Cincinnati homicide Detective Will Borders now walks with a cane and lives alone with constant discomfort. He’s lucky to be alive. He’s lucky to have a job, as public information officer for the department. But when a star cop is brutally murdered, he’s assigned to find her killer. The crime bears a chilling similarity to killings on the peaceful college campus nearby, where his friend Cheryl Beth Wilson is teaching nursing. The two young victims were her students. Most homicides are routine, the suspects readily apparent. These are definitely not. Once again, this unlikely pair teams up to pursue a sadistic predator before he kills again. But finding him will mean uncovering some of the darkest secrets in a Midwestern metropolis where change is slow, tradition and history lay as thick as the summer humidity, and lethal danger can hide in the most respected places.
Powers of Arrest
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"The Ohio local color lends depth, and the threat of extreme violence compels, but the novel’s chief interest is watching two mature, vulnerable people become real partners whose survival really matters." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Full of praise for its Cincinnati locale...this sequel (to The Pain Nurse, 2009) confirms that the Will Borders novels have all the makings of a fine series." —Booklist
About the Author
Jon Talton is the author of nine novels, including the David Mapstone Mysteries and the thriller Deadline Man. He is also a veteran journalist, including the former business editor of the Cincinnati Enquirer. He began the Cincinnatti Casebook series with The Pain Nurse. Jon lives in Seattle where he is economics columnist for the Seattle Times and runs the blog Rogue Columnist.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Having had a tumor removed from his spinal cord (see Pain Nurse), former Cincinnati homicide detective turned police public information officer Will Borders uses a cane to walk. Taking a walk on the Miami University campus, former Cincinnati Memorial Hospital Pain Nurse Specialist turned Professor Cheryl Beth Wilson sees a crowd including cops around two of her now dead students; a third student Noah is the prime suspect. Homicide detective Dodds asks Will to investigate a cop murder similar to that on the campus; and also tells his ex-partner to date cute Cheryl Beth. Will says he is a cripple so cannot do either, but will make inquiries on the homicide.
Though she knows better, Cheryl Beth investigates by thinking what her former patient would do. Her effort leads her to Will. The pair shares an attraction and deep abiding loneliness. They become lovers with hesitancy about their future. Meanwhile the serial killer observes the amateur sleuth and the crippled cop with glee, bragging about creating "deathscapes" starring the duet.
The second Cincinnati Casebook mystery is a superb whodunit starring two wary wounded warriors and a vile violent villain. Fast-paced, readers will enjoy the sensational sightseeing of Cincinnati with Cheryl Beth and Will as our tour guides.
Harriet Klausner
Though she knows better, Cheryl Beth investigates by thinking what her former patient would do. Her effort leads her to Will. The pair shares an attraction and deep abiding loneliness. They become lovers with hesitancy about their future. Meanwhile the serial killer observes the amateur sleuth and the crippled cop with glee, bragging about creating "deathscapes" starring the duet.
The second Cincinnati Casebook mystery is a superb whodunit starring two wary wounded warriors and a vile violent villain. Fast-paced, readers will enjoy the sensational sightseeing of Cincinnati with Cheryl Beth and Will as our tour guides.
Harriet Klausner
By pokerplayer
Format:Hardcover
I will never read another Talton book. He writes like the average tenth grader. He talks down to his readers; explaining simple things that we are obviously too dumb to know. He should assume we are as smart as he; or smarter. He makes many small mistakes like the color of Advil pills...they are baby blue; not red. I keep wondering how this book ever made it into print. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one.
By Joanna Smith
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
From the first page of "Powers of Arrest," Jon Talton sets a sinister tone somewhere along the lines of J.D. Salinger meets Truman Capote. With the comparison of Cincinnati's Licking River to "a stranger hiding in the underbrush," a reader most likely already thinks this is going to be a hair-raising novel.
The story starts out like a bullet. In the first few chapters, the reader is an eyewitness to a sex scene, two killings at a local college, another on a boat and yet another outside a slum market. All the murder and mayhem naturally begs the question: how do all these pieces fit together?
Recovered from spinal surgery and returned to information officer duty, Police Detective Will Borders now walks with a cane and lives with constant pain. Through a twist of fate, Will is assigned to solve the murder of a police officer found dead on her Licking River docked cabin cruiser.
In this character-driven drama that pits Cincinnati's powerful against the lower classes, the sense of place and character depth add a great deal to the story. However, the momentum is sometimes lost in the too-detailed description and character development.
For example, a macabre symphony hall description at the beginning of Chapter Thirteen foreshadows conflict between the powerful elite and the paupers buried without coffins, but it seems as though some judicious editing would have been in order.
In contrast to his Phoenix Noir/David Mapstone action series, Talton may not have hit stride yet with Will Borders. However, Border's struggles, with police work and romance, make you want to keep reading, urging him on to succeed. Whether intentional or not, Border's love interest with Nurse Cheryl Beth seems to reflect an inner shyness.
And what about all the murder and mayhem? Clues left along the way come together and make for a satisfying read. Again, it's a character driven story, but hang with it. It's a different pace. All will be revealed and rewarded.
The story starts out like a bullet. In the first few chapters, the reader is an eyewitness to a sex scene, two killings at a local college, another on a boat and yet another outside a slum market. All the murder and mayhem naturally begs the question: how do all these pieces fit together?
Recovered from spinal surgery and returned to information officer duty, Police Detective Will Borders now walks with a cane and lives with constant pain. Through a twist of fate, Will is assigned to solve the murder of a police officer found dead on her Licking River docked cabin cruiser.
In this character-driven drama that pits Cincinnati's powerful against the lower classes, the sense of place and character depth add a great deal to the story. However, the momentum is sometimes lost in the too-detailed description and character development.
For example, a macabre symphony hall description at the beginning of Chapter Thirteen foreshadows conflict between the powerful elite and the paupers buried without coffins, but it seems as though some judicious editing would have been in order.
In contrast to his Phoenix Noir/David Mapstone action series, Talton may not have hit stride yet with Will Borders. However, Border's struggles, with police work and romance, make you want to keep reading, urging him on to succeed. Whether intentional or not, Border's love interest with Nurse Cheryl Beth seems to reflect an inner shyness.
And what about all the murder and mayhem? Clues left along the way come together and make for a satisfying read. Again, it's a character driven story, but hang with it. It's a different pace. All will be revealed and rewarded.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great read from Talton
I don't know why Jon Talton isn't generally considered to be among the pantheon of great mystery writers, such as Michael Connelly, William Krueger, James Burke. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. P. Weimer
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT writer!!
Fantastic...I just the book by Jon Talton!! The Mapstone series should be a TV series! Thanks, Jon..you make my reading more fun.
Published 5 months ago by H. J. Redpath Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Author gets better and better
Mr. Talton has grown tremendously as a writer and his plotlines. He deserves all the visibility he can get from book sellers.
Published 5 months ago by Judi Schultz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jon Talton
Really enjoyed this book and have shared it with many. His writing gets better with every book. Am looking forward to next book.
Published 5 months ago by desertgirl10
5.0 out of 5 stars
Casebook part 2 comes alive
In Jon Taltons first "Cincinnati Casebook" novel The Pain Nurse he showed us the city of Cincinnati warts and all, and introduced two compelling characters; Will Borders, a... Read more
Published 6 months ago by steve shadow schwartz
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real page-turner
I tried to guess the "who-dun-it" throughout this entire book, and was still surprised at the end. Jon Talton has done it again, and for those of us who know Cincinnati, Talton... Read more
Published 6 months ago by S. MacDonald
