Junkie is the first in the series of Cal Rogen detective books. It is the second I read (because you don’t need to read them in order!). We follow Cal as he tries to prove that his friend was murdered. During his investigation, Cal is dealing with addiction to heroin, potentially losing his daughter, and discovering hidden family truths.
The book is written in first person perspective, and each chapter designates which character we are following. Most of the book is written from Cal’s perspective. Like the other Cal Rogen novel I read, I like this style of writing for this book. It keeps the story moving at a nice pace while uniquely revealing the story through the eyes of various characters.
Robert P French did an excellent job of incorporating Cal’s addiction into the book respectfully. It highlights how people with addiction are still intelligent and hard-working individuals impacted by mental illness. Robert shares how difficult it is to live with an addiction and how there is a cycle of wanting to get help but knowing it will be a long and challenging path.
There were many times when I thought I knew who the murderer was, but I was frequently wrong. There were some exciting twists to keep me reading along with colourful characters.
I highly recommend reading all of the Cal Rogen series – even if you don’t read them in order!
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