Buck Taylor has been with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for almost 18 years and he loves his job. However, he hates two things; crimes that involve children and when police officers get hurt or killed in the line of duty. When he and his colleagues are tasked with a missing journalist case, who was renowned for her investigative documentaries, it becomes a huge conspiracy involving powerful individuals who threaten the safety of his people. Can Buck and his team see the case through and bring the criminals to justice? Crime Exposed by Chuck Morgan is the fourth installment in the Buck Taylor Novel mystery crime series. 

The story starts with Chuck Morgan's signature style by getting right into the action, the night when journalist Barb McBride disappears. Buck Taylor is dedicated and instinctive as ever, a veteran in the field who knows how to perceive investigations from different angles to get results. The narrative is straightforward yet atmospheric and filled with details. The plot is slightly more multifaceted than I anticipated, which was a nice surprise. I had fun trying to piece the clues together and guessing the perpetrators. Besides murder, the nature of child pornography crimes are disturbing but Morgan handled it well without making it too graphic. As with its predecessors, Crime Exposed is a standalone story that can be enjoyed by fans and new readers. The background story on the recurring characters and some details from previous books are drip-fed sporadically without interrupting the plot flow. All in all, another solid read from this crime series.

Crime Exposed: A Buck Taylor Novel by Chuck Morgan is the fourth entry in a riveting crime series. Buck Taylor is pulled into investigating the disappearance of a missing journalist, a case that eventually leads to murder and child pornography. The narrative starts in a very curious way, a powerful opening that piqued my sense of curiosity. We get a clear glimpse of the protagonist in the first line of the narration: “Jim McBride knew his wife was pissed... The sound of slamming doors that bombarded his ears indicated that whoever she was mad at would receive her full wrath. He was glad it wasn't him.” This strong opening already gives readers a hint of what to expect, and they are keen on discovering who Barb will turn out to be. But she disappears just after the first chapter and in a tragic kind of way that establishes the suspense and the irony that drives the narrative.

Chuck Morgan has a unique gift for plot, one that makes Crime Exposed: A Buck Taylor Novel a hard-to-put-down book. From the start, readers know what happens to Barb, but they become curious as they follow the investigation, wondering if the characters will find out what happened to her. The descriptions are filled with clarity and they offer readers great images. The prose is elegant and it captures both the emotional and psychological elements of the novel clearly while offering vivid descriptions of scenes and characters. This is a fast-paced thriller with memorable characters and a criminal investigation that is so real readers will believe it could happen.