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Voyeur

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Shamus Award-winning author Daniel Judson weaves a noir fabric that covers Long Island's upscale Hamptons, but some of that fabric is soiled with seedy characters. As a Manhattan private eye in 2003, Remer had to "peek through windows like a voyeur, hide in shadows." At least until the PI was caught and then "persuaded" to exit the business. It's amazing what a little --- make that much --- torture can do for a career change.

Fast forward to late '08. Remer now owns a liquor store in Southampton. At age 42, he has secrets, but it "isn't in his nature to give up his secrets." One of those is a special tattoo removed from his chest and new lust, if not love, Angela. "Her last name is Syc, pronounced sigh, as in, she likes to say, `to breathe out softly.'" However, "Remer's affairs simply don't [last]." With Christmas at hand and equal-age Angela out of nursing school, why does he not stay with her for the holiday in Manhattan instead of her weekend overnights with him in Southampton?

Off-again, on-again cop and former Remer employee Kay Barton is now romantically involved with Tommy Miller, who "had been a private investigator for a number of years before retiring suddenly at the ripe old age of thirty." But was there romance between Barton and Remer? "It was Barton who suggested that Remer hire Mia [Ferrara] despite her lack of experience. A thirty-year-old woman who had never held a job in her life." Mia has now gone missing, and Barton persuades Remer to take on this special case, hooking up Remer with Mia's mega-wealthy mom, Evelyn. Remer is not sure if Evelyn is fully aware of his affair with Mia --- and the pain she caused. Is his motive for locating Mia an eye-popping annual-salary fee, or to rekindle the romance? With many bestselling crime novels, there is a money trail, and Remer follows this one like a bloodhound.

Avoiding Manhattan because of what happened there in '03, Remer is drawn back after two days of unconsciousness caused by a truncheon. Six stitches as a Christmas gift. Exposed to dubious characters in New York's Long Island villages called the Hamptons, Remer realizes that lie is the central part of believe, what he's asked to do by everyone he comes across. Curiously, each tale contradicts the last. The only thing Remer can believe is his own gut feelings.

Each seemingly innocent lead becomes a string connected to a complex web that increasingly looks as though it's being woven into a noose. Even a mildly hallucinogenic herbal blend can't ease Remer's misgivings about trying to locate Mia. When he does so, it's with a scene that made me think the author had imbibed Remer's "special" Long Island Iced Tea.

Third-person present tense puts readers in the midst of thrilling action. This noir suspense masterpiece is "as dark as a Bible," reading as easily as watching a blockbuster movie with a totally believable script. An astoundingly complex read made simple by explaining psychological motivations of key characters, VOYEUR will be one of my Top Ten For `10 picks.

--- Reviewed by L. Dean Murphy

Manhattan PI Remer was a professional voyeur who was paid to spy on adulterous spouses. One night, while tailing a mark, he was ambushed by four thugs who took him to a warehouse. Bound to a chair, hands tied behind his back with wire, Remer screamed with agony as a soldering iron carved a word into his chest. It was a word intended to be a constant reminder of what he was: a voyeur.

Six years later, the word has been surgically removed from Remer's chest; however, the emotional and physical scars remain. No longer a PI, Remer is now the owner of a lucrative liquor store in Southampton Village. A friend, Detective Kay Barton, begs him to locate a missing heiress, Mia Ferrara. Soon, Remer becomes entangled in a bloody web of deception and betrayal.

Once again, Daniel Judson has supplied his fans with another violent crime noir set in the Hamptons of Long Island. "Voyeur" is populated by beautiful women and large, masculine men. There are the requisite female fatale, the badass hit man, and the attractive girl who is fleeing from her problems. An action-packed crime fantasy (intended chiefly for men), "Voyeur" is a quick read.

Like Judson's previous thriller, "The Violet Hour," the atmospheric setting in "Voyeur" is one of desolation, isolation and coldness. The tourists are gone. Many homes are closed and abandoned because of the winter season and the depressed economy. However, not all is bleak; there is the scattering of Christmas decorations. Most all of the novel's present action occurs during the Christmas season though the main characters aren't strict observers of this sacred holiday.

Remer reminds me of Cal Rakowski, the young mechanic in "The Violet Hour." Both men have soft hearts, which prove to be their downfalls; they also help pregnant women in locating missing girls who are troubled. Along the way, they are terrorized by thugs and a female fatale. However, unlike Rakowski, Remer is older and more experienced at defending himself.

A former marine, Remer is large and handsome. He once worked as a detective for a law firm before becoming a PI. He has all the state-of-the-art spying equipment. He also has a Glock with a silencer and uses it to obtain revenge on the Frenchman who scarred him. I can't judge him; I probably would've craved vengeance myself. The Frenchman deserved it.

Do I admire Remer? Most men would. Like James Bond, he's had sexual relations with every beautiful woman in the plot: Kay Barton, Mia Ferrara, and Angela Syc (pronounced "sigh."). The only other female lead, Casey Collins, is a bartender and a boxer who knocks him unconscious. She leaves him for dead in the cold and snow; however, when Remer knocks out two assailants, he takes measures to ensure they are found. For that, I admire him.

Remer becomes involved with the very strange, very disturbed Ferrara family. One or more of its members suffers from a mental illness termed narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Victims of child abuse, they have low self-esteem and are jealous of others. Consequently, they often lie and fantasize in order to appear special or important; they also manipulate friends and family in an effort to achieve material goals.

Voyeurism can be deceptive; voyeurism can be dangerous. On several occasions, it almost gets Remer killed. While reading "Voyeur," I kept thinking of the hit 1984 song, "Somebody's Watching Me," sung by R&B artist Rockwell. The novel, like the song, deals with the theme of paranoia and how it can manipulate our perception of reality. Paranoia, in the case of someone with NPD, can be detrimental. However, it can make one be more careful as in the case of Remer when he is investigating.

Daniel Judson's "Voyeur" is highly recommended for fans of crime noir. It is best read around Christmas. Other gritty, violent mysteries involving gangsters, mobsters, hit men and/or thugs are: the novels of Stuart Neville ("The Ghosts of Belfast" and "Collusion"), David J. Schow's "Internecine," Blake Crouch's "Snowbound," Brian M. Wiprud's "Buyback" and Thomas Kaufman's "Drink the Tea."

Joseph B. Hoyos

Daniel Judson's "Voyeur" is a novel that I truly enjoyed from start to finish. The fast moving pace of the story had me racing through the pages to get to the bottom of the story's dilemma. Judson creates a great story around his lead charaters, and connects all the peices throughout the mysterious plotline. Unexpected twists in the story and great discription of the setting are some of the reasons that "Voyeur" is one my favorite murder mystery novels.

Voyeur is a fast-paced read that will keep you guessing. Its real-life characters, familiar location (for those Long Island readers), and exciting plot make it hard to put down. If you want something entertaining, pick this up.

Today is the official release date for Dan Judson's new book. I came home from work last night and found my pre-order waiting for me on the doorstep, a day early (thank you Amazon!). I opened the package, sat down, and devoured it, reading it all in one sitting.

Voyeur isn't quite as dark and cynical, or quite as psychologically tense as The Violet Hour, and it's a faster read. By that I don't mean to imply it isn't as good, it's just different. Sometimes you want a heavy, complex stout, and sometimes you want something a little lighter, like a dark ale. It's not giving anything away to say there are a couple of characters that we've met before; thankfully for the new reader it isn't necessary (or even helpful) to know those characters' pre-history in Dan's earlier books. Dan has tightened and trimmed his writing a bit, and here we're not smacked on the side of the head with the solution to the mystery--we're allowed to figure this one out, partly, but left wondering about the "why."

All in all, a little lighter--a little--than the last couple of books, and not quite as lingering, but by no means is this "Judson Lite."

Now to go to work and explain that I'm bleary and shagged-out because I was reading until 3am . . .

Daniel Judson's 2010 novel Voyeur starts strong. Remer is a seriously proficient Manhattan private investigator who's taught a vicious lesson by someone who's unhappy with his professional voyeurism. Five years later, Remer's living an altogether different life. He owns a liquor store in Southhampton. He keeps to himself. He medicates himself with a homemade drug cocktail and has no-strings-attached sex with the woman who lives upstairs. But then Remer is asked to find a missing person, someone from his past in Southhampton, and his carefully crafted new life is ripped apart.

Voyeur contains some genuinely tense moments and good writing, but the story gets bogged down in a plot that's far too complicated to bother following. A less lazy reader than I would perhaps enjoy this one more, but I'm afraid that once I feel I have to start taking notes to follow a story, I lose interest. The book also left me with questions: Why was there so much emphasis on Remer's upstairs neighbor when she was largely irrelevant to the plot? Ditto on his drug concoction. And why do the dramatic events in the novel (and in Judson's earlier The Violet Hour, for that matter) take place around holidays, given that the holidays aren't important to the story? Does this add something I'm missing?

In short the book, which begins so promisingly, left me disappointed--all the more so because reading The Violet Hour left me eager for more from this author.

-- Debra Hamel

Daniel Judson brings us the third book in his Southampton Trilogy. Shamus award winner and three-time nominee, Daniel Judson draws us into the world of Southampton's elite with a good dose of the seedier side thrown in.

In the preface we find lead character Reimer--a private investigator--in the middle of a case to prove infidelity. Reimer finds himself in the hands of a group of thugs intent on beating him down to show how dangerous his chosen profession can be to his life and inevitably forcing Reimer into retirement. Fast forward six years where we find Reimer living a quiet life running a liquor store in downtown Southampton chasing the dragon to keep demons from his every waking moment. Reimer keeps to himself and avoids trouble. The only relationship he gave himself to was with a troubled woman named Mia who breaks his heart and takes off with his life savings.

Reimer is called by a friend and employee to take one last case to find a missing person who turns out to be no other than Mia. Her mother is desperate to find the daughter she has not seen since she ran from Reimer. Reluctantly he takes the case, which is when his trouble begins. He tracks Mia to a bar called Pintauro's where Mia allegedly works. Turns out she jumped ship with her new boyfriend Dave Brazier, again stealing money from the case register. Following leads along the way Reimer finds himself in the middle of murder and a plot to scam hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Judson weaves a dark tale in this suspense novel, capturing the reader and keeping their attention until the thrilling conclusion. Whether you are a long time reader of Daniel Judson or have just been introduced to his writing, you need to run out and buy this book. It is noir at its very best.

Reviewed by Jodi Hanson for Suspense Magazine

The Voyeur is a fun, action packed novel. With its Long Island based setting and group of characters, Judson made it so you wouldn't be able to put this book down. Each page is filled with excitement. It was quick and got to the point. Not a boring scene in sight.

In 2003 in Manhattan, intrepid private investigator Remer is conducting surveillance of a couple for a client who warned him her spouse is dangerous. While parked, four men corner him; two with guns drawn professionally. A third attacks him with a stun gun shooting 25 K volts into Remer. They take him from his vehicle into their SUV and drive across the Williamsburg Bridge to Brooklyn. They complete their assault by carving Voyeur onto his chest.

Years later, mentally Remer remains emotionally fragile while hiding from everyone; as he runs a liquor store in Southampton. However, his friend from his sleuthing days, police detective Kay Barton finds him and asks him to hire Mia Ferrara to work at his store though she lacks experience. Reluctantly he does, but she stole 80 K from him before vanishing. Kay informs him that Mira is missing and that the woman's mother Evelyn wants to meet him to beg him to find her daughter. Instead of what he expected from the mom, when they meet, the frightened woman says her daughter's disappearance is the first step that will end in Evelyn's death.

This is an exciting character driven private investigative thriller. The story line starts off as a Manhattan Noir, but quickly switches to a Long Island anti-Noir, and soon turns into a hesitant Noir as Remer is unsure he can get back in the saddle. Fast-paced, Remer knows he owes the Frenchman and his thugs, but his chest reminds him what the cost is.

Harriet Klausner