Review: Early Termination: A Probation Case Files Mystery by Cindy Goyette

Released earlier this month by Level Best Books, Early Termination: A Probation Case Files Mystery by Cindy Goyette is the very enjoyable sequel to Obey All Laws. As storylines from that book continue here in this read, I recommend for those new to the series to be sure to read that book first.

 

It is late September in Phoenix, Arizona, and Probation Officer Casey Carson has been summoned to a crime scene. Detective Ramsey asked her to come out to a canal where a body has been pulled out. The body is in a very bad shape. It also has one of her business cards in his mouth. That card was inside a plastic bag inside his mouth thus making sure to send a message no matter how long it took for the body to be found and retrieved from the water.

 

The deceased was/is Brian Johnson. He had not checked in with Carson in a few weeks and clearly never will now. She believed he had relapsed and was getting ready to file for an arrest warrant for probation violations. Carson thought he was an okay guy. She has far more questions than answers she can give to Detective Ramsey.

 

On the other hand, she is sure that Tony Romero, her new probation officer who she is training, is not an okay guy. He is clearly a bit of a jerk. But his dad is the manager of the community service unit, So Tony’s short comings have been overlooked by others to this point. Her mission is to make him either good enough to do the job or finding an infraction big enough to get him fired. So far, he isn’t giving her enough to work with either way.

 

If that was not enough stress, Marcus is on his way back to Phoenix and clearly wants way more than platonic friendship. Her ex is still around and he wants them to give it another go as a couple. The biker gang still wants her to suffer and die for reasons made clear in the first book.

 

If all that was not enough, the bodies soon start piling up, and bad goes to worse as she becomes a suspect in the deaths.

 

What follows is a complicated and highly entertaining read. Character development for Carson and other characters continues here, as does plenty of action and mystery. Early Termination: A Probation Case Files Mystery by Cindy Goyette is a fun read and well worth your time.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4js1Fv0

 

The author provided a digital ARC of the read with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2025