The Man Who Killed His Brother

Most people are only acquainted with Donaldson's Thomas Covenant trilogies and are unaware that he has written other fantasy (Mordant's Need), sci-fi (The "Gap" series) and mysteries ("The Man Who" books). What I appreciate most about Donaldson's body of work is his dedication to his stories and his characters. The Man Who Killed His Brother does not disappoint on either count. I believe I also must note that I don't usually read mysteries because most mystery writers insult their audience by giving too many clues or too few; the stupidity of an otherwise-smart character is often counted on to advance the plot; red herrings are so obvious they might as well be printed in red letters. Donaldson manages to give his readers information without condescending yet still manages to keep you guessing until the end. In The Man Who Killed His Brother, the actual perpetrator doesn't even show up till the last third of the book, and he seems a bit creepy from the get-go. Very refreshing, since most mystery formulas call for a bad guy to be present throughout and play a game of cat-and-mouse while putting forth an appearance of goodness to divert suspicion,which fools clever readers not at all. Mick Axbrewder is a private investigator and sometimes-recovering alcoholic whose 13-year-old niece has disappeared. Several other girls her age have disappeared in his community over the past couple of years and later been found dead, so Mick also has the challenge of working against the clock while fighting withdrawal after a drinking binge. I won't give huge spoilers, but this is niece is particularly close to her Uncle "Brew," particularly since the recent death of her father. However, she doesn't know of certain events in Axbrewder's past. The world is pretty black-and-white for a good many young teens, and Axbrewder also faces the challenge of remaining worthy of her love; eventually he will have to be honest with her--if he's even able to find her and save her. That is another gift of Donaldson's. He presents flawed but believeable characters you can't help but like in spite of their flaws. Also gutsy, to present a substance abuser as a worthy character. All his characters in all his books have to find inner strength to forgive others and to redeem themselves. This non-reader-of-mysteries highly recommends this one.

Part of the genius of this hard boiled detective book is that its author is so well known for another genre (fantasy/sci-fi) that one may expect this to be the adventures of Tom Covenant, private dick, but it absolutely isn't. Other than having the hero with a tragic flaw (this time being an alcoholic rather than a leper), this book is so different in style and substance than Donaldson's other works that it could have been written by another author. Very grim. Very hard boiled. Very decent detective story. Very angst ridden. And very good. Axebrewer starts the book in the throes of his alcoholism, a malady so bad that he once accidentaly killed his brother while under the influence, but when his brother's little girl is kidnapped and slated for murder, he must claw his way up through the pain of sobriety to track down her abductor. Come at this looking for good crime noir rather than a detective book by a fanatsy writer and you won't be disappointed. My closest comparison is Andrew Vachss, which I consider very high praise indeed.

Stephen Donaldson is better known for his fantasy and science fiction, but anyone reading this hard-boiled detective story will have no doubt that this is an authentic Donaldson work. Mick "Brew" Axbrewder is an alcoholic ex-private eye who accidently shot his police officer brother while trying to stop a robbery. His ex-partner and occassional love interest wants him to dry out so that he can track down his niece, who has gone missing. But in trying to find his niece, Axbrewder discovers some truly disturbing secrets. Even for detective fiction, this is dark stuff. Donaldson seems to know the psychology of an alcoholic very well, and he writings convincingly about Axbrewder's struggles with liquor. The plot is top-notch, and the characters are convincing and human. I cared what happened to Axbrewder and his partner, and was actually shocked at some of the horrors they uncovered. The biggest problem with the book is that the plot has some holes; it is extremely difficult to accept that a police department would blithly ignore seven 12 and 13-year old girls showing up dead within a two-year period. Still, you can see, even twenty years ago, that Donaldson had talent, and it is nice to see this book reissued.

In Puerta Del Sol Mick "Brew" Axbrewder does his best to drink himself to death in order to obliterate the memory of killing his brother. The commission yanked his private investigator's license because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him. He didn't do jail time because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him when Brew intervened. When he is sober he works for Ginny Fistoulari, his one time sleuthing partner and lover.He must sober up and tackle the disappearance of his niece as her mother hires Ginny's firm because she knows that Brew will work harder than anyone else will even without the impetus of killing her daughter's father. Ginny and Brew discover that nine girls in six different schools have disappeared when they were isolated from other schoolmates and adults. Seven of the girls were found dead from a heroin overdose after working the streets as a prostitute. Gin and Brew must find Alathea before the same fate befalls her.THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER reaches rock bottom when the novel opens but the reader sees flashes of good in this tortured person, as he seeks sobriety in order to find his niece. A lifetime won't be long enough for Brew to forget that he killed his sibling but working the case gives him glimpses of a redemption that could be his if he turn his life around and works for the common good. The mystery is creatively designed and organized and Gin and Brew mix well together, but what else would anyone expect from Stephen R. Donaldson.Harriet Klausner

This is the 1st in a 3 book series by Reed Stephens. Brew and Ginny are a great team. Mr Stephens has the ability of making less than perfect people very likable. This book is well worth searching and waiting for