Customer Reviews

The Dark Root (Joe Gunther Mysteries)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read all of the Joe Gunther mysteries except for Occam's Razor and The Skeleton's Knee. This one if my favorite. It is the most tense and fastest paced out of the bunch. It is also very eerie in that we don't know or see the criminals except when they strike at one part of the state or the other. We only hear sketchy details about the criminal's lives as Joe's squadron does their research and deduction. The criminals in this case are Asian gang kingpins. Since we don't see them at work, we are spared stereotypes or other such gaffes. Instead, we get to sense the frustration that goes into investigating highly mobile, nationally networked, very sub-rosa criminals. Despite all the investigations, the story moves very fast. My only complaint is the ending is not satisfactory - it's almost comic bookish given the dose of reality throughout the story.

First, let me say that Mr. Mayor certainly knows police procedure. I don't know if his background is in law enforcement or not (mine is not) but the whole thing sounds very convincing to me. The story concerns Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro Vt. police department and his attempts to unravel the murder of Benny Travers, one of Brattleboro's less savory citizens. All the signs begin to point to an Asian gang invasion of Brattleboro and the surrounding communities and Mr. Mayor leads us convincingly through the process that Lt. Gunther takes to solve the murder.

Mr. Mayor is a good writer and his sense of place is very strong, however I found the writing very un-emotional. It almost seems as if you're reading a police report rather than a fictional mystery. There is also a large cast of characters and it's sometimes hard to keep them straight. Especially since many of the characters in this book or oriental with both their given names and their anglicized names used interchangeably.

Would I recommend this book? Yes, with some reservations. If you like police procedure this book is excellent. I don't think Mr. Mayor takes any liberties at all with reality when he describes what Lt. Gunther has to go through to not only conduct his investigation but to appease the beauracracy in his own department. So it's a very realistic book. However, if you like a more slam-bang approach (which I admit, I do) you may find this book just a tad tedious.

All of Archer Mayor's books have a gripping story line. Although the stories are first class, the pictures drawn with words as the story unfolds are the best that I have ever encountered. The magnificent metaphors can create, in less than one sentence, images that may take other authors pages. Although each book is independent in and of itself, I enjoy reading the stories in sequence. There is a steady progression in character development and interpersonal relationships as we go from story to story.

If you are a mystery fan, I am sure that you will enjoy the entire series as much as I have. If you are a student taking a course in creative writing, I don't think that you will find a better word artist than Archer Mayor.

As a former prosecutor who has read many mysteries over the years I look for more than just an entertaining read these days. Authenticity and character development are very important. Joe Gunther's persona is so well developed that you can understand his actions--he doesn't jump out of character to suit the plot line. This novel (and Mayor's others) are carefully researched with a strong sense of place. Moreover, Mayor shares some keen insights about law enforcement that show a rare understanding of its compexities.

So detailed and accurate that it places you into the story. This was not your usual murder mystery but rather a real life drama as a cop would live it. It is well written, keeps your attention and doesn't give you a sense of being fictitious. Coming from Vermont is is all too real given the descriptive images of the towns and villages the detective works through. A very good book worth reading.

This is at least the 10th Joe Gunther mystery I have read, and all of them are outstanding. Not only is Archer Mayor an excellent writer, he is an excellent creator or plots. His knowledge and research of federal and local law enforcement in Vermont and Canada adds immeasurably the the reality of his stories, and somehow he keeps creating another great Joe Gunther mystery or two each year. I hope to read them all, and I hope he never runs out of ideas or energy.

I've said this before but it's worth repeating: Mayor is a fine writer and I've enjoyed all his books from the first to the latest. If you like police mysteries you'll find he is a craftsman of the first order. If you just like a good story and a well crafted plot, you can't go wrong with Archer. But be advised: The first of his books you read won't be the last! In this tale, Archer goes north of the border to expand Joe Gunther's search for answers to what was behind a terrifying home invasion in Brattleboro. Go along!

In a departure from his previous books that established the Joe Gunther character and his place in southern Vermont police work, Mayor now expands his turf to include the whole of the state. Getting Joe involved in a case that takes on both the inter-cultural changes to Vermont as well as the burgeoning of Asian 'mafia' he skillfully mixes in how rural areas of the country are being affected by illegal immigration and the control of drug distribution.

What starts out as serendipity with the stop of a speeding car full of Asians on a late night in snowy January, ends up with a denouement in Montreal. In between we are instructed (without too much pedantistry) into the way these 'new' Asian mafias differ from the old 'Mustache Tony' Italian mafias that we see in the 'Sopranos'. In many ways they are much more sophisticated, violent and naive.

They are sophisticated in their use of the system and the fear of the new Asian community of law enforcement agencies which 'back home' are more corrupt than the gangs. There use of violence, which is highlighted by their use of 'home invasion' techniques and rape and intimidation of family members back home; is notorious in how it is used to 'cow' witnesses and those who they exploit. They are naive in their understanding of how the American (and more so now) and International cooperation among the myriad of government agencies working to protect the US and Canadian borders.

They story builds a little at a time and proves to be very realistic in its portrayal of both the Vietnamese and Vietchin who are new to this country. Like all new minority groups in this country they have come with their good and their bad, all trying to find their place in the American mosaic. Gunther is especially a good character to tie into the new systems of State-wide and Federal information sharing as well as the growth of cooperation between Canada and the US. All in all a great read.