Customer Reviews

Scent of Evil: A Joe Gunther Mystery Novel (Joe Gunther Mysteries)

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

 

 

Charlie Jardine is found buried in a shallow grave, right in the middle of Brattleboro. It comes to light that Jardine, a young stockbroker had a penchant for drugs and sex and he was even carrying on an affair with one of the Brattleboro cop's wives. However, as Gunther gets more deeply into the case he's frustrated by the killer seemingly being able to out-think him no matter what move he makes. Did the Brattleboro cop kill Jardine in a fit of jealousy? If he did, who killed the Brattleboro cop?

Good, convoluted plot. Mayor once again delivers with a well thought out mystery that leaves you guessing right until the end. This mystery has plenty of sub-plots and red herrings and I doubt you'll guess the killer's identity before Mr. Mayor wants you to. All in all another good entry into the Gunther series and I recommend it.

All of Archer Mayor's books have a gripping story line. Although the stories are first class, the pictures drawn with words as the story unfolds are the best that I have ever encountered. The magnificent metaphors can create, in less than one sentence, images that may take other authors pages. Although each book is independent in and of itself, I enjoy reading the stories in sequence. There is a steady progression in character development and interpersonal relationships as we go from story to story.

If you are a mystery fan, I am sure that you will enjoy the entire series as much as I have. If you are a student taking a course in creative writing, I don't think that you will find a better word artist than Archer Mayor.

Archer Mayor is one of America's best kept secrets. His Joe Gunther series receives top reviews from publications across the nation and Scent of Evil maintains the fast-paced, high quality reputation we've come to expect from Mayor's mysteries.

For me there are only a few books that grab hold of me in the first few pages and this is one of them! In fact I've read every book in the series ( there are quite a few now ) and they all have the same qualities, the story draws you in and you are right there with the main character while he solves crimes with his colleagues. The author writes from a unique perspective, most stories take place near the small (and real) town of Brattleboro Vermont and he has created a quirky cast of characters to make the stories very interesting and realistic. This whole series is well worth your reading time!

Have just started reading this mystery series. I find that Mayor is an excellent writer and I enjoy many of his similes and metaphors. His details are sharp and his characters human, and again, very well written. I do get a bit bogged down sometimes in trying to remember his many different reappearing characters and what agencies they work for. But this is book three in an 18-book series thus far, and each book gets better.I will keep reading.

This is an unusual look at policework and may be Joe Gunther's most uncomfortable case as a police officer. Here the focus is as much on the good guys as the bad, his personal life and professional demands and, though other conflicts of interest crop up later in Mayor's Gunther series, this one can make you impatient for resolution. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and was glad to see it gradually come together. It's not a book with a happy ending, necessarily, but it will give you a different perspective on policing in Vermont.

This the third episode in the Joe Gunther series finds the Detective Lieutenant and the rest of the Brattleboro Police Department spending an abusively hot August week looking for a killer. The search begins when a body is found in a landfill area where a street is being buttressed. When the body is identified, it turns out to be a man who is much more than he would seem to have been if you took him at face value.

But someone is playing puppetmaster with Joe and he's not even aware of it until he finds a "bug" in his new office. Whoever is doing it is two or three steps ahead of Joe and the BPD, not to mention the local States Attorney's Office. The Police Chief Tony Brandt, is getting heat from the Board of Selectmen and the local media because the case has more leaks than a pasta colander.

After tracking down what seems to be half the town of Brattleboro, two more murders, and eliminating two suspects who have lots of circumstantial evidence showing up, the man they were looking for was right in front of them all the time. Trying to guess ahead of Mayor as to whodunit makes this both an interesting and compelling read.

The Joe Gunther mysteries - despite their age - are a new discovery for me, and I'm glad I found them (although I only have this one and Borderline). This mystery was well-written, taut, suspenseful and kept me guessing. I just couldn't put it down. Joe Gunther is a complex character and I hope I can find the rest of these books. Give these a try - you won't regret it!

Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, VT police force finds himself involved in a complex case involving multiple murders and drugs. There are also subplots concerning cover-ups, Joe's relationship with his significant other, and city politics. By the time the case is resolved, long after I ceased to care one way or the other, the author has written over 400 pages of uneven prose, punctuated, to be fair, by occasional dramatic episodes. However, there are way too many comments from Gunther about the complexity of the case, the political danger of the police proceeding as they do, and Gunther's hope that with just one more clue, the case will be solved. So get on with it already! This book needed to be edited down to about two-thirds of its published length. Compare this to tighter writing by Andrew Garve or Ed McBain and you will really notice the difference.