3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition to a great crime series., December 7, 2008
The Joe Gunther crime detective series continues to evolve in a new direction, yet still remains true to its Vermont small state, small town sensibilities. This well written crime procedural captures the different landscapes which mark all of the three upper New England states, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and how those landscapes shape the different cultures in each state. Glad too that Joe Gunther has a new woman in his life who promises to be an interesting addition as the series continues.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Down East Lowlifes, December 22, 2008
A very ambitious and hard-driving Vermont state trooper is murdered during a routine traffic stop. The whole thing seems to be caught on the cruiser's video. Vermont copdom mobilizes to catch the killer, including Joe Gunther's elite Vermont Bureau of Investigation. Everyone charges into the investigation; but Joe, no fool and averse to communal embarrassment, quietly has a couple of his people checking on what kind of a cop and person the victim was.
The trail leads to Maine where it seems to connect to the murder of a local drug leader, whose demise leads to equal and violent opportunity for would-be replacements. A multiagency task force is formed, and Joe's team tags along. Everyone on the task force is sympathetic about the trooper's death but inevitably the focus is more and more on the drug issues. Joe and his people keep on, following leads and making a few of their own. Joe's instincts and knowledge of people lead to some smart decisions and the case makes progress.
The writing is brisk and clear, the characters interesting, with no stereotypes in sight. Yet this is not absolutely top drawer Archer Mayor. There are a lot of loose ends, a couple of which seem to have been inserted for the sake of a subsequent book. In addition the solution to the cop killing seems to come totally from left field, maybe even from outside the ball park entirely. Still, the writing is good and the interaction among the characters interesting. It is a good read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewing: "The Catch: A Joe Gunther Novel" by Archer Mayor, March 17, 2009
Recently Archer Mayor was a very informative guest on a Sunday night chat hosted at The Writer's Chatroom. Along with learning that his previous publisher had put the first twelve Joe Gunther series books out of print so Mr. Mayor had to form his own publishing company to get them back out on the market, I learned that that I hadn't read this one when it came out last year. A number of other readers were on hold for it at the local library, so it took awhile before finally arriving. As always, it was worth wait.
Deputy Sheriff Brian Sleuter pulls over a speeding car on an isolated stretch of Vermont road cognizant of the always present danger from such a stop. Despite taking the usual precautions and following procedure, within minutes, he is gunned down while sitting inside his patrol car. Called into investigate the murder and apprehend the person or persons responsible, Joe Gunther and the fellow members of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation have a solid lead. Thanks to the dash camera footage, they can see the moments prior to the officer's shocking death.
Over in Maine, Alan Brudey is the son of a Maine Lobsterman who has no desire to follow in dear old Dad's footsteps. Having just killed Mathew Mroz in a plan to take control of the local drug flow he has no intention of working the water chasing the dwindling supply of lobsters. He plans to work the people instead who need drugs and supply them and build a business in the time honored way of all small businessmen. The product is different, but the business process is the same and he has plans for exponential growth.
Before long both storylines merge as Joe Gunther's hunt for the killer and his accomplice take the team to Maine. In a story that constantly shifts back and forth between storylines, there is little time for character development and instead is all about the chase of the suspects. This deep in the series, one doesn't expect any character development and one doesn't get any. One does expect more complexity in terms of plot and character interaction in an Archer mayor novel and unfortunately that also is not contained here.
This is a straight up fast moving mystery where you know Joe Gunther and his group will catch the bad guys. The only question is how and where. The result, while certainly not his best ever in the series, is another strong one. While it dims in comparison to many of his other novels, it certainly is much better than a lot of books out there by other authors who get much more of the media attention.
Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2009
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