A pleasantly entertaining whodunit but one that breaks little new ground.
The death of a prominent businessman threatens to destroy a dysfunctional family in Brantmeyer’s debut mystery set in the near future.
It’s 2028, and Big Al Washington is a successful car salesman who’s made a fortune selling cars with his colorful personality and unique commercials. But at 85 years old, he’s ready to step aside and hand the family business over to his grandson, Luke—until he realizes that Luke just isn’t the right fit for the job. But before Al can let the family know he’s pulling the plug on Luke’s promotion, the old man suddenly dies. The events that follow throw the family into chaos, as poison is found in Al’s system and no one can receive their inheritance until the cause of death is settled. No one is above suspicion, and it falls to Al’s lawyer and fixer, Larry Bridges, to sort out the mess. He recruits Al’s estranged daughter, Alice, to help resolve the mystery and agrees to let his own daughter and aspiring investigator, Emily, assist with the investigation. Brantmeyer’s novel presents a familiar tale complete with family secrets, blackmail, and murder. The author’s decision to set the novel eight years from now is an effective one, however; it depicts a future in which the service industry has been gutted and autonomous cars are commonplace, providing an excellent source of tension for the Washington family business. None of the characters are particularly likable, although some are more intriguing than others. Luke comes off as a one-dimensional trust-fund baby, but Alice is given more complex characterization as an alcoholic who was sent away 15 years ago after she came out as gay. Although her role as an outsider could have been more fully explored, her investigative exploits with Emily are among the novel’s high points.
A pleasantly entertaining whodunit but one that breaks little new ground.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73525-990-1
Page Count: 284
Publisher: Ready Demolition Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
If you love good crime writing but aren’t familiar with Winslow’s work, read this trilogy in order.
The dramatic conclusion to the trilogy about two New England crime families begun in City on Fire (2022) and City of Dreams (2023).
Near the end of his journey, multimillionaire Danny Ryan watches a casino implode in a mushroom cloud of dust and muses about his life’s implosions: “The cancer that killed his wife, the depression that destroyed his love, the moral rot that took his soul.” Danny is from Providence, Rhode Island, and desperately tried to leave his criminal life behind him. But using a ton of ill-gotten gains, he invests heavily in Las Vegas properties. Congress is conducting an investigation into gambling that could destroy his casino business and even land him in jail. An FBI agent plans to take Danny down for major sins he’d like to repent for. Meanwhile, can he make peace with his enemies? Nope, doesn’t look like it. Even if the parties involved want to put the past behind them, the trouble is that they don’t trust each other. Is Vern Winegard setting Dan up? Is Dan setting Vern up? “Trust? Trust is children waiting for Santa Claus.” So what could have been a “Kumbaya,” nobody-wants-to-read-this story turns into a grisly bloodletting filled with language that would set Sister Mary Margaret’s wimple on fire—figuratively speaking, as she’s not in the book. But the Catholic reference is appropriate: Two of the many colorful characters of ill repute are known as the Altar Boys, serving “Last Communion” to their victims. On the law-abiding side and out of the line of fire is an ex-nun-turned-prosecutor nicknamed Attila the Nun, who’s determined to bring justice for a gory matricide. (Rhode Island really had such a person, by the way.) Finally, the prose is just fun: A friend warns Dan about Allie Licata: “In a world of sick fucks, even the sick fucks think Licata’s a sick fuck.” A couple of things to note: This not only ends the trilogy, but it also closes out the author’s career, as he has said he’ll write no more novels.
If you love good crime writing but aren’t familiar with Winslow’s work, read this trilogy in order.Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780063079472
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
PROFILES
A tale that’s hard to believe but easy to swallow in a single gulp.
A bear is hunting prey in Wyoming’s Bighorns. And not just any bear.
It’s bad enough that Clay Hutmacher, who manages the Double Diamond Ranch, has lost his son, Clay Jr., to a vicious attack by a grizzly bear. What’s much worse is that Clay Jr.—who’d been about to pop the question to game warden Joe Pickett’s daughter, Sheridan—is only the first of the victims over an exceptionally broad geographical area. Marshal Marvin Bertignolli is clawed and bitten to death over in Hanna. Sgt. Ryan Winner is found bleeding out north of Rawlins. Former Twelve Sleep County prosecutor Dulcie Schalk, one of two survivors of an ambush, doesn’t survive her final encounter. The four experts chosen to kill the grizzly rope Joe into their expedition, but since their quarry keeps turning up far from the last sighting, the most meaningful confrontation the Predator Attack Team has is with a pair of Mama Bears, animal rights activists who demand due process for Tisiphone, as they’ve dubbed the presumed killer. Box, who’s far too canny to leave Tisiphone alone on center stage, follows Joe’s old antagonist Dallas Cates as the ex–rodeo star is released from prison and embarks on his revenge tour, which takes him to Lee Ogburn-Russell, an inventor whose life Dallas saved, and Axel Soledad, a correspondent who shares so many enemies with Dallas that he suggests they go after them together. Franchise fans will appreciate new details about Joe’s complicated family, the obligatory high-country landscapes, and yet another corrupt law enforcer.
A tale that’s hard to believe but easy to swallow in a single gulp.Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593331347
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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