Customer Reviews

Surrogate Thief

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Thirty-two years ago in Brattlesboro, Vermont, rookie police detective watches his beloved wife Ellen slowly dies from cancer. Her lingering ailment negatively impacted his work as evinced by the robbery turned murder of storekeeper Klaus Oberfeldt in which evidence pointed to petty thief Pete Shea; Joe Gunther gave it a half hearted effort, to catch the fleeing Pete, but failed. The case went cold.

In the present a domestic issue turns ugly when a wife shoots her former husband. Though obviously a local matter, the case comes to Joe's attention because the gun used is the same one that killed Klaus. Always feeling that he failed to do his job because of the distraction, Joe, using his leverage as the chief of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, begins an investigation. When he begins he is unaware that the two cases will make him reexamine his past tragedy and the impact it has had on him since including how he relates to his longtime lover, Gail Zigman as she runs for political office.

THE SURROGATE THIEF is the best tale in this highly regarded police procedural series. Besides a terrific investigation into two crimes three decades apart, the novel provides a deep look at the demons haunting the hero dating back to Ellen's slow death. Fans of Joe will appreciate the insight into Ellen especially her last days and how that still disturbs him. Readers who enjoy an upfront and personal police investigation tale with a powerful gaze at what has motivated the lead investigator to excel over the years will want to read Archer Mayor's latest thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Mr. mayor has done it again. He is a master in this genre. He has earned his due to be included in the upper tier of writers such as : Parker,both MacDonalds, Cornwell, and Chandler and Doyle .

Mr. Mayor has captured Vermont and its people. Not only that but has noticed the different Vermonters in different areas of Vermont and that their thinking and speech are unique to their part of the state.

I am a private investigator and deal in his world and can vouch for its truthfulness.There are many writers who just dont know and make fools of themselves with what they write.

Read his entire out put from hios Gunther series.

Brad Stender.

More introspective then previous books, you finally get to know Joe and understand the character in more depth. It's also a very good procedural as Joe is able to investigate an old crime using new technologies. Mayor is an excellent writer whose books are always a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.

Archer Mayor's series starring Joe Gunther of the Vermont police just keeps getting better. This entry is indeed his best; multi-layered, suspenseful and realistic.

Gunther is investigating a cold case, well over thirty years old, and is thrown back into the emotional crisis that was in his life at that time. His wife, Ellen, was dying, slowly and painfully of cancer at the same time he was investigating the brutal murder of a shopkeeper. A young man under suspicion at the time disappears and it seems that he is the murderer. The suspect is never found and suddenly the case is open again and Gunther must travel the path again, reliving the anguish of his young wife's death. In the present he must deal with his relationship with Gail, his lover, who is entering politics and in the midst of an active campaign. Her campaign means that he is not able to turn to her for support with his many conflicting emotions.

This is a well-written, suspenseful story made strong by the depth of the characterizations. A great series.

A domestic call gone bad deals Vermont's Bureau of Investigation agent Joe Gunther a second chance from the past. The gun involved in the domestic turns out to be one used in the unsolved fatal pistol whipping of a shopkeeper 30 years earlier. Gunther's young wife had been dying of cancer at the time and he's always felt he dropped the ball.

This new evidence allows him to reopen the case and Gunther's painstaking, canny sleuthing is a pleasure to follow as he pursues each lead into the past and around New England. Not that this is any quiet cozy. Not once witnesses begin turning up dead faster than Gunther can track them down. On the personal side, his longtime love, Gail, is running for state senator and Gunther dislikes everything about the political arena and its effect on her. Well-plotted and character driven, this thoughtful series keeps getting better.

- Portsmouth Herald

I got this book for my son who lives in northern Vermont, but, after reading just a few pages as a preview to see if he might like it, I couldn't stop and enjoyed this fast-paced mystery very much. It is just like actually being in Vermont; it conveys the scenery, the atmosphere and the personality types of the people. Joe Gunther, the main character, is someone the reader can identify with and understand what "makes him tick." This is part of a series, and I believe that the first books are out of print. I will be looking at old book sales and trying to get the early books so that my son can start at the beginning--a much better place to start a series that with one of the most recent offerings. I'm sure that my son will enjoy this book...it should make him feel right at home.

This is the 15th adventure of Joe Gunther - a "middle-aged" Vermont police detective. The Gunther books are straightforward police procedurals with a strong supporting cast; Joe a very likeable protagonist. When a domestic dispute turns deadly, our hero finds himself dealing with a 32-year old cold case when the current weapon is traced back to a robbery/murder Joe didn't solve early in his career. This trip down memory lane is a painful one for our hero as the original case coincided with the death of his wife - a topic alluded to in earlier volumes, but which is now front and center in The Surrogate Thief - as is Joe - the books immediately preceding this one in the series focusing on Joe's "partners".

As is to be expected from this author/series, the cases and sleuthing are top notch, and the reader learns a little more about Joe and what makes him "tick"- not only his past and the loss of his wife - but also his current personal/romantic situation. While piecing together the current-day crime puzzle and resolving past issues/crimes, his current "lady-friend" - a recurring character we readers have come to know very well - is running for public office, upsetting Joe's, if not tranquil, very comfortable current day to day existence.

For the most part these multiple threads of the story line are balanced very well. My only complaint is that at times Joe's need - his obsession - to solve the "old" case comes across as a bit heavy-handed; the author inserting himself frequently explaining Joe's motivation. We know Joe well enough by this point, and what drives him.

Otherwise The Surrogate Thief is a very good addition to a very good series.

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I don't usually give any book 5 stars, but I really felt this book met most of my requirements for an excellent read. As others have mentioned in their reviews, the description of Vermont scenery, cities, and people pulls the reader into the setting. The writing is good--not exceptional, but very good for the genre. What I really liked about it is that the reader gets to know more about Joe's life when he was a young man and his wife was dying of cancer. An old case that Joe could not solve rears its head, and with it the memories of losing his wife when the case was fresh. That, in turn, makes him evaluate his relationship with his long-time girlfriend Gail, who is running for state senator and is too busy to spend any real time with him. Will she abandon him too? That is what creeps unwanted into Joe's mind at times while he solves the case. The case is also one of Mayor's better plots. The old crime leads to several new crimes and involves some political implications, and Mayor ties it all together well.

A tragedy resulting from an apparantly routine domestic disturbance unearths a murder weapon associated with a 30 year old cold case originally investigated by Joe Gunther. Unfortunately, re-opening of the cold case results in additional murders while reviving past feelings of guilt on the part of Joe Gunther.Archer Mayor is consistantly successul in combining the police procedural with deep and incisive looks at the lives of both investigators and suspects. This certainly is no exception and is emphatically recommended.

Mayor is a fine writer and I've enjoyed all his books from the first to the latest. If you like police mysteries you'll find he is a craftsman of the first order. If you just like a good story and a well crafted plot, you can't go wrong with Archer. But be advised: The first of his books you read won't be the last!