Review: Monument: Willie Black Mystery Series by Howard Owen

It is May 2020 as Monument: Willie Black Mystery Series by Howard Owen begins and just a few days after the death of an unarmed black man in police custody occurred in Minneapolis. There have been Black Lives Matter protests all across the county and that includes Richmond, Virginia, where reporter Willie Black has been on the story. A story that is expanding as the protests become increasingly violent.

 

A story that soon changes and becomes far more personal with the discovery of two bodies in an apartment over a nearby bookstore. There had been protests in the area and there had been vandalism and damage. Checking out the situation as the door of a used bookstore stored open, officers checked the bookstore on the ground floor, and went upstairs. On the second floor, those two officers soon found a woman and a man tied to chairs in the living room. Both were bound and gagged and each had been shot in the chest and head.  As they checked the rest of the apartment, they found a baby alive and unharmed in her crib.  

 

The deceased are soon identified as William and Susan Keller, both of whom were in their early thirties. While they do not have a motive, the local cops quickly have an identified suspect. Adam Walker, the son of Willie Black’s first wife, Jeanette. Willie Black is not be the boy’s biological father, but he was Jeanette’s first husband, so that means a lot. That personal angle means that he has access to information that others do not have as the days pass and the investigation moves forward. It also puts him in the crosshairs of at least one person who determined to shut up the pesky reporter once and for all.

 

Monument is the latest in the long running Willie Black mysteries. This latest one is set against the backdrop of the BLM protest, the Covid pandemic, and various societal issues that have been at the forefront of the news these past months. Intense and powerful, the book also spins a mighty good mystery read. Strongly recommended by myself as well as Publishers Weekly who gave it a starred review.

 

Monument: Willie Black Mystery Series

Howard Owen

http://www.howardowenbooks.com

The Permanent Press

https://thepermanentpress.com/products/monument-willie-black-mystery-11

November 2021

ISBN# 978-1579626471

Hardback

232 Pages 

 

 

I received a PDF of the book from the publisher with no expectation of a review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

Review: Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel by Howard Owen

It is early September 2019 as Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel by Howard Owen begins. Reporter Willie Black knew that Stick Davis has been dead for quite a while when he sees the body. More than half a dozen times somebody shot the man. Once someone had thoroughly through ventilated Stick David, he or she left, and now Willie Black has found the body.

 

Finding the body is seen by some as proof that he did it. The fact that the man still owed Willie forty-five thousand to write his autobiography gives him motive in the minds of some folks. The fact they have a long history and got along does not seem to play into those considerations.

 

For most in journalism, it is a recognized fact that the reporter should never be part of the story. For Wille Black, he is very much part of the story. His bosses at the steadily shrinking paper do not like that fact or the fact that he is a suspect. That includes the current publisher, Ben Stine, who has a few thoughts about that issue and others.

 

As long-time readers know, this isn't the first time Willie Black has been suspected of a crime by the police. Over the years, he has made his bosses wonder more than a few things about him. One would think by now that all involved would know better.

 

Willie Black knows that he has to investigate to clear his name. It does not take Willie long before things start escalating. Playing fast and loose with the questions might get him killed.

 

The latest in this long running series is another solidly good read. Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel by Howard Owen brings back a number of characters long familiar to readers in a read filled with societal observations and commentary. Those societal observations serve as background while never getting in the way of the main mystery of Jordan's Branch: A Willie Black Novel.

 

Strongly recommended. 

 

 

Jordan’s Branch: A Willie Black Novel

Howard Owen

http://www.howardowenbooks.com

The Permanent Press

https://thepermanentpress.com/collections/new-releases/products/jordans-branch-willie-black-mystery-10

February 2021

ISBN# 978-1579626433

Hardback (also available in digital format)

232 Pages

 

I received a PDF of the book from the publisher with no expectation of a review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021