly appears in Welcome to Cooper but in Follow Me to the Edge, he became one of my favourite characters in the story. As with everybody here, he is undoubtedly flawed and damaged by what he has seen and done but in a town where everybody seems to be hiding something, he is a more likeable inhabitant.
I liked Joe too and as the pair follow various leads without making much headway, the terrible choices and decisions he makes are easy to understand, even when both the short and longer-term risks are inescapable. Their sense of frustration and impotence, especially after some shocking revelations which make it hard for both Joe and the reader to know who can be trusted, is powerfully expressed and a dark melancholy pervades the book throughout. Interspersed between the main storyline are chapters about a woman called Laura who seems to epitomise the saying about jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. She has clearly escaped a dire situation but as the novel progresses, it becomes obvious that she has returned to a place she left in the past. Her reappearance doesn't seem to be universally welcomed and there are wonderfully chilling hints regarding this strange group of people and what they might be capable of.
A small town full of dark secrets, a damaged cop and a religious cult sounds like a plot we've read several times before but Tariq Ashkanani is such a superb writer, it never feels anything less than fresh and exciting. This is the sort of gritty, risky fiction I most love; the razor-sharp writing penetrates the corrupted underbelly of the town but it also explores guilt, regret and just what people can be driven to. Uncompromising, twisted and almost unrelentingly grim, Follow Me to the Edge isn't a comforting read but with a sense of place that crackles with energy and characters who leap from the page, it is another first-class thriller from an author who is now most firmly a must-read for me. Very, very highly recommended.
April 6, 2022
Solidly entertaining novel from Ashkanani about the small-town investigation of a murdered family and the possible connections to a group of people belonging to a small, cult-like following whose story is told alongside the investigation. The mystery is gripping, and the revelations are actually surprising as we find out what's really going on in the town of Cooper and its secret-hiding citizens. A police procedural with a quirky, noir edge to it, this one was better than I expected. An author to watch. Highly recommended.
March 22, 2022
Tariq Ashkanani's Follow Me to the Edge is a detective story about Joe Finch and his journey to solving a family's murders and the mystery surrounding his partner's roadside shooting a few months earlier. Finch is the quintessential flawed character, not coping with his marriage break-up and struggling even more with his ex-partner's shooting during a routine traffic stop.
I enjoyed the book’s pace, the parallel stories which we know for sure will come together at some stage, and the layered relationships.
In small-town Cooper, Nebraska, a man is found dead at a lake and shortly afterwards, his whole family is found beaten to death in the family home. The suspicion of course is murder-suicide, but the evidence doesn't support this. The crime scene is the house in which Finch grew up; where his mother committed suicide after killing her son, Finch's brother, who was suffering with incurable cancer. Shortly afterwards, Finch and his father left their family home and shortly after that, his father left him with friends before leaving Cooper for good.
Crooked politicians, organised crime, an unprofessional and over-ambitious reporter, corrupt police colleagues, and small town neighbours, many of whom are also Finch's ex-school mates, combine to make for a muddy and difficult investigation. And to make it worse, the case is quickly assigned to a newly-appointed, ex-Texas detective to partner with Finch.
There is a parallel story of a religious cult on a farm on the outskirts of Cooper which eventually merges into Finch's investigation and its conclusion.
The detective novel is suspenseful, filled with activity and well-paced. Evocative and descriptive writing helps to develop the characters’ complexities and back stories and enriches the setting, which worked well with the whole book’s sense of fatigue among the characters but especially with Finch.
The ending felt satisfyingly real. I wholly recommend Follow Me to the Edge for its solid writing, a genuine-feeling plot and its satisfying final pages.
Peter
www.books-and-beans.com
I enjoyed the book’s pace, the parallel stories which we know for sure will come together at some stage, and the layered relationships.
In small-town Cooper, Nebraska, a man is found dead at a lake and shortly afterwards, his whole family is found beaten to death in the family home. The suspicion of course is murder-suicide, but the evidence doesn't support this. The crime scene is the house in which Finch grew up; where his mother committed suicide after killing her son, Finch's brother, who was suffering with incurable cancer. Shortly afterwards, Finch and his father left their family home and shortly after that, his father left him with friends before leaving Cooper for good.
Crooked politicians, organised crime, an unprofessional and over-ambitious reporter, corrupt police colleagues, and small town neighbours, many of whom are also Finch's ex-school mates, combine to make for a muddy and difficult investigation. And to make it worse, the case is quickly assigned to a newly-appointed, ex-Texas detective to partner with Finch.
There is a parallel story of a religious cult on a farm on the outskirts of Cooper which eventually merges into Finch's investigation and its conclusion.
The detective novel is suspenseful, filled with activity and well-paced. Evocative and descriptive writing helps to develop the characters’ complexities and back stories and enriches the setting, which worked well with the whole book’s sense of fatigue among the characters but especially with Finch.
The ending felt satisfyingly real. I wholly recommend Follow Me to the Edge for its solid writing, a genuine-feeling plot and its satisfying final pages.
Peter
www.books-and-beans.com
April 5, 2022
A truly gripping and unputdownable read.
I really enjoyed 'Welcome to Cooper' and after its surprise ending I couldn't see how there could be a follow on (as I mentioned in my review of that book) but I hadn't reckoned on this authors natural story telling ability.
'Follow Me to the Edge' reintroduces some of the lesser characters from the previous book in a sizzling read that really does keep you guessing.
My tip to any new reader is to just read and enjoy; not to try and presume anything because you're likely be wrong as I was in the first book, which somewhat lessened the impact. This time I just went with the flow and the twist really punched its way home!
There was also a fabulous touch of laugh-out-loud humour which was so unexpected. It regarded a klobasnek (me neither) I won't say anymore 🤐......read and enjoy.
I still cannot believe that Mr Ashkanani has never had any professional training in writing. He has a rare and enviable natural talent. I look forward to his next offering.
I really enjoyed 'Welcome to Cooper' and after its surprise ending I couldn't see how there could be a follow on (as I mentioned in my review of that book) but I hadn't reckoned on this authors natural story telling ability.
'Follow Me to the Edge' reintroduces some of the lesser characters from the previous book in a sizzling read that really does keep you guessing.
My tip to any new reader is to just read and enjoy; not to try and presume anything because you're likely be wrong as I was in the first book, which somewhat lessened the impact. This time I just went with the flow and the twist really punched its way home!
There was also a fabulous touch of laugh-out-loud humour which was so unexpected. It regarded a klobasnek (me neither) I won't say anymore 🤐......read and enjoy.
I still cannot believe that Mr Ashkanani has never had any professional training in writing. He has a rare and enviable natural talent. I look forward to his next offering.
March 28, 2022
Follow me to the edge
I liked this second novel from the get go. It was good to get Joe's back story, to understand the character better, to understand what he was all about. The same as the first book once I started reading i really couldn't put it down . The style of writing is very different to what I usually read but it's very addictive. As with the first book the storyline is very good and keeps you guessing from start to finish. I don't like giving too much away about the story as with a book like this it's the not knowing that makes it so good. It's the not knowing that makes you want to continue reading when really you should go to bed.
I liked this second novel from the get go. It was good to get Joe's back story, to understand the character better, to understand what he was all about. The same as the first book once I started reading i really couldn't put it down . The style of writing is very different to what I usually read but it's very addictive. As with the first book the storyline is very good and keeps you guessing from start to finish. I don't like giving too much away about the story as with a book like this it's the not knowing that makes it so good. It's the not knowing that makes you want to continue reading when really you should go to bed.
April 3, 2022
Speaking the Truth!!
I don't see this book as fiction. This type of corruption goes on in some city somewhere more than we know!! Even though Sarah Miller was deranged, she got her point across that men are seen as all powerful! Even though her method of proving it was horrid and inconceivable, the storyline was fascinating even though it isn't my typical genre of choice. I highly recommend this book to those of you who enjoy a mystery thriller with many twists and turns until the surprising conclusion!
I don't see this book as fiction. This type of corruption goes on in some city somewhere more than we know!! Even though Sarah Miller was deranged, she got her point across that men are seen as all powerful! Even though her method of proving it was horrid and inconceivable, the storyline was fascinating even though it isn't my typical genre of choice. I highly recommend this book to those of you who enjoy a mystery thriller with many twists and turns until the surprising conclusion!
March 24, 2022
Tried all the way through to work out the link between the two stories unfolding but failed to solve the puzzle. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which is the sequel to one I hadn’t read and it really didn’t matter. I only realised it was a sequel when I read the acknowledgments.
It’s clever and kind of believable with the two main detective characters both very engaging. Not my usual read but I will certainly be in the lookout for the third in what I’m certain is a series.
It’s clever and kind of believable with the two main detective characters both very engaging. Not my usual read but I will certainly be in the lookout for the third in what I’m certain is a series.
March 16, 2022
good gritty crime drama
I tried this book on a lark because Amazon recommended it as a first read and I’m glad they did: it’s a gritty, hard crime drama with dirty cops and bad men but the hero, Joe Finch, is a good guy in the end and leaves you wanting to read more about what happens next. Try it, you may like it as much as I did.
I tried this book on a lark because Amazon recommended it as a first read and I’m glad they did: it’s a gritty, hard crime drama with dirty cops and bad men but the hero, Joe Finch, is a good guy in the end and leaves you wanting to read more about what happens next. Try it, you may like it as much as I did.
March 23, 2022
Came across this by accident and really pleased I did..Plot had me hooked early on and kept me till the last page. Hadn't realised that this was book 2 so for those thinking of reading it read his first book.
March 26, 2022
The title is perfect!
A small town, full of unrest, suspicion and unfriendly people. local police trying to unravel horrific murders, a reporter trying to get a name for himself.. all part of this fast moving, original story. Extremely well written!
A small town, full of unrest, suspicion and unfriendly people. local police trying to unravel horrific murders, a reporter trying to get a name for himself.. all part of this fast moving, original story. Extremely well written!
April 10, 2022
wow what a mystery
This was a very involved story with lots of bad things happening. There was a cult, drug cartel, cooked cops. Glad things were solved and the good guys figured it all out.
This was a very involved story with lots of bad things happening. There was a cult, drug cartel, cooked cops. Glad things were solved and the good guys figured it all out.
March 10, 2022
Enjoyed
I liked the fast pace of this book. Joe and his detective partner do a good job of. Solving the crime in Cooper.
I liked the fast pace of this book. Joe and his detective partner do a good job of. Solving the crime in Cooper.
April 6, 2022
A new author for me, I wasn’t aware that this is the second book set in the engaging town of Cooper.
I loved the warm feeling of being included in a small town with characters that felt like old friends!
Readers follow the journey of detective Joe Finch and his partner as they work towards solving murders. Finch is a lost soul, burying himself in the job and struggling to forget a sad childhood.
A slow build storyline with clues that don’t add up, confusing evidence and Finch forced to face family demons. Cooper has a jumble of flawed characters, this investigation will take some time to solve!
Overall, a novel filled with suspense, mystery and country heart..
Appreciation and thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and also the author for the opportunity to review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved the warm feeling of being included in a small town with characters that felt like old friends!
Readers follow the journey of detective Joe Finch and his partner as they work towards solving murders. Finch is a lost soul, burying himself in the job and struggling to forget a sad childhood.
A slow build storyline with clues that don’t add up, confusing evidence and Finch forced to face family demons. Cooper has a jumble of flawed characters, this investigation will take some time to solve!
Overall, a novel filled with suspense, mystery and country heart..
Appreciation and thanks to the publisher, NetGalley and also the author for the opportunity to review this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 6, 2022
What a wild ride! Remind me never to visit any small towns in Nebraska. The author painted a believable picture of a small-town, somewhat rural location, complete with a cult-like presence on an abandoned farm outside of the area and flawed individuals who are not what they appear to be on the surface. Joe and his new partner make a great team, despite their personality differences. This was a fast-paced read and held my attention to the end. And, although I didn't read the first book, it didn't really matter, although I will definitely look for it in the future. Good writing, good twisty plot, well-developed characters - satisfying read and good use of my time.
March 19, 2022
Great Thriller
I really loved Tariq’s first novel about Cooper and novel number two was a work of art. I gave it four stars to this one due to excess violence but was intrigued just the same. Well worth your time! Enjoy!
I really loved Tariq’s first novel about Cooper and novel number two was a work of art. I gave it four stars to this one due to excess violence but was intrigued just the same. Well worth your time! Enjoy!
March 17, 2022
Page turner
it was well written, kept me interested, had to see what was next. Just didn't like Frank's ending or Leo's
it was well written, kept me interested, had to see what was next. Just didn't like Frank's ending or Leo's
May 3, 2022
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com...
This is the prequel sequel to Ashkanani's 2021 novel Welcome to Cooper - which I absolutely loved. In Welcome to Cooper, we see Joe Finch as the partner to that book's main character, Thomas. This novel is set some time before Welcome to Cooper and we see Joe Finch evolve into the man and detective we see later.
Ashkanani does a fantastic job of making the town of Cooper its own character. We get so many details from the oppressive heat to the ancillary characters all seeming like they're just biding their time for something better to come along. Cooper is not painted as a picturesque, middle America, small town. Instead, it is gritty, sleazy, corrupt hole that these characters find themselves in and it seems like anyone who has the means to leave the town does so in a hurry.
I was pleasantly surprised when we got chapters from the POV of a woman in the cult - Laura. Her chapters start at about the 10% mark in the book and then we get one of her chapters for every 3ish of Joe's. Of course, it isn't immediately apparent how Laura and Joe's plots are connected, but they do come together eventually in the end. I was pretty equally interested in both plot lines, although I was more emotionally invested in Joe's.
The actual police investigation was great and had some great reveals. We get a good balance of leads, dead ends, and double backing onto previously visited suspects. There were also some great pay off moments were a small detail from earlier paid off big time later on in the investigation. Having read Welcome to Cooper, I knew generally how some details were going to play out because I knew how Joe is in that book, but Ashkanani did a great job at really building up Joe's character that I was still hoping some details would end up differently.
Overall, this was a really great read and I loved being back in Cooper. This gave me more of that gritty, depressing, oppressive despair that I loved in the original. It was so interesting to see Joe's evolution from this version into the version we see later on. The investigation was well plotted and I was interested from start to finish.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
Publication date: March 8, 2022
This is the prequel sequel to Ashkanani's 2021 novel Welcome to Cooper - which I absolutely loved. In Welcome to Cooper, we see Joe Finch as the partner to that book's main character, Thomas. This novel is set some time before Welcome to Cooper and we see Joe Finch evolve into the man and detective we see later.
Ashkanani does a fantastic job of making the town of Cooper its own character. We get so many details from the oppressive heat to the ancillary characters all seeming like they're just biding their time for something better to come along. Cooper is not painted as a picturesque, middle America, small town. Instead, it is gritty, sleazy, corrupt hole that these characters find themselves in and it seems like anyone who has the means to leave the town does so in a hurry.
I was pleasantly surprised when we got chapters from the POV of a woman in the cult - Laura. Her chapters start at about the 10% mark in the book and then we get one of her chapters for every 3ish of Joe's. Of course, it isn't immediately apparent how Laura and Joe's plots are connected, but they do come together eventually in the end. I was pretty equally interested in both plot lines, although I was more emotionally invested in Joe's.
The actual police investigation was great and had some great reveals. We get a good balance of leads, dead ends, and double backing onto previously visited suspects. There were also some great pay off moments were a small detail from earlier paid off big time later on in the investigation. Having read Welcome to Cooper, I knew generally how some details were going to play out because I knew how Joe is in that book, but Ashkanani did a great job at really building up Joe's character that I was still hoping some details would end up differently.
Overall, this was a really great read and I loved being back in Cooper. This gave me more of that gritty, depressing, oppressive despair that I loved in the original. It was so interesting to see Joe's evolution from this version into the version we see later on. The investigation was well plotted and I was interested from start to finish.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC
Publication date: March 8, 2022
February 11, 2022
This is a slow burner of a novel that works towards a great ending. It was well written with good characters that were relatable and a good storyline. I loved the setting too. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend reading it.
July 30, 2022
I found Mr Ashkanani’s books by accident and I couldn’t be happier that I did. Both these stories of Joe Finch are awesome, you should read them in order though. Joe is a very dark character who is only trying to do good by any means necessary. I hope Mr Ashkanani continues this series, he’s got me hooked! Great read!
May 9, 2022
Terrific sequel. Great follow up to first novel.
Ashkanai writes like he is a cop from Nebraska. Good story and credible ending. Does a good job of converging two stories into one and not lose traction. Look forward to his next attempt.
Ashkanai writes like he is a cop from Nebraska. Good story and credible ending. Does a good job of converging two stories into one and not lose traction. Look forward to his next attempt.
May 20, 2022
Great sequal
Great follow up.
I really enjoyed the first book, and this second one was just as good. The characters are very real, you can't help but become Involved with them. Really looking forward to this becoming a great series.
Great follow up.
I really enjoyed the first book, and this second one was just as good. The characters are very real, you can't help but become Involved with them. Really looking forward to this becoming a great series.
June 2, 2022
interesting
I took a chance on this one and am glad I did! The characters are broken in their own way and yet it all comes together. What is next for Joe, and Cooper?
I took a chance on this one and am glad I did! The characters are broken in their own way and yet it all comes together. What is next for Joe, and Cooper?
June 29, 2022
Good book
This was a very good book. Very interesting the way it was told. I would recommend this book to family members and friends.
This was a very good book. Very interesting the way it was told. I would recommend this book to family members and friends.
December 28, 2022
Tariq Ashkanani’s Follow Me to the Edge is a prequel to his award winning debut novel Welcome to Cooper and tells the story of Cooper native, Detective Joe Finch, who featured prominently in his debut.
Finch is a uniform officer but following a shooting incident where his partner is shot and Joe kills the offender, he is subsequently promoted to Detective. A few short months later Joe catches a case where a family has been bludgeoned to death in their home. The problem is it is Joe’s former family home where tragedy also struck Joe’s family when he was just a child. Due to Joe’s lack of experience he is allocated a more experienced partner to guide him in his investigation. There is also another narrative which runs parallel to the main plot which concerns a female who has apparently murdered her husband and has returned to the religious cult, which she previously belonged, seeking sanctuary. The two plot lines will eventually intersect but we are kept guessing as to what one has got to do with the other ?
In this novel we get to see a slightly different side to Joe Finch from the character we first met in Welcome to Cooper and it goes some way to explaining Joe’s future. Joe is also a classic noir character as he drinks too much, is prone to good deeds but is also compulsive and takes matters into his own hands without fully realising the full consequences of his actions. I thought the first half of the novel was a bit slow but it soon picks up pace in the second half as we start to see the separate narratives start to intertwine. There is also a twist to the story that comes right at the very end of the novel that ties up the loose ends nicely.
Finch is a uniform officer but following a shooting incident where his partner is shot and Joe kills the offender, he is subsequently promoted to Detective. A few short months later Joe catches a case where a family has been bludgeoned to death in their home. The problem is it is Joe’s former family home where tragedy also struck Joe’s family when he was just a child. Due to Joe’s lack of experience he is allocated a more experienced partner to guide him in his investigation. There is also another narrative which runs parallel to the main plot which concerns a female who has apparently murdered her husband and has returned to the religious cult, which she previously belonged, seeking sanctuary. The two plot lines will eventually intersect but we are kept guessing as to what one has got to do with the other ?
In this novel we get to see a slightly different side to Joe Finch from the character we first met in Welcome to Cooper and it goes some way to explaining Joe’s future. Joe is also a classic noir character as he drinks too much, is prone to good deeds but is also compulsive and takes matters into his own hands without fully realising the full consequences of his actions. I thought the first half of the novel was a bit slow but it soon picks up pace in the second half as we start to see the separate narratives start to intertwine. There is also a twist to the story that comes right at the very end of the novel that ties up the loose ends nicely.
December 17, 2022
It would be fair to say this is a highly professional crime fiction product, which for a time I thought was going to be well polished, but riven with little more than cliches on detectives and cults, but Ashkanani guided me just so in a false sense of security and pulled the rug from me when I least expected.
In this prequel to Welcome to Cooper, we follow Joe Finch some twenty years earlier as a rookie detective following the shooting of his beat partner, which has left him comatose. Finch is called to a murder scene like something out of In Cold Blood, where a family has been bludgeoned to death. As if that wasn't bad enough, the house is where Joe was brought up before tragedy struck his own family.
The influence of True Detective and Pizzolatto is clear to see once more and with a Scottish writer writing in the American noir style, there is sometimes a lack of identity in the setting. It can sometimes be the details of a place that enlivens a piece of work and takes it beyond the plot points and characters.
That said, the tone is perfect and Ashkanani suckered me into thinking I knew what was coming and hell, I hope he'll keep surprising me as he goes.
In this prequel to Welcome to Cooper, we follow Joe Finch some twenty years earlier as a rookie detective following the shooting of his beat partner, which has left him comatose. Finch is called to a murder scene like something out of In Cold Blood, where a family has been bludgeoned to death. As if that wasn't bad enough, the house is where Joe was brought up before tragedy struck his own family.
The influence of True Detective and Pizzolatto is clear to see once more and with a Scottish writer writing in the American noir style, there is sometimes a lack of identity in the setting. It can sometimes be the details of a place that enlivens a piece of work and takes it beyond the plot points and characters.
That said, the tone is perfect and Ashkanani suckered me into thinking I knew what was coming and hell, I hope he'll keep surprising me as he goes.
May 6, 2022
If you like dark you will like this. I like the story as it had many twist and turns.
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