Dead Boyfriends

Housewright's McKenzie series gets better with every new book and Dead Boyfriends is no exception to the rule. We expect the strong mix of local color from author's who aren't in LA, or New York. That said, Housewright paints the Twin Cities with more than normal care and attention. His plotting is brisk as usual. However, this time it is more complex. His characters are well drawn and engaging. When he draws out people of little hope, he does it with a minimum of brush strokes, but the image remains compelling all the same. There is more emphasis on the protagonist's love life here than normal, and that's fine too. In lesser hands, this would have been hackneyed. Instead, he makes us care. This is definitely worth picking up if a) you have liked any other book in the series; b) are a Midwesterner who likes a good yarn; or c) someone who wants a very good read on a rainy day.

Rushmore McKenzie returns in this fourth novel in the series as does crime, murder, violence and politics. In most books they would be just themes but in the hands of David Housewright they take on a life of their own and become characters in their own way. While heading out to buy a dining room set from a friend, a very lost Rushmore McKenzie is flagged down by a woman begging for help. The woman claims that her boyfriend is dead. Considering her appearance which certainly indicates something very bad has happened, former police officer McKenzie decides to get out of his car into the Minnesota summer heat and investigate. Something very bad has happened, indeed. After seeing the grisly scene, McKenzie backs out of the home and calls it in. The woman has gone catatonic from the shock and the fact that the first officer on the scene from the Anoka Police Department is abusive towards her doesn't help. When he becomes violent with the woman, McKenzie interferes and the officer turns on him with the ultimate result that McKenzie soon finds himself in jail. That causes the dream, one that he hadn't had for quite awhile, to return in all its disturbing glory. He later learns when he is finally released many hours later that the woman who flagged him down, Merodie Davies, is in custody. While she hasn't been charged yet in the murder of Eli Thomas Jefferson, she does have an attorney, G. K. Bonalay. Bonalay enlists McKenzie's help in the case. With him doing the legwork and Bonalay using her connections, they begin to unravel a sordid mess going back deep into the past. Powerfully connected people corrupt to their core in Minnesota have long been a theme in this series and it is very present in this novel. So too are others such as violence, murder, McKenzie's troubled past, his romance with Nina, and many other items long familiar to readers of this strong series. Unlike most series books, this one can be treated as a stand alone for readers new to this series. Other than the dream which is a nightmare and referred to again in detail in several places in this novel, earlier events in the series are not covered at all or get the barest of mentions. The nightmare/dream sequence is used to remind readers of his past as well as to create another obstacle in this novel for him to surmount as he works an increasingly complex and challenging case. Edgar award winning author David Housewright has penned another strong novel that entertains while delivering something to think about after the book is done. This is another good one. Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2008

I have read all of this author's work and find that I have not found a book that I have not thoroughly enjoyed. His books should be marketed better so that everone can enjoy a good read. His characters are unique, the situations are different and keep your focus until the end. Although I enjoyed the first three books a bit better, this series is almost as enjoyable as any mystery/thriller that I have read. Give yourself a treat and pick up one of Mr. Housewright's books.

Former Twin Cities cop millionaire Rushmore McKenzie hears the cries of Merodie Davies who bemoans the death of her boyfriend. Rushmore realizes the woman acts stoned, but more stunning is the dead boyfriend; his corpse is so rotted he had to have died at least two weeks ago. The police arrive and try to rough Merodie into confessing that she hit her boyfriend in the head with a softball bat that lies near the body. When Rushmore intercedes on her behalf, he is arrested for impeding a crime scene investigation. While in jail his girlfriend Nina Truhler dumps Rushmore for not showing up as promised as her escort to a fancy dinner dance. After he is released from jail, Merodie's attorney hires Rushmore to investigate in order to find a way to get the charges dropped. Bing unlicensed is not a problem for the former cop so he begins making inquiries only to find Merodie has had a zillion boyfriends, all dead except one, a dangerous drug dealer, who makes a more acceptable suspect than she is. Though entertaining because the knight in shining armor is still a likable individual this is a weak Rushmore entry as the story line leans towards a humorous widow-maker, but the support cast including Merodie seems as weird two dimensional stiffs who fail to pull off the caper. Still the hero saves more than the damsel in distress as he comes to the rescue of his story line with the collapse of his personal life and the investigation into a woman in which everyone inside her sphere has something to hide. Overall this is a solid whodunit, but does not attain the level of Mount Rushmore's previous entries (see TIN CITY and PRETTY GIRL GONE). Harriet Klausner

Rushmore McKenzie(Mac) is a former cop who resigned from the force when he received the reward money for catching Thomas Teachwell. Mac is an unlicensed PI and very wealthy. He often does favors for friends and others when he believes in the cause. It all started when Mac gets lost while searching for a house in Coon Rapids, Minnesota. He wants to buy a dining room set. A disheveled and blood-spattered woman (Merodie Davies) appears in the street waving her arms--and being an amiable Minnesotan, Mac stops his car to help. Soon he discovers the decaying body of the woman's boyfriend in her home. When a young rookie police officer roughs up the woman, Mac stops him. For his effort, he finds himself in jail. The next thing he knows, he's reliving his own personal nightmares, his girlfriend breaks up with him for missing an important date (never mind he was in jail), the woman he tried to help looks good for the boyfriend's murder, and Mac is planning his own revenge on the cops. Mac joins forces (of sorts) with the jailed woman's attorney and what appears to be a case of a cheating boyfriend, ends up propelling him into a string of dead boyfriends and a secret in Merodie's past. Mac's going to have a difficult time with this case--but he'll see it through to the end. He always does. David Housewright is one of my favorite mystery authors. I'd read a cereal box if he wrote it. I really like Mac's character and enjoy his determination and sense of loyalty. He's the guy in the white hat, seeking to preserve justice for all. And he's always willing to put himself in harm's way to accomplish his goals. No risk, no reward. Dead Boyfriends is a fun ride with twists enough to surprise everyone. Housewright's attention to the various Twin Cities locals is spot on and tremendous fun for those of us who live here. His characters are rich and complex, his plot intriguing and satisfying. Armchair Interviews says: Read all of Housewright's mysteries, you'll be glad you did.