N.H.I. (No Humans Involved)

Great plot, characters are lacking somewhat~!

N. H. I.: No Humans Involved is a debut Christian murder mystery novel from author Ray Ellis.

Nate Richards is a rookie detective in Treasure City, who has strong religious convictions and he uses his instincts and his faith in the Lord, to solve his crimes. Many in the bureau finds his methods odd but they grudgingly give their respect to him, for he does his job well.

When a street gang called, Abyss, up their stakes in the game and begin to control almost half of Treasure City, Nate must deal with the fear that is growing in the streets. After he investigates the deaths of a fellow police officer and a young person, the street gang members begin to die in numerous numbers and Nate is hard-pressed to keep his faith while solving the case. Thinking that Abyss was at the root of all the chaos happening on the streets, Nate soon comes to realize that all he has known isn't what it appears to be.

With the fear growing stronger each day, Nate begins to question all that he knows and wonders if he has the strength to solve the case. When his best friend/girlfriend, Amber, goes missing, Nate, finding it hard to follow the rules and red tape, must use all of his wits to save the one he loves, while retaining his faith, his integrity and his job.

For a debut murder mystery I was quite impressed with the amount of intrigue Ray Ellis was able to incur. I found the first few chapters to be a bit stiff and the flow was somehow lacking but it didn't take long for the plot to find itself and the world of Treasure City unfolded.

Though there was a huge emphasis on Nate's Christian viewpoints, I didn't find it overly invasive or preachy, and thought it suited Nate's character, as well as, those in his immediate circle.

I quite enjoyed the suspense building throughout the novel, you could almost feel yourself racing beside Nate in solving the crimes and wishing you could shout at him when you figured it out before him. The comedy in some situations really worked which took the edge off the suspense, in order to renew it again in the next page or two.

I did find some of the characters involved unbelievable, they were almost childish in their approach to events that they found themselves in, well, not childish, more naive. As well, some of the actions of the characters weren't fitting of the situation, and this affected my overall enjoyment of the story. The plot is amazing; its the characters that lack any real depth, but taking into account that this is a debut author, I am sure Ray Ellis' characters will only develop with time and substance and become something quite amazing! If you like a good murder mystery, then you will definitely enjoy this one!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Highly Recommended!

I just finished this first edition of the Nate Richards saga and journey. I have to say that Ray Ellis has successfully conveyed the passion, anger, fear and frustration of what it must be like to be a good cop, a good Christian who must fight evil and oppression on a daily basis. Its a fabulous example of the test of faith during difficult times as evil threatens his city, his life and his loved ones. Its an "edge of your seat" read! Kudos to Mr Ellis and I look forward to the next edition!

Intense Action!

This was an excellent first book by Ray Ellis! I enjoy reading books with a lot of action and suspense, and this book sure didn't disappoint me at all! After I read the book I saw that it was a christian murder mystery. This book was not at all a church type book trying to preach to you. I have read non-christian books that have felt more preachy than this book. Don't get me wrong, it did have bible references in it, but they fit well into the story. We are introduced to Detective Nate Richards. He is trying to solve the case of a murder of a fellow police officer and a teen boy. His partner is also injured during a shooting. The anarchist symbol seems to be the killer's trademark. That leads Nate to think that it is a certain gang that is doing the killings. I definitely recommend this book! It had a great mix of characters. The action was intense, and the ending was very surprising! I am looking forward to reading the next book written by Ray Ellis! Cheryl Black Diamond's Book Reviews

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.