Reviews + Media

At the start of Tucker’s worthy sequel to 2017’s Next of Kin, a fishing boat off Long Island nets the bodies of a man and a woman along with the daily catch. Not trusting the local police, the boat’s captain calls the NYPD in the hope of reaching Det. Buddy Lock, whom he saw recently on CNN. Buddy, who’s on leave while the department looks into his use of a firearm in a previous investigation, is eager to take on what appears to be a straightforward case. However, within hours of becoming involved, Lock is ambushed, and his fiancée, Mei Adams, loses her job and is threatened. Mei and the couple’s 10-year-old ward, Ben Brook, head for a friend’s country house in an attempt to escape the danger, while Lock gets on the trail of a series of interlocking crimes, including fraud, extortion, corruption, and murder. Shifting between Locke’s violent, frenetic adventures and the equally thrilling exploits of Mei and the surprisingly capable Ben, Tucker keeps the tension high. Readers will look forward to Buddy’s next action-packed outing.

Last week, James Tucker’s “The Holdouts: A Buddy Lock Thriller” was offered up as the book club’s latest bit of homework. And we’d encourage you at home to read along with us. The local author, who works full time at Target and is a married father of two, assures readers that they don’t need to have read the first book in his series before reading his latest.

This is the author's 2nd book featuring homicide cop (Buddy Lock) in New York City. We haven’t read the first one but this one is terrific. [T]his is a story of power and corruption told in a page turning suspenseful way. If you are a fan of Lucas Davenport (John Sandford), Harry Bosch (Michael Connelly) or Cork O’Conner (William Kent Krueger) then we have a new favorite detective for you! 4 stars.

Well, the wait is over James Tucker's follow up sequel, The Holdouts, is now available and once again the critics are excited, describing it as a "worthy sequel," and that Tucker "keeps the tension high" and will have readers looking forward to Buddy's next "action-packed outing."

Edina author James Tucker has two appearances scheduled for October, the release month for his latest work, “The Holdouts.”

The suspense author will appear at the Edina Senior Center, 5280 Grandview Square, from 2-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, to speak about his newest book as well as his debut novel, “Next of Kin.” His subsequent appearance is 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Galleria Barnes & Noble, 3230 Galleria, Edina.

Early in Tucker’s impressive first novel and series launch, NYPD Det. Buddy Lock receives a call from attorney Ray Sawyer, who’s representing 10-year-old Ben Brook, a member of a wealthy Manhattan family. Three days earlier, on New Year’s Eve, someone murdered Ben’s parents and his sister with a hatchet at their house in the family camp complex in the Adirondacks. Ben managed to elude the killer and phone 911. Sawyer, who’s now Ben’s guardian, begs Buddy to help find the killer. Buddy, whose own family broke up because of his excessive devotion to work, hesitates to take the case for fear of jeopardizing his relationship with his new girlfriend, Mei Adams. Nevertheless, after a failed attempt on Ben’s life, which results in another death, Buddy agrees to take charge of the investigation. Buddy’s battle of wits with the vicious killer keeps the excitement level high throughout. The surprise ending will leave readers impatiently awaiting Buddy’s next outing.

A detective is pressed into guarding a 10-year-old boy who’s the last surviving member of his family.NYPD detective Buddy Lock is surprised when lawyer Ray Sawyer calls him and asks for his help solving the murder of a family upstate. Buddy’s jurisdiction is limited to Manhattan, and though he’s flattered that Ray would want his help, he doesn’t think he knows anything that might solve the New Year’s killings of virtually an entire branch of the wealthy Brook family. Even so, Buddy agrees to look into the case along with his brother Ward Mills, an expert in safe houses and human behavior. While they investigate Camp Kateri, the site of the murders, Ray is asked to care for the last remaining Brook, Ben, who somehow managed to escape while his parents and sister were killed. Whoever murdered the rest of Ben’s family comes after him while he’s in Ray ‘s care, and though Ben survives, the lawyer’s wife is killed in the attack. Convinced that the killer will stop at nothing until he’s dead, Ben begs Buddy to keep him safe. Buddy agrees to bring him to the home he shares with his girlfriend, Mei. The two work round-the-clock to care for Ben and keep him safe, and Mei bonds with the traumatized boy, offering him mothering while he’s most vulnerable. Buddy and Ward do their part by researching the Brook family tree to find out who might have something to gain by killing the eponymous next of kin.

Direct and fast-paced, Tucker’s debut takes readers on an adventurous ride that extends from questions about custody of a young charge to an art deal that may have its roots in the exploitation of Jews in World War II.

As a full-time executive of one of Minnesota’s largest companies and parent to two small children, on paper, James Tucker doesn’t look like a typical novelist. But this Edina resident’s first novel, Next of Kin, was published last fall as the first in a two-book deal with a series to follow.Even harder than securing a publishing deal may have been finding time to write the novel. This busy Target executive wrote much of the book on airplanes and at the Edina Library.

In the second half of the show, we talk with James Tucker about his debut novel NEXT OF KIN, a Detective Buddy Lock mystery. He is a Minneapolis attorney who was awarded a fiction position at the Loft’s Mentor series and attended the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley and the Tin House Writers’ Workshop in Portland.

The Minnetonka Barnes & Noble store in Ridgehaven Mall transformed into a scene from a Whodunit, when local mystery writers and enthusiasts convened for Land of 10,000 Mysteries, a celebration of the genre and the diverse Minnesotans who love it.

The Big Thrill recently checked in with Tucker to learn more about his exciting new tale of suspense.

The Big Thrill recently checked in with Tucker to learn more about his exciting new tale of suspense.

Watch the video (3:14)

James Tucker, the author of “Next of Kin,” spoke to Jason DeRusha and Matt Brickman about the persistence it takes to be a published novelist.

Watch the video (3:32)

Twin Cities native and Target executive James Tucker has added author to his resume with his first published novel, “Next of Kin.” The book debuted October 17th, and it’s already receiving praise from critics.

More than 20 years after he was first inspired to write fiction, Edina resident James Tucker is finally a published author, a 370-page goal he reached despite staying busy with a demanding corporate career and two young children at home….