Customer Reviews

First Kill

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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.

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.

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.

Michael Kronenwetter's first novel left me hoping for a second novel. And I really don't read much fiction. I just read it in about 4 sittings over the holidays. It moves fast and actually got me to turn off my TV.

Hank Berlin is a terrific "unlikely hero" character with which we can all identify. He is the ordinary man confronting extraordinary circumstances, but in a believable way. He's a gutsy, hard-working detective, but also more than that. He's struggling to be a good father, struggling to make sense of a failed marriage, and really looking forward to his next beer.

I'm from northcentral Wisconsin, and I can also add that Kronenwetter's depiction of the fictional "Pinery Falls" is dead-on authentic without ever descending into caricature. "First Kill" is not set in a desolate countryside or a metropolis, but in a typical American small city struggling to save its old downtown. It's the type of setting that's perfect for Berlin--he can find anyone in town within a few minutes, but can also go unnoticed thanks to his ordinary looks and his unremarkable Nissan Sentra.

The novel's Vietnam subtext makes it especially thought-provoking. Kronenwetter doesn't engage in a political discussion about Vietnam. Instead, he explores how the Vietnam era forever changed those who lived through it. Whether you experienced those years or not, "First Kill" will illuminate for you the many ways in which Vietnam still affects American communities.

Can't wait for the next installment!

First Kill is a great debut crime novel by longtime crime nonfiction writer Michael Kronenwetter. This novel is a winner of the Best Private Eye Novel Contest that is open to folks who have never before published a private eye novel. This contest has already launched the careers of several capable crime fiction writers.

Kronenwetter's expertise in crime nonfiction lends authenticity to this particular crime novel. His hero is a soft boiled private eye named Hank Berlin who is hard working, but not especially successful due to the fact that he lives in the rural town of Piney Woods.

This novel concerns a murdered reporter who used to be Berlin's best friend and the dead man's wife who had been Berlin's girlfriend in high school. She hires Berlin to investigate the case.

First Kill is highly reminiscent of the best of Dashiell Hammett with all the small-town corruption involved. Additionally, there is teenage prostitution. Kronenwetter handles these themes like the seasoned writer that he is.

First Kill is not just a great first novel, its a great crime novel period.

Hank Berlin has come back to Pinery Falls, Wisconsin from Canada, where he went to escape Viet Nam. He's a P.I. now, one among several in this town. So he's a little shaken when his old high school flame, Liz Drucker, asks him to find out who killed her husband Jack, and why.

The trio were very close in high school, but parted ways in college, when Jack was gung-ho to go to Viet Nam and Hank chose not to. Liz had already made her choice by then, but used Hank as a sounding board when her life got rough. Hank hasn't spoken to Liz or to Jack in probably twenty years, but he has lots of memories.

Jack Drucker was killed on the side of the road, in his hot little Corvette. The neighbors either weren't home or didn't see anything. So Hank shifts his focus to Jack's career; Jack was the investigative reporter for the Pinery Falls Torrent, which is owned by his father, Wes Drucker.

Jack's recent stories have dealt with a variety of topics. There is the city council's voting division on some new development; corruption is hinted at but not directly addressed. There is the story on the son of a downstate Mob connection, and his relocation to the area. Why has Wes Drucker gagged the staff at the Torrent; the coverage of the case is minimal at best.

Kronenwetter is a skilled wordsmith. He manages to convey the interconnectedness of small-town life without getting cutesy. He lets the reader see Hank's qualms and trepidations without making Hank a lesser person. He bounces from the present to the past and back again without jolting the reader, as easily as we can slip in and out of our memories. His portrayal of Hank's personal life, and how that interacts with his professional life, underscores how real a person Hank becomes to the reader.

I found FIRST KILL to be a highly enjoyable book, both in the quality of the writing and in the story itself. I think we can expect to see good things from Kronenwetter in the future, and I look forward to that very much. I have only one beef with FIRST KILL, and I hope that this isn't a major spoiler. If you've read TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE, the last chapters of FIRST KILL will seem familiar. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something that struck me as I was reading. Don't let it stop you from reading FIRST KILL. It will be time well spent.