St. Albans Fire

I'm a fan of the Joe Gunther series, and this title has many of Mayor's expected strengths: interesting characters, good pacing, page-turning premise, compelling scenes (like the opening chapter). It's a satisfying read. But. . . I'm no expert on the Mob, but I find it hard to believe that they would function as depicted here. (Minor spoilers follow) -- To wit: Our murderer (who, with great originality, I'll call "X") gets the idea for the crime after dropping by a bad guy's house and accidentally overhearing the bad guy making arson arrangements with a mobster over the phone. Here's Problem #1: the bad guy calls the mobster from his home phone? And uses Mobster's full, real name during the conversation? X decides that arson will solve his/her problems, too, so X snoops around the bad guy's flat until s/he finds the mob contact's phone number. Here's Problem #2: the bad guy keeps Mobster's number in an accessible place -- on speed-dial, maybe? -- with Mobster's name clearly attached? X then calls Mobster, who is willing to arrange another arson as long as X can pay for it. Which brings us to Problem #3: You can just call a mobster out of the blue and say something like, "Hi, I hear you represent some reliable arsonists, and I'd like to hire one"? And the mobster says okay??? Wouldn't Mobster at least take the bad guy severely to task for his monumental carelessness in leaving the number lying around and letting himself be overheard? And wouldn't the bad guy in his turn take X to task for meddling? And wouldn't all this task-taking have its effect on the plot? In any case, I can't imagine the bad guy just saying, "Oh, no problem, mobster, I can vouch for X, so go ahead and set up the burn." Now maybe the mechanics of it all aren't supposed to matter, and I'm foolishly allowing myself to get sidetracked by an irrelevancy, but that's just the problem: the loose ends *did* sidetrack me -- the implausibility was too distracting, took me too far out of the story. I also had a few other plot problems: the fiery car crash seemed a bit too neat, the irony (the arsonist metaphorically burned) too heavy-handed. Then there was the arsonist's suicidal vendetta and its deus-ex-machina resolution. But for some reason, I was willing to swallow these, as conventions of the genre or something. The mobster scenario, though -- much harder to take. The unlikely, I can usually accept, but not the impossible. Still, I'm looking forward to the next Gunther tale. It's a strong series, and this entry wasn't exactly weak; it just left me with a little too much disbelief. PS -- In this book, as in other Gunther titles, the word "Realtor" is often inexplicably capitalized, as in, "doctor, lawyer, Realtor." Why is this?

Mayor really knows how to write an effective police procedural. He creates strong, realistic, interesting characters, including very good female characters. The sense of place and dialogue are excellent. I particularly liked the way the story builds on itself, revealing the clues and building to an excellent ending, which surprised me, and made me think. Each year, I look forward to his new book. This year he met, and exceeded my expectations.

Interviewing several citizens of St. Albans, Vermont in the aftermath of a barn fire in which a local farmer tragically perished, Vermont Bureau of Investigation officer Joe Gunther confirms that the conflagration was caused by arson. Additionally, he realizes that the fire, one of several in the region in the recent past, is part of a larger, more sinister pattern of events. Proceeding on the assumption that the blazes and several other odd occurrences are linked, Gunther begins to unravel a complex conspiracy--his travels in pursuit of the truth lead him across Vermont and, eventually, to the unfamiliar terrain of Newark, NJ. The sixteenth novel Joe Gunther novel takes its place among the best of the nimble Mayor's works, exploiting and building on all the elements that have made the series such rewarding reading over nearly two decades. Surrounded by a substantial, well rounded, and captivating supporting cast, Gunther doggedly pursues the truth, no matter the cost. Along the way, readers are treated to subtle lessons in the culture and history of Vermont; they also get an update on the fictional people who populate Mayor's fictional version of Brattleboro, Vermont, people who doubtlessly have come to feel like real acquaintances to long time readers (many of whom, by the way, will no doubt be rocked by developments in this book). Mayor makes it all seem easy, delivering his tale in carefully measured prose, offering up yet another winning installment in the ongoing saga of reliable lawman Joe Gunther.

North of Barrington, Vermont, everyone who knows seventeen years old Bobby Cutts likes him as he is a thoughtful caring person. That is except his girlfriend man-eating tease Marianne Koch, who thinks the do-gooder is pathetic, enjoys seducing him into crazy desire for her, and wants to date other boys. Upset with Marianne's latest liplock with another male, Bobby enters the barn, which soon turns into an inferno in which for whatever reason he fails to escape. Bobby and a herd of cows die. Vermont Bureau of Investigation Agent Joe Gunther finds the case perplexing as there seems to be no motive.. No one seems to hate the victim or his family; in fact everyone speaks highly of the late teen. Yet, someone planned to kill Bobby. The clues lead Joe and his partner Willy Kunkle to Newark, New Jersey where the locals at first cooperate, but eventually tell the New Englanders to go home. Joe knows he has no authority in Jersey, but an arsonist must be stopped before someone else meets a fiery death. The sixteenth Vermont police procedural is a terrific refreshing thriller because the women involved either in the investigation (a Newark cop, the arsonist's girlfriend; and two disgruntled unhappy farm wives) and Joe's girlfriend are incredible characters. The case is complex with obvious motive unknown and the opportunity having to be someone who knew the victim yet no one disliked him. Fans will appreciate Joe's latest tale as nothing in his personal life or on the job seems to go right. Harriet Klausner

Joe Gunther is the lead investigator for the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. A simple barn fire turns into a murder investigation. Young Bobby Cutts picked the wrong time to check on a cow about to calf. It cost him his life. And then there are other barn fires--that all seemingly accidental up to now, also turn out to be acts of arson. But why? And who? These questions lead Joe from Vermont to Newark, New Jersey and the mob. But getting a lead on a mob-connected arsonist isn't easy. They protect their own. Meanwhile, Joe's girl friend, Gail Zigman, a Vermont State Senator, is getting threatening notes. She won't tell Joe because she believes they're related to legislation she opposes. But what if they're not? Then there are those secret land purchases. Farms are being bought up in a pattern. But what does the pattern mean? Some of the purchases seem legitimate and some purchases happened after accidents and fires. And all of the purchases trace back to the same real estate office run by one of the area's most reputable men. Joe and his sidekick, Willie, uncover the likely arsonist and find a connection to the land purchases, but in the process someone close to the arsonist gets killed and he vows revenge on Joe Gunther. He will hurt him in the same way he was hurt--and that means someone close to Joe is at risk. Armchair Interviews says: This book has all the elements you expect in a first-rate murder mystery--several credible suspects, villains you love to hate, reluctant heroes, unplanned outcomes, and ultimately a surprise resolution. The book is well-paced and gives you plenty to think about as you enjoy solving the murders along with Joe Gunther.