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Purgatory Chasm: A Mystery (Conway Sax #1)

3.91 of 5 stars 3.91 · rating details · 182 ratings · 65 reviews

“Tander Phigg was an asshole, but he was also a Barnburner. Barnburners saved my life. I help them when I can. No exceptions.”

The job seems simple. Conway Sax, a no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems, has never liked obnoxious blowhard Tander Phigg. But a promise is a promise.Tander’s a Barnburner, a member of the unique Alcoholics Anonymous...more

ebook, 288 pages

Published May 10th 2011 by Minotaur Books (first published April 28th 2011)

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Feb 03, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mystery readers who like characters with a different skill set from typical pi

Shelves: mystery, read-in-2012

Dick Francis made a living for many years drawing detectives from various walks of life other than the typical ex police officer, from the toy store designer, the ex jockeys, the pilot or the accountant.

In Steve Ulfelder’s first novel, the detective turns out to be Conway Sax, a former race car driver, who hit the booze so hard that he now makes his money as an auto mechanic. Sax is the member of the Barnstormers, a hard core alcoholic anoymous group, that took Sax in when he had hit bottom. Sax...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Purgatory Chasm, by Steve Ulfelder, b-plus, Narrated by Mark Boyette, Produced by Audible Inc.., downloaded from audible.com.

This is a debut mystery in a series about Conway Sas, trained as a mechanic and with a prison record, and, by his own description, a drunk. But he kicks the habit and joins A.A. The group he finally hits upon as perfect for him is called The Barn Burners, and is made up mostly of guys who either have a prison record or have something to hide, but who are all sober. They ha...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Hallie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Massachusetts author Steve Ulfelder sets his debut novel, "Purgatory Chasm,"in suburbs west of Boston. His protagonist is Conway Sax, an expert auto mechanic who once raced for NASCAR but "drank myself out of a ride before I made the big time." In a weak moment, Conway promises to help the blustering Tander Phigg recover his "baby"(a 1980 Mercedes-Benz 450SEL 6.9)from a sketchy foreign motors repairs garage where it's been sitting for eighteen months, supposedly awaiting repairs.

Conway thinks P...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Gina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, mystery, mystery-crime, mystery-detective, part-of-a-series, 2012, addiction, book-club, ccc-club, challenges-2012, conspiracies, criminal-charges, death, drama, family, family-dysfunction, fathers, friendship, hitmen, mafia-gangs, murder, mystery-sports, new-england, relationships, reporters, suspense, thriller, reviewed

Goodreads Decriptions- “Tander Phigg was an asshole, but he was also a Barnburner. Barnburners saved my life. I help them when I can. No exceptions.”

The job seems simple. Conway Sax, a no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems, has never liked obnoxious blowhard Tander Phigg. But a promise is a promise. Tander’s a Barnburner, a member of the unique Alcoholics Anonymous group that rescued Conway, and when a Barnburner has a problem, Conway takes care of it. Besides, al...more Goodreads Decriptions- “Tander Phigg was an asshole, but he was also a Barnburner. Barnburners saved my life. I help them when I can. No exceptions.”

The job seems simple. Conway Sax, a no-nonsense auto mechanic with a knack for solving difficult problems, has never liked obnoxious blowhard Tander Phigg. But a promise is a promise. Tander’s a Barnburner, a member of the unique Alcoholics Anonymous group that rescued Conway, and when a Barnburner has a problem, Conway takes care of it. Besides, all Tander wants is to get back his baby, a vintage Mercedes that’s been in a shady auto shop far too long.

But Conway soon discovers there's much more to the problem than Tander first let on – especially when Tander turns up dead. Conway was the last person seen with the victim, and on top of that, he has a record, making him the cops’ top suspect. He must catch the killer to clear himself, but beyond that, he’s a man who honors his promises, even when the guy he made them to is dead.

In the tradition of Robert B. Parker and Dennis Lehane, Steve Ulfelder’s crackling debut mystery features a gritty, razor-sharp new voice in crime fiction. Conway Sax isn’t a hired gun or a wise-cracking urbanite. He’s just a mechanic trying to make his way, a blue-collar guy whose ideas about family and loyalty are as deeply held as they are strong. He’ll break your heart if you’re not careful.

"There are drunken assholes, and there are assholes who are drunks. Take a drunken asshole and stick him in AA five or ten years, maybe you come out with a decent guy."

This first sentence begins the story of Conway Sax, a recovering alcoholic, ex-NASCAR driver, and now a mechanic just trying to get by. Conway goes to special AA meetings that have "meetings after the meetings" where certain members basically discuss criminal behavior. This group calls itself the Barnburners and for some reason Conway feels like he has to come to the aid of any of it's members. This brings in Tander Phiggs who has come to Conway, who dislikes Tander in a major way, to ask him to help him get his classic Mercedes back from the garage where it is supposed to be fixed. Conway decides to take a look at the garage and immediately realizes that Tander hasn't told him the entire story. The car has been sitting under a tarp for 18 months with no work completed and Tander didn't leave a down-payment like he told Conway. As Conway is talking to the owner, Ollie, about the car Conway is hit in the head from behind.

From there the story unfolds with many twists and turns, but there were many things that irritated me. The people responsible for hitting him in the head are now working with Conway. He is even trying to help his assailants. Then when Tander is found dead, Conway, a man with a record, keeps information from the police! Why?? The answer is he wants to be the one to investigate. Also most of Conway's time is spent driving all over New England, which gets pretty old, and taking two flights. The thing about this is that the reader knows he is just trying to get by so how in the heck is he paying for all of this gas and plane tickets?? There was just no explanation! Then Conway's dad has re-entered the scene after Conway hasn't seen him for 15 years. This all just happens with no lead up or no explanation. This is just too much for a reader to take in without explanation.

The writing is pretty solid. He uses mostly dialogue and short concise paragraphs when things need to be described. This makes it a pretty fast read. However, other reviewers compare him to Dennis Lehane and I can tell you that is a joke! I have read every one of Lehanes's book and other than being set in Boston and the surrounding suburbs, Lehane's books kick Ulfelder's butt on writing, plotline, character development, etc...every single time.

At first I thought the plotline was unique with the NASCAR and Barnburner angles. But after these things were mentioned, they never were written about again. I would have liked to see the plot follow more of what the Barnburners group is really all about. I also think the book could be more streamlined if he edited out some of the extensive driving around New England and cutting down on the dialogue. Thankfully, I got this book at the library! The only thing it was really worth is the fact that the author's last name begins with a U which I need for different book challenges. All in all the book was just ok. 2 stars.(less)

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Sep 08, 2011 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Changed my initial feelings about this book. Originally thought the pace was slower than I liked. However as one gets into the last quarter of the book, the pace quickens and you have to pay attention as the story lines all come together.
Conway Sax , ex-con and ex-alcoholic has his life together. ...a job , a girl friend, Charlene, when things start to happen that connect him to his past. He is friendly to members of his AA group which is call the Barnburners, when a member, Tander Phigg is fou...more

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May 30, 2011 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a taut, breathtaking debut featuring recovering alcoholic Conway Sax, a member of an AA group that takes care of its own,in every sense of the word. When Conway agrees to help an old-timer reclaim his car from a questionaable auto shop, this simple favor turns into a nightmare after the old-timer is murdered. Then more murders occur and Conway is knee-deep in it. Mixed up in all the mess is his awkward, touching and at times frustrating reunion with his alcholic father.

Conway has major...more

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May 09, 2011 Amandaj rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

I got Purgatory Chasm from a first reads giveaway. Conway Sax, a devoted member of an AA group called the Barnburners is determined to find out the mystery behind a fellow members (Tander Phigg) suspicious death. Just before Tander's death, Tander contacts Conway for a favor. Once Tander is dead Conway still keeps his promise to help him, because that is what Barnburners do; they always have each others back no matter the circumstances. Along the way to finding the truth of Tander Phigg's death...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Michael Puttre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a spoiler-free review.

Steve Ulfelder's debut novel surprises with its tight, disciplined writing and pitch-perfect dialog. I have not read many (any?) crime-mystery novels, so I was prepared for some over-the-top noir passages, particularly in a freshman outing (think Calvin's 'Tracer Bullet' alter ego). I needn't have worried. Ulfelder offers up rapid-fire descriptions that never stray into caricature.

The title intrigued me because I live and work in the same region of Central Massachu...more This is a spoiler-free review.

Steve Ulfelder's debut novel surprises with its tight, disciplined writing and pitch-perfect dialog. I have not read many (any?) crime-mystery novels, so I was prepared for some over-the-top noir passages, particularly in a freshman outing (think Calvin's 'Tracer Bullet' alter ego). I needn't have worried. Ulfelder offers up rapid-fire descriptions that never stray into caricature.

The title intrigued me because I live and work in the same region of Central Massachusetts as the novel's setting, and I admit identifying with place names, locations, and characterizations appealed to me. However, for readers far and wide I can report that Ulfelder is spot on.

The first-person protagonist, Conway Sax, is a recovering alcoholic dedicated to his sobriety, AA fellows, and rebuilding his life after hitting rock bottom. We don't see that bottom, thankfully, just a few rueful flashbacks. Sax was a professional NASCAR driver who hit the skids, got involved with the wrong element, and did some state time. He gets drawn into helping an AA buddy who he really doesn't like all that much. When the guy ends up dead, the game is on.

My main problem with the story, and what cost a star, is that I couldn't really understand everybody's motivations, and Sax's in particular. He gets deeper and deeper in to an increasingly dark and deadly situation, often dropping everything to chase a lead to New York, the nether regions of New England, and even to South Carolina with no payday in sight. The people in his life, ostensibly a work in progress, are amazingly tolerant of him.

Nevertheless, Ulfelder's outstanding ability to craft a scene combined with a brisk style and excellent sense of humor propel the story along. His characters are original, and even when a bit outlandish, always come across as real people. I thoroughly enjoyed "Purgatory Chasm" and have already picked up the sequel, "The Whole Lie."

One more thing: Ulfelder, who in real life owns a company that builds race cars, clearly knows a lot about about automobiles. It's fun to catch his characters' little comments about this or that make.(less)

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Jul 03, 2012 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was fascinated to learn that Purgatory Chasm is a real place in Massachusetts. Purgatory Chasm the book is a fast-paced mystery novel whose main character, Conway Sax, is a sometime auto mechanic with a past involving alcohol and time in prison. And Conway Sax is a Barnburner, a member of a select group of AA members who will do anything for each other.

Author Steve Ulfelder tells the story in first person, giving us the sense of speed and obsession that pervade the whole novel. We know from t...more I was fascinated to learn that Purgatory Chasm is a real place in Massachusetts. Purgatory Chasm the book is a fast-paced mystery novel whose main character, Conway Sax, is a sometime auto mechanic with a past involving alcohol and time in prison. And Conway Sax is a Barnburner, a member of a select group of AA members who will do anything for each other.

Author Steve Ulfelder tells the story in first person, giving us the sense of speed and obsession that pervade the whole novel. We know from the first paragraph that Sax does not like fellow Barnburner Tander Phigg. But when Sax finds Phigg’s strangled body, he is determined to carry out his promise of loyalty, and puts his own life in danger as he searches for Phigg’s killer. Conway Sax has given up drinking, and he possesses the single-mindedness recovering alcoholics often possess. He uses this focus to deal with his relationships as well as the shady characters who intrude in his life as he searches for the murderer.

The book is populated by complex characters who struggle with their troubled pasts and whose lives intersect in often cataclysmic way. Conway Sax’s own father turns up sober for once in his life, a fact which should have made Sax suspicious, about the same time as Phigg’s estranged son and his Vietnamese wife and child, whom Sax takes under his wing. And the reporter seen with Phigg just days before his death – who is she really?

Purgatory Chasm is Ulfelder’s first novel, but he clearly has the ability to get inside the minds of his multi-faceted characters and bring out their best and worst. His casual style moves the reader along at a rapid pace that fits perfectly with the theme of automobiles and racing. Even though I am not an auto racing enthusiastic and can’t even change a tire, I found myself caught up in the story. Ulfelder has created Conway Sax as a flawed human being with a sense of integrity and honor. I look forward to more of his novels.
(As published in Suspense Magazine)(less)

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Jun 23, 2011 Ellen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved this book, especially the opening sentence “There are drunken assholes and assholes who are drunks.” The author, Steve Ulfelder, is the father of my boys' friend and I was skeptical about a "first novel" but was very pleasantly surprised. He came to our book club meeting last night and gave us all the background and how he came up with the idea for the story. A great page turner, and quick read, with good character and plot development along with a couple of side stories. It takes place in...more

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May 20, 2011 Ray Daniel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When Conway Sax fixes your truck it stays fixed. When he builds a house it stays built. And, when he says he'll get your car back from a disreputable mechanic, by God, he gets that car.

Reminiscent of Spenser and Crash Davis before him, Conway Sax is the kind of man who knows who he is, knows how to do a job right, and does what he say's he'll do. He's the kind of man who has a story to tell, but doesn't need to hear himself talk.

Purgatory Chasm is the perfect book for a guy like Conway Sax, bec...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Janet rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, mystery-thriller

Don’t you hate it when a “friend” you don’t really like asks you for a favor you don’t really want to do? So does former alcoholic, former NASCAR driver and current auto mechanic Conway Sax. But when Tander Phigg asks him to help recover a much loved vintage Mercedes from an unscrupulous auto shop, Conway knows he can’t refuse. Phigg is a founding member of the Barnburners, a group of recovering alcoholics who are the backbone of the Alcoholics Anonymous group who helped Conway sober up and Conw...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Zora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Very good first novel about a recovering alcoholic tough guy trying to figure out what happened to one of his AA friends. Though the blurbs suggest this is hard boiled, it isn't dark and depressing and anti-human as some books that get categorized as hard-boiled. The protagonist, despite his comfort with violence, is a caring guy and the author lets us see goodness in weak characters. I enjoyed reading it very much and found it fast-paced. Only a few hours after finishing it, I started seeing th...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Monica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-and-or-evil

"There are drunken assholes, and there are assholes who are drunks. Take a drunken asshole and stick him in AA five or ten years, maybe you come out with a decent guy."

So begins the story of of Conway Sax, ex-race car driver, ex-drunk, ex-con, decent guy. He has a new life as a mechanic, he's fixing up an old house, he has friends, a girl friend, and a fierce loyalty to the Barnburners, the hard-core AA group that saved his life.

A promise to help out another Barnburner lands him in the middle of...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Austin Morgan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Someone looking for a gritty mystery

Shelves: first-reads

Steve Ulfelder’s Purgatory Chasm is a great way to start off a writing career. I get to read a lot of debut novels, frequently before they are published. I feel this gives me more experience in identifying some of the foibles new authors frequently work through in the first books. I didn’t see any of the typical beginner jitters from Steve Ulfelder. Then I googled Steve and found out he is not kicking off a writing career, he has been a journalist for 20 years. Of course converting journalism to...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Lauren Grimley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a reader: Well, I've already publicly announced my weak spot for fictional bad boys (Character Crushes, 4/12), so it's no surprise that I fell in love with Conway Sax just about the same time I realized he was trouble. That said, this is not chick lit like much of what I read and review here. Conway Sax is a man's man, and the story, writing style, and characters might actually put the novel in the opposite category (rhymes with chick lit, only crasser). The flawed hero makes for a fascinatin...more

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Sep 12, 2011 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads-and-early-reviews

PURGATORY CHASM: A MYSTERY by Steve Ulfelder begins with the narrator, Conway Sax, complaining about Tander Phigg, a person Sax knows through Alcoholics Anonymous, who asked him for a favor. Phigg wants Sax to get Phigg’s car back from a repair shop and his money, $3,500, refunded. It wasn’t a good beginning. But the story gets better soon after when Sax goes to the repair shop.

Something’s fishy about this place, Sax discovers. And when he talks to the owner, Sax gets his head bashed. He does ca...more PURGATORY CHASM: A MYSTERY by Steve Ulfelder begins with the narrator, Conway Sax, complaining about Tander Phigg, a person Sax knows through Alcoholics Anonymous, who asked him for a favor. Phigg wants Sax to get Phigg’s car back from a repair shop and his money, $3,500, refunded. It wasn’t a good beginning. But the story gets better soon after when Sax goes to the repair shop.

Something’s fishy about this place, Sax discovers. And when he talks to the owner, Sax gets his head bashed. He does call the police, but here’s one of the things about this story that irritated me: he withheld information from the police just so he could investigate himself. And why? He feels that he should be the bashER, not the bashEE.

So, never mind that Cox dislikes Phigg, his investigation proceeds just because he is a fellow “barnstormer,” the “group within the [AA] group.” And it isn’t long before murder complicates things.

Additional irritations:
• Cox, all by himself, returns to the repair shop where he got his head bashed.
• Cox befriends the two people who bashed him in the head and drives them anywhere they want to go, which turns out to be all over New England.
• Cox is supposedly hard up for money, yet he drives and flies to various states with no mention of how he pays for gas, car expenses, or airline tickets.
• Cox visits an old lady, Phigg’s old girlfriend, after dark, and she doesn’t hesitate long before letting him, a stranger, in her home.
• Too many pages in this book are devoted to description of a car race. It should have been cut shorter.

Although these parts of PURGATORY CHASM irritate me, Ulfelder succeeds with an even larger issue: dialog. This book is mostly dialog and keeps descriptive paragraphs to a minimum, with description, instead, a part of the dialog. And Ulfelder writes good dialog, besides.

Also, other than his description of the car race, Ulfelder doesn’t waste words. He keeps his paragraphs short and easy to read.

But the publisher’s description of PURGATORY CHASM says that Ulfelder’s writing can be compared with Dennis Lehane’s and Robert Parker’s. That’s an unbelievable claim because Lehane’s and Parker’s books and writing are so different from each other. Still, because I love everything Lehane wrote, the claim had its desired effect; I read PURGATORY CHASM . Now I can tell you that, while both Ulfelder and Lehane put their stories in the Boston area, after that, the similarity ends.

That is not to say I disliked PURGATORY CHASM. But it never did grab me; it was too put-downable.

I won PURGATORY CHASM through www.reviewingtheevidence.com.
(less)

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Jun 26, 2011 Bahimiron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not a huge mystery fan, so take this with a grain of salt.

A fantastic debut from a great new talent. Steve Ufelder takes Framingham, MA, a town I mostly know for Shopper's World (Jordan's Furniture is right across the street and listed as being in Natick, what's up people?) and the closest Wal-Mart to Boston, and brings it to life as the hometown of one Conway Sax, former racecar driver, former drunk, former mechanic and currently a guy who helps out members of his local AA chapter, the Barn...more I'm not a huge mystery fan, so take this with a grain of salt.

A fantastic debut from a great new talent. Steve Ufelder takes Framingham, MA, a town I mostly know for Shopper's World (Jordan's Furniture is right across the street and listed as being in Natick, what's up people?) and the closest Wal-Mart to Boston, and brings it to life as the hometown of one Conway Sax, former racecar driver, former drunk, former mechanic and currently a guy who helps out members of his local AA chapter, the Barnburners. I've never been a drunk, but my dad's been recovering most of my life and I've known people like Ulfelder's Barnburners since I was a kid and I could see a lot of those people in his supporting cast. The key to it all, however, is Conway, whose personal sense of honor means he'll never turn down a Barnburner a favor, even if that favor lands him in the middle of a murder, a drug smuggling operation gone tits up and a few more road trips than a guy should have to do for a favor.

It's a hell of a ride and even though I'm not a big mystery guy (the last crime series I followed was Tim Dorsey's Serge Storm books, and most of that was running on the good will he got out of Orange Crush) I finished it faster than most fantasy and scifi books I read. There are a few bumps in the road, at least one plot element graciously borrowed from Akira Kurosawa would have been more satisfying if it felt more earned, and some pacing in the back third of the novel feels off, but for the most part the book is smart, well-written, at turns funny, gruff and shocking when appropriate and all-in-all the first in what I can only hope is a long series of novels featuring the character.

I'd recommend it for any fan of character-driven mysteries and especially for fans of mystery novels based around amateur sleuths.

Caveat: I have met Steve Ulfelder at least once. He took the same novel writing workshopping course that I did. He was a guest in my session as he was a 'graduate' of the class who'd finished and sold a novel. We've not hung out or anything like that, but I did buy the book based on the encouragement of seeing someone in my position just a few years ago succeeding.(less)

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Jan 19, 2012 Patty Blount rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Steve Ulfelder’s PURGATORY CHASM is a mystery that grabs you with this opening line: “There are drunken assholes and assholes who are drunks.”

Former NASCAR driver and mechanic Conway Sax is a recovering alcoholic, drug addict, and parolee whose unwavering loyalty to his fellow Barnburners (AA group) – even when they’re assholes who are drunk - sucks him into retrieving a Mercedes from a local garage where it’s been held for months with no explanation.

Yeah, I questioned the wisdom of getting in...more Steve Ulfelder’s PURGATORY CHASM is a mystery that grabs you with this opening line: “There are drunken assholes and assholes who are drunks.”

Former NASCAR driver and mechanic Conway Sax is a recovering alcoholic, drug addict, and parolee whose unwavering loyalty to his fellow Barnburners (AA group) – even when they’re assholes who are drunk - sucks him into retrieving a Mercedes from a local garage where it’s been held for months with no explanation.

Yeah, I questioned the wisdom of getting involved, too. So does Conway. Everyone knows all is not as it seems but Conway does not back off a promise made to a fellow Barnburner… even when that promise gets him knocked unconscious, almost drowned, and – when a body turns up – suspected of murder. This, right there, is what makes Conway a compelling character, that unwavering loyalty despite the consequences and pain. Conway’s a real man’s man. He’s not a touchy-feely, let’s-talk guy but underneath all the tool-swinging, Ulfelder masterfully shows his pain through all that’s left unsaid. Conway’s also funny. There’s a scene with a Sharpie that had me laughing out loud.

Things get even more complicated for Conway when his dad shows up. Dad’s a drunk, too, but more like the asshole-who’s-a-drunk sort.
Father-and-child relationships hit me particularly hard because my relationship with own dad is shaky at best and has been this way for about twenty years now, despite my best efforts to change it. Like Conway, when my dad showed up out of the blue and moved in with me for several months, I thought about the past and the pain, but could not turn my back. Unlike my dad, Conway’s dad has all kinds of problems related to decades of alcohol abuse. In the final scene, when Ulfelder reveals the meaning of Purgatory Chasm (the place), I understood Conway’s – and my own - loyalty on a deeper level and closed the book with a feeling of “Ah.”

Added 1/19/12: Congratulations to Steve Ulfelder and Purgatory Chasm for its Edgar Award nomination! (less)

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May 17, 2011 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This new mystery takes off right out of the blocks. Really enjoying this. My only criticism is the cover art: looks like the picture was printed backwards and road lanes are poorly air brushed (dashed lanes that just bend into nothing?). Finished it this morning.
So. Do not judge this book by its (poor)cover. It was an excellent story, great characters, pacing, and plot. I did recognize some of the locales, since it does take place in this area, and that only helps enhance the novel. Looking forw...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Katherine Clark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Many mystery writers i like rec'd this book. Also, it was compared to Parker. I can see why, but this guy is no Parker. He acts too much from emotion so gets hurt and others hurt as well too frequently. Also, he overplayed the idea of the guy as blue-collar and uneducated. It got really annoying. (Chiefly, our protag did not recognize literary references or vocab. since this book was 1st person, it got real awkward. ) the mystery was OK, sort of. Anyway, I don't need to read any more in this ser...more

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Dec 26, 2012 Spuddie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's been a bit of awhile since a new author/series had me glued to the book, turning pages as fast I could, hanging on every word. I can't really say what it is I like so much about it, so I'll just say it's everything--the writing style, a good hook that sucks you right in, plenty of plot twists, an instantly well-developed character with layers that gradually unfold as the story does...it's all good! No, it's all GREAT! Looking forward to the next in this series.

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Dec 30, 2011 Terry Parrish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Terry by: Won book from Criminal Element

Loved this book! Reminds me of older books with a lot of leg work instead of getting on a computer every time you needed info. Liked all the characters, even the bad ones. No one was not likeable, even the killer. The book flowed well, no stumbles, or long ramblings. Really different from most Mystery's. Not a lot guts and gore and blood. Just a well written book for a first one. Will definitely read more when the author writes them. Recommend to anyone who likes a good mystery.

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Jun 19, 2011 CB rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I randomly picked this one off the new book shelves at the library because I grew up near Purgatory Chasm... totally a case of judging a book by it's cover! In this case I got great well-developed characters and a page-turning story. His characters dropped hints at so many back-stories, I had to double check that this was actually Ulfelder's first novel. A few unnecessary plot points, but overall a great read and I look forward to reading his next.

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May 04, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Mystery lovers

*I recieved an advanced copy of this book through First Reads*

4.5 stars!! Purgatory Chasm: A Mystery, was a fast, dynamic book that was excruciatingly difficult to put back down. What a wonderful debut! The story had very dark themes, most definitely not suitable for a younger reader, but i enjoyed it very much.

The story is very suspenseful, which keeps the reader guessing and I absolutely loved it. The characters were well drawn out and the reader can easily connect to the characters. I highly...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 15, 2012 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A quick read...finished this in a few days. It held my attention from beginning to end. Reminds me a bit of a Robert Parker style where the main character has some baggage but out there solving mysteries without getting involved too much with the police. The characters I thought were developed well, and the relationship of the main character, Conway, and his dad was interesting and explained a lot about Conway's baggage. The reference to local places like Purgatory Chasm in Sutton, MA and Lake C...more

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Jun 18, 2012 BJ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great beginning to a series, especially since it is Steve Ulfelder's first novel. The main character, Conway Sax, solves the mystery although he is not a PI and not a cop. He is an alcoholic, unemployed, ex-con mechanic. But he does have a code and lives by it.

The book has a George Pelecanos feel (although not quite as gritty). And that is high praise.

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Aug 06, 2012 wade rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was an Edgar Award finalist for best first mystery. It started out kind of slow but once I got going I couln't put it down and I read it in two days. I rarely ever do that believe me. This book has many twists and turns in the last 75 pages. This could be made into a great motion picture. I think Mr. Ulfelder is an author to watch.

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Sep 23, 2011 Stephanie Evans rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started out thinking this would be a guy book -- it's a guy book, alright, but Sax is such a real man, with such heart, that Ulfelder held me from beginning to end. I'll be looking for more from this new writer. Watch for the spider and insect analogy -- dead on -- I called friends and read the paragraph to them. It was that good.

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Purgatory Chasm: A Mystery (Conway Sax #1)

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