Deadly Reputation (Sam Lawson Mystery Book # 4 ) by David K. Wilson

When an old friend convinces Texas detective Sam Lawson that a woman’s disappearance might be the work of a serial killer, he reluctantly agrees to help…only to find himself being framed for the very crime he’s investigating. Now, it’s a race against time as he struggles to stay one step ahead of a suspicious cop and find the killer before it’s too late.

Sam had settled into a quiet life of filing police reports and spending time with his girlfriend, medical examiner Carla Davenport. But all of that is threatened when Ken Mullen, Sam’s old partner and mentor, pays an unexpected visit to ask Sam to help him hunt down a serial killer.

As the two men try to link the missing woman to the killer, Sam falls back into old bad habits that threaten the peaceful world he’s created. To make matters worse, someone is planting evidence to frame Sam for murder and an overly ambitious detective sets his sights on Sam’s arrest.

With a woman’s life hanging in the balance, Sam resorts to desperate measures to find the killer before time runs out.

Deadly Reputation is the fourth stand-alone installment of the popular Sam Lawson Mystery series. If you like Jack Reacher and Harry Bosch, you’re going to love Sam Lawson in this gripping, page-turning thriller from David K. Wilson.  (Summary via Goodreads)

Deadly Reputation is the fourth book in the Sam Lawson Mystery series by David K. Wilson and all I can say is ...... WHAT THE HECK ?!?!  If you have read the previous books in this series I am sure you are on the same page as me with being in complete shock !!!  Mostly is a good way but some not so much.

The Sam Lawson Mystery series reminds me of two other authors .... Lawrence Block with his Matthew Scudder series and Stuart Woods with his Stone Barrington series.  Both of these series deal with law enforcing individuals that will, at times, cross the line to get the guilty party.  And we know that In the Sam Lawson series, Sam is kind of on the line ....

In Deadly Reputation Sam's old partner, Ken Muller, comes to town with a crazy case of a serial killer on the lose and talks Sam into looking into the case.  And when a local sex worker ends up missing, Ken is positive that the killer is now in Quinton, Texas.

Sam reluctantly agrees to help Ken knowing that he is sure to piss off his captain.  And when Sam's new truck is taken into custody with questionable blood in the back, he has no other choice but to prove his innocence. 

Things do not get better for Sam and he is not making it easy on himself but he is determined to clear his name and do what he can to try to save the abducted woman ..... and when another one goes missing, he is fitting a clock that is running out of time but he doesn't know how long he has.

I honestly hope that you have read the previous books in this series but if you haven't I hope that you begin.  This is a great series to get lost in and you will breeze through them as you will not want to stop reading them.  I, for one, cannot wait to get  my hands on the fifth book, Death on Location, to see what trouble Sam gets into next.