Customer Reviews

Back on Murder (A Roland March Mystery)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

1. Technical: This is the kind of book the Kindle was made for. The built in dictionary allowed me to quickly understand terms such as cocobolo and the note/bookmark feature allowed me to note/review my speculations on plots and twists.

2. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its characters. Oddly enough, I was drawn to the folks that surround him more than I was to the main character Roland March. Which shows author Bertrand's skill in creating him. Detective March seems to be a real person (another piece of lettuce trying to get through this world as georgecarlinmighthavephrasedit): petty lustful mean sad caring clueless noble brave . . . real not a cardboard cutout stereotyped action/detective hero/antihero. And in the real world, we don't like everyone. And I don't care for March. But I do like the story, I do like the writing, and I would buy another Roland March book if one shows up.

From the cover:

Houston homicide detective Roland March was once one of the best. Now he's disillusioned, cynical, and on his way out. His superiors farm him out on a variety of punishment details . . . until an unexpected break gives March one last chance to sve his career. And his humanity.

All he has to do? find the missing teenage daughter of a Houston evangelist that every cop in town is already looking for. But March has an inside track, a multiple murder nobody else thinks is connected. battling a new partner, and old nemesis, and the demons of his past, getting to the truth could cost March everything. Even his life.

My thoughts:

Wow. Gritty. Realistic.

Roland March is desperate to get back on murder duty. Weaseling his way into a murder scene, he's ignored and forgotten, but the only one to find the evidence that a girl was held kidnapped in the house. Rabid for his old job, he does all but beg to be placed on this case.

Instead he's assigned to find Hannah Mayhew, the missing daughter of Houston's famous evangelist. His final day with the police's Cars for Criminals detail, he hauls in one criminal, and unknowingly, lets the real criminal go.

In the midst of is work problems, March is dealing with his own personal demons, the vehicular homicide of his daughter, the apparent distance between he and his wife, the friction from his one-time work partner, and the dope-using, partying renter that lives above his garage. His wife's dissatisfied with him, with how he handles--or won't handle--their renter, and he can't come to terms with his daughter's death.

His theories are varied, but his motive is right. Especially if it means bringing down those who should be standing shoulder to shoulder with him. Even if it means putting a young man in deathly danger, the youth leader who encouraged Hannah to reach out to her needy peers. The young man who offers his service because of his guilt.

The novel takes us on a twisting journey, one that I imagine many a cop travels. If at times, March comes across as a too-needy person, well, his persistence makes up for it. I would have liked to have seen a touch more faith in the book. I particularly hated it when March judged himself as rat-like and also when he cast an eye at his temporary partner Cavallo. I thought it lessened his likeableness.

That's real life, I'm sure. I saw little or no evidence that March was a Christian, and though there seemed to be an improvement in he and his wife's relationship, he didn't grow spiritually or even give a hint that he might at some time or another.

But the other facets of the novel far outweighed those details. It's a realistic story that held my attention. A book that could hold its own with any crime secular novel. I'll be looking forward to Bertrand's next novel.

An intelligent, powerful, gritty mystery with brilliant prose and an eye for vivid detail. The complex but appealing protagonist, Houston Police Detective Roland March is a man haunted by former triumphs and tragedies. In his attempt to solve both a murder and a missing persons case that may be connected, March is pitted against both the bad guys and his fellow police officers, and he tenaciously fights for his survival. Boasting a rich cast of compelling characters, the author weaves a complex plot and intricate subplots, exploring the depths of evil, corruption, forgiveness, and love. I eagerly await the next Roland March mystery. No serious reader of crime novels should miss this one, especially fans of authors James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly. Well done.

Back On Murder by J. Mark Bertrand is a murder mystery extraordinaire. Houston detective Roland March is disillusioned and misunderstood, relegated to special assignments nobody else wants. He gets his big chance for redemption when he is assigned to a missing person's case - one which he thinks is connected to a drug murder; but proving it might just cost him his life. Beyond a very engaging story line with plenty of plot twists and surprises, Bertrand's writing style is masterful. His voice is fresh, descriptive, insightful and never, ever cliché. Coming from a Christian publisher, I can honestly say that this book will appeal to the masses, no matter what one's religious stripe. There are some Christian characters in the book, but they are portrayed as real people and there is never a preachy moment. This is achieved, I think, by the use of the first person narrative. Since the main character himself is not a believer, he is simply observing the behavior of those around him, weighing their worth on a human level. This novel deserves a five star rating, without a doubt.

It's seldom that I read a cop story that gives me goose bumps, but this one did. His description of a fight in the front seat of a car had me wanting to go for my off duty piece. The gunfight scene had me wanting to duck. I've read reviews that infer the writing is scattered and hard to follow but I have to disagree. The narrative follows the detective's thought processes and does it very accurately, which adds to the realism in my opinion. If you've done police work you'll recognize your own patterns, if you never have, you'll gain insight into what it's like to be facing the crisis as well and the mundane and all of it filtered through department politics and personal, especially relationship, issues. Don't miss this one.

This was my first Roland March Mystery (and since it's the first book in the series I though it a good idea) and I must say I was very pleased with the book. At first however I had my concerns. For instance Detective March needed a DNA test done on a blood sample right at the beginning of the book and it took all the way until 40% (Kindle speak) into the book to get the results back. In the meantime the story didn't progress much. Lots of character building and soap-drama but as for the missing girl nothing much happened. What I came to realize was that this book was very realistic to real-life police work. Lots of waiting, missing clues and dead ends. Usually detective stories are not too realistic because the reader wants some of the reality suspended so the story moves along faster. J. Mark Bertrand took another avenue which in my opinion really paid off. The story ended up being very real and quite gripping. I couldn't have been more impressed. The writing was very good and flowed naturally.

The book would have been given four stars except for one event in the book that boosted it up to the "Life Changing" five stars rating. My plans are to continue with the series. I highly recommend the book.

1 Star = Pathetic

2 Stars = Fair

3 Stars = Good

4 Stars = Excellent

5 Stars = Life changing

For those who give me a negative vote on my review please comment and let me know why. I'd like to improve my reviews so they can be helpful to those who read them. (I choose not to give a synopsis of the book because it's already given at the top of the books page.) Thank you.

For some police officers the dead body is the end of the case. The search for the living is over and there is nothing left to do. For homicide detectives the body is the start. The dead body is the door opening on a case waiting to be solved. For Homicide Detective Ronald March, the results of a shootout in southwest Houston are his ticket back to fully functioning in Homicide and ending his exile of being farmed out on garbage details.

If he does not screw it up.

Since that fateful tragic day seven years ago, things have not been right personally or professionally. What happens over the next few weeks and months in the summer and fall of 2008 might be his last chance at everything.

A local loan shark by the name of Octavio Morales is dead as are several of his criminal associates. Detective March should not even be in the house surveying the carnage as he has fallen out of favor with his bosses. But, a house full of dead gang bangers brings out everyone and March couldn't stay away. It has been far too long since he last worked a real murder case and he burns with the need to work one. He surveys the scene and only March spots the evidence that indicates that a hostage was there and now is gone.

Despite the fact that he alone found the evidence, March is still locked into the bottom of the pecking order and wasting his time with crummy assignments. Whether it is the frequent sting operations enticing bad guys to show up and claim the cars they won, the cop suicides he gets stuck with, or a number of others, the details are garbage jobs. March has earned his bottom feeder status and he isn't going anywhere. At least, until he spotted the evidence that no one else noticed and changed the case from a routine killing to a missing hostage search. That earns him a temporary reprieve and minor league status in the Morales case.

Assuming he doesn't screw up.

But, he will. He does. And yet, March also makes his own kind of twisted luck. It may be tarnished luck but under all the slime there is luck and every now and then he comes through in a strange way.

This debut mystery by author J. Mark Bertrand features the usual stereotypical elements of a burned out detective, a nearly destroyed marriage thanks to personal tragedy, and a city that is little more than a cesspool with a population stirred up by a hysterical media tracking a missing person's case. Usually these sorts of books are set in Los Angeles. Instead, the former Texas resident set it in Houston and also managed to weave in Hurricane Ike from a couple of years back along the way.

Somehow, despite beating the stereotype drum in nearly every area, J. Mark Bertrand makes it work. Before long, one gets pulled in the noirish style world of Ronald March where he frequently makes mistakes and yet survives against all the odds. Psychology is a huge part of this novel and March quickly becomes not only your friend but a guy you know that just seems to always have the deck stacked against him. He can't play politics, goes his own way and does not fit in, and yet manages to always get the job done.

The author's MFA in creative writing from the University of Houston shows throughout the debut novel as one gets the feeling every character trait and plot point is orchestrated for effect in order to make a nice neat check mark on the master list. At the same time, when he is actively working and on the chase, occasional overwriting and stereotypical blemishes vanish as Mr. Bertrand brings the scenes alive so well you can almost taste it. It is when the action slows and March becomes contemplative about his life and what has happened that the novel drifts a bit. That also means occasional errors in grammar, pacing, the timeline of the novel, etc. are glaringly more present.

Just like in real life not everything in Back On Murder is tied up in a nice neat package. While most plot lines are tied off well, one minor storyline involving a tenant is cut off way too nice and neat. It comes to an abrupt dead stop and results in a missed opportunity for further character development and secondary plot. Considering how hard the storyline had been pushed up until the abrupt ending, the reader is left to wonder why it just suddenly ended in that way.

Overall, the novel is good, but not as great as it could be. This may be a case where writers would be a bit harsher in their criticism of the book than the average reader as we recognize the tricks being used to tell the tale. Still, the read is full of mystery, political infighting, action, and no easy answers and results in a 382 book that will keep you guessing most of the way through. J. Mark Bertrand has a fairly decent foundation of a series to work from based on this book. It will be interesting to see how it goes in the next novel in the series, Pattern Of Wounds, scheduled to be published this July by Bethany House.

Back On Murder: A Roland March Mystery

J. Mark Bertrand

Bethany House (A Division of Baker Publishing Group)

July 2010

ISBN# 978-0-7642-0637-5

Paperback

384 Pages

$14.99

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2011

BACK ON MURDER by is a new suspense thriller/police procedural by J. Mark Bertrand. While I received a free copy of the novel from the publisher, I was under no obligation to write a positive review. I'm happy to say that Bertrand has delivered an edgy, thought-provoking thriller. Homicide Det. Roland March is a flawed hero with a distinctive voice brought out by Bertrand's witty first person writing.

March is the "suicide cop," the detective assigned to cover suicides by policemen. It's the worst job you can get, and a sign that March is on his way out. March doesn't want to give up yet, jumps at the chance to work with Lorenz, an up and coming detective, on the murder of several gangbangers at an abandoned house. March discovers that a young girl may have been among the victims, and thinks he can tie it to the disappearance of Hannah Mayhew, the daughter of a famous televangelist.

There's a lot of plot in this novel and March is right in the middle of it. There's the attractive partner, the loyal friends, the corrupt cops, and the murderous drug dealers. But what kept me turning the pages was Roland March. Bertrand has created a great character with a unique voice. From page one, I really fell for March and his demeanor and actions. Early in the novel, Bertrand lets you know that he knows what he's doing. He understand police and how they think and the politics involved in the daily operations of a major case.

March is motivated to solve the case and get back in the good graces of his coworkers. How did he fall out of favor with them? Something tragic happened with March and his wife, and we don't even realize it at first. Less talented authors would spend pages at the beginning of the novel describing March's tragic past and fall from grace. Bertrand delivers the information one small nugget at a time, both with March's past and the backstory between him and other characters. This kept me reading, as I kept learning about March, even at the very end of the novel.

The plot is complex, with plenty of twists, but flows easily from page to page, with all loose ends tying together. My only complaint would be that one character seemed unnecessary (Tommy, the renter) and another, his attractive partner, wasn't developed as much as she could have been. After learning of her faith and her fiance in Iraq , her role in the novel could have easily been played by any of the other nameless detectives in the division.

This is a Christian novel, but there is a lot of violence and death. The message of the novel is subtle and doesn't beat you over the head. Bertand's novel easily compares with books by Steven James (The Pawn, The Rook, The Knight) and fans of John Sandford and Michael Connelly should enjoy it as well.

A Diamond of a Crime Fighting Mystery. Roland March is so well created, with all human frailties and values in tact, that he feels like an old aquaintance and the reader can't help rooting for him and seeing the world through his eyes. This story has such a real-life police feel to it that I had to look up J. Mark Bertrand's biography to see what police department he'd served on. I found that, although his depictions of life as a police officer are dead on, he's an outsider to the force and the genius of his work is coming from creative talent. This is a story in which the reader can buckle in and ride along with the sirens on as their partner, the under-appreciated Roland March, leads the way patiently and intuitively to a solution. Highly recommended.

I really liked the variety of themes in this book. It was a view into how one family hobbles along to deal with their grief without communication, while another woman bears it alone with unnatural grace. It dealt with the risk that a naive' church takes with their youth in the name of service. It was a glimpse into how the unchurched world views the church people. It is a view of the inside workings of a large police organization. It was insight into how a dirty cop gets that way and gets worse over time. It even included the misery of hurricanes, which we have dealt with so much in the South.