Bellows Falls (Joe Gunther Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Archer Mayor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1997 | Series: Joe Gunther Mysteries (Paperback)

Vermont homicide detective Joe Gunther takes on a disturbing case of spousal abuse, police corruption and murder in his latest outing. Asked to conduct a minor Internal Affairs investigation in Bellows Falls, Gunther has to work quickly to separate fact from fiction--but nothing he's heard will prepare him for what he's about to see.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anyone who thinks life in small-town America is either idyllic or safe hasn't read Archer Mayor's series of murder mysteries set in Brattleboro, Vermont. Drugs, sex, murder--all those big-city crimes have their counterparts in the Green Mountain State, and Mayor's fictional police officer, Lieutenant Joe Gunther, is no Andy Griffith of Mayberry. In Bellows Falls, hard-boiled Gunther finds himself up to his neck in spousal abuse, sexual debauchery, teen crime, police corruption, and cold-blooded murder as he investigates a seemingly simple case of sexual harassment. Forget the cheddar cheese and maple syrup--visitors to Archer Mayor's Vermont get a close-up view of rural New England's dark side.

From Library Journal

The eighth Joe Gunther novel is set in Bellows Falls, Vermont, close to the police detective's usual stomping ground, Brattleboro. Once again, the locale is king, with near-elegiac descriptions of the majestic alongside the seamy. The somewhat convoluted plot, which leads from a youthful drug dealer to a statewide drug ring, almost takes a back seat, despite several exciting chase scenes and some good characterizations. A growing body of fans will want this latest entry.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press; First Edition edition (December 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892966378
• ISBN-13: 978-0892966370
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Archer Mayor is the author of the highly acclaimed, Vermont-based series featuring detective Joe Gunther, which the Chicago Tribune describes as "the best police procedurals being written in America." He is also the 2004 winner of the New England Independent Booksellers Association Award for Best Fiction--the first time a writer of crime literature has been so honored.

Before turning his hand to fiction, Mayor wrote history books, the most notable of which concerned the lumber and oil business in Louisiana from the 1870s to the 1970s. This book was published by the University of Georgia Press back in 1988 and very well received; it has been republished as a trade paperback in 2009.

Mayor--who was brought up in the US, Canada and France--was variously employed as a scholarly editor, a researcher for TIME-LIFE Books, a political advance-man, a theater photographer, a newspaper writer/editor, a lab technician for Paris-Match Magazine in Paris, France, and a medical illustrator. In addition to writing novels and occasional articles, Mayor gives talks and workshops all around the country, including the Bread Loaf Young Writers conference in Middlebury, Vermont, and the Colby College seminar on forensic sciences in Waterville, Maine. In addition, Archer is a death investigator for Vermont's Chief Medical Examiner, a Deputy Sheriff for Windham County, VT, an investigator for the Windham County State's Attorney's office, the publisher of his own backlist, a travel writer for AAA, and he travels the Northeast giving speeches and conducting workshops. He also has 25 years experience as a volunteer firefighter/EMT.

Mayor's critically-acclaimed series of police novels features Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, Vermont police department. The books, which have been appearing about once a year since 1988, have been published in five languages (if you count British,) and routinely gather high praise from such sources as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, and many others, often appearing on their "ten best" yearly lists.

Whereas many writers base their books on only interviews and scholarly research, Mayor's novels are based on actual experience in the field. The result adds a depth, detail and veracity to his characters and their tribulations that has led the New York Times to call him "the boss man on procedures".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Catch 'em, July 20, 1998

By 

Jim T - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bellows Falls (Joe Gunther Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This, the 7th in the series is as entertaining as the first. The author has a winner in his main and secondary characters. If you like mysteries, you'll read 'em all in a hurry and wait for the next one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Vacation Book, July 27, 2000

By 

Robert Lally (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bellows Falls (Joe Gunther Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

An engaging and thoughtful crime mystery novel. Based in Vermont, it has an unusual feel. We are so used to crime settings in big cities, this has a unique outlook. Of course, small towns and small states have crimes, also. This book, set in Vermont, gets to focus in on characters and personalities. Archer writes with clarity and precision. His characters are interesting and the secondary characters have particular depth.

Having lived and gone to school in Vermont (Middlebury, for which Archer gives a nice plug in the book) the settngs and geography all ring true. Fun, light reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Entry in the Joe Gunther series., July 29, 2001

By 

Old Fisherman "Jim" (Orange, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bellows Falls (Joe Gunther Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

The whole thing begins simply enough. Joe Gunther is asked to help the police chief of nearby Bellows Falls investigate a sexual harrassment complaint against one of his officers by Jan Bouch. However Gunther quickly realizes that there is more to the whole thing than simple sexual harrassment when he meets Jan's con-man husband, Norm. Does Norm really run drugs as the Bellows Falls police believe and is he behind the disappearance of known drug seller Jasper Morgan?

As with all of Mr. Mayor's books the plot seems simple to begin with but as Joe Gunther peels away layer after layer we finally realize just how convoluted the whole thing is. I'm always amazed at how Mr. Mayor is able to tie it all up neatly at the end, but he does. And it always makes sense when he's finished. As always Mr. Mayor's characters are dead on. And he really seems to know what makes a small police department tick. All of the Joe Gunther books are just flat-out entertaining. These stand head-and-shoulders above much of the garbage that passes for mysteries these days. I recommend all of Mr. Mayor's books highly.