The Blue Man

Found this novel in a bookstore on Tottenham Court Road near Foyle's for reading on the flight. THE BLUE MAN is a gripping suspense mystery that takes you into the heart and mind of a clever, hot detective who rides his motorbike over the Blue Ridge mountains to catch his guy. Condon has a very cool girlfriend, and is equal to the challenge of finding the Blue Man (don't want to give too much away). Author Thomas Atkins has a knack for suspense and thrills, and a real gift for humor. Not only does Atkins paint the hero and heroine with deft character strokes, but his background characters in the detective bureau are drawn with such idiosyncractic charms and flaws that we begin to believe we have known those guys since grade school! The scene at the Vets Home is hilarious. I think writer John D. MacDonald picked THE BLUE MAN as one of his Christmas List Favorites when the novel first came out, and it has become one of my favorites, too.