A Joe Gunther Novel, #33
ABOUT THE BOOK
- Rating : 3.5 Stars
- Publisher : Minotaur Books
- Publication Date : September 27, 2022
- Hardcover : 304 pages
In Archer Mayor’s Fall Guy, a body found in the trunk of a stolen car leads Joe Gunther and his team to crucial evidence in an infamous unsolved case from years past.
A high-end stolen car is discovered in Vermont. A car filled with stolen items from a far-flung two stage burglary spree. But it’s what is in the trunk that brings Joe Gunther and his team from the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. In the trunk is the body of burglar in question – one Don Kalfus. Complicating matters, while the body was found in Vermont, it appears he was probably killed in the next state over, New Hampshire.
The task force charged with finding out why Kalfus is murdered soon faces another problem. Within the pile of stolen cell phones found in the car is evidence of a notorious unsolved child abduction case from years earlier.
Now the seemingly simple case has become more complicated and deadly, leading Gunther’s team to be pulled from the New Hampshire coast to near the Canadian border as they attempt to find and capture the psychopath responsible for a tangled, historical web of misery, betrayal, and loss.
My Thoughts
While I’ve read several Joe Gunther books, I definitely wouldn’t say that I’m familiar with the characters. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been slow to review this since I feel it’s going to sound a bit wishy-washy.
As the task force was divided up to try to solve the mystery of the abandoned car and the dead man in the trunk, I was delighted. Each team went in separate ways and gathered information, which I thought was an interesting plot idea. This meant that chapters were about each team’s investigation. Then occasionally they would all meet back to compare notes.
But here’s the rub. There were several characters, lots of acronyms used, and plenty of space to find myself lost. Who was who? The main character, which I assumed to be Joe Gunther, was on the outside looking in lots of the time. Various others were doing their investigations, sharing a little backstory, and then the team would meet back and compare notes. Interesting? Yes. Somewhat overwhelming with characters I wasn’t familiar with and no easily identified protagonist? Yes.
So, I liked the structure, but at the same time, it felt a bit hard for an occasional reader of the Joe Gunther series to keep on top of the fast-moving story with twists and turns and characters.
Bottom line: What made this enjoyable, at the same time felt distracting, if that makes sense?
My Concerns
I think I shook that bottle up and tried to clear the water above.
My other concern is that it does involve child pornography, which is a topic some will want to be aware of before starting the book.
Final Thoughts
I definitely would recommend this, especially if you are familiar with the characters who are in the series. And even though I had to pay close attention I did still enjoy the thrill of the chase, as they say. The story was interesting and had lots of moving parts.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy.
About the Author
A former detective, EMT, firefighter, and ski patroller, Archer Mayor is currently a death investigator for Vermont’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He loosely bases his highly acclaimed crime series, featuring detective Joe Gunther, on field experience.
The Chicago Tribune describes his novels as “the best police procedurals being written in America,” and The New York Times calls Mayor “the bossman on procedures” and “one of the most sophisticated stylists in the genre”.
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