Customer Reviews

Color Tour

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

 

 

Aaron Stander's sheriff-protagonist, Ray Elkins, just keeps getting more and more interesting - or "curiouser and curiouser". I learned a lot more about him in this second book in a series of three (so far) mystery-thrillers. I think the stress should be on the mystery part though. The pace remains sure and even, and maybe even a bit of a plod in COLOR TOUR. Elkins and his evidence collection specialist, Deputy Sue Lawrence, go methodically about their business, painstakingly collecting clues, looking for motives and questioning possible suspects in this grisly double murder set once again on the shore of Lake Michigan. This time the murder investigation involves the staff and students of a posh private prep school. That plod picks up to a trot and eventually even a gallop in the final fifty pages or so (as Elkins begins to take the case much more personally and becomes a target himself), before settling back into a brisk walk as Elkins and Lawrence attempt to tie up all the leftover loose ends of what had become a complex and even messy case.

The truth is I love the characters here more than I do the mystery. Maybe it's just me, but Ray Elkins seems something of a mystery himself. The tantalizing bits and pieces about his background which Stander continues to sprinkle in here and there make the man seem almost more than the sum of his parts. Because he's simply a fascinating guy. Let's see now - a northern Michigan boy who grew up poor, Ray went to college at U of M in Ann Arbor, then did a hitch in the army during the Vietnam era, but in Germany as a military policeman (maybe the beginning of his interest in law enforcement?), after which he returned to grad school at Michigan. I'm not sure if it's ever noted what his field was, but he did teach at college level for an unspecified time before moving back north to become a full-time lawman. And he certainly has risen above his humble origins. His interests and tastes are lofty - nearly aristocratic - and eclectic. Once again, let's see - he reads English literature (Boswell's Johnson and Joyce's Ulysses) as well as fiction and poetry from his own geographic area and generation, represented by Jim Harrison and Judith Minty, and was there a Jack Driscoll book in there? I mean all he needs here are Anne-Marie Oomen and and Doug Stanton (and maybe Aaron Stander) and he'd have the whole Traverse City - Interlochen writers scene pretty well covered. Elkins knows painting, sculpture and architecture, as well as how to build and paddle a kayak.

He's also something of a gourmand (or is that gourmet? I'll look it up later). I mean he's the sort of guy who examines the quality of mold in the rind of exotic cheeses before purchase. He speaks appreciatively of a good "tawny port" and other fine wines, and swirls his snifter and sniffs the bouquet before sipping. He recognizes a good "single-malt Scotch," although he rarely indulges, since he never knows when he'll be called back to his police duties. When his much younger deputy sidekick has a bacon cheeseburger and fries for dinner, she brings him "Portobello mushrooms with goat cheese and roasted red peppers on a freshly baked sourdough roll ... [with tea] chamomile with honey, lemon and some chopped ginger ... how you like it." I mean, my God! Imagine Sheriff Andy Taylor or Deputy Fife ordering something like that! (Just kidding, Aaron.)

While I would certainly never aspire to such lordly tastes (I kinda LIKE tuna casserole) or ever hope to know as much as Stander's professorial sheriff, I not only admire him, I LIKE him. I know he could teach me plenty. No question, Sheriff Ray Elkins not only gets the job done, he educates you in the process. I look forward to that next book, DEER SEASON. Stay tuned. - Tim Bazzett, author of SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA

Not a murder-mystery reader usually, I decided to read this for it is set where we live. However, it grabbed me at once for this colorful tour is a real trip into spaces and psyches of others that knock one off one's judgmental blocks and keep elevating one's estimation of Sheriff Elkins. The trip is so fantastic. While I was eager to know who "did it", I did not want to reach that destination where this exciting book must end.

Whether you are a Northern Michigan native like me or whether you are or were a seasonal visitor to this beautiful region, you will recognize the types of people and actual, mostly renamed, places in Aaron Stander's most recent mystery. Everything including the pacing, the sensory descriptions, the tension between the natives and non-natives, and the sorts of businesses and people that work hard to carve a living out of a place most local working people struggle to afford rings true.

If you have never been to Northern Michigan (thinly-veiled Leelanau and Benzie Counties in this book) in the hullaballoo that is summer in the area, visit in the autumn color season (late September to mid October) and take this book. Intersperse reading with vinyard stops, biking the TART trails, hiking in the woods and walking the deserted beaches and you will immerse yourself in this world. Thanks for a nice mystery with a interesting cliffhanger, but also for portraying the places and people faithfully.

I enjoyed the second novel written by Aaron Stander. He had believable characters and a believable mystery to solve. He's not quite up to par to someone like Mary Higgins Clark or other well-known authors, but is a good read. Worth the money

After reading the first book in this series, "Summer People", I couldn't wait to read this next book in the series. As much as I liked the other one I think this book was much better than the first. For me, I liked it better because there was more detective work. You almost felt like you were there trying to solve the case along with Ray and his partner Sue.

I want to mention that again there was very little swearing and no sex scenes. I know some people don't like those things in their books so I like to mention it. There are also no gory details of the murders either.

There are some formatting issues again - two words written as one & paragraph issues. I guess when I really like a book it isn't as annoying to me but be aware that you will find some of this. Thankfully it is not too often.

The characters were very well developed and in this book there were enough suspects again so that you really didn't know who the murderer was until the end of the story. Both books can be read as stand alone books and can be read out of order. There seemed to be no sequence of events that would have left you wondering what they were talking about.

I see that someone thought the story was too slow. There are all different kind of murder mysteries and I like all of them. No, you were not sitting on the edge of your seat but it was still a good story. If you are expecting a thriller then this one probably won't do it for you. This author is more in the line of a good basic murder mystery.

I also saw that someone didn't like the book because Ray likes expensive wine & cheese. Who cares? Why would you not like a book because of that. Are cops only supposed to like burgers & beer?

I am not sure where the other reviewer came away with the impression that at every opportunity the author was bashing guns or talking about the intellect of gun owners. Perhaps he had a different version of the book than I did? Also, why would the sheriff be talking about his own gun at all? I read cop books all the time & I don't recall any other cop talking about their guns. One would assume that Ray had a gun. It wasn't until the end of the story that he even had the occasion to use it.

The fact that the prosecutor mentions sarcastically that people who back the sales of AK-47s (and other assault guns) are just a-okay does not seem out of place. These people see the all the horrors of what happens when you have psychos who have access to a gun. It is also not in your face every five minutes, it was one passing comment. Perhaps the author is against people having assault rifles (and how would I know) but he certainly wasn't beating you over the head with it. It was one comment.

If you just want a good basic murder mystery with likable characters then you will enjoy this book. I can't wait to read the third book.

Aaron Stander is an excellent author. His books, including this one, are captivating, have likeable characters, and make you want to keep reading. They are a who-done-it type of murder-mystery with a number of possible suspects, though you most likely won't figure it out until it's revealed in the storyline. I'll be wanting to read all of his Ray Elkins stories and I highly recommend them to others.

Finally this series is coming into its own. Sheriff Elkins finally takes center stage as he works to solve a pair of murders in his northern Michigan county. I have been waiting for the author to come back to the main character in a way that really brings Ray to life and this time he did it.

The supporting characters are well drawn and add a lot to the telling of the story. These seem to be real people in a real setting. The twist between the victim and---well, I won't ruin it but trust me, the twist was well done. And I had to pick up the next book in the series to see how it came out. There has been great continuity between the books so far, which I am enjoying.

I was tempted to take away a star because of the poor formatting. This is the 3rd book by this author I have read on my kndle and all are plagued with shoddy paragraphing. As I have mentioned in my other reviews of this author it is quite distracting when it happens during a page of dialogue. In the end I left the 5th star in palce becasue I really am coming to love this series.

It was a very slow moving book- I would say overly detailed. The sheriff would be interviewing witnesses in very minute detail, so I'd pay attention thinking something in there would be a clue, but it never worked out that way.

A double murder was committed at the beginning of the book. At 70% through it, there were still no leads in the murder case. I'd say it was more of a 'stream of conscioness' book rather than mystery or thriller. So if the thought of spending a couple weeks with a small town sherriff as he slowly and thoroughly goes through his job duties, spends time with friends, and reminisces is appealing, you'd probably like this book. I was expecting something a little faster paced based on the description.

All the action happened at the very end. And as much detail as the author included about the main characters preference for expensive cheese, and black coffee, I never really cared much about him. Some authors are very good at immersing me in the story, so much so that it's next to impossible to put the book down; this was not the case with this book.

I wanted to like this book. The story was good so I gave it three stars. A small town Sheriff solves a double murder with interesting characters throughout the book. The problem is the Author uses every opportunity to employ a liberal bias towards gun owners and their intellect. We do not even know if the Sheriff has a gun until towards the end of the book. In another show of progressivism he takes a jab at Rush for a short term drug abuse problem. I'm no fan of Limbaugh, but that was pathetic. Getting back to the Sheriff, he swirls expensive French wine to inhale the bouquet, and eats exotic cheeses but only if the rind is firm. Oh please! Gag me with a fork.
To summarize, Stander has a long way to go to parallel Writers like Lashner, Demille, O'Connell, or Connelly, but he has potential.