Scott's Take: Shadow of a Broken Man by George C. Chesbro

Shadow of a Broken Man by George C. Chesbro is the first book in the Mongo Mystery series. I read this as part of Hoopla Bonus Borrows for the month. This book is set back in 1977. This is a very old book series, but the first book holds up very well. This is another private investigator noir book with some paranormal activity.

 

Mongo is not your typical private investigator. He is a little person who has a doctorate in Criminology, is a college professor, an ex-circus performer, and has a black belt in karate. In this book, Mongo is hired to investigate the death of a famous architect. He is supposed to be dead, but a recent building has been built that shows his influence on the building design. As Mongo investigates, it becomes clearer that Russia, The UN, and the American government would prefer if he drops his investigation. Mongo is not stopping until he uncovers the truth.

 

This is an interesting read with strong mystery elements and some supernatural elements. For most of the book it stays a typical espionage mystery until the later third where some supernatural elements are introduced. I enjoyed this read and Mongo is a unique character.

 

There is a heavy torture scene in this book and Mongo suffers PTSD from the incident. The handling of Mongo’s trauma is done rather well, in my opinion. There are actual consequences to what happens to him for a good portion of the novel unlike most things now where the main character never feels the effects of his trauma. This might be triggering for some people.

 

According to Goodreads there are thirteen more books to read. Hopefully all of them are at least as good as this read.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3AHbq7o  

 

My reading copy came by way of the Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024