Customer Reviews

Par Four

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

 

 

Elizabeth Gunn knows how to tell a story and she creates believable, interesting characters. Her books are truly page turners. I highly recommend Par Four and the first book in the series as well, Triple Play. I am looking forward to the next in the series.

I almost gave this book 5-stars, but hesitated because the locale is in my home town of Rochester, Minnesota--so I may be upwardly biased in my ratings. To be honest, it was hard NOT to enjoy references to local culture and hot-spots, including the wonderful pie and ice cream store in Whalan, Minnesota on the Root River Bike Trail. But all that aside, Gunn has written a very good detective novel. She is especially adept at police procedures and forensic reconstruction. There is some romantic interlude to spark interest, but she doesn't have enough time to really flesh out her characters in a complete manner. In my mind, this is fine. I don't read mysteries for a "Great Literature" experience. Her plot is complex enough to keep the reader guessing almost to the end, and there is a real surprise regarding the puppet-master of crime which is flooding fair Rutherford. It was a quick read that kept my interest from the start, and left me satisfied enough to be looking forward to the next Jake Hines mystery. I highly recommend the book.

Elizabeth Gunn has the touch of Elmore Leonard's earlier books -- great characters, great progression of the story line, and so natural that you feel you are Jake Hines. A wonderful balance of reality and make-believe.

After Jake Hines' incredible performance on his last case (see TRIPLE PLAY), he has been rewarded with a promotion to the Rutherford, Minnesota Chief of Detectives. He does not expect the job to be much of a headache, but discovers quite the opposite when he is forced to explain a previous case during a Critical Incident Debriefing. Jake is an action type guy and hates these touchy feely things that are expected of him by his superior and the staff psychiatrist.

His boss orders him to attend a meeting that becomes symbolic of overload and craziness caused by being the person ultimately responsible for the apprehension of criminals. Jake frets over how a heist of a small bar and grill turned into a double homicide and how the killings then link to a child abduction case. Many a law enforcement official would have an ulcer with this type of workload, but not Jake, who thrives on the adrenaline of a crisis like the one he confronted with right now.

Elizabeth Gunn is a definite talent who scribes a clever who-done-it filled with numerous off-shoots of a typical police procedural. Readers will simply be unable to put the novel down until after they finish the final page. Jake is a rare sleuth because he will receive accolades from both genders due to his sensitivity in his personal life and his no-holds barred professional attitude. PAR FOUR is misnamed because it is clearly a hole in one.

I like the Jake Hines books - the characters are everyday people, well described, and the story is well written and interesting, also I learn a bit about police procedure which is well documented. I find that I look forward to getting to know the characters better. Elizabeth Gunn writes a well paced, exciting story and weaves personal details into the narrative with well judged timing and detail.

This is the first novel I've read in the Jake Hines series, and I was a little disappointed. Maybe it's because I didn't read the previous ones, but I thought the characters lacked development. I also thought the ending was a bit too neat, if not far-fetched. The book started out well, but the suspense never really seemed to build. It felt more like a series of crimes that the author needed to tie together to wrap up the book before it got too long-winded. It wasn't a book I felt compelled to read all the way through without stopping.

After Jake Hines' incredible performance on his last case (see TRIPLE PLAY), he has been rewarded with a promotion to the Rutherford, Minnesota Chief of Detectives. He does not expect the job to be much of a headache, but discovers quite the opposite when he is forced to explain a previous case during a Critical Incident Debriefing. Jake is an action type guy and hates these touchy feely things that are expected of him by his superior and the staff psychiatrist.

His boss orders him to attend a meeting that becomes symbolic of overload and craziness caused by being the person ultimately responsible for the apprehension of criminals. Jake frets over how a heist of a small bar and grill turned into a double homicide and how the killings then link to a child abduction case. Many a law enforcement official would have an ulcer with this type of workload, but not Jake, who thrives on the adrenaline of a crisis like the one he confronted with right now.

Elizabeth Gunn is a definite talent who scribes a clever who-done-it filled with numerous off-shoots of a typical police procedural. Readers will simply be unable to put the novel down until after they finish the final page. Jake is a rare sleuth because he will receive accolades from both genders due to his sensitivity in his personal life and his no-holds barred professional attitude. PAR FOUR is misnamed because it is clearly a hole in one.

Harriet Klausner