Customer Reviews

The Ten-Mile Trials (Jake Hines Mysteries)

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The Ten-Mile Trials is the eighth in Elizabeth Gunn's Jake Hines series of mysteries. Set in Rutherford, MN, the protagonist is the chief investigator for the RPD. The detectives are working a series of high-end burglaries when they find a murdered man in a house with marijuana growing in the garage and the upstairs being fitted out as a major meth lab. Faced with cuts in funding as a result of the current recession/depression, the department is stretched thin, especially since it appears that a Eastern European cartel has moved in. As the investigations continue, following the leads exposes a multi-faceted criminal conspiracy culminating in a massive car chase and the rescue of an officer hostage. Solving crimes is shown as a group effort, with many detectives and uniformed policemen contributing to the final success of an investigation.

One of the great strengths of this series (and I do recommend that you read them in order) is the character development. Ms. Gunn has created a cast of characters that are individual and human and who grow through their experiences and relationships. Jake and Trudy are new parents, dealing with three-month-old Ben, plus jobs, plus being stretched financially by their old farmhouse. Along with the characters from the earlier books in the series, particularly interesting characters in The Ten-Mile Trials are Maxine, Jake's former foster mother and Ben's babysitter; Eddie, the traumatized child she is fostering and mothering back to health; and Amy Nguyen ("Winnie"), the newest detective on the squad who is "small and pretty and looks fragile as a porcelain cup. Actually, she's descended from boat people and is almost as tough as the redoubtable grandmother who got her to Minnesota." These are characters I feel that I know and that I care about, which to me is one of the highest achievements of any writer.

I recommend this series highly.