Customer Reviews

OUTBURST - A Todd Mills Mystery

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

 

 

I am gay. I accept the fact that most of the world is not. RD Zimmerman seems to be struggling with this fact and his blindspot keeps his Todd Mills books from moving out of the special niche category. Zimmerman, how about a gay mystery where Todd and everybody else's sexuality is NOT the focal point? Despite what you seem to think, it AIN'T all about sex. To be fair OUTBURST is a solidly plotted (plodded), well-written (if predictable) mystery, and a little more action packed than its predecesors (HOSTAGE remains my favorite). But Todd's main relationship seems to be with lipstick lez Janice (kill her, PLEASE). The relationship between Todd and Steve is now all but nonexistent, and that's a drag (no pun intended). Is Zimmerman afraid a little emotion/tenderness/affection/SEX will emasculate his heros? You can't emasculate wood. Make these guys flesh and blood, please! Otherwise, don't bother.

It isn't often an investigative reporter gets to witness a murder, but Todd Mills does in this page-turner. What I really enjoyed about this book was how Mills follows down this story, tracking the murderer, coming to very reasonable conclusions based on the information he has. Zimmerman also reveals the typical flaw of most police investigators, in that their primary goal is often making an arrest, not necessarily solving the crime.

I also liked the characterizations in this book. Each character has a distinct identity and voice that is carried through all the way to the end. The settings were authentic, but didn't bear down on you and slow the pace. And Zimmerman's ironic use of the weather as another character is really ingenius.

I also liked the fact that the sex in this book was minimal and only there when it moved the story along. Yes, Mills' relationship with his cop friend, Steve, is devoid of any stirring romance, but this isn't a soft porn novel. It's a mystery.

What I don't like about the book is Todd's and Steve's relationship lacks plausibility in one serious area. And that is a reporter, a television reporter at that, has a love relationship with a cop in which each assists the other in their respective jobs. I'm having trouble with that one. Police and journalists traditionally have a very strong Us-Them type relationships, and while this can be overcome, to be overcome to the point that a crime reporter can have a love relationship with a murder investigator really requires a leap.

Having said that, the story is good. Perhaps most readers won't think about how odd it is that an investigative journalist gets it on with a muder investigator. Perhaps they won't think about the conflicts this type of relationship automatically brings forth. Or perhaps Zimmerman will mine this field of conflict with more realism. Perhaps he already has in the previous works. But I personally feel it would work better if Todd and Steve knew each other on a friendly, rather than intimate, basis. Such conflict would be tremendous and enthralling.

R.D. Zimmerman's latest Todd Mills mystery is his best yet. The story's plot twists are extremely clever and surprisingly believable. It's obvious that Zimmerman spends a lot of time researching his novels..his descriptions of everything from catered food to forensci science are excellent and, as far as I can tell, quite accurate. In some novels its hard to believe that a proatgonist who is not a cop can be involved in as much murder mystery fare as they are. But Zimmerman's Todd Mills manages to pull it off quite believably. I thought this one was a hoot!

Excellant reading! This much anticipated follow up to the Todd Mills exploits, has lived up to the expected high level of story telling. Faithfully executing the integrity of the characters, R.D. Zimmerman succeeds in shedding light on yet another lesser known aspect of the "Alternative Community". The mystery unfolds in a clash of characters, motives and secrets that unfold chapter after chapter, like a blossoming flower. The plot thickens with each revelation and twists to the point that you must read to the very end to satsify your curiosity. I was completely baffled by the change in plot twists, and caught up in the emotional ties that you form with the main characters. The ending is literally explosive with anticipation and revelation. This is a definite must read for any mystery fan!!!!

Outburst is a well-written, fast-paced story of a tv news reporter who becomes involved in the murder of a policeman when he witnesses a shooting during a severe outburst of Minneapolis's weather extremes. He only just misses getting shot himself by diving out of the way, to the ground. The hunt for the murderer continues through the book, during which several interesting characters are introduced, including a partially finished male-to-female transsexual beauty.

I thought the characters were well planned and executed, and the story was absorbing enough to keep me reading even during the most severe weather I was experiencing on an airplane over the Atlantic. I was so glad to have this book to keep my mind from wandering to the disturbing turbulence the airplane was going through. It kept me entertained and relaxed, it was a fun read, and kept my attention. I give it 5 stars. I don't think the gay slant on the book was any big deal, the characters were people first and gay second. That's the way it should be in my opinion. I recommend this novel for all adult audiences.

I have read all the previous novels that he has written . The first one was when Todd first came out. I felt sorry for him and the total lost he felt and the way he survived. In each novel he is handed a new challenge to cope with . I like how R.D. Zimmerman handled the star. He has grown confident each time. I enjoy the relationship he has with the cop. The story starts dark and dangerous and mysterious and keeps you going throughout . From the time he meets with the stranger on the bridge to the ending in the mysterious farmhouse. One storm after another . It keeps you on your seat from twist to twist (literallly). I am looking forward to his next novel . The struggles Todd has to deal with from his job and his relationship is as iteresting as the story's plot twist. It is one anyone can enjoy. It keeps you on the edge of your seat continuously. If you haven't read any, please start with the beginning where he first meets Rawlings and then read each one until you get to this one . They all intermix. Enjoy them . I have.

Minneapolis investigative reporter Todd Mills receives a tip that he can be a witness to a blackmail scenario that will be front page news. While a tornado is tearing up the city, Todd goes to the alleged rendezvous spot only to observe the murder of a gay police officer. Assigned to head up the investigation is Steve Rawlins, a homicide detective and coincidentally Todd's lover.

The caller dials Mills again and spurs the reporter on to begin his own sleuthing. He soon links the murder of another gay cop to the one has seen killed. Soon it becomes apparent to everyone involved in the case that a type of serial killer has risen whose target is gay police officers.

The latest Mills mystery, OUTBURST, is like all its predecessors, a great tale. The fast-paced story line is filled with action both from the murder mystery and the outside elements of nature. However, what makes the Mills novels so good is the ability of award winning R.D. Zimmerman to portray all his characters, regardless of sexual persuasion, as genuine people. This series will entertain all fans of who-done-its.

Harriet Klausner

This was great book and a fun read. I've been to Minneapolis and the city really comes to life, not to mention the weather. I just wish there'd been something in there about the Mary Tyler Moore house!