Double Takedown

Double Takedown 

Double Takedown is the latest novel to be checked off my to be read list. It is the sixth in the Mike Stoneman series from author Kevin G. Chapman. I’ve been an avid fan of this series since I first read Righteous Assassin a few years ago. 

If you are a fan of police procedural and mystery novels, then you will love Double Takedown. I’ve enjoyed this series enough that it has become one of my goals to read everything that Kevin G. Chapman has written, and I’m making my way through that list now, and enjoying every minute of it. 

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Do you ever find a favorite author and want to read everything from them? I have several on my list, and that is one of my big goals in the new year, is to check more of those off of my to be read list. Feel free to tell me about your favorite authors in the comments below. I would love to hear about who is at the top of your list. 

Have you read Double Takedown? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Double Takedown 

What happens when a closed case breaks wide open?

NYPD homicide detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson are preparing to testify at a high-profile murder trial. They busted the Broadway director, who poisoned his leading actor to collect the insurance money on his doomed show. Or did he? The director claims the evidence was planted to frame him and that Mike and Jason developed tunnel vision. If they did, can they live with themselves, knowing that an innocent man might be convicted . . . and someone else got away with the perfect crime?

The prosecutor and their captain order them not to re-open the closed case. But Mike and Jason are plagued by doubts. When new evidence leads to even more questions, the detectives race to put the pieces together and uncover the whole truth. But their unauthorized investigation could lead to catastrophic collateral damage, could cost them their badges, and the director may still be guilty.

Fans of Michael Connelly and James Patterson will love the return of Mike Stoneman and his crew in this intricate police procedural mystery with twists you won’t see coming. 

Double Takedown Genres

• Mystery
• Thriller
• Adventure Fiction
• Police Procedural

Thoughts on Double Takedown 

The latest story involving detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson is an intricate weaving of two parallel, and sometimes interconnecting, plots. While they are wrapping up a case they thought was completed, they are simultaneously investigating a new murder case involving a TikTok influencer. 

Perhaps it’s because I generally despise the whole TikTok influencer culture, but I found myself not caring one bit about the second murder victim and the various motives that the people in her life might have had to kill her. I was drawn more to the plight of the wrongfully-accused actor in the A plot. With that plot, I felt that the mystery of who actually killed the victim was more compelling.

I do have to take a few moments to acknowledge a new character called The Pharmacist, who was essential to the TikTok murder story. This character runs a series of YouTube videos where he recommends various combinations of illicit drugs to users, and will even write prescriptions for those who want them. 

One thing I have praised about the Stoneman books is their realism, and this Pharmacist character breaks that mold in a quite obvious way. I personally can’t see how this sort of profession would even be remotely legal, and the fact that this person’s show wasn’t immediately shut down by YouTube’s algorithm pulled me out of the story every time he showed up.

With two parallel plots, it was sometimes hard to keep track of who were the victims, suspects, accomplices, and/or perpetrators of each crime. And ultimately, the resolution to both plots felt unsatisfying to me. But the execution of said resolution was well-done, and the final action sequence was fun to read.

However, what I do love about the Stoneman books is how the personal lives of Mike and Jason are fully fleshed out. These stories aren’t just about chasing down the bad guys; we see little romantic moments between the cops and their partners, or dinners with their extended families, or just little vignettes of Jason’s young son growing up. These help make the cops feel like real people, not just caricatures.

It took me until this book, the sixth in the Stoneman series, to notice a pattern involving the introduction of Stoneman’s and Dickson’s police chief, Sullivan. Whenever that character first appears in each book, Chapman writes the sentence “Like every other police officer in history named Sullivan, he was known as ‘Sully.’” That sentence makes me grin every time I come across it.

Final Thoughts on Double Takedown 

It can be easy for police procedural stories to fall into lazy storytelling and cliches (see many of the hundreds of Law and Order episodes for some examples), but author Kevin G Chapman avoids that with every entry in his Mike Stoneman series so far. I always love diving back in to see what Stoneman and Dickson will be up to next.

I’m calling Double Takedown a 4 star read. I’ve settled on a four star because I can’t rate it higher or lower. I can’t call it a three star because that would mean I’ve already forgotten it, which isn’t the case. But Double Takedown is not a book I’ll read a second time, which is one of my big criteria for a five star read. Therefore I’ve settled on four stars. 

It wasn’t my favorite in the Mike Stoneman series, but that doesn’t mean it is a bad book. It simply means that I’ve read enough of Kevin G. Chapman’s writing to have favorites and compare those to each new one. 

I’m about to start reading book number seven in the series, and I have to admit that I really hope Kevin G. Chapman continues the Mike Stoneman series, because I’ve really enjoyed it so far. Somehow it is like going to visit an old friend. 

Discussion 

Have you read Double Takedown or any other writing from author Kevin G. Chapman? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Kevin G. Chapman is, by day, a buttoned-down corporate labor & employment lawyer who works for a major US media company. He frequently speaks at Continuing Legal Education seminars, has taught legal writing to law students, and is the past chairperson of the Labor & Employment division of the global Association of Corporate Counsel. 

When the work day is done, however, Kevin lives a much more exciting fictional life of crime and romance as the author of the award-winning Mike Stoneman Thriller series (and other novels, short stories, and screenplays).

When not busy writing, he enjoys playing tournament poker and cheering on his beloved New York Mets. Kevin loves talking fiction with readers, or talking about law, politics, or baseball. 

Purchasing Double Takedown

• If you are interested in buying the paperback version of Double Takedown, click here.
• For the hardcover version, click here.
• Click here for the Kindle version.
• Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

More from Kevin G. Chapman 

DId you enjoy my review of Double Takedown? Need another great Kevin G. Chapman book to read? Here are my favorites! 

Mike Stoneman Series

• Fool Me Twice (short story/prequel)
• Righteous Assassin
• Deadly Enterprise
• Lethal Voyage
• Fatal Infraction
• Perilous Gambit
• Double Takedown
• Treacherous Hack

Standalone Novels

• The Other Murder
• Dead Winner
• A Legacy of One
• Identity Crisis

Short Stories

• The Car, the Dog and the Girl
• Ghost Creek

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