Frag Box

Another writer who does it Raymond Chandle style. That is, an honest man in a corrupt ststem that is up to its neck in political sewage and whose stinking officials fear & abhor wave makers. Sharply focused conception of generating fiction through a bail bondsman. The U.S. along with the rest of the world is suffering through the elites manufactured globalization process of just in time feudalism. As the screws turn, more & more people are getting caught in U.S. jutice system, a vegamatic meat grinder that is no where near justice for all. Unless you can pay for it dearly. What better way to be introduced to the system than through the bails bondman, Herman Jackson. The irony of course being is that he is going to be about the only honest soul your going to meet. You just got lucky. Throughout this fine novel the reader finds an exacting dialog/The media, of course, wouldn't know how to tell the complete or accurate truth if their ratings actually depended on it. The Veitnam veteran Charlie Victor is very well drawn, as are the author's other charaterizations. It is just as if your meeting them yourself and finding they resemble people you know or bringing to mind past acquaintences long forgotten. His term frag is well known to me, for when I returned from overseas men told me that not only did it happen, it wasn't really that rare. In another very recent novel, Matterhorn, it is as central to the story as it is here. There are many facets to this prescient novel that are important to today's society. For instance, there is an attempt being made to buy out Jackson's business/Nobody tries to make it on their own anymore. The real jackpot is that when you get successful enough, the big boys want your operation. Herman Jackson continues, perhaps in vain, to see to it that the race will not always be to the swift, or the battle always to the strong, but he knows deep down ...thats the way the smart money bets. Highly Recommended !!!!!!!

FRAG BOX offers a fine Herman Jackson mystery and tells of a murdered Vietnam vet from his past who is beaten in broad daylight - and who leaves behind a will naming Jackson as his sole heir. Jackson seeks justice - and a box of cash that Charlie's killers also seek in a dangerous cat-and-mouse mystery perfect for any general mystery collection.

Congratulations to Poisoned Pen for publishing this excellent novel. A dark and in some ways, sad and vicious novel of demons and their aftermaths. Herman Jackson, now a bail bond operator in St. Paul, Minnesota, after some difficulties in Detroit as a youngster, has a fairly settled life in the capital city. One of his regulars is a disturbed veteran of the Viet Nam war with the unfortunate name, Charlie Victor. Victor is the catalyst. This novel is well-conceived and executed. It grabs you early on and maintains a relentless pace, even in its flashbacks, something not easy to do. On the surface, Herman Jackson undertakes a quixotic effort to determine why the homeless Victor is suddenly and brutally murdered on the street in broad daylight. But as the story develops we become aware that more is going on here than first perceived. A simple story line has developed tentacles and layers of intrigue and darkness. Herman Jackson requires a variety of questionably acquired skills to stay ahead of Charlie's killers and the forces that motivate them. And as the novel continues we come to understand that the journey involves more than just a simple quest for answers. The darkness that stalks this story is leavened by the cynical, wise-cracking voice of Mr. Jackson. His attitudes are well-founded. He's seen and experienced enough of the venality of society's representatives, whether they reside on the side of the dark angels or of the haloed ones. "Frag Box" is not a perfect novel, but if some of the fantasies serve the story more than reality, well, the totality is well worth a few minor lapses. Kudos to Mr. Thompson. Here's an author definitely worth paying attention to. I look forward to Mr. Thompson's next effort.

Herman Jackson used to run a bookie operation in Detroit, but his bail bond business seems much safer. When a steady client named Charlie Victor is murdered, and the killers threaten Herman Jackson, he wonders just how safe his new business is. Charlie had a huge box of money stashed somewhere that he called his "frag box." Charlie's killers want the box, and they think Jackson has it. Jackson wants justice for Charlie, but with plenty of money problems of his own, he also wants the box. The search takes him into the hiding places of St. Paul's homeless community, up to Minnesota's Iron Range, and finally, to the darkest places of his own heart. This second novel by Richard A. Thompson (after 2008's Fiddle Game) has his signature style--old school noir updated to modern times. I especially liked the relationships Jackson has with his oddball co-workers and hired helpers: Agnes, Wide-Track Wilkie, and the Proph. Newspaper reporter Anne Packard is new to this volume, and I hope will become a recurring character. Her sharp dialog and realistic view of the world are a perfect match for wise-cracking Herman Jackson. Scenes from Jackson's past in Detroit as well as flashbacks to Charlie's experiences in Vietnam are as heartbreaking as they are believable. I really, really loved this book. In an era when it seems that every murder mystery has to have a cute gimmick, it is refreshing to find a straightforward story full of compelling characters doing interesting things, with a surprising yet convincing ending. I'd say "they don't write them like that anymore," but thanks to Richard A. Thompson, they do.

In St. Paul, Minnesota, bail bondsman Herman Jackson is stunned to learn one of his repeat customers, homeless Vietnam vet Charlie Victor was brutally murdered. The only reason Herman learned of Charlie's death is the tortured soul left him a mysterious box. The FBI visits Herman to learn what he knows about Charlie, which the bondsman finds odd. That is followed by an invasion by armed militia who want to know what he knows about Charlie. When the police close the case, Herman takes over the investigation with help from newspaper reporter Anne Packard although the threats rise dramatically as they follow tenuous vague clues. This is an entertaining Twin City Noir starring a hero who in some ways feels like a throwback to the 1950s wisecracking head cracking (including their own) sleuths. The story line is fast-paced as Herman finds himself the target of cops, thugs, and Feds even before he investigates the homicide with his Girl Friday reporter sidekick. His reaction to his sudden status as a person of interest is to laugh at those trying to strong arm him. Fans will enjoy FRAG BOX and seek his previous walk down the mean streets of St. Paul (see THE FIDDLE GAME). Harriet Klausner