First Kill [Hardcover]

Michael Kronenwetter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2005

Hank Berlin and Jack Drucker had been friends since grade school---and both in love with Elizabeth Kermanski. Early on, however, Hank saw that he was out of the running, and made the best of it. They still remained friends. The friendship was only torn when Jack enlisted in the army to serve in Vietnam, and Hank, who was against the war, traveled to Canada to escape the draft. After that, the two men never spoke again, and Elizabeth followed her husband’s lead

When amnesty was granted to expatriates by President Carter, Hank returned to their small town and set up shop as a private investigator. Jack went to work on his father’s local newspaper, winning praise for his initiative to find good and surprising stories. Until someone shot him dead in his car, which was parked on a lonely street well after midnight.

Still somewhat under Elizabeth’s spell, Hank agrees to take her on as a client. Hank’s cases as a private detective have been somewhat limited; their town was not a place for spectacular crimes. But he begins looking for any possible lead, and is not surprised to find that many prominent people have secrets in their lives. Could star reporter Jack Drucker have been the target of someone’s need for silence?

First Kill is the first in what promises to be a riveting mystery series and a fantastic debut for this talented author.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A prolific author of books on politics and history (Prejudice in America, etc.), Kronenwetter makes a solid fiction debut with this soft-boiled mystery, which won the 2004 PWA/SMP Best Private Eye Novel contest. PI Hank Berlin, who's juggling work with caring for his six-year-old son in the small Wisconsin town of Pinery Falls while his ex-wife is away on business, reluctantly agrees to help Liz Drucker, who broke Hank's heart in high school, find the killer of her husband and his one-time best friend, Jack, a reporter who was shot dead in his car. It's up to Hank to determine which, if any, of the many stories Jack was working on could have led to murder. Hank uncovers an abundance of shocking secrets, all of them providing plenty of motive, from smalltown political corruption and the Milwaukee mafia to undisclosed Vietnam War crimes and teenage prostitution. Kronenwetter throws out enough red herrings and plot twists to keep the pages turning to the satisfying, if somewhat improbable, conclusion. (Sept.)
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Review

A terrific debut...." -- Mysterylovers.com

An outstanding debut...told with equal parts muscle and mellifluence, humor and humanity. -- From author Baron Birtcher

BK A terrific debut .... -- From Mysterylovers.com

BK An outstanding debut...told with equal parts muscle and mellifluence, humor and humanity.: -- From author Baron Birtcher:

BK People to care about in a briskly paced debut novel. -- From Kirkus Reviews From the Wausau Daily Herald

BK [C]risp prose, a solid protagonist...and an intriguing plot commend this highly. -- From Library Journal:

BK [T]wists and turns in the book that will appeal to mystery readers who are looking for a good read.... -- From The Wausau Daily Herald

People to care about in a briskly paced debut novel. -- From Kirkus Reviews

[C]risp prose, a solid protagonist...and an intriguing plot commend this highly." -- From Library Journal

[T]wists and turns in the book that will appeal to mystery readers who are looking for a good read...." -- From the Wausau Daily Herald

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (August 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312347375
• ISBN-13: 978-0312347376
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,749,710 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling storytelling, June 9, 2006

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: First Kill (Hardcover)

Private detective Hank Berlin is trying to be a good father when his high-school girlfriend approaches him. Her husband Jack, once Hank's best friend, has been murdered and the police are getting nowhere. Can he take the case?

Hank is conflicted. He still feels desire for Liz, and avoided both her and star reporter Jack ever since returning from Canada where he sought refuge during Viet Nam (Jack went). But he's gotten on with his life, has a girlfriend and a child. Still, he's drawn to the case.

His investigation begins with a look at a major construction project. Where there's construction and city funds, there is the possibility of corruption and one of Jack's recent articles pointed the finger at this project. Then there's the son of a Mafia kingpin living in the neighborhood--a man about whom Jack had recently written an article. Whatever might have motivated the killer, Jack had told his drinking buddy that he was working on a story that would bring down the town's elite--and that certainly provides a motive.

Author Michael Kronenwetter has created a compelling and powerful mystery in FIRST KILL. Private eye Hank comes alive as a father, detective, ex-draft dodger, and drinker. His investigation turns up the usual lot of red herrings, with a sweet twist at the end, but Kronenwetter's story is more about the people, about relationships, about growth and change than it is about a straight murder.

I am happy to recommend FIRST KILL and will certainly be looking for more novels by Kronenwetter.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good debut!, February 1, 2006

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: First Kill (Hardcover)

Hank isn't your stereotypical PI; he's a normal guy trying to do his best with his business, son and life. Even Harry, Hank's six-year-old son seemed realistic. The plot was interesting, took some great twists. I did not see the end coming and was reminded a bit of Lehane. The events and impact of Vietnam was effective yet didn't overwhelm the story. This is a very enjoyable debut and I look forward to Kronenwetter's next book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Marvelous Debut, January 17, 2006

By 

Thriller Lover (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: First Kill (Hardcover)

This is the novel that won the 2004 PWA/SMP Best Private Eye Novel contest. I'm not surprised it won.

Michael Kronenwetter has done a great job on this book. The plot is briskly paced, and there are enough twists in the story to keep the reader on edge. I really liked the protagonist in the book -- he's not a macho superhuman type, but he's not a dysfunctional wimp either. He's just a normal, realistic human being. This makes him, in my book, the most likable PI I've seen in a long time. I hope for more books featuring this character.

This book, for whatever reason, has largely been ignored by the mainstream press. I think it's easily one of the best mystery debuts in 2005 and I hope that it's nominated for an Edgar and a Shamus award for best first novel. It's that good.