St. Albans Fire (Joe Gunther Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Archer Mayor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 17, 2005 | Series: Joe Gunther Mysteries

With Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team spread thin on assignment everywhere, from the remote dairy county of Northwest Vermont to the slums of Newark, NJ, they're pushed to their absolute limit when a string of serial arsons across the Green Mountain State evolve into the most shocking series of murders the bucolic region has ever known.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Deaths and barn burnings north of Burlington, Vt., that result in farm sales to two local real estate agents lead Joe Gunther into a convoluted case in Mayor's entertaining 16th novel to feature the Vermont Bureau of Investigation cop (after 2004's The Surrogate Thief). Are the crimes personal or financial, coincidental or planned? Gunther and his obstreperous sidekick, Willy Kunkle, travel to Newark, N.J., in search of answers and an arsonist. When the Jersey police are first helpful then dismissive, the pair decide to investigate on their own, turning up some surprising evidence in Newark's underworld. Mayor delves deeper than ever before into his characters' psychology, especially the women: tough Newark cop Lil Farber; Peggy DeAngelis, the arsonist's naïve girlfriend; and two dispirited farm wives, beautiful Linda Cutts and her vicious mother, Marie. He also subtly portrays the shifting relationship between Gunther and his lover, Gail Zigman. Though the discoveries in Newark fall into place almost too easily, Mayor serves up another highly satisfying mystery.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Mayor's long-running Joe Gunther series continues to display this multitalented author's ability to construct compelling plots and build full-bodied characters. Second in command at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, Gunther finds his latest adventure in the rural farming community of St. Albans. When the Cutts' family barn is burned down, all the dairy cows inside are killed--as is teenager Bobby Cutts. As he starts to investigate, Gunther discovers other suspicious fires in the area, although none of those caused any deaths. Was Bobby in the barn by accident? What do the fires have in common? As he struggles to answer these questions, Gunther relies on his crusty sidekick, Willy Kunkle, to extract information from the tight-lipped locals. Mayor does everything right, keeping readers riveted by expertly interweaving well-developed characters, a fast-moving plot, and interesting factoids about his setting. Best of all is Gunther himself: a kind and sensitive cop whose intelligence and integrity make an irresistible combination. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (October 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892968168
• ISBN-13: 978-0892968169
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #620,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Archer Mayor is the author of the highly acclaimed, Vermont-based series featuring detective Joe Gunther, which the Chicago Tribune describes as "the best police procedurals being written in America." He is also the 2004 winner of the New England Independent Booksellers Association Award for Best Fiction--the first time a writer of crime literature has been so honored.

Before turning his hand to fiction, Mayor wrote history books, the most notable of which concerned the lumber and oil business in Louisiana from the 1870s to the 1970s. This book was published by the University of Georgia Press back in 1988 and very well received; it has been republished as a trade paperback in 2009.

Mayor--who was brought up in the US, Canada and France--was variously employed as a scholarly editor, a researcher for TIME-LIFE Books, a political advance-man, a theater photographer, a newspaper writer/editor, a lab technician for Paris-Match Magazine in Paris, France, and a medical illustrator. In addition to writing novels and occasional articles, Mayor gives talks and workshops all around the country, including the Bread Loaf Young Writers conference in Middlebury, Vermont, and the Colby College seminar on forensic sciences in Waterville, Maine. In addition, Archer is a death investigator for Vermont's Chief Medical Examiner, a Deputy Sheriff for Windham County, VT, an investigator for the Windham County State's Attorney's office, the publisher of his own backlist, a travel writer for AAA, and he travels the Northeast giving speeches and conducting workshops. He also has 25 years experience as a volunteer firefighter/EMT.

Mayor's critically-acclaimed series of police novels features Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, Vermont police department. The books, which have been appearing about once a year since 1988, have been published in five languages (if you count British,) and routinely gather high praise from such sources as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, and many others, often appearing on their "ten best" yearly lists.

Whereas many writers base their books on only interviews and scholarly research, Mayor's novels are based on actual experience in the field. The result adds a depth, detail and veracity to his characters and their tribulations that has led the New York Times to call him "the boss man on procedures".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read!, October 12, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: St. Albans Fire (Joe Gunther Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Joe Gunther is the lead investigator for the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. A simple barn fire turns into a murder investigation. Young Bobby Cutts picked the wrong time to check on a cow about to calf. It cost him his life.

And then there are other barn fires--that all seemingly accidental up to now, also turn out to be acts of arson. But why? And who? These questions lead Joe from Vermont to Newark, New Jersey and the mob. But getting a lead on a mob-connected arsonist isn't easy. They protect their own.

Meanwhile, Joe's girl friend, Gail Zigman, a Vermont State Senator, is getting threatening notes. She won't tell Joe because she believes they're related to legislation she opposes. But what if they're not?

Then there are those secret land purchases. Farms are being bought up in a pattern. But what does the pattern mean? Some of the purchases seem legitimate and some purchases happened after accidents and fires. And all of the purchases trace back to the same real estate office run by one of the area's most reputable men.

Joe and his sidekick, Willie, uncover the likely arsonist and find a connection to the land purchases, but in the process someone close to the arsonist gets killed and he vows revenge on Joe Gunther. He will hurt him in the same way he was hurt--and that means someone close to Joe is at risk.

Armchair Interviews says: This book has all the elements you expect in a first-rate murder mystery--several credible suspects, villains you love to hate, reluctant heroes, unplanned outcomes, and ultimately a surprise resolution. The book is well-paced and gives you plenty to think about as you enjoy solving the murders along with Joe Gunther.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mayor offers up yet another winning installment in the Joe Gunther saga, October 24, 2005

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: St. Albans Fire (Joe Gunther Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Interviewing several citizens of St. Albans, Vermont in the aftermath of a barn fire in which a local farmer tragically perished, Vermont Bureau of Investigation officer Joe Gunther confirms that the conflagration was caused by arson. Additionally, he realizes that the fire, one of several in the region in the recent past, is part of a larger, more sinister pattern of events. Proceeding on the assumption that the blazes and several other odd occurrences are linked, Gunther begins to unravel a complex conspiracy--his travels in pursuit of the truth lead him across Vermont and, eventually, to the unfamiliar terrain of Newark, NJ.

The sixteenth novel Joe Gunther novel takes its place among the best of the nimble Mayor's works, exploiting and building on all the elements that have made the series such rewarding reading over nearly two decades. Surrounded by a substantial, well rounded, and captivating supporting cast, Gunther doggedly pursues the truth, no matter the cost. Along the way, readers are treated to subtle lessons in the culture and history of Vermont; they also get an update on the fictional people who populate Mayor's fictional version of Brattleboro, Vermont, people who doubtlessly have come to feel like real acquaintances to long time readers (many of whom, by the way, will no doubt be rocked by developments in this book). Mayor makes it all seem easy, delivering his tale in carefully measured prose, offering up yet another winning installment in the ongoing saga of reliable lawman Joe Gunther.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another very good Gunther., January 2, 2006

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: St. Albans Fire (Joe Gunther Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Mayor really knows how to write an effective police procedural. He creates strong, realistic, interesting characters, including very good female characters. The sense of place and dialogue are excellent. I particularly liked the way the story builds on itself, revealing the clues and building to an excellent ending, which surprised me, and made me think. Each year, I look forward to his new book. This year he met, and exceeded my expectations.