You can’t beat ex-Marine Jake and his ex-war dog Cody for an entertaining fast-moving thriller.
Book Blurb:
Danger awaits Marine-turned-lawyer Jake Wolfe on his vacation to sunny San Diego and Cabo San Lucas. There he finds sugary white sand beaches, warm turquoise water, boat trips among gray whales, and … cold blooded murder.
It was meant to be a relaxing holiday for Jake and his adopted war dog, Cody, but violence erupts when he crosses paths with a criminal cartel urgently seeking to reclaim a deadly package.
Jake learns the missing item is a threat to US citizens and vows to stop the cartel from possessing it, no matter what vigilante justice actions he might have to take.
Time is running out and thousands of innocent lives are at risk. Will the two combat veterans be able to retrieve the dangerous item before the killers do? The clock is ticking, but Jake hopes that if anybody can help find the package, it has to be his highly-trained and ultra-intelligent dog, Cody.
Find out what happens next. Start reading the latest Jake and Cody thriller right now and enjoy another fast-paced stand-alone story by author Mark Nolan.
My Review:
The fourth in this series and I’ve read them all. (Believe it–unusual, I know.) Just when Jake thinks he can relax a bit in Cabo, frolic in the sun, play with the fishies and his best girl, Sarah Chance, the cartel interrupts the fun with business of their own and it’s back to the states and the business of U.S. security.
Cody was his buddy’s war dog. His dog survived, his buddy did not, and as he’d lost his own war dog, adopted the dog known to be a maverick with a case of PTSD. Well-trained, scary intelligent, and an asset, both Jake and Cody are called back to service in top-secret missions, diverting him from his lawyery office and Sarah to distraction.
Sarah continues to wrestle with her strong feelings for Jake, but can’t reconcile his sudden life-and-death departures, this one to find and destroy the package the cartel wants so badly. She is a vet with a business of her own and probably understands Cody as much or more than Jake.
What follows is a smorgasbord of mystery, action, adventure, murderous assassins, terrorists, kidnapping and general mayhem. The fast-paced, well-plotted thriller moves through twists and turns. Jake is well-developed as is Cody and there is a partial perspective from Cody as he observes his human.
While Jake can be deadly on his own, he had multiple sources of help this time, most characters previously introduced, including his link to Secret Service Agent Shannon McKay who points and authorizes his direction. Each entry to the series works well as a standalone with individual stories. The dynamic between Jake and Cody steals the show although this one pushed the boundaries of anthropomorphizing. Cody still huffs out his “ha, ha, ha” and if you’ve owned a dog likely have seen the same.
The last third of the book settled “on plane” and felt like the Nolan writing style I remembered gathering speed into the disquieting conclusion. (Jake is still grateful for the opportunity to live on, and sail, the Far Niente.) I enjoyed the descriptions of hacker practices and depth of cartel infiltration to the U.S., as well as the explanations for readers at the end, and the occasional reference to military jargon.
“..what we’d say the word Marine stands for?…Marines Always Ride in Navy Equipment.”
Still, while the storyline hooks you immediately, I felt a difference in about the first two-thirds of the book. There seemed to be a different writing style than I was previously used to and discovered several anomalies as well, including contradictions and repeats. Otherwise, it’s a swiftly moving read and one you’ll enjoy.
I received this digital download from the author for the opportunity to read and sincerely appreciated the opportunity to review. (Thank you, Mark!) These are my own unbiased opinions.
Book Details:
Genre: Financial Thrillers, Crime Thrillers
- ISBN-10:1687417261
- ISBN-13:978-1687417268
- ASIN: B07TP7RSTX
Print Length: 346 pages
Publication Date: August 31, 2019
Source: Author request
Title Link: San Diego Dead
Rosepoint Publishing: Four of Five Stars 
The Author: Subscribe to Mark Nolan‘s reader newsletter for updates, specials, and to be notified when a new book is available. (Links to my reviews)
Mark Nolan’s books in order:
1. Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie
2. Vigilante Assassin
3. Killer Lawyer
4. San Diego Dead
He is currently hard at work on his next novel.
Mark also tries to make time every day to answer emails from readers. You can get in touch with him at marknolan.com.
©2019 V Williams 
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