Many citizens in the small college town of Rawlings, Montana, are unsurprised to learn that Virginia Rinaldi, the world-famous sociologist, was murdered. A few are secretly pleased. Her political enemies knew her as an ideologue who used insults, threats, and blackmail to promote her unpopular social views. When Detectives Seagate and Miner begin their investigation, they discover that a local prostitute had recently moved into the professor’s house, angering Rinaldi’s college-age son. And when the community learns that the prostitute made a lesbian porn video with one of Rinaldi’s students, tensions on campus erupt, leading to more bloodshed. Drawn into a horrifying world of sexual violence and exploitation, Seagate devises a plan to flush out the killer. The plan appears to be on track–until Seagate unwittingly jeopardizes the life of her partner, Ryan Miner.

BigAl, the leading reviewer of indie books, published this 5 star review of The Reveal:

I’ve read and reviewed four of the five previous books in this series, loving each of them. Going from memory, prior reviews have focused on the main characters, narrator and protagonist Karen Seagate, a recovering alcoholic with many imperfections, offset by a desire to do well, and her sidekick, Ryan Miner, her polar opposite, a devout Mormon family man. I’ve previously talked about how well the fictional city of Rawlings, Montana and the secondary characters reflect the geography and culture of the area it would be in, were it a real place. All of these things are still true. Maybe it’s time to talk about plot.

The short version is, the plots are good, with The Reveal as my favorite thus far. In this particular story we kick off with the murder of Virginia Rinaldi, a professor at the local college. Virginia’s liberal outlook has challenged and sometimes riled up the locals, including some of her peers, but she is almost universally loved by her students.

As Seagate and Miner investigate, they uncover a plethora of suspects and additional crimes are committed that may or may not be related to the initial murder. Just when I thought I’d figured out who did what, something new would happen to shake things up, and I, along with Seagate and Miner, would be forced to reevaluate. In the end, they figured it out. I was kept guessing until the end, even second guessing whether they’d arrested the right person until they’d tied up all the loose ends. This one kept me up late, eager to find out whodunit.

Here are a couple of reviews from Amazon:

As a reader of the five previous Seagate and Miner mysteries, I felt that each book I finished reading would be a hard act to follow. I have lost sleep, been late for work, and temporarily ignored family and friends while reading this book. The Reveal is the best yet in the series. Mr. Markel’s ideas for story lines are contemporary page turners that will keep you reading long into the night. The two main characters, different in every way imaginable, have acquired an enviable working relationship. They not only complement each other, but through the series have developed a strong bond. The minor characters are very colorful and entertaining as well. As serious and disturbing as the book’s subject matter is, the scenes and dialogue between characters at times will have you laughing out loud. The author has obviously done his homework as I found this story to be an educational police procedural as well as an outstanding mystery. The Reveal can certainly be read as a stand-alone; however, I strongly recommend reading the previous five books in order to appreciate character development. You will enjoy all of the stories. The subject matter of The Reveal is sensitive and timely, and is handled well throughout the book. I thought I had figured out the ending, but I was way off base, and surprised. Now I need to wait patiently for book 7. Mike Markel’s books should be on the Best Seller list!

I received a free copy of this ebook for review; however I would have gladly purchased it like I had the previous five books. In this edition, Markel continues the story of Seagate and Miner. The writing is fast paced, the subject is current but a bit controversial and I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was lost in the story. You can certainly read this book as a stand alone, but I believe it is better if you’ve read them all. Go ahead; they are worth the investment of your time. Good job and a very recommendable book if you enjoy the genre. Can’t wait for book number seven.