North of Nowhere: An Alex McKnight Novel

Steve Hamilton writes with great assurance--lean prose with exceptional characterizations and superior plotting. He has yet to disappoint. This time out, the temperamental McKnight winds up in a world of trouble simply by acting as the last-minute sixth player in a poker game at the home of the feisty (think bantam rooster) and eccentric Win Vargas. When a holdup occurs mid-game and Vargas's safe is burgled and some of his treasured artifacts lifted, Vargas comes to the bizarre conclusion that McKnight is the mastermind behind the plot.With the help of his former partner, Leon Prudell (the lovably nerdy straight arrow who has to be one of the most unlikely private investigators ever created) McKnight ultimately unravels the the how of the scheme--but not before his friend/mentor Jackie winds up in the hands of a pair of lethal Canadian brothers. With a climax that is literally cold and wet and stomach-churningly tense, this is a can't-put-down mystery.Then, with what used to be called "a sting in the tail" Hamilton adds a painful little twist at the end that is completely unexpected.Highly recommended.

Turning forty-nine this summer in Paradise, Michigan, Alex McKnight spends a lot time reflecting on his life so far but finds it wanting. He turns reclusive until his pal, Glasgow Inn owner Jackie Connery, bullies Alex to join a poker game hosted by wealthy developer Win Vargas. During the game, Win claims that one of the regulars, not playing that night, is having an affair with his wife. Not long afterward, three hoods break and enter the Vargas home. They make Win go upstairs with one of them while the other two point guns at the heads of the remaining five card players. Instead of robbing Win of his wife's jewels and the men of their wallets, they destroy his marine and Indian artifact collection before leaving. A stunned Win ponders how they knew the location of his secret safe. Unable to say no, Alex heeds the call of the wife of his former private investigative partner Leon Prudell to keep her husband safe while he investigates the robbery for Win. The latest McKnight mystery is a robust entry because the audience sees another side of the hero, struggling with his age and his lack of success in life. The story line starts off focusing on Alex' internal skirmish, but quickly picks up speed when he gets involved with Win via the card game and through Leon. Alex is at his best and the support cast augments the isolated feeling of going NORTH OF NOWHERE that shows why Steve Hamilton is an award-winning author.Harriet Klausner

Ah, summer in Paradise...that's Paradise, Michigan, on the upper peninsula. This is the very best time of the year on Lake Superior, yet a suddenly introspective Alex McKnight is holed up in his cabin reading detective novels and taking a good look at his life. As his 49th birthday approaches, he takes stock of all his failures...his marriage, an unimpressive baseball career that never went past the minors, a stint with the Detroit police department that ended abruptly with a bullet that's still lodged in his chest and a dead partner, and his very short attempt at private detecting. Not a lot here to be proud of; not a lot of reasons to get up in the morning and join the human race. But an unexpected invitation to a poker game from friend Jackie Connery, proprietor of his favorite watering hole, the Glasgow Inn, changes all that. What starts out as a simple high stakes card game in an expensive home on the lake, turns ugly when three masked men break in, hold the players at gunpoint, and rob the owner's hidden safe. This night sets off a chain reaction of murder, greed, kidnapping, secrets, lies, and revenge, and as Alex is pushed out of his funk and back into action, he finds the true meaning of loyalty and friendship..... Steve Hamilton is back with the fourth installment of his marvelous Alex McKnight novels, and this is a series that just gets better with each new book. His well paced, intricate story line is entertaining and intriguing, and filled with subtle twists, and vivid, riveting scenes. His terrific cast of well defined, original characters come alive on the page, and inhabit a spectacular north woods setting full of atmosphere. But it's Mr Hamilton's crisp, intelligent writing that really makes this novel sparkle, and his witty and irreverent dialogue is unrivaled and stands alone in a class by itself. If you're new to Alex McKnight and Paradise, start at the beginning with A Cold Day In Paradise, and read them all. If you're already a fan, North Of Nowhere is another suspenseful and compelling mystery, you don't want to miss.

Alex McKnight returns in his fourth mystery set in the northern Michigan town of Paradise. Facing his 49th birthday, Alex is going through somewhat of a midlife crisis. It takes being held up at gunpoint to spur this reluctant private detective back into the private detecting business. Along the way Alex learns a thing or two about friendship and loyalty. As always, Steve Hamilton has an ear for dialogue. Although the fourth book in the series, his characters are still as fresh and exciting as ever. Alternating scenes of humor and suspense, Hamilton never slows down, even managing to throw in a surprise or two.If you haven't read Hamilton, what are you waiting for? Move over Robert B. Parker, you've got a fresh voice taking your place.