No Remorse

This book, like the three previous books in the series, has a solid, logical plot, entertaining action sequences, and interesting characters. Set along the Mississippi in the latter days of the riverboat era, NO REMORSE is well-researched and gives a realistic feel for the time it is portraying. The only flaw in the series is that the bad guys ALWAYS reveal their plots while holding one or more of the protaganists at gunpoint. This has happened in every book of the series. It's a minor annoyance, since the detectives have usually figured most of it out by this point anyway, but it does come across as a bit of a "duex ex machina." But this is a minor complaint that is more than made up for by the many strengths in the series--strong plots, interesting setting and good character development.

In 1873, Luke Williamson, Masey Baldridge, and Salina Tyner form an unlikely partnership when they established the Big River Detective Agency. Luke is a riverboat captain with two ships. Masey is a drunken gambler. Salina is a retired hooker. However, Luke realizes that he needs a new venture (ergo: he jointly opens the detective agency) because the age of the steamboat seems to be nearly over as the railroads have taken a lot of his business away. So far, the new venture has been a drain on Luke's assets. The trio soon have their first major case when one of Luke's riverboat competitors, Hudson Van Geer, is killed. The victim's wife hires the trio to find out what really happened to her spouse because she does not believe that her son Stewart, who confessed to the police that he killed his dad, is the culprit. The agency has one week to prove otherwise or Stewart will be hung for murder and suspects are everywhere with plenty of motives. Readers will feel NO REMORSE if they peruse this interesting Reconstruction Era mystery. The who-done-it is very easy to solve, but that does not diminish the fact that this is a well written and interesting tale. The lead characters are charming because their flaws seem so real and the support cast adds a feeling of authenticity to the period. James D. Brewer clearly knows his way around the first decade following the Civil War and warmly provides a rich description so that his audience will know the time frame also. Harriet Klausner