A Cry of Shadows

Jack Dwyer is a typical character in an Ed Gorman novel. He is full of weaknesses, yet smart and tough when he has to be. He is a former cop who now works as a private investigator and he has been hired by restaurant co-owner Richard Coburn to investigate something that could close the restaurant. However, Richard won't tell Jack what it is. Then when Richard is murdered, Jack is retained by Richard's wife. As he investigates, Jack discovers that Richard was a man who made a lot of enemies. He was impotent with his wife, yet managed to bed a large number of women and he was not terribly selective about it. There is a homeless shelter nearby run by one of Richard's conquests. It turns out that Richard was a man with a set of hard vulnerabilities that was extremely attractive to many women. As Jack investigates, he finds himself having sexual opportunities with some of the same women. He declines the offers, as he is lovingly, albeit loosely attached to Donna. At the end, he solves the crime in a typical Gorman way, no dramatic cliff-hanger of an ending, the solution is discovered in a straightforward way and it is a very gross one. While Gorman writes well, his mysteries are not great spell-binders that build you up and keep you glued for a few pages of dramatic climax. I enjoyed reading the book, but never really reached the point where I was in a state of intense anticipation of the next event.