At the outset Dr. Cyprus Keller admits he plans to kill someone while running the Pittsburgh Marathon. [“Rushing at me is the first of five points where it may happen I shouldn’t have come today, knowing what I know, but I can’t hide from this. Whatever happens today is a result of my own actions. My hands are anything but clean.”] During each mile he outlines the course terrain, landscape and challenges to any runner. As he runs the race, he reflects on the various events in the previous days which compel him to do what he intends to do.

“Trains rumble in all directions, on tracks that rest under skies that loan space to passing airliners. Old architecture blends with the new, and steel intertwines with brick. International technology corporations tower over plumbing supply stores.”

A female student’s murdered. Then his graduate student attempts to kill him. His running partners act suspicious. As a former police officer now professor of Criminology at Three Rivers University in Pittsburgh, Dr. Keller gets increasingly wary to his surroundings. He looks guilty to the police due to his connections to the female student (she was in his class) and his graduate student. In the cutthroat academic world, even one like Three Rivers University, sometimes there’s more at stake.

RESOLVE contains twists, surprises and the Pittsburgh marathon back-setting allots it a clever angle. Dr. Keller’s relationship with his therapist wife Kaitlyn functions as a superb backbone to the story. She centers him. They care for each other without smothering each other, having their own interests and careers.

First-time author J.J. Hensley crams his expertise into this thriller. He’s a long distance runner, a former police officer and Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. While Dr. Keller trains in his running group we learn about swapping out shoes on different days, storing snacks in a belt pack for long runs and various clothing runners prefer to wear—wicking, long sleeves, hoodies, throw away sweat shirts-- depending on the weather. Though he received a PhD in criminology after working as a police officer, Dr. Keller finds himself at a distinct disadvantage among academics. He’s not a pure academic. He’s worked the dirty streets. To many that would be a plus. He has the real world experience. Not so. Those who study and write about the real world don’t often wish to associate with those people within their venerable university walls.

posted at Entertainment Realm

I LOVED this book. I loved it so much I slowed down reading it so I could make it last longer.
The book is set during the Pittsburgh Marathon and each chapter is a mile. Cyprus Keller then tells the story as backstory as he makes his way through the course, getting step by step closer to committing murder.

I loved how the story unwound slowly. I was kept guessing on who was committing what crimes and why. I also liked the flawed and wisecracking main character. He reminded me of Robert B. Parker's Spenser and Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie.

I'm a total nerd and printed out the map from the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon so I could follow the route along with the book. http://old.post-gazette.com/images4/20100425marathon900.gif

A professor of criminology at Three Rivers College, Dr. Cyprus Keller, is caught in a web of murder and intrigue when a student, with an apparent crush on the ol' professor, is found murdered shortly after being turned down by Dr. Keller. The next day his teaching assistant assaults him in the parking lot and soon Dr. Keller finds himself as the primary suspect of multiple crimes. The twists and turns of the story are doled out to the reader in a rather unique fashion. The story of Resolve is broken into 26.2 chapters and in each we learn a little about the race course and a lot about what led the professor to run this race. We know from almost the first page that Dr. Keller is running the marathon for much more than cardiac health. He is planning to kill one his fellow racers.

I am a marathon runner and I have to admit that Hensley absolutely nailed the inner workings of the runners mind while traversing the torturous and often boring quest to complete 26.2 miles. The premise of plotting a murder that will take place at some point during the race was a unique twist on the murder mystery/thriller genre. A fast paced and highly recommended read.

Back in 2014, J.J. Hensley joined the inaugural #30Authors event. He was, and is, quite a fan favorite and has joined in every year since. Even so, I hadn’t read any of his books until recently. This was mostly because I like him as a person and was afraid that, because he writes a genre I don’t read a lot of, I wouldn’t connect with the book. It’s a thriller that uses a marathon to propel the story forward and as someone who doesn’t love most thrillers or run (at all), I was nervous.

Turns out, all that nervousness and delaying was for nothing because Resolve is great. It’s not too violent, makes you question right and wrong, and is fast-paced. The story follows Dr. Cyprus Keller, a criminology professor at a small university who gets swept up in the investigation of a murdered female student. He’s also a former police officer and can’t shake the feeling that something about the investigation is off. So, against his better judgement, he sets out to find answers. Oh, and to kill the person responsible (we know that from the get-go). 

Resolve is told in two parallel tracks: First, there’s Dr. Keller in present day, running a marathon, preparing for someone to die. Then, there’s the story of everything that brought him to this point. As the book races forward, Hensley untangles the web of secrets that led to the young girl’s murder. By the time I finished reading, it was clear to me why Resolve won Best First Novel from International Thriller Writers. It has it all – a classic whodunnit, a twisted storyline, and a diverse group of characters (not to mention a dog – because everyone loves a story with a dog). 

I have to admit, I was struck by how visual the story was with regard to running a marathon. I knew going into it that it is a book runners love, but I wasn’t prepared to get a glimpse into the toll it takes on a person – I’m a bit in awe of anyone who can put themselves through that. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters, primarily Dr. Keller’s wife. I won’t go into details about why I liked her so much but suffice to say she’s my kind of woman. 

For the full review, visit The Book Wheel.

Fun Pittsburgh marathon week reading! Hensley clearly has no qualms about a morally ambiguous vigilante protagonist. Bonus Pittsburgh and running details. Minus a weird usage of "yinz" and a street typo. Four stars for its genre, three-ish overall.

Won this one on First reads. I liked this one quite a bit. Story held me all the way through, and I liked how the narrative jumped back and forth between the race and the events leading up to it. Makes me want to get back in to running regularly.

I will state upfront that if all the posts people make about running on FB annoys you, then don't read this book! It is a suspenseful mystery with lots of great twists and turns but it is also full of great running references. In fact, a newbie could learn a thing or two about running while trying to figure out "who done it."

The main character is a former police officer who finds himself in the middle of a murder and an even greater mystery. Cleverly formatted, the book takes 26 point 2 chapters to run through the events. I hope Mr. Hensley writes another book but wonder if he will have to make it 100 chapters so he can run an ultra during the story? (Hey, how about a triathlon??)

loved the book and how it kept me guessing. it was well written and an easy read.