Showing posts with label Archer Mayor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Archer Mayor. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Gravetapping: Booked (and Printed): September 2025
Gravetapping: Booked (and Printed): September 2025: Booked (and Printed) September 2025 It was a difficult month at Casa Boulden. You’ve probably noticed me whining ...
Tuesday, September 27, 2022
Review: Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor
Today is publication day for this book which I reviewed back in May thanks to a digital ARC I received via NetGalley. Since this is publication day, I thought I would remind folks of my review.
It is late winter as Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel
by Archer Mayor begins and Joe Gunther, Field Force Commander of the Vermont
Bureau of Investigation, have been summoned out to a scene bathed in a sea of
strobe lights from numerous agencies. It appears that the only party not there
is the local dog catcher.
A stolen Mercedes four door sedan has been discovered
abandoned. The car was reported stolen by the owner, Lemuel Shaw several days
ago. Thanks to problems with the onboard GPS system, it was not tracked from
the house in New Hampshire to the final resting place here in Vermont.
If it was a simple stolen car that would be one
thing and would not have generated the massive law enforcement response. In
addition to numerous obviously stolen items in the car, there is a dead body in
the trunk.
If that was not enough, there were six cell phones
in the car. At least one of the phones has pornographic images of a young child
on it and the pictures are clearly very recent. That phone is also tied into
New Hampshire which creates an avenue for Joe and his team to join an Internet
Crimes Against Children Task force with their New Hampshire colleagues. It also
gives them a way to retain jurisdictional control over a rapidly more
complicated case.
One that will cross state lines repeatedly as Joe
Gunther and his team works to figure out what caused Don Kalfus to wind up dead
in the trunk of a rich man’s car. Along the way, they rescue a young girl from
a horribly abusive situation, and solve at least one cold case from long ago.
The books in this series are always very complicated
and this one is no exception. The police family are always a major factor in
these books, on and off the job, and such is the case in this read as well. All
hands are on deck and repeatedly a part of everything as the team works to
clean up a nasty and extremely entangled mess.
Complicated and highly entertaining, Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor is a solidly good read that keeps readers guessing in right to the end.
My reading copy was a digital ARC courtesy of the
publisher, Minotaur Books, via NetGalley.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2022
Sunday, July 24, 2022
My Favorites of 2022, So Far
Earlier this month, Lesa Holstine shared her favorite books to this point of the year with her post Favorites of 2022, So Far. So, today I offer you my favorites of the year so far. Five very good reads.
First off, I told you about A Kind And Savage
Place back in February. I wrote then, “The new book by author
Richard Helms, A Kind And Savage Place is a prequel to Six
Mile Creek and others that are part of the Judd Wheeler series.
While Judd plays a role in this book that runs from 1942 to 1989, he is not the
central character.” It is one heck of a book and you can read the rest of my
review here.
In April I told you about Movieland by
Lee Goldberg. This is the fourth book in the very good Eve Ronin series.
My copy came by way of NetGalley. My review started with, “It is April as Movieland
begins and Sheriff’s Department Detectives Eve Ronin and Duncan “Donuts” Pavone
are dispatched to Malibu Creek State Park on a homicide call. A scenic location
used by both movies and television programs over the decades, it is now the
scene of at least one murder with a second victim in critical condition.” You
can read the rest of my review here.
I also recommend reading this series in order.
May was a good reading month. Book Two of the Mick
Hardin series came my way thanks to NetGalley. My review of Shifty’s Boys
began with “Shifty’s Boys by Chris Offutt picks up a bit after The
Killing Hills and begins with the local taxi driver, Albin, finding a
body. At first, he thinks he has found somebody passed out from drinking way
too much. Has happened before in Rocksalt, Kentucky, so he is not very
concerned as he sees the odd shape up against the fence in the parking lot of
the local Western Auto. It is only when he gets out of the cab and walks
towards the male figure, he realizes that it is not mud on the man’s clothes,
but blood.” You can read my review here.
I have long been a fan of the Sherriff Hank Worth series. Back in late May, I told you about the new one titled Dangerous Consequences: A Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery by Claire Booth. My review began with, “As Dangerous Consequences: A Sheriff Hank Worth Mystery by Claire Booth begins, the ripple effects of the recent termination of several deputies, continue. New staff is being brought in while some of the still employed old guard continue to work from within against Sheriff Hank Worth and Chief Deputy Sheila Turley. The rot within the department still lingers, but getting rid of the rest of the folks who need to go is not going to be easy.” The rest of my spoiler free review can be found here. This is another series I strongly recommend reading in order.
I have also long been a fan of the Joe Gunther
series by Archer Mayor. I told you about the new one, Fall Guy: A
Joe Gunther Novel back at the end of May. My reading copy came by way
of NetGalley. I opened my review with, “It is late winter as Fall Guy: A
Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor begins and Joe Gunther, Field Force
Commander of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, have been summoned out to a
scene bathed in a sea of strobe lights from numerous agencies. It appears that
the only party not there is the local dog catcher.” The rest of the review can
be found here.
While it is better to have read these in order, you could get away with reading
this one first.
Enjoy the reads.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2022
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Review: Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor
It is late winter as Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor begins and Joe Gunther, Field Force Commander of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, have been summoned out to a scene bathed in a sea of strobe lights from numerous agencies. It appears that the only party not there is the local dog catcher.
A stolen Mercedes four door sedan has been discovered
abandoned. The car was reported stolen by the owner, Lemuel Shaw several days
ago. Thanks to problems with the onboard GPS system, it was not tracked from
the house in New Hampshire to the final resting place here in Vermont.
If it was a simple stolen car that would be one
thing and would not have generated the massive law enforcement response. In
addition to numerous obviously stolen items in the car, there is a dead body in
the trunk.
If that was not enough, there were six cell phones
in the car. At least one of the phones has pornographic images of a young child
on it and the pictures are clearly very recent. That phone is also tied into
New Hampshire which creates an avenue for Joe and his team to join an Internet
Crimes Against Children Task force with their New Hampshire colleagues. It also
gives them a way to retain jurisdictional control over a rapidly more
complicated case.
The books in this series are always very complicated
and this one is no exception. The police family are always a major factor in
these books, on and off the job, and such is the case in this read as well. All
hands are on deck and repeatedly a part of everything as the team works to clean
up a nasty and extremely entangled mess.
Complicated and highly entertaining, Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor is a solidly good read that keeps readers guessing in right to the end.
My reading copy was a digital ARC courtesy of the
publisher, Minotaur Books, via NetGalley. The book is currently scheduled to be
released September 27th.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2022
Sunday, July 25, 2021
Friday, June 11, 2021
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Review: The Orphan’s Guilt: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor
Life has not been kind to John Rust and the latest
DWI stop is not going to help matters in The Orphan’s Guilt: A Joe
Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor. The arrest brought his lawyer, Scott
Jezek, into his latest case. While John Rust is looking at suspension of his
driving privileges and jail time, the background of why it happened is
important.
Hours earlier that same day before he was arrested, John’s
brother, Peter died. He was twenty-eight, severely disabled, and in a near
vegetative state at death. For more than ten years, John Rust had cared for his
brother under difficult and complicated circumstances. Attorney Jezek is
looking at that background to try and figure out a way to blunt the prosecutorial
zeal of the state’s It is an election year and being tough on drunk driving
seems to be his theme this election year as he tries to convince voters to
support him. Jezek wants private investigator Sally Kravitz to look at all the
footage of the DUI arrest and see if she sees anything they can use. She does.
Peter’s death also eventually comes to the attention
of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. That happens because Sally Kravitz
unearths several things including the possibility that the death of Peter could
be the final act in a homicide case that stretches back nearly thirty years. It
may be nothing and easily explained or it could be murder. Joe Gunther and his
team go to work to prove it one way or another. All cold cases are tough, but
this is going to be very difficult.
The latest in
a very long running series, The Orphan’s Guilt: A Joe Gunther Novel
by Archer Mayor is another solidly good read. As always in each installment of
this series, multiple mysteries and cases are at work. So too are the ongoing
relationships at work and at home between the various characters. These reads
are part mystery, part police procedural, and part drama and that mix varies in
each book. The result is a consistently engaging and interesting series that is
always well worth your time. So too is The Orphan’s Guilt.
The Orphan’s
Guilt: A Joe Gunther Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books
September 2020
ISBN#
978-1-250-22414-9
Hardback (also
available in audio and eBook formats)
288 Pages
Material supplied by my childhood reading gateway,
Audelia Branch of the Dallas Public Library System
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Poisoned Pen Video Interview: Archer Mayor & His 31st Book (The Orphan's Guilt)
Personal Note: This is an awesome series. Period.
Poisoned Pen Video Interview: Archer Mayor & His 31st Book (The Orphan's Guilt)
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Review: Cross Cut: A Joe Gunther Short Story by Archer Mayor
Cross Cut: A Joe
Gunther Short Story by Archer Mayor opens many years ago with Sammie Martens. It is
in the 1990s and Sammie is back home after four years of military service, very
unhappy, and having a hard time adjusting back to civilian life in Vermont.
Things just get harder because her mom’s latest live in boyfriend wanted her
out of the house so mom, Helen, kicked her out into the cold in more ways than
one.
At least there is at least one place in Brattleboro she can stay
if she pays for it. It also fires in her the impetus to start trying to
establish her new life. An impetus that, possibly, is going to have to take a
back seat when she learns her mom has been arrested for robbing a nearby gas
station.
What happened and why, the first meeting between her and Joe
Gunther, and many more things are at work in this very enjoyable short story. Cross
Cut: A Joe Gunther Short Story is a tale that features all the
complexity of the series novels as well as the little things that make the books
so very good. It accomplishes a lot from the perspective of Sammie Martens and
yet manages to include Joe Gunther and others that readers see again and again
in the series. For longtime readers as well as those new to the series, Cross
Cut: A Joe Gunther Short Story is a great read.
Highly recommended
as is the most recent novel, Bomber’s Moon, which is extensively
previewed here with the first three chapters of the book. My review of Bomber’s
Moon from October can be read here.
Cross Cut: A Joe Gunther Short Story
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books (St.
Martin’s Publishing Group)
July 2019
ASIN: B07RHHNG2Q
eBook only
76 Pages
While working on my review of Bomber’s Moon, I came
across this and purchased it to read and review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Review: Bomber’s Moon: A Joe Gunther Novel Archer Mayor
The thirtieth novel
in a very good series by Archer Mayor, Bomber’s Moon: A Joe Gunther Novel, opens
in the winter time in Vermont. There is a man who is very good at his job.
Unfortunately for some folks, Alex Hale’s being good at his job means their
stuff gets stolen. For a certain someone, that theft will cause the potential
of a secret going back decades to be exposed and that can’t be allowed.
Joe Gunther and his team in the Vermont Bureau of Investigation,
the VBI, are about to have their own case in Bellow Falls. The murder case
of Lyall Johnson seems pretty straight forward on the face of it a guy named Brandon
Leggatt knifed him over drugs and fled the scene. A fight between low life
criminals that have very long rap sheets going back many years covering a wide ranging
list of petty crimes indicates that things led to their always inevitable
conclusion. Joe Gunther has been doing this job for a lot of years and he si
sure from the start that something more is at work.
At the same time, Sally Kravitz, private investigator, is hired
for an infiltration and surveillance job. Something is rotten at Thorndike Academy.
What exactly is wrong is vague and nothing more than a nagging suspicion that
her employer has at this point. One of those deals when you know something is
off, but you just can’t quite put your finger on it. He wants confirmation. She
soon needs some help and enlists Rachel Railing, a reporter, who is moving into
the investigation side of things.
The above explanation not only greatly simplifies the various situations,
it also barely scratches the surface of this latest very complicated novel in
the series. Things escalate quickly on all these fronts and more in this highly
entertaining mystery. Long time readers very familiar with these characters and
their evolving situations will find much to like in this latest installment.
All the usual suspects are back and the only real question is how well they
play together with their often differing and clashing agendas.
Bomber’s Moon: A Joe Gunther Novel is another mighty
good read in a series full of them. Sure you could start here and it would
work, but what is the fun in that? Go to the beginning and start with Open
Season.
Bomber’s Moon: A Joe Gunther Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Publishing Group)
September 2019
ISBN# 978-1-250-11330-6
Hardback (also available in audio and digital formats)
324 Pages (311 pages actual story)
Material came from
the Mountain Creek Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Thursday, November 01, 2018
Review: Bury The Lead: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor
Early summer
in Vermont should be a time of beauty. For the most part it is all across the
state including the area that surrounds the local ski resort at Bromley Mountain.
The natural landscape beauty is marred by the body of a young woman as Bury
The Lead: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor begins.
The
murder, and that is exactly what it was and there is no doubt, will be handled
by the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. In particular, the team led by Joe
Gunther. A team that works well together despite, and quite possibly because of,
their differences. It does not take Joe and his team long to identify a suspect
by the name of Mick Durocher. Once in custody, he quickly confesses to killing
and disposing of the body in the dead of night. While he is obviously guilty of
dumping her, did he actually do it?
And what
is his connection if any, to the recent attacks against the operations of a
local business owner? And what the heck is up with Willy Kunkle who seems
increasingly strange?
These
questions and many more are explored and ultimately answered in the latest
installment of this ongoing very good series. As happens again in this book, this
is less a series about Joe Gunther and more of a series about the ensemble
cast. As such readers are again treated to multiple points of view detailing
the personal and professional lives of the characters as they do their jobs. As
in real life, these characters are not robots and work goes home with them.
Bury The Lead: A
Joe Gunther Novel also illustrates a more reflective Joe Gunther who has some
lifestyle choices to make going forward. At the same time he seems to have an appreciation
of all he has accomplished. The reader is left with the impression that this is
one of those “fork in the road” type books. The kind where the book
bridges the gap between what was and what is coming down the pipeline regarding
a major change in the series. That impression could also be your humble reviewer
intermingling his own personal life with things in the book that are not there
as the reviewer seeks his own purpose going forward.
A series
that began long ago with Open Season continues strongly with Bury
The Lead: A Joe Gunther Novel and is very much recommended.
Bury The Lead: A Joe Gunther Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books
September 2018
ISBN# 978-1-250-11328-3
Hardback (also available in eBook format)
292 Pages
$27.99
Material supplied
by the good people of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018
Thursday, November 03, 2016
Review: Presumption of Guilt: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor
40 years ago, Hank
Mitchell vanished while having some marriage trouble. His wife Sharon loved him,
as did his kids. They all believed he had just had enough, packed his bags, and
left town.
Instead, all this
time, he was part of the floor of a warehouse at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear
power plant. The years have passed and now the plant is decommissioned. As the
nuclear core sits unused and slowly cooling, the sire five miles south of
Brattleboro, Vermont is gradually changing as old structures and equipment are
removed. One of those structures is an old warehouse where the concrete pad,
the floor, was broken up slowly by way of jackhammer wielded by Nelson Smith.
Once he saw the skeletal hand, he had a good idea to stop and call it in. That
hand would ultimately lead to the remains of Hank Mitchell.
Joe Gunther and his
team at the Vermont Bureau of Investigations take over what had been a cold
missing person case as it is clearly a murder. A murder where many of those
involved at the time in Hank Mitchell’s life are deceased. Some are still
present to be interviewed through there really isn’t much to go on. Until the
inevitable happens and someone begins to try to cover up the mess.
While billed as the
latest Joe Gunter novel as they have for some time, “Presumption of Guilt” is
really about the team. They are a family at work and a family at home. As one
expects in this very good series, the read shifts through the various members
of the team displaying them at home at home and at work. This same technique is
used for the bad guys as well as everyone in between. While Joe and his team
work the case, their actions cause ripples that are dealt with by those other
characters outside of law enforcement. In turn, their actions cause ripples
back for the team. This effect continues throughout the book as the team
gradually solves the 40 year old murder case.
Presumption of Guilt: A Joe Gunther Novel is the latest in a long series of
books that began with Open Season. 27 books later, this
read is as entertaining as ever and well worth your time.
Presumption of Guilt: A Joe Gunther
Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Publishing
Group)
September 2016
ISBN# 978-1-250-06468-4
Hardback (eBook format also available)
305 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the good folks of
the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Review: "The Company She Kept: A Joe Gunther Novel" by Archer Mayor
The latest in the long running
series finds Vermont Bureau of Investigations agent Joe Gunther and his team working
a case that hits close to home. Susan Raffner had been a close ally of the
governor Gail Zigman. Now Susan has been brutally murdered and the governor is devastated.
Someone killed her, cut the word “Dyke” into her chest and then hung her body
above the interstate on a rocky cliff face along the Connecticut river. The
same steel mesh that protected all below from falling rocks from the cliff face
was used to hang her body to advertise the murder.
The murder of Susan Raffner rocks
the political establishment. Was the murder a political statement, a personal vendetta,
or something else? Not only was she a state senator she was a close ally of
Vermont Governor Gail Zigman. A close ally that had secrets of her own that gradually
come to life as they always do in a murder investigation. A firebrand that
often was very public in her causes of which there were many, her history, and Susan’s
relationship with the governor are just one of many twists in a complex case at
work in The Company She Kept.
While billed as Joe Gunther Novel this
read, like many in recent years, is less about Joe and much more about the
team. Sammie, Willy, and Lester are a family and as they investigate the case
and suspects, much is made of their individual daily lives as well as their
past history. The result is a read where, for significant portions of the book,
it seems like the case is on a backburner as the focus shifts to events with
individual team members. This results in a slow moving read for portions of the
book before things suddenly ratchet up to the abrupt conclusion. An ending
that, despite some commentary in some reviews, does tie up all the loose ends
as the book abruptly concludes.
For those who prefer their reads to focus
mainly on the case or main premise of the story, they may be disappointed. Police
procedures take a backseat to a lot of personal inner ruminations by way of various
characters as the case gradually develops. For those of us who appreciate the
complexity of characters that feel like family, The Company She Kept is
another in solidly good read in the long running series.
The Company She Kept: A Joe Gunther
Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s
Publishing Group)
September 2015
ISBN# 978-1-250-06467-7
Hardback (e-book and audio formats
available)
305 Pages
$25.99
Material
supplied by the good folks of the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin
R. Tipple ©2015
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
It is purely my opinion: The Company She Kept: A Joe Gunther Novel by Arche...
It is purely my opinion: The Company She Kept: A Joe Gunther Novel by Arche...: First Sentence: “Pull over, Doug. I want to get a shot of this.” The body of a Vermont State Senator, with the word “dyke” carved in her ...
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Review: "Proof Positive: A Joe Gunther Novel" by Archer Mayor
Ben Kendall was known to be a hoarder. The piles of debris
outside his home tended to indicate that. Anyone who looked inside would know
it as well, but he allowed very few access. Once he finally made it home from
Vietnam he had wanted to be left alone all these years. For the most part he
had been. That meant he also did not get the help he needed to deal with the
trauma of war and what he saw and experienced there as a combat photographer.
Medical examiner Beverly Hillstrom did as much for Ben as he
would allow over the years. With the recent discovery by a burglar of Ben’s
decomposing body in his home, Beverly isn’t really sure what happened to her
first cousin. The Vermont State Police are handling the case. Having taken a
look at the autopsy there are things that have her curious. Unfortunately, she does
not have somebody like VBI agent Joe Gunther working for the state police. The
good thing is she does have an increasing connection with Joe and he is willing
to make a phone call. Another good thing is the fact that the lead investigator
for the Virginia State Police, Owen Baern, is very open to Joe taking a look. That
includes going out to the house and working their way into where Ben was found.
It does not take long before Joe and Owen realize this is
not a simple case of a hoarder being crushed to death by his own stuff. Somebody
else, besides the burglar who reported the body, was in the house at the time
of the death or shortly before. Hoarders are always rumored to have high value
treasures buried in their homes. Whether somebody else was going after rumors
of wealth and killed Ben several weeks ago or somebody was specifically searching
for materials connected to the exhibition of photographs Ben took during the
Vietnam War is open to debate. Not only is it important to figure that out to
bring Ben’s killer to justice, considering the fact that Beverly’s daughter,
Rachel, was involved in getting the photographs displayed as part of a well-publicized
art exhibit, she could be in danger if the photographs and other things she has
been working with are the target of the killer or killers.
With a series that began in Open Season the latest in
Joe Gunther series showcases the
continuing evolution of the characters themselves as well as in their relationship
to each other and society as a whole. This is a series that should definitely
be read in order. It is not a static series where folks don’t age and change.
Instead, it is one where those involved continue to change-- sometimes in large
ways -- as folks in the real world do as events and situations occur. That life
like aspect coupled with a solidly good mystery make Proof Positive: A Joe Gunther
Novel” as well as the many other books in the series excellent reads.
Proof
Positive: A Joe Gunther Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur
Books (St. Martin’s Publishing Group)
September 2014
ISBN#978-1-250-02639-2
Hardback
(also available in audio and e-book formats)
303 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Texas
Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014
Monday, December 09, 2013
Review: "Three Can Keep A Secret: A Joe Gunther Novel" by Archer Mayor
Tropical storm Irene is bearing down on Vermont as Three
Can Keep a Secret: A Joe Gunter Novel opens. For Joe Gunther and his
team from the Vermont Bureau of Investigation (VBI) the storm means all hands
on deck for anything and everything and that include them. It is only after the
storm is over and the residents begin to recover that the teams’ investigative
skills are put to work.
In one case a very long term patient known as “The
Governor” who was housed at a mental health facility has apparently walked away
from the place. In another a retired political bigwig who had ties “The
Governor” has suddenly died. Not entirely unexpectedly as he had health issues,
but the timing is a little strange. And then there is the uncovered coffin at a
graveyard. A coffin that, while it does not contain a body, is completely filled
with rocks.
As the residents struggle to recover despite the chaos
and destruction caused by widespread damaging floods, Joe Gunther and his team move
from lifesaving to investigating the various situations. Cases with no easy
answers and in at least one case more deaths to come.
The latest in this long running series is another
solidly good one. While billed as a “Joe Gunther Novel” as has been the
case in recent books the read is just as much about the team as Joe Gunther. While
some relationships between various long running characters are evolving, no new
real ground is unearthed here in the 24rth book of the series. The primary
focus, once one gets past the storm, is the various mysteries at work here in
the complicated and very good book.
Three
Can Keep A Secret: A Joe Gunther Novel
Archer
Mayor
Minotaur
Books
October
2013
ISBN#
978-1-250-02613-2
Hardback
336
Pages
$25.99
My supreme thanks to Lesa Holstine who provided the
ARC after I was lucky enough to win it during a recent contest.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2013
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