Author & Screenwriter
Lethal Connection Industry Book Reviews
Publishers Weekly says, "Lethal Connections pulses with spry dialogue, surprising bursts of tension and danger, and a plot as slippery as a swamp copperhead. For all the fast-moving procedural fun, though, Knight possesses an insightful perception that imbues the storytelling with emotional weight and resonance."
In the swamps of Louisiana, a body is discovered floating in the murky waters of the Wetlands Observatory. Not an unusual day for Detective Lance Knight from the nearby St. Bernard’s Sheriff’s Department. The manner of death, though, and the case that follows prove anything but. When more victims are discovered around the waters of Chalmette, Louisiana, Lance and the coroner, the indomitable Gina Goodwin, discover a most unusual common thread: each has venom in the bloodstream, from what Gina describes as “snakes with a venom I’ve never encountered before.” (And she’d know—she adores herpetology.) From there, the case slithers into surprising territory, including the underbelly of a drug ring operated by a reputed witch practicing black magic.
Lethal Connections pulses with spry dialogue, surprising bursts of tension and danger, and a plot as slippery as a swamp copperhead. For all the fast-moving procedural fun, though, Knight possesses an insightful perception that imbues the storytelling with emotional weight and resonance. Insights into the life of the widow of a victim who cheated on her, for example, bring welcome humanity to the case, as does the winning repartee between the detective and a smirking coroner, quick to deploy the “stink-eye” when appropriate, who has it in her to star in her own mystery series.
The three co-authors’ voices and interests blend into unison but also likely enrich the varied personalities and areas of expertise of this strong cast of characters. Gina’s introduced, in one scene, “elbow deep in internal organs,” while Lance struggles, a bit, with questions like whether he should pull out a chair for her at an Italian restaurant. His minor uncertainty is the kind of winning detail that keeps readers invested, not just in the bodies discovered among the reeds but in the sleuths on the case. The mystery is crisply told, the killer a surprise, and local color and folklore, is engaging.
Takeaway: A detective facing Louisiana poisonings may find the killer too close for comfort.
Great for fans of: Tess Gerritsen, D.J. Donaldson.
Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: B
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B
In a sleepy little parish just outside of New Orleans, murder is no rare occurrence. Sergeant Lance Knight must enlist the help of an expert toxicologist to stop a killer before they strike again. Can he piece the mystery together before it's too late?
Fuller, Shein, and Davis introduce a number of characters in this exciting tale, with Sergeant Lance Knight and coroner Gina Goodwin taking center stage. Lance is a determined investigator, driven to uncover the truth; reminiscent of Patterson’s popular character Alex Cross. Lance is courageous but not invincible, he has his weaknesses and blind spots. For this case he must rely heavily on the brilliant doctor Goodwin, who becomes an important ally. The partnership, dynamic and tension between these two brings them to life. Gina and Lance become a heroic duo that the reader wants to see succeed and survive, despite mounting odds.
In Lethal Connections, Lance and Gina work to find the connection between multiple homicides discovered on the outskirts of New Orleans. Each victim is found with an indistinguishable and extremely devastating form of venom in their bloodstream. The disparate nature of these murders throws them off at first; one is made to look like a heart attack with only a small syringe mark on the body, another has the majority of their face melted off in what appears to be a ritualistic killing.
Just imagining how the flesh dissolved under the venom made his skin crawl like hundreds of ants were climbing up it. How could someone do something like this to any living creature? And where did they find the toxin that created this kind of reaction?
Just as the investigative team starts to get a handle on the creepy case, everything is turned upside down. Lance learns that he may be the next target of the ruthless killer, who has no qualms about hurting his new partner or Lance’s girlfriend, Lexie.
Lethal Connections opens with a gruesome discovery, and moves quickly from one page to the next, creating suspense that hooks the reader immediately. The talent of these three writers creates a synergy that outpaces anything else you’ve read. Lethal Connections is a tale that readers will be dying to finish quickly, but also worth reading more than once to catch the subtle details and clues sprinkled throughout.
Lethal Connections is a sleuth murder mystery novel by Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, and Karen Fuller. Sergent Lance Knight has quite the challenge of maintaining law and order as an officer at the St. Bernard Parish in Chalmette, Louisiana. Apart from struggling to end things with his girlfriend, Lance has the added burden of trying to solve a string of murders, with each victim poisoned under mysterious circumstances. While Lance searches for clues to find a missing link between the victims, he is joined by the enigmatic coroner and herpetology enthusiast Gina Goodwin. But when the FBI arrives and offers their help solving the case, Lance realizes that things are not as they seem and that there must be something he is missing. Can he get to the bottom of the mystery before putting his own life on the line?
Fans of sleuth murder mysteries or detective tales are in for a treat with Lethal Connections. Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, and Karen Fuller tell a gripping story of murder, crime, and betrayal that has you glued to the pages from start to finish. The authors perfectly capture the feel and ambiance of rural Louisiana, with its swamps, poisonous reptiles, and the underlying criminal underworld. The hyper-realistic and gritty tone of the narrative is peppered with bouts of humor sprinkled throughout the pages. I particularly enjoyed the dynamic between Lance, Gina, and Captain Donovan. Overall, this is a book I immensely enjoyed, and I read it in one go. Can't recommend it highly enough. -- Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite
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The story immediately opens with drama and suspense, and I was instantly hooked. The authors provide readers with a captivating narrative that will keep them on the edge of their seats. Lance is passionate about his work, and that takes precedence over anything in his life. Gina is the coroner who is methodical, intelligent, and also passionate about her work. I enjoyed that the authors kept the storyline moving while providing short backstories on the characters introduced in the stories. This helped the story to move along while also giving the reader a sense of each character’s motivations. Authors Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis, and Karen Fuller have combined their writing skills and creativity to create a thrilling story with likable characters. The details of the dead bodies may be a turn-off to some, but I found it intriguing. The twist at the end threw me for a loop and was the icing on the cake for this book.
I highly recommend this gripping read to fans of thrillers and crime fiction. It is the perfect read for suspense lovers with strong and intelligent characters. Lethal Connections is an engaging and page-turning novel that will not disappoint.
The BookViral Review:
Polished and engrossing, ‘Lethal Connections: The Poison ID Unit delivers in every way a crime thriller should with a novel that gives its readers a classic slice of intrigue, suspense and stylistic verve.
A novel that manages to be atmospherically rich while also satisfying the slash-crash imperatives of the crime thriller genre Lethal Connections is set in New Orleans, the most mysterious of American cities. A city where you get the feeling you’ll never really know what goes on in its shadowy enclaves.
The writing is top notch and there are more than enough unexpected plot twists to keep the attention of readers throughout as authors Erik Daniel Shein, Melissa Davis and Karen Fuller pull their readers into the ensuing drama, but they’re not quick to give anything away. Keeping their readers involved and “in the moment” until the final chapter has come to a conclusion.
Lethal Connections is one of those novels where you turn the last page only to find yourself re-running the plot in your head, re-interpreting the early scenes in terms of the final shocking revelations.
Shein, Davis and Fuller never allow conventional plot contrivances to spoil the fun and on this level, it’s an exuberant exercise in style which they clearly had a lot of fun writing. But the strength of Lethal Connections doesn’t reside in its plot alone and in Sergeant Lance Knight and Coroner Gina Goodwin its authors give us characters so interesting that they make other genre characters seem like cardboard cut-outs.
Knight and Goodwin are the key to keeping ‘Lethal Connections’ from becoming just another genre crime thriller with Shein, Davis and Fuller quick to bring them to life by capturing little quirks in typical conversation, spontaneous explicit declaratives and a good smattering of wit!
Tight, focused scenes create a sense of realism that draws the reader into the story as Knight struggles to make sense of the clues he unravels. Exploring the dark and foreboding rituals of voodoo to end with the obligatory scene of climactic violence that is required in all crime thrillers and one that is superbly handled.
Generating the kind of edge-of-your-seat intrigue that keeps one glued to the words and the pages turning Lethal Connections proves a first-class read and is unreservedly recommended.
Lethal Connections is an exciting crime novel that keeps the reader in anticipation of a resolution of the tension. If you love crime novels, the try-to-find-the-bad-guy type of novel with a lot of pieces to try to put together, then this novel is for you.
With a suspense-packed progression of events and exciting plot twist, Lethal Connections meets all the cravings of a crime novel lover.
The author uses a simple chronological narration that makes it easy to follow the development of the climax. With a lot of misdirection here and there, lots of uneven pieces, and a lot to ponder, Lethal Connections is an excellent novel and I highly recommend it.
Overall, this book was amazing and I highly recommend you read it. - Andrew Okiemute from Book Nerdection
Om from Bookss Paradisse says, “It is an absolute page-turner as the story is fast-paced with its intriguing plot which makes the things more interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the book while reading as I am into suspense thrillers and if you are into suspense and thriller then you should not miss this one.”