1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Housewright Just Gets Better and Better--A Must Read!, October 29, 2007
"Mac" McKenzie, the former police officer who resigned his position so he could collect a reward that made him instantly wealthy, returns in his role of private investigator who "does favors" for those in need. In "Pretty Girl Gone", Mac's old girlfriend, Lindsay Barrett, enlists his help to track down the origin of an extortion email that threatens to destroy her current husband, John Barrett, who happens to be the Minnesota Governor. Someone is claiming Governor Barrett killed his high school sweetheart while he was a member of the legendary "Victoria Seven" basketball team that miraculously won the Minnesota state championship just days after her mysterious death.
Although harboring misgivings about Lindsay's honesty as well as the assignment itself, Mac agrees to look into things by going to Victoria, site of the email's origin as well as the home of the former "Victoria Seven". Before leaving however, there are complicating threats from a group of wealthy businessmen who may or may not be interested in protecting Governor Barrett's best interests as well as Mac's health. Several secondary characters enter the storyline as a result including a mysterious "investigator" who turns up at inopportune times throughout Mac's investigation. Who is he and what is his agenda?
Mac's experiences in Victoria become gripping reading. As he wends his way through interviewing everyone in town who remembers the death (and championship) 30 years before, he is met with hostility, resentment, and silence. Indeed, most of the "7" are reluctant to cooperate and are downright violent in dealing with Mac. Before Mac even catches his breath, there are attempts on his life and deaths around him. What is going on?
Mac's sole ally, and a questionable one at times, is Danny Mallinger, a somewhat naïve female interim police chief. Mallinger and Mac develop a hot chemistry that sometimes distracts them and certainly tweaks Mac's conscience. As Housewright brings all the threads of the story to a climax, the tension builds incredibly--pages can't be turned fast enough. The payoff is not too obvious so an element of mystery will remain until the end for many readers.
Who knows why one book or author calls to us and another turns us off. I truly enjoyed this novel and Housewright's styling. I appreciated Housewright's ability to develop mood through use of the weather and landscapes of Minnnesota. His character development is clearly a strength in this novel as the reader comes to easily like or hate characters as they appear and develop. And as mentioned above, the author builds suspense and feeds the mysteries in the course of the book until the reader is riveted to the page and seemingly cannot get enough. I highly recommend this effort.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
the story is good, but mckenzie, loyal? not hardly...., November 1, 2007
i think it's funny how often the word 'loyalty' comes up to describe mckenzie's character in these reviews and descriptions of the books. there is nothing loyal about a man in a relationship with a woman who he claims to love and have considered marrying, yet falls in love with a different woman each time he starts investigating another case. when i first started reading this series i loved mckenzie. the more books in the series i read though, the more i am starting to dislike him.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Secrets in small town Minnesota, June 11, 2006
This review is from: Pretty Girl Gone (Mac McKenzie Mysteries) (Hardcover)
Lindsay Barrett asks Minnesota PI, Rushmore "Mac" McKenzie to investigate a rumor that her husband killed his High School girlfriend back in the days when he was part of a small-town basketball team legend, the Victoria Seven. The investigation has to be hush-hush since Lindsay, who happens to be an old flame's of Mac's, is First Lady of the state of Minnesota, and her husband, Governor John Barrett has aspirations of a Senate seat. Mac travels back to small town Victoria where secrets have remained buried for over thirty years.
PRETTY GIRL GONE is an engaging page-turner. Stories of this type can sometimes lag, but the plot moved along at a crisp pace. Mac is a multi-faceted character, and while I did not enjoy all his traits, he did have several redeeming qualities. There are a few misguided turns in the story, but that does not detract from the overall story. I look forward to the next Rushmore McKenzie novel.
4 1/2 stars
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