Third Person Singular: A Mars Bahr Mystery (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) [Paperback]

Kj Erickson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 2002 | Series: St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries

Special Detective Marshall Bahr's hard years on the Minneapolis police force have taken their toll. A single father, he's sacrificed his marriage, friendships, and private life for the thrill of the hunt. But his flawless record is about to be challenged with a murder that cuts straight to the heart...

Mary Pat Fitzgerald still bore traces of the beauty that made the homecoming queen the most popular girl in the suburb of Edina--the last girl anyone would expect to find with a stomach full of gin, stabbed to death alongside a dangerous and remote footpath on the bluffs. With no clues and no suspects, Bahr's investigations is doomed to go unsolved--until the similar murder of another young girl leads the detective far from his home turf, and father still from the slaying ground of a mysterious killer who's orchestrating each of Bahr's moves with chilling, cold-blooded perfection...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Moving with great ease and speaking with great authority, this first novel introduces Marshall "Mars" Bahr, a divorced dad struggling to do the right thing for his precocious eight-year-old son, Chris. He's also the detective that Minneapolis calls in on its toughest homicide cases. This time the victim is Mary Pat Fitzgerald, a smart blonde teenager from a good family in the nearby suburb of Edina. She's found stabbed on a deserted path on the Father Hennepin Bluffs, with a bellyful of gin. By all accounts, the girl never drank, and what was she doing so far from home? As Mars digs into her private life, he finds a mother who's a drunk, an abusive father and a best friend who's not talking. In spite of the diligent work of Mars and his quasi-partner, Nettie Frisch, the case stalls. Months later, a completely unexpected break occurs when the Boston murder of another young girl is linked to the Fitzgerald case. Mars is drawn back in, unaware that he is believing exactly what the killer wants him to believe. The writing here is so flawless, the tone so true, that the reader wholeheartedly enters the world of Mars Bahr and others. Well-chosen details about Minneapolis's history and the politics in city hall enhance the setting; a strong, precise style and deftly handled transitions make the book sheer pleasure to read. If there's a weakness, it's the lack of development in Mars's personal life, although he does have a charming and unusual relationship with his son. With any luck, this is the first in a worthy new series.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Detective Marshall "Mars" Bahr, known to co-workers as "Candy Man" (but not because of his name), reports directly to the Minneapolis police chief, especially when a young woman of impeccable background is murdered near the newly renovated waterfront. Suspicion falls first on her supposedly out-of-state boyfriend, then on an unknown "pick-up," and finally on a serial killer. Despite media pressure, Mars and partner Nellie ultimately prevail in this talented and exciting first novel. Sympathetic characters, a comfortable narrative, and a satisfyingly convoluted plot combine to create a winning procedural. For all collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (March 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312982135
• ISBN-13: 978-0312982133
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining mystery, December 21, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Third Person Singular: A Mars Bahr Mystery (Hardcover)

Minneapolis Mayor Geff tells her Chief of Police Turner and Special Detective Marshall Bahr that the murder of the teen could not have come at a worse time or place. Someone killed the perfect high school coed Mary Pat Fitzgerald of nearby wealthy suburb Edina. Geff orders Mars to quickly find the killer, preferably be another suburbanite. Geff worries that the negative PR from the murder of a homecoming valedictorian will halt federal matching funds to an urban renewal project that she already has invested a lot of city and state money into.

The cops dub Mars as the "Candy Man," but not for the company. Instead his moniker comes from his handling of all non-drug/non-gang homicides while reporting to Turner. He begins his inquiries after setting up the control cell with his partner Jeanette "Nettie" Frisch, who works exclusively in the office. Mars leans towards a family member or perhaps the boy friend, but wonders why the killing seems aloof yet planned rather than passionate as expected with a loved one. As clue after clue fails to go anywhere and the Edina police chief seems more hindrance than help, Geff increases the pressure on Mars to produce the culprit.

THIRD PERSON SINGULAR is a magnificent police procedural starring a fabulous law enforcement official. The story line centers on Mars' investigation, but subplots involving his ex-wife and precocious son as well the relationships with Turner and Nettie provide insight into the lead player. The who-done-it is very entertaining and somewhat complex leaving the audience seeking more novels by KJ Erickson starring her wonderful protagonist, the Candy Man.

Harriet Klausner

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Debut has a Compelling Hero, Good Plot--An Excellent Novel, January 4, 2004

By 

Lori L. Lake "Author of Like Lovers Do, Buyer... (Portland, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Third Person Singular: A Mars Bahr Mystery (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) (Paperback)

On a whim, I picked up this mystery by a Minnesota author. Within five pages I was intrigued; by page thirty I was hooked. The story begins with a woman-a drug dealer-waiting in her car to make a delivery, but instead, catching sight of a man and young woman getting out of a car and heading toward the bluffs near the Mississippi River. The dealer gets spooked and flees. Then we are introduced to a Minneapolis cop, Marshall "Mars" Bahr, who is having weekend visitation with his son, Chris (who is one of the most precocious and interesting eight-year-olds in mystery history). By hard work and smarts, Mars has risen to the status of Special Investigator reporting directly to the police chief. He's got an excellent case closure record, and because he is a decent person who treats his colleagues well, he gets fairly good cooperation most of the time. He's also decent to his ex-wife and his son.

Mars gets a call about a murder on the bluffs, drops his son off at a Scout meeting, and is launched into the investigation of the death of a high school student from a ritzy part of the Twin Cities. Erickson lays out a wonderfully plotted police procedural with unexpected twists and turns, and not a single one of the characters I suspected turned out to be the murderer.

But beyond the mystery angle, Erickson has laid the groundwork for multiple sequels by having a compelling hero in Mars and many promising secondary characters, especially his son and his administrative assistant, Nettie. I've read a lot of debut novels, but this one is superior. The characters are well-drawn, the plot never falters, there are surprises around every corner, and the repartee between Mars and his many contacts is authentic and absorbing. I can't wait to read the sequel. I give this mystery my highest recommendation. ~Lori L. Lake, reviewer for Midwest Book Review and author of Gun Shy, Under The Gun, Different Dress, Ricochet In Time, and Stepping Out: Short Stories.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great beginning but ultimately disappointing, December 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Third Person Singular: A Mars Bahr Mystery (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries) (Paperback)

I thought this book was well-written and really liked the beginning: the author has the ability to really make you feel what a character feels at times. Parts of the story, however, were very contrived, and I just didn't think the detective's eight-year-old son was believable at all and I could not see a father letting his little boy read IN COLD BLOOD or go see rotton corpses or hear cops talk about bodily mutilation etc. I wish the story could have just stayed with the good police work and nice characterization of the beginning--it got worse and worse as it went along. The pacing was really off, and there should have been something about the murderer earlier on, in the first section. This could have been great--needed a few more drafts in my opinion to make it all as good as the author can be, which is far above most mysterieis.