Murder on the Mind: A Jeff Resnick Mystery

I wrote this review a couple of years ago - before Murder on the Mind came out. I'm now posting the review I wrote back then because the second book in the series, Dead in Red, is scheduled to come out in June. I strongly recommend that everyone read Murder on the Mind first - it is an excellent introduction to Jeffrey Resnick and a great read! The text of my review follows: I sincerely hope after reading Murder on the Mind by L. L. Bartlett that I've just witnessed the birth of a new mystery series and in fact have no trouble envisioning this as a pilot for a new TV drama series. This well-written novel features widower Jeffrey Resnick, a down-on-his-luck, out-of-work insurance investigator. On the eve of starting a new job and turning his life around, Jeffrey becomes just another New York statistic - a victim of a violent, senseless mugging that leaves him battered and brain damaged. He has little choice but to follow his wealthy older half- brother, Dr. Richard Alpert, home to Buffalo in order to recuperate and try to put the pieces of his shattered life back together. Just prior to the mugging, but especially afterwards, Jeffrey starts to have strange dreams that seem to correspond to a local murder. Unsure of how to impart his unusual "knowledge" of the crime to the police without appearing crazy or guilty, Jeffrey, with a little help from Richard, decides to look into the murder himself. What follows is exciting and action packed. I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished. I loved the ending, especially since it leaves an opening for more of Jeffrey Resnick et al. in the future. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...

I read a lot of mysteries, so am always looking for an unusual premise. This one is unusual, and well-written. A man in his mid-30's discovers a previously hidden psychic talent for "seeing" a murder after a brutal mugging leaves him with a broken arm and a skull fracture. Jeff Resnick, unemployed, widowed, and physically and emotionally fragile from the beating he took has no choice but to move to Buffalo and live with his much-older brother while he recovers. The two have been estranged, yet now he finds himself dependent on his brother Richard while he struggles to heal, and to solve the murder that he "witnessed" in his head while in a coma. The mystery is interesting, with a nice balance between being gritty and real-descriptions of the murder and encounters with suspects are fairly intense-and slightly other-wordly-there is a possible ghostly encounter between Jeff and a friendly old lady that leads him to an important meeting with another character. What makes the novel better-than-avergae is watching the awkward relationship between the two brothers develop into real trust. The older brother Richard is more complex than you think he is at first, and his willingness to help Jeff investigate, even when it appears he may be delusional due to his injuries, is proof that he loves his younger brother much more than Jeff realizes. I hope to be able to read another story involving these two characters.