Pretty Girl Gone

Mac McKenzie #3

by David Housewright

Rushmore "Mac" McKenzie has a lot of old girlfriends, but only one went on to marry the current governor of the state of Minnesota. And only one is calling him with a desperate request to meet in secret. First Lady Lindsay Barrett is carrying an anonymous e-mail that contains the makings of an ugly rumor about her husband, the man about to run for higher office---perhaps even the highest office. Someone says they have evidence that Jack Barrett killed his high school sweetheart. Lindsay says it's an outright lie, but the truth lies buried decades in the past in the small town where the governor grew up.
Of course, Mac, who's richer than he needs to be and always has plenty of time on his hands, is in the business of handling such matters for his friends. So he packs up and drives straight into the governor's past with the brilliantly conceived plan to poke around and see if he can stir up a little information. He's soon got goons of all sorts poking him back, including a nasty little group of political movers and shakers who aren't above kidnapping and murder to protect their interests. It's clear that his little plan has stirred up nothing but trouble.
With no choice but to stick to it, he continues shifting through a complex web of interlocking secrets and lies, some decades old and some rooted violently in the present day. It's up to Mac to sort truth from untruth before a vicious rumor becomes a political nightmare---or worse, before the "outright lie" is proved a solid, irrefutable fact.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Audiobook, Detective, Thriller

323 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

A past president of the Private Eye Writers of America, David Housewright has published 28 crimes novels including In A Hard Wind (June 2023 St. Martin’s Minotaur) and has contributed short stories to 15 anthologies and other publications. He has earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, a Shamus nomination from the PWA, and three Minnesota Books Awards. A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man, he has also taught writing courses at the University of Minnesota and Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. His name and face were recently added to “Minnesota Writers on the Map” by the Minnesota Historical Society and Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided on a series binge of David Housewright’s Mac McKenzie collection, of which this is the third book. Housewright highlights a former St. Paul PD detective and his life as an amateur private investigator for those close to him. This police procedural series engages the reader from the opening pages, as Housewright has Mac working to uncover the truth behind the Minnesota governor and a lingering issue toss could paralyse his future political successes. I am all-in and each book to date has piqued my interest!

Rushmore "Mac" McKenzie has never been without women who have filled his dance card or warmed the sheets in his bed. However, the one who got away and ended up as Minnesota’s First Lady holds a special place in his heart. After Lindsay Barrett asks to meet with Mac in secret, he is intrigued, even more so when she hands him an anonymous email. It would seem someone is holding a piece of blackmail over Governor Barrett at a time he is pondering higher office.

As Mac tries to digest the news that Jack Barrett may have killed his high school girlfriend, he must weigh all his options, including the adamant denials Lindsay offers. Still, Mac is willing to poke around for an old friend. The only answer would be heading to the small Minnesota town of Victoria, where Jack lived as a youth and dark secrets may still be brewing.

Armed with a purpose, Mac McKenzie heads north to locate the truth. His arrival stirs up old skeletons in dusty closets, but also a group who have a strong aversion to the man who now runs the state. Mac will have to parse truth from rumour, as well as watch his back. There are some who want him silenced and his investigation neutralised. The truth is said to set people free, but this ‘outright lie’ could cripple a man’s future. Housewright delivers a gripping story with a peppering of politics.

After receiving the latest novel in the series as an ARC, I chose to read from the beginning for better context. Housewright keeps the series alive with a narrative that holds the reader’s intrigue from the start. Characters prove gritty and Mac McKenzie has a strong backstory that is always advancing, as gaps from his past are also filled. The plot offers surprises that push the story along and leave me wanting more. David Housewright is proving his abilities and has me ready to keep forging onwards.

Kudos, Mr. Housewright, for a great addition to the collection.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mac was so inept in this one. He uses the internet to search for data, but he doesn't look for the crucial address in Victoria, so he's surprised to find it's a print shop. He's been threatened, assaulted, and shot at, but he leaves his gun in the car. He sits down with a meth addict who has all the symptoms of addiction but doesn't spot it--this from a cop who was on the streets for years??? He sees a bandage on the face of the villain but doesn't put it together with the fact the victim scratched him until way too late. There's more, but it's just too depressing to continue.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another story set in Mn. McKenzie is trying to find out information about a cold murder case that may involve the MN governor. I did enjoy the book, but because I had to pick it up at odd times I sometimes couldn't remember who was who!! McKenzie had me wondering if he would be able to make it to the end!!!

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better entrants in this series, with a satisfyingly complex cold case, and a whole town with various reasons to keep secrets. The town is Victoria, MN (there IS a Victoria MN, but it isn't where the fictional one is located and there is no resemblance.) Well rounded characters and a vivid depiction of the town and its people.

[Gary Stahlke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book in this series and I have enjoyed all three of them so far

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Former St. Paul, MN, cop RUSHMORE McKENZIE, "MAC," is retired, “filthy” rich, and bored. (Read first novel to learn how he got rich and how he got his name.) He's a nice, generous, do-gooder but also a rough, tough guy who takes no crap off anyone. He's also sentimal and romantic, and a art and music lover. Even he doesn't understand why he's still a bachelor, but I have my ideas about his fear of commitment. (Fear of abandonment. See what you think.)

One of his many old girlfriends calls for his help to track down whoever sent her email claiming he has evidence that Jack killed his high school girlfriend. (All Mac's girlfriends are gorgeous.) LINDSAY BARRETT is first lady, married to JACK Barrett, governor of MN – wants to be Senator. Mac is kidnapped by a big bank owner and his board, demanding to know why he was hired by Lindsay. He tells them nothing. This “Big Bank Brotherhood” wants problems to disappear if their support of Brother Barrett is threatened.

Seven basketball players won a big game 30 years ago with Jack their biggest hero. Jack’s girlfriend was found strangled to death the next day after their drunken celebration party; his teammates, coach and the whole small town suspected Jack but no one says so. No evidence and no “suspects” and Jack was town hero so the Chief of police never looked hard for other suspects, he didn't push for a case. It's a very small town and this was their only murder. Much action along the way to this discovery . SURPRISES LEADING TO FINAL CONCLUSION before McKenzie feels he can go back home satisfied.

I stayed awake late, determined to read to the very end -- and found it well worth it for the surprises! Just when I thought the case was succcessfully closed, Housewright threw in extra to tie up what he felt were loose ends for Mac. Mac's a thorough kind of guy.

[Dick Aichinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rushmore McKenzie. This is the third book in the series. I am enjoying these. My rating isn't so much a ranking of an elite writer or style but how much I can get into the story and have it hold me. I like McKenzie. He is flawed, but we all are. He isn't an over-the-top fighting machine but he is certainly capable as an 11 year St. Paul cop should be, I suppose. His romantic relationships feel real as do his past relationships.

This story starts with a threatening meeting surrounding something political. When the wife of the Governor (a past flame of McKenzie's) asks for a favor (something McKenzie now does for people), he finds the tie between the two meetings. An email has been sent to Minnesota's First Lady that threatens exposure of something the Governor did long ago. The source seems to be in a small town, a small town where the Governor grew up, where he was the star player on the town's basketball team that won the State's championship when they had to battle much bigger schools. But the tie is difficult to pull. He ventures to the small town of Victoria, Minnesota to seek clues first-hand. There, he find much more than he expected. An interesting tale of twists and turns.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is Rushmore McKenzie? He's not: your typical goody two shoes hero, so hard-boiled PI that his head is too hard, your low income PI just scrapping to get by, and he's not someone you want looking for you. McKenzie is a bulldog and if you're on his bad side you are the bone. He's also got a pretty good wit and that's what draws me to David Housewright's McKenzie series. I've like the first three of the series, but this one might be the best of the bunch. "Pretty Girl Gone" is definitely better that "Tin City" which is pretty good. I gave it high praise because I just couldn't wait to get back to it after work. This series reminds me a lot of Brian Freeman's, Jonathan Stride series and a little like...dare I say it...Nelson DeMille's John Corey series. Nuff said.

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really do like McKenzie, but once again I really didn't like the characters except for police Chief Mallinger and a few others... Most everyone else involved in the crime was a p.o.s., including the previous Chief of Po-lice.

The Governor of Minnesota has hopes for a Senate seat; his wife receives an e-mail suggesting that he killed his h.s. girlfriend, Elizabeth. The Governor's wife asks McKenzie to find out who sent the w-mail....

Most everyone then attempts to stop McKenzie from finding out what happened to Elizabeth.

The clue to the murderer is right near the beginning... What McKenzie discovers, along with tho murdered the girl is the perversion of justice & the guilt of an entire small town.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so happy to have discovered St. Paul author David Housewright. This is the third book in the Rushmore McKenzie (Mac) series, and since it was published in 2006 I know I have several more books to go - Yay! Mac is a former St. Paul detective who now does "favors" for friends on the down-low. Here the person requesting a favor is an old girlfriend, now the wife of the governor of Minnesota. Someone has sent her an email saying there is evidence that the Governor killed his high school sweetheart in a small town in southern MN. She asks Mac to find out who sent the email. Chaos ensues. Small towns -- not always as quaint as they appear.

[Mark Lieberman · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a short break, I am back to reading Mac McKenzie. Mac is a former police officer who resigned after 11 years on the job after collecting a large amount of money on a bounty. Now, he is an ordinary citizen who just wants to help people. His best friend is Bobby Dunston, a current police officer.

I like Mac as he reminds me of Spenser from the Robert B. Parker books. Mac is smart, funny, and extremely confident in his problem solving abilities. He is also a big flirt, but also has a girlfriend, Nina.

It's funny that he owns a mini-donut machine, a popcorn machine, and a cotton candy machine, and they all get used and mentioned quite frequently in the book.

For this one, he is helping the first lady of the state of Minnesota (whom he was friends with while they attended high school). She wanted to know who sent an email with some details on a possible crime involving her her husband (the current Governor). It was action packed, and I enjoyed the adventure. He always gets either beat up or shot at (as that is part of his job).

I have also been enjoying reading crime fiction books that take place where I currently live in Minnesota. John Sandford and Allen Eskens are two authors that I have devoured everything from them. I do have William Kent Kruegers's Cork O'Connor books that I want to try again (I read the first one, and didn't love it as much as the other ones). Any more MN ones I should look into?

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love this series and I love Mac, but I got a little bit annoyed with him this time. For one thing, he needs to make up his mind about his love life—he’s in a great relationship, yet he fools around and risks it all. He needs to grow up a bit, I think. And another thing he needs to do is start remembering some of the things he learned as a cop—maybe work on getting back that spidey sense he once had so he stops being stupid about walking into dangerous situations or keeping up his guard instead of getting ambushed. That said, he’s his usual white knight, high-minded, good hearted guy in this one who uses the incredible power of his vast wealth for helping others. He solves an old murder, saves a good man from a ruined career, and brings a conscience-challenged killer to justice. He’s a hero, for sure...he just needs to screw on his head a little tighter.

[Scoats · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read but a bit of a let down after Tin City, so only 4 stars. I ripped through Tin City, but found myself plodding through this one. The pacing seemed off.

I wasn't inspired to read too many pages at one sitting. As a result, I found it very had to keep the numerous male characters straight. A little hint when a name reappeared would have been very helpful.

The killer was too obvious and it took too long for Makenzie to figure it out.

Small town Minnesota was a nice place to spend a few weeks in though.

I look forward to reading the rest in this series. But this one and Tin City are the only two we own. I have other 100s books to read and release before looking for more.

[Scoats · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read but a bit of a let down after Tin City, so only 4 stars. I ripped through Tin City, but found myself plodding through this one. The pacing seemed off.

I wasn't inspired to read too many pages at one sitting. As a result, I found it very had to keep the numerous male characters straight. A little hint when a name reappeared would have been very helpful.

The killer was too obvious and it took too long for Makenzie to figure it out.

Small town Minnesota was a nice place to spend a few weeks in though.

I look forward to reading the rest in this series. But this one and Tin City are the only two we own. I have other 100s books to read and release before looking for more.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a couple of books in this series, and not sure why it never stuck with me, but now that I am in a pandemic, with a library that is still not open to people walking in to the building, I have been revisiting series that I started but did not finish. Mac is a good character, ex-cop who collected a reward and retired, now does favors for people. In this he is investigating an very old murder in a small Minnesota town. The town assumed a person committed the crime, but without any investigation and no intent to prosecute. Fast forward 30 years and now it is important to figure out who did it.

[Don Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3). Mac McKenzie is a really solid protagonist. His backstory is interesting, but you have to have read the first installments in this franchise to get a real feel for that. This story starts off on a simple note, but the layers come off at a speedy pace after that. A small town, big secrets, and a cast of characters (and suspects) that just keeps growing. The action is pretty non stop, a little violence, a little sex, and of course, lots of attitude from McKenzie. A seriously high fun factor in this one. Good stuff.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mac is a former police officer who quit the job to pursue a bounty of many millions of dollars for a criminal. He caught the guy and now is mostly a rich guy who occasionally helps out old friends. This time it's to prove that the Minnesota governor did not kill his high school girlfriend because he wants to run for the Senate and he knows the murder would become public knowledge. Mac is likable and has a sense of humor which is always a plus for me. This characters were fairly stock characters but Mac is a likable guy and I look forward to seeing what he gets involved in next.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

These favors that Mac does are getting more interesting. This time it was due to who was asking for the favor and what the favor was about. It took Mac out of The Cities, to a small town, where he really stuck out. I loved how he championed the little guy and even how he got along with the Sheriff, even as I hated parts of the last.

By keeping chipping away at things he finally found out what happened and it was not good on so many levels. But at least the bad guy is finally getting his, even as some secrets are still not known by anyone other than Mac.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time Mac’s “favor” is for an old girlfriend who is married to the governor of MN. She wants to know who sent a nasty email implicating her husband in an unsolved murder from his high school years. As usual the story gets complicated, involving several suspicious individuals who all have different agendas. An adequate mystery thriller with some twists and surprises at the end. Oh ya - Mac gets a new car.

[Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast read and well paced complex mystery. McKenzie does a 'favor' for the wife of the governor when rumors surface about his involvement in a thirty year old unsolved case of a small town murdered high school cheerleader. There are many components to the investigation which brings up a lot of issues for the town's characters that would rather not have MacKenzie there. Finally, he starts to put the pieces together and solves the numerous crimes but not without its perils.

[Thart2002 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel immensely. For one thing I am from Minnesota and my mother used to own the bar that became the Groveland Tap. The Groveland Tap is the place Mac meets the First Lady of Minnesota. It is just fun reading about places, streets and towns you are familiar with. Another reason I enjoy the character Mac. He is a bit irreverent but not quite cocky. He seems real to me. Someone a person would like to know. David Housewright is one of my favorite authors.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title makes me think about a book where a sexual predator has stolen a girl but this book is not that at all. It is a mystery about a girl murdered years ago at the same time the high school basketball team is achieving glory in a small town. It is about a rumor that could have ruined an innocent politician’s life. It is a coach that wanted to preserve his glory days at any cost.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book and an amazing series!

I picked this book up and read it straight through. I started the Mac McKenzie series with little-to-low expectations… but they are amazing detective novels, well written, well thought out and just fun to read. Each novel gets better and better. Can’t wait to read the next in the series. Well done!

[Becky Hunter]

Didn’t enjoy this one as much as the previous entries, probably because most of the action is set in an imaginary town instead of a super-accurate portrait of a Twin Cities neighborhood. Though the scene in North Oaks was appreciated. Also a lot of dumb decisions were made by the protagonist, but it’s not like that’s unique to this book.

[Dave Delsigne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story that tells us all about the weird and mysterious unconditional love with sport … and sport figures! We see this everyday in our “real” world … the importance of sport over the “accepted” society norms. Anyway … this story has complexities, love, violence, honor … I recommend Housewright. He is a tremendous storyteller!

[Lauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Binge reading the series which I’m enjoying. This book had so many characters that I had to google to find out which one of them was 200 pages in. Turns out he first appeared on page 7. I don’t usually like first person narratives but I do like the character of Rushmore McKenzie. Sometimes his commentary and asides laugh out loud funny.

[Mary Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read made more enjoyable because it takes place in Minnesota. I recognize many of the places that McKenzie goes. I am planning on reading this series very slowly. I tend to "get worn out" by series when I read them too fast....too many plot devices and similarities between books.

[Theresa Kulenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great recreational read, but I figured out "who done it" pretty early on. I also figured the solution to 2 subplots as soon as they were touched on. I don't know if your plot's loose, or if you just want your readers to think they are super smart having solved it so early.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The First Lady of Minnesota asks McKenzie for a favor. It turns into quite the plot.
A high school basketball team wins the championship 30 years ago. Lots of secrets for McKenzie to figure out.
Enjoyed this book.

[Brian O'Leary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great main character, good job of tying everything together at the end.