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Jack Dwyer #2
New, Improved Murder: A Jack Dwyer Novel
Jack Dwyer is a former cop who got the acting bug after he was cast in a local public safety commercial. He started acting lessons, quit his job, and applied for his private investigator’s license (in very nearly that order). He also took a security guard job to keep the wolves away. The novel opens with Dwyer on a riverside park murder site. He was called there by a panicked former girlfriend. A girlfriend who left him for another man, and a girlfriend Dwyer isn’t quite over.
The woman is nearly comatose when Dwyer arrives. She is distraught with grief and fear. The man who replaced Dwyer in her life is dead in the grass, and the gun that killed him is in her hand. The police arrive and everything fits neatly into a little package. No real investigation, other than into Jane Branigan—the girlfriend—and the case seems open and shut, but something about it bothers Dwyer. That something may be nothing more than his feelings for Jane, but Dwyer doesn’t think she did it.
New, Improved Murder is a seriously good private eye novel. Jack Dwyer is a likable, compassionate, sometimes self-doubting reluctant good guy, who tends to stand on the outside. He is working class top to bottom, and the world through his eyes is a harsh, troubled place, with just enough hope and romanticism to keep him from the maudlin.
The story is a straight shot. It is fast, dirty, and entertaining. The mystery is fine edged with enough clues for the reader to guess the killer, but nothing is in plain sight and it is doubtful most readers will guess it before the final pages. The supporting cast is a mixture of blackmailing psychopaths, prostitutes, nasty businessmen, broken children, and everyman scared; scared of life, death, and nearly everything else. The amazing thing, it is all this and funny, too. Not the story, or the characters, but rather Dwyer’s take on the world as seen through his semi-smart ass commentary and dialogue.
The woman is nearly comatose when Dwyer arrives. She is distraught with grief and fear. The man who replaced Dwyer in her life is dead in the grass, and the gun that killed him is in her hand. The police arrive and everything fits neatly into a little package. No real investigation, other than into Jane Branigan—the girlfriend—and the case seems open and shut, but something about it bothers Dwyer. That something may be nothing more than his feelings for Jane, but Dwyer doesn’t think she did it.
New, Improved Murder is a seriously good private eye novel. Jack Dwyer is a likable, compassionate, sometimes self-doubting reluctant good guy, who tends to stand on the outside. He is working class top to bottom, and the world through his eyes is a harsh, troubled place, with just enough hope and romanticism to keep him from the maudlin.
The story is a straight shot. It is fast, dirty, and entertaining. The mystery is fine edged with enough clues for the reader to guess the killer, but nothing is in plain sight and it is doubtful most readers will guess it before the final pages. The supporting cast is a mixture of blackmailing psychopaths, prostitutes, nasty businessmen, broken children, and everyman scared; scared of life, death, and nearly everything else. The amazing thing, it is all this and funny, too. Not the story, or the characters, but rather Dwyer’s take on the world as seen through his semi-smart ass commentary and dialogue.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1985
9 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
468 books122 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 6, 2021
The first Jack Dwyer mystery. (Goodreads is mistaken in this case)
Dwyer is a former cop, who quit when he was not by the acting bug. He's a P.I. and part time security guard to make ends meet.
A former lover calls him one day....the man she left Jack for is dead. She's holding the gun. But her memory is spotty and Jack thinks she's innocent. All he has to do is prove it.
Good characters and a good mystery.
Following Jack on auditions and as he looks for clues is great fun.
I look forward to reading the next one.
Note that this was written in 1985 and may not be P.C. in a few scenes.
Dwyer is a former cop, who quit when he was not by the acting bug. He's a P.I. and part time security guard to make ends meet.
A former lover calls him one day....the man she left Jack for is dead. She's holding the gun. But her memory is spotty and Jack thinks she's innocent. All he has to do is prove it.
Good characters and a good mystery.
Following Jack on auditions and as he looks for clues is great fun.
I look forward to reading the next one.
Note that this was written in 1985 and may not be P.C. in a few scenes.
February 3, 2025
Part-time PI, part-time security guard, part-time actor Jack Dwyer gets caught up helping his ex clear her name of a murder charge. Fascinating plot, a little humor and memorable characters. I liked this one a lot -- 4 stars.
August 3, 2015
Hey there! Those midsummer blahs got you feeling...well, sorta blah? Yeah? They did for me, too, until I discovered a secret: Jack Dwyer, the remedy that never fails to do the trick. [cue up tinkling ice cubes over a Jimmy Buffett background]
Pretty good line, no? Above? Didn't it make you just itch to dash out and bring home a fifth of Jack Dwyer? Not if you knew your booze it didn't. But if you knew your mystery writers—well, now that's another story. A good one at that.
You would have recognized Jack Dwyer as one of Ed Gorman's premier sleuths. And if you did you'd be apt to smile knowingly at the title we're talking about here—New Improved Murder--which is a play on a common advertising hook. And while you were smiling you might also have lobbed a chuckle my way for that opening line up above. And you wouldn't be at all confused by the commercial advertising references, because you would know that former cop-cum-P.I. Jack Dwyer solves his share of mysteries in the ego-mad milieu of ad agencies. And you would know this milieu is portrayed with frightening accuracy by a man who made his living in the ad world before he took up writing mysteries.
And if you are one of those unfortunates who have yet to experience the supreme pleasure of sipping one of Ed Gorman's fine mystery concoctions, I cannot imagine a better place to start than with one of his five Jack Dwyer novels. If you prefer to read novels in sequence, New Improved Murder happens to be the first in this series. And it has everything you, or I, could hope for: sleazy ad people, beautiful women—one's a redhead...yum—a vicious dog, gunplay, motives, weirdos, love, conundrums (fancy word for mysteries) and, obviously murder. More than one of the latter.
Underlying all of this is the writing. When it comes to subtlety, pacing, descriptive power, humor, dialogue and a few other qualities I'm probably forgetting because they're so expertly woven into the narrative, it would be hard to name another storyteller who approaches Gorman's level of skill, of artistry. Some paragraphs in New Improved Murder I read several times, not because I had trouble understanding them but because they are so damned good.
Here's one that left my jaw hanging open through three or four readings: She looked up with the eyes of an old woman, a certain bitterness, a certain resignation playing in the mysteries of the irises, like secrets glimpsed through vapors.
There are many examples of such insightful observations in New Improved Murder. Gorman is not just one helluva storyteller. He has the eye and heart of a poet. His characters are real breathing feeling people with blood in their veins. Reaching the end of one of his novels can leave you stunned, as if you've just said goodbye to friends. Take a deep breath. Shake it off. You can always find another Ed Gorman novel.
Pretty good line, no? Above? Didn't it make you just itch to dash out and bring home a fifth of Jack Dwyer? Not if you knew your booze it didn't. But if you knew your mystery writers—well, now that's another story. A good one at that.
You would have recognized Jack Dwyer as one of Ed Gorman's premier sleuths. And if you did you'd be apt to smile knowingly at the title we're talking about here—New Improved Murder--which is a play on a common advertising hook. And while you were smiling you might also have lobbed a chuckle my way for that opening line up above. And you wouldn't be at all confused by the commercial advertising references, because you would know that former cop-cum-P.I. Jack Dwyer solves his share of mysteries in the ego-mad milieu of ad agencies. And you would know this milieu is portrayed with frightening accuracy by a man who made his living in the ad world before he took up writing mysteries.
And if you are one of those unfortunates who have yet to experience the supreme pleasure of sipping one of Ed Gorman's fine mystery concoctions, I cannot imagine a better place to start than with one of his five Jack Dwyer novels. If you prefer to read novels in sequence, New Improved Murder happens to be the first in this series. And it has everything you, or I, could hope for: sleazy ad people, beautiful women—one's a redhead...yum—a vicious dog, gunplay, motives, weirdos, love, conundrums (fancy word for mysteries) and, obviously murder. More than one of the latter.
Underlying all of this is the writing. When it comes to subtlety, pacing, descriptive power, humor, dialogue and a few other qualities I'm probably forgetting because they're so expertly woven into the narrative, it would be hard to name another storyteller who approaches Gorman's level of skill, of artistry. Some paragraphs in New Improved Murder I read several times, not because I had trouble understanding them but because they are so damned good.
Here's one that left my jaw hanging open through three or four readings: She looked up with the eyes of an old woman, a certain bitterness, a certain resignation playing in the mysteries of the irises, like secrets glimpsed through vapors.
There are many examples of such insightful observations in New Improved Murder. Gorman is not just one helluva storyteller. He has the eye and heart of a poet. His characters are real breathing feeling people with blood in their veins. Reaching the end of one of his novels can leave you stunned, as if you've just said goodbye to friends. Take a deep breath. Shake it off. You can always find another Ed Gorman novel.
April 14, 2009
As far as being a "regional mystery" with a lot of Iowa atmosphere, this book didn't work. I actually looked up Cedar Rapids and realized New Improved Murder really is set there, but setting is not the important thing here. The plot and characters, however, are both excellent as is the writing. Jack Dwyer, ex-cop, would-be actor, and private eye, gets a call from his ex-girlfriend Jane and finds her holding a recently-fired gun, in shock, saying "He's dead" -- "he" being her more recent ex, an ad copywriter. Jack's efforts to clear Jane of the murder lead him into a complicated maze of mysterious people, a fair amount of blood, and a new relationship. I had a little trouble with Jack's cavalier attitude toward head injuries (his own) but otherwise found the book very enjoyable. I'll probably try another book, one of Donald Harstad's, to give Iowa a fair shake.
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June 30, 2012Typical murder mystey based on the world of advertising.
November 14, 2016
This is actually the first in the series.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews