Customer Reviews

Chop Shop (Bug Man Series #2)

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Tim Downs has created a fresh, believable character in Nick Polchak. Nick studies bugs. He loves insects. And, with his unusual knowledge, he's able to extract valuable clues from corpses and cow-patties.

Yes, this is some strange stuff. How can you not enjoy such well-done, quirky fiction? The Bug Man, once again, leads us into an urban mystery. This time, a growing corporation gets its hand stuck in the criminal cookie jar. Their altruistic goals become justifications for very naughty organ-harvesting. Although the subject is gruesome, Downs keep a light touch. His characters keep us laughing. Meanwhile, we are faced with serious issues of our modern age.

"Chop Shop" is more than a tale of murder and mayhem, more than a treatise on medical ethics; it is a study in human motivation. Nick's budding romance with Riley clashes with his mother's good intentions and his own disturbed childhood. When the final surprises are brought to light, we're convinced they could happen--even if we wish they didn't.

For those looking for preachy fiction, you've come to the wrong place. The Bug Man gives very faint references to Christianity. On the other hand, the ethics and values here are straight forward and to be admired. This is one of the best mystery series going, bar none. The only problem: we have to wait another year for a third book...and, like one of Polchak's mosquito friends, this sucks!

After reading his debut Bug Man novel Shoofly Pie, I knew I had to get ahold of Tim Downs' second (and latest) installment of the Bug Man series - Chop Shop. Once again, Downs pulls off a definite winner, with even more texture than the first.

Dr. Nick Polchak is once again censured from the university for "dissecting" a sleeping student in his class. No matter to him, as it just gives him time to work on his forensic entomology studies... in other words, the effect of bugs on dead bodies. He gets sidetracked when he's approached by Dr. Riley McKay, a budding pathologist in the fellowship study program of a local coroner office. She wants Polchak to offer some opinions on some anomalies she's seeing in the cases of the head pathologist, and she's willing to pay him out of her own pocket to answer the questions. This all leads to the door of a cutting-edge pharmaceutical company looking to manufacture custom genetically tailored medicines. The concept is great, but there appears to be a side business going on involving the black market sale of organ transplants. Polchak and McKay have uncovered a lot of the truth, but they really don't know who to trust to stop it all, or even if they'll survive long enough to get to that point.

Downs' first Polchak novel was very good, but it was really just a vanilla murder mystery. You knew there were some incidents in Polchak's life that had caused him to treat other humans with a fair amount of disdain, but none of that was really revealed. Chop Shop starts to cover some of that ground, as well as introducing some real medical ethics that have varying degrees of right and wrong. You meet Polchak's mother and learn a bit about his childhood that caused his withdrawal. You also see him struggle to come to terms with the affection he feels for McKay and how that can (or should) play out in his life. Polchak now is more than just a quirky intelligent scientist. He's a person with feelings and a history. This bodes well for future installments of the series.

The only bad thing I have to say is this... How much longer do I have to wait for #3???

Dr. Nick Polchak is teaching a summer session of General Entomology at North Carolina State University. He is battling for the students' attention as they are battling drowsiness. Unfortunately, one student succumbs to a nap. Nick, quietly gathering the students around the snoozing individual, proceeds to "dissect" the student. The point was made: no sleeping in Dr. Polchak's class. The dean of the department does not see this action in a humorous light and Nick is censured, spending the summer in Pittsburgh where he has the chance to further his research in forensic entomology and perform some community service in a local school.

It is during his outreach program that Nick is discovered by a young pathology fellow, Dr. Riley McKay, who works in the Allegheny County Coroner's Office in Pittsburgh. The coroner, who is her supervising pathologist, is missing some major elements in his exams and reports. Needing a disinterested third party, Dr. McKay turns to Nick and pays him out of her pocket for assistance. As Nick investigates a recent drive-by shooting, he discovers that there is a surgical incision in the victim's back and also the presence of maggots, which indicates a different time of death than reported.

As Riley and Nick continue to investigate, more anomalies appear, which changes their focus from simply unprofessional autopsies to something more sinister. Further, it appears that Nick and Riley are having feelings for each other, which is something for which Nick is not prepared. He relates better to the insect world than to humanity.

As Chop Shop is the second novel in the Bug Man series, author Tim Downs delivers a novel of more refinement. He fleshes out more detail concerning Nick Polchak, his family life and his past. In fact, the readers are treated to the appearance of his Mom, which adds another humorous aspect to the novel while providing details about his childhood and subsequent withdrawal from normal human contact and interaction.

Downs also delves into organ donation, which is currently is in the news as lawmakers are wrestling with the idea of "presumed organ donations," which makes everyone an organ donor unless they opt-out. The ethics and arguments for presumed organ donation are presented in Chop Shop but, I hope, taken to an extreme. It makes for a highly entertaining novel, one that happens to bring current events to another wonderful Bug Man novel.

This is a pivotal novel in the series as Downs continues the adventures of forensic entomologist Nick Polchak but with delivers more detail about the man, provides him with a love interest, which provides insight into Nick's psyche, and centers the action in the hills around Pittsburgh, the Nick's childhood home. Downs also provides enough twists and turns to make this a page turner while enlightening the reader on the inner workings of organ donation. The ending was a complete surprise, although very satisfying.

Chop Shop is a novel not to be missed.

Disclosure:
Obtained from: Library
Payment: Borrowed

What an excellent book! A great improvement over the first in the series "Shoofly Pie" which I liked very much. Not as funny but much more intense. Both books had excellent endings. A lot of thought went into the writing of "Chop Shop" and it shows. Deep character, intelligent plot and sharp wit. Tim Downs is rising on my list of favorite authors. Now for the problem; there's very little that's Christian about it. It's clean, no sex, no cursing and it brings up some good ethical points (absolutes being the big one) but as far as spiritual growth it's not really there. Don't get me wrong this book is excellent but I do miss knowing our God just a little bit better when it's all over.

This is fresh fiction at its best! Tim Downs' original approach to storytelling keeps you reading well past your bedtime. His "Bug Man" Dr. Polchak is the most unique individual you could ever hope to meet. While the "guts" of the story can be incredibly revolting, the humor is so "laugh out loud" funny that you just can't resist another peek through the microscope to see what you will find. Five stars just isn't enough to truly rate this story. My ONLY complaint is the wait for the next book in this series! Please hurry!

I like Tim Downs work. This book is not his best but OK if you like him and his work. It is worth the price. Good but not great.

Tim Downs is a very good story-teller. This time the adventures of the Bug Man are more centered around the ethics and medical procedures involved in organ donations. While much more romantically inclined than the last novel, this one is less buggy, but still just as good as a read. Definitely a page-turner till the end too!

"Chop Shop" was a well-written contemporary suspense/mystery novel with a bit of romance. It's the second book in the Bug Man series, but you don't need to read the first book to understand this one. Chapter one of Chop Shop was pretty funny, but chapter two was the funniest thing I've ever read. I couldn't stop laughing...and I'm still laughing when I think of it.

The main mystery was fairly easy to figure out, but Nick also figured most of it out at about the same time. However, there was one mystery element that was revealed only near the end. The suspense was mainly created by the danger of being discovered and then because their lives were in danger.

The characters were complex and often quirky, and there was an underlying humor to the story. Nick's parts were often very funny, and all of the good characters--even the minor ones--were engaging. (Some of the bad guys were jerks.) Nick did make some stupid mistakes near the end that increased the suspense level, but this time he was validly distracted and had a good reason for not thinking straight or gave reasonable explanations for why he'd done them. The ending was a bit depressing, but I could see it coming from way ahead of time so it wasn't a surprise.

The world-building and pacing were excellent. The level of detail was much better in this novel than in the first Bug Man novel, especially when it came to the fast-paced scenes.

The dead body scenes were somewhat graphic, but not really gross. There was one instance of "he cursed" style bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd highly recommend this novel as well-written, clean reading.


Reviewed by Debbie from Genre Reviews
(genrereviews. blogspot. com)

Tim Downs has created a compelling character in Nick "Bug Man" Polchak. Nick is a bad boy with a good heart and extremely skewed vision. And he's full of sarcasm and quick wit and random bits of fascinating details. In book 2 of the Bug Man series Nick is called in by a beautiful, but annoying, medical resident who suspects that an autopsy was missed something crucial. As the two investigate the details an awful plot unfolds. Sadder than book 1, Chop Shop really gets into the heart and mind of Nick letting the reader in on a bit of his childhood. I didn't like the ending at all, I tend to hope for happily ever after. But the sadness of the ending didn't keep me from immediately ordering the next book in the series. Keep em coming, Mr. Downs. And I really hope someone is optioning this series for the big screen.

This is the 2nd in a series of 4 books about the Bug Man. He is an entomolgist and a crime solver. Quirky guy, but a fascinating read. I have all 4 books and read them all and loved them.