Title:	A Reason to Live
	Author:	Matthew Iden
	Published:	2012, Create Space
	No. of Pages:	362
	Cover Price:	$16.00 Paperback, $3.99 Kindle

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After 30 years as a homicide detective, Marty Singer has retired. He has cancer. He is tired. He feels his life is over. While at the coffee shop, a young woman, Amanda Lane, solicits his help. Her mother, Brenda Lane, was murdered 12 years ago, and the killer, who was a cop, walked, due to mistakes on the part of the prosecution. Marty feels responsible, and agrees to help her, since the killer has returned and has been leaving “messages” like he did at the time of the murder. Soon it becomes clear that Amanda is in grave danger, as well as Marty and anyone else that is looking into the situation.

A Reason to Live is an excellent introduction to the Marty Singer series by Matthew Iden. Marty is not the typical hero; he isn’t in good health, isn’t particularly likeable, and although he has friends on the inside of the police department, has a lot of enemies who don’t want to help. He burned bridges during his career, and since he is no longer an official detective, his hands are tied and he has to figure out ways to get around the animosity and still get the information he needs to find the perpetrator. It appears that there is corruption in the police department, but no one seems to be able to find out where.

The novel emanates an air of suspense throughout, and there are dozens of twists and turns as well as unexpected happenings. The ending, of course, is a surprise. Iden does a good job of giving the reader a feel for the personalities of the main characters. As the story progresses, Marty becomes more likeable, and the story becomes more fascinating. By the time the reader gets to the mid part of the novel, it is difficult to put down.

All told, this series is one that will be enjoyed by most readers who enjoy suspense novels. There is no graphic sex or violence, although there are some incidents of both in the story. The book is quite a fast read, and most readers will look forward to the next installment. Usually the first book in a series is more focused on introducing characters, explaining their lifestyle, and setting the background for the subsequent novels. This is no exception and it will spark the interest of the readers to want to read more.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
A Reason to Live (A Marty Singer Mystery Book 1), Kindle
A Reason to Live: Marty Singer Mystery #1, Paperback