The Man Who Tried to Get Away [Hardcover]

Stephen R. Donaldson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2004

Running away from yourself never works. You'll always catch up.

"Donaldson, at his trademark best, fleshes out the characters to the max...and it's all wrapped around a well-paced, cleverly-plotted mystery that will leave readers wanting more."
--Charleston Post on The Man Who Killed His Brother

Mick "Brew" Axbrewder was once a great P.I. That was before he accidentally shot and killed a cop-worse, a cop who happened to be his own brother. Then Mick's partner, Ginny Fistoulari, blew off her own hand protecting him from a confrontation brought on by his alcoholism. Unsurprisingly, Mick and Ginny aren't on great terms any more.

Now, a week after an incident in which he was shot, barely back on his feet, Mick has agreed against his better judgement to join Ginny in providing security at a "murder mystery camp", where a dozen people stay in an isolated, snowbound lodge to play at being detectives. Then a real killer starts bumping people off, one by one...

As ever, Stephen Donaldson shows why he's regarded as one of America's greatest storytellers, with a tale of human pain and human triumph.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of fantasy author Donaldson's tense "and-then-there-was-none" whodunit, PI "Brew" Axbrewder is recovering from a gunshot wound when he learns that crime kingpin el Señor has put a bounty on him. At the urging of his partner and sometimes lover Ginny Fistoulari, the two blow town for a temp job at Deerskin Lodge, providing security for "Murder on Cue," a mock murder junket for armchair detectives. The foul playfulness turns deadly serious as soon as a storm leaves the lodge snowbound: someone cuts the phone lines, hobbles all transportation out and pops one of the players. Brew knows the bullet was meant for him, but as the body count escalates, he has no clear clue who of the 10 amateur sleuths is the pro assassin. Kooky and kinky, the large supporting cast offer lively counterpoint to terminally sullen Brew and Ginny, but even the complications they introduce can't dispel the period mustiness of a story whose suspense could be dissipated today with a single cell-phone call. Donaldson (The Runes of the Earth) is in the driver's seat as far as mastering the modern hard-boiled idiom, but his vehicle is a little outdated. FYI:This novel, one of four in a series, has been slightly revised since it was first published in 1990 under the pseudonym Reed Stephens.
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Review

"Well-paced and cleverly-plotted…Donaldson, at his trademark best."
--Charleston Post on The Man Who Killed His Brother

“As he's done so vividly with Thomas Covenant, Donaldson uses Axbrewder as a vehicle to demonstrate that people, even at their lowest and most wretched, can find transcendence through community, concentration, and disciplined self-cultivation."
--Boulder Camera (Colorado) on The Man Who Tried to Get Away
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (October 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765302055
• ISBN-13: 978-0765302052
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #341,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Donaldson writes a tight but dark mystery, April 13, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Tried to Get Away (Hardcover)

Science Fiction fans will probably recognize the name Stephen R. Donaldson because of the popular Thomas Covenant series. Some fans may not know that Donaldson also wrote a series of mystery novels.

The Man Who Tried to Get Away is an Axbrewder/Fistoulari mystery. It is a well-written, well-plotted novel. But beware! It is a dark book with dark, dysfunctional characters. As good as it is, I felt sad and a bit depressed while I read it.

Mick "Brew" Axbrewder is an alcoholic private investigator who has been spiraling downward for some time. Actually he's been on his downward spiral since shooting a cop who happened to be his brother - and since his partner Ginny Fistoulari blew off her own hand protecting him. The relationship between Brew and Ginny is twisted and as dysfunctional as the other members of the murder mystery camp.

The Man Who Tried to Get Away opens following an incident in which Brew was shot. Barely back on his feet he is joining Ginny in providing security for a murder mystery camp. The players are staying at an isolated, snowbound lodge for a week and during that week, they are to solve a murder mystery.

Before the mystery camp begins, someone kills or attempts to kill the players. Brew, recuperating from his gunshot wound, wants to help Ginny, the mystery campers and himself stay alive and find the murderer. He just doesn't have the confidence that he can, without a drink.

The Man Who Tied to Get Away is a good, well-written novel, but be prepared to visit the darkest sides of humanity. But as dark as it is, I would read another of Stephen Donaldson's Axbrewder/Fistoulari mystery novels in a heartbeat.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent but predictable, a good read, December 23, 2009

By 

Leon Rogson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Man Who Tried to Get Away (Mass Market Paperback)

I love Donaldson. His Covenant Series, His science fiction, his mysteries. That having been said, This book, The Man Who Tried to get Away is not so special. The main characters are too flawed in it, the plot predictable enough so I guessed who the main perpetrator was.
Still, if you love Donaldson you'll like this book. I enjoyed it.
Leon