Back Bay Blues

An Andy Roark Mystery #2

by Peter Colt

"A classical mystery with an honor-bound detective and a keen sense of place... Besides having the P.I. spiel and the P.I. moves down pat, Roark is genuinely likable (not too tough, but not a patsy) and very much a character of his time." - The New York Times Book Review on BACK BAY BLUES


In the second hardboiled P.I. mystery by law enforcement officer and Iraq veteran Peter Colt, a Boston P.I. struggling to come to terms with his role in the Vietnam war investigates the murder of a beautiful, young Vietnamese woman's uncle in 1985 New England.

Theft, greed, and corruption collide in Peter Colt's hard-edged mystery featuring Vietnam veteran turned Boston P.I. Andy Roark.

1985, Boston. In Vietnam, Andy Roark witnessed death and horrifying destruction. But for the soldiers who made it back alive, there are other casualties of war--the loss of tenderness, trust, and connection. Still feeling adrift, Andy has struck up a welcome friendship with Nguyen, a Vietnamese restaurant owner. Sipping beer and trading memories after the restaurant shutters, Andy gradually learns of the extraordinary lengths Nguyen took to flee Saigon shortly after its fall.

Andy's latest case, too, has ties to Vietnam. His new client, a young Vietnamese woman, hires him to investigate her uncle's murder. Andy discovers a connection to a group of refugees determined to overthrow the communist government--and extorting local business owners to raise funds. The search for more answers takes Andy to D.C. and San Francisco, and into a web of political and personal betrayal. For near the heart of this mystery is a link to Nguyen's daring escape. Decades have passed, but sometimes the price of freedom twists allies into enemies, loyalties into betrayals, and truth into lies...

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Audiobook, Noir

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 29, 2020

About the author

Peter Colt is currently a police officer in a small New England city where he has worked since 2007. He spent over twenty years in the Army reserve and was deployed to Kosovo in 2000, where he was attached to the Russian Army. He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and again in 2008. He was fortunate to get to know many Vietnam vets and U.S. Army Special forces soldiers. He lived on Nantucket Island from 1973‑1986. He’s currently working on the next Andy Roark mystery.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back bay blues was written by Peter Colt.
I listened to the audiobook version of it and the narrator did a good job. Pleasant and easy to follow.
This is my first novel by this author.
The story is a fiction of mystery and crime. P. I., Andy Roark to will have to try to solve this case, with lots of twists and turns. No one can be trusted.
It’s a very “80’s” book with Magnum P. I mustaches, Lots of cigarette smoking and the popular attire is fancy sweat suits. Andy Roark was in Vietnam. He will recall a lot of things that happened to him over there in light of this new case.
I found it very entertaining and would recommend it to an older adult audience.

Thank you NETGALLEY and the publisher for this ARC audiobook, in exchange for my honest review.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Protagonist Andy Roark has used up a cat’s nine lives and then some in two books by author Peter Colt. This one, “Back Bay Blues” is set mostly in Boston during the Reagan era. Roark’s life is highly influenced by PTSD from his time served in Vietnam. The recalled Vietnam descriptions are authentic and disturbing, the plot of the book is inventive but sometimes over the top. A pretty good read; on a side note, I enjoyed the author’s detailed accounts about food and and dining experiences. 3.5

[Stephen Clutter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many cliche's

I feel in love with the first book and by the time I read the second, I wanted a divorce. Too much regurgitating the past. This guy Andy needs some professional help.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked the first Andy Roark book, you'll like this one. If you haven't read the first one and you want to read this one, you definitely can. 1980s grizzled PI story against a backdrop of Boston and SF. Endless reference to his Vietnam War past. Sometimes felt like the time period was an excuse to describe things in a way that wouldn't fly in 2020. For me personally, I ended up skimming a lot of the last bit. However, I think a lot of people enjoy this type of book and this is one worth their while. For fans of: long descriptions of guns, cranky Nam vets, and constant references to the fickle nature of Boston's early spring weather.
2.5 rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really want to like this series more than I have. For one thing, it leans too much on Andy Roark's Vietnam experience. And this book really leans into it. From Vietnamese ex-pats to an old Vietnam Army buddy helping out, it is all over the book. And his flashbacks cover probably a third to a half of the book. And it is exhausting to be honest.

But it is a pretty good Boston detective series despite that. I enjoy the "now" Andy Roark character quite a bit. And the losses he suffers are heartfelt. The descriptions of Boston of the mid-80s are spot on, even if too many cigarettes are smoked. The action is good and while the story drags in spots, it still moves along pretty well. While it is no Spenser (which Roark actually reads during one flight!), it is still good enough to try the next one in the series.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roark did a tour in Vietnam, time in the Boston PD, and has refugee friends with similar memories who count him as a friend as well, became a PI. When a journalist in Boston and an import/export man in DC are murdered because of their positions when still living in their homeland, questions need to be asked and Roark is the one to to it. Along the way he is hired by a young Vietnamese American woman, gets royally beaten, and travels a lot looking for answers about these men while dealing with his own forms of survivor's guilt and probable PTSD. I found it a very good read.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific entry in the Boston PI genre. It's 1985 and the war in Vietnam is not yet a distant memory, especially for a guy like Andy Roark, who has PTSD. When he's approached by Thuy Duong to investigate the murder of her beloved uncle Hieu, he discovers there are vast disagreements in the local Vietnamese emigre community, many of which stretch back years. There's also corruption, which Hieu had planned to expose. It's a complicated plot with great atmospherics. And the character are boffo. Yes Roark has demons but he's facing them. Thanks to n Netgalley for the ARC. This is the second in the series but fine as a standalone. I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Don Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3). Andy Roark is a solid protagonist. Definitely in the slighted but enduring category, he has lots of flaws but is ready for action and has a good soul. I really enjoyed this book, but wonder if others who did not grow up in the Vietnam war era will be quite as intrigued. There is so much reference to the war and its effect on Roark and everyone else in this story I am not sure it would be as compelling to those readers of a different era. Either way, this is well written and moves very nicely, I will look for the next in the series. Good stuff.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Installment #2 in this series and in my opinion it’s not as good as the first book. Still love the character, Andy Roark is a tough guy and does seem to have a guardian angel watching over him. He has his demons, PTSD and nightmares but the case he takes in this book was a little over the top for me and found myself skimming the technical and military stuff. He always finds a woman to bed and this time it gets him in some deep corruption sh**.

[Marjorie Hoversten · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book. The mystery was uninteresting and poorly presented. Too much of the book was taken up with the main character’s obsession with his time in Vietnam. And of course there was the obligatory sexual hookup with one of the women who was obviously not what she seemed. Don’t waste your time!

[Anne Crockett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad - nods to Robert B. Parker (Spenser for hire), Dashiell Hammet (Sam Spade) and a bit of John D. McDonald (Travis McGee) set in Boston. A quick read, not overly complicated. The story moved right along. What I liked best were the settings - he didn't invent streets and landmarks, but used actual locations.

[Mitchell Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

He needs to take over the Spenser series

Mr. Colt can tell a story. You can almost feel him picking up the mantle of Robert B. Parker , telling hard boiled detective stories in that irreverent way. The Spenser series is starting to get a bit formulaic and a fresh pen like Mr. Colt’s would work wonders.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A PI with PTSD from his tours in Vietnam. The back ground is Boston 1985 where our PI has made friends within the immigrant sections of town. He is hired to investigate a death where the circumstances are suspicious. This is the second book in a very promising series. Andy Roark could be the next Spenser For Hire. I'm definitely recommending to my reading circle.

[Rory Duran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would try something different for the new year. This is not my cup of tea. The author paid a lot of attention to detail, as in clothing and furnishings. Brand names in a book don't add to my understanding of the person or room. The plot was good but I probably will not read more in this series.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of years have passed since the events of Off-Islander. The niece of a murdered man asks Andy to look into his murder, thinking that it wasn't the mugging the police wanted to say it was. Plenty of tough-guy action and more complications than the beginning would indicate. Again, not great, but a fun enough read to go for the next one as well.

[Lauri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Roark Wins and Loses Again

This second book in the Andy Roark series is a great exploration of his character and the effect of the Vietnam war on soldiers well after their fighting was done. There are so many layers exposed as we follow his misadventures in solving this golden mystery.

[TC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the series about an Ex-Vietnam vet turned PI in Boston. Best part of listening to this book on audio is that the narrator has a heavy Boston accent. Lots of violence, but it is pretty funny too. Great plot that twists and turns.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mother would love all the Boston references.. I loved all the 80’s time markers that brought that decade close. I feel sorry for the detective, he does a good job but needs some help in getting his life together..

[Wendy Hearder-moan]

Can’t rate this as I had a defective copy and therefore missed about 30 pages. However I will say that I wasn’t so riveted that I needed to rush out and get a non-defective copy. Some interesting info about the war in Vietnam in the part I read.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this novel although the protagonist, Andy Roark, is a dead ringer for Sam Spade in his attitude and behaviour. But I learned a lot about Vietnam and the war. That part was interesting. The mystery itself kept my interest and the characters are all quite well developed.

[Mel Brannen · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF - kinda slow. Started skipping the Viet Nam memory stories about half way through the book. I know what they say and they slow down the current case. But when the storyline moves on to spies and government overthrow it’s too far out for me.

[Augie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book of a current series of three about a Vietnam vet turned private eye in the Boston area. The second book was even better than the first and now look forward to reading number three and hopefully others to yet follow,

[James Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Horrible war in a Andy Roark Mystery

Vietnam was a horrible war. I lost a HS classmate in the war and knew several others. This book is a lesson in the horror that those soldiers suffered during and after the war.

[Jewel Carrie Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving 4 stars because the story was good, but the back cover’s blurb should be rewritten. It makes the story predictable. You can figure out “who did it?” from reading just the first few chapters.

[OjoAusana · Rating 1 out of 5]

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* whelp that was a rather long racist and slur packed book.... also kinda creepy. not my cup of tea

[William Koon · Rating 2 out of 5]

After absorbing the beauty of Jon Banville’s Snow, following up with Peter Colt’s Back Bay Blues, felt like walking into a very diminished world with empty promise. Nothing in life is fair.

[Mark Rimelspach · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detective book with hero who miraculously never gets killed while all around him do. Good historical references to Vietnam war.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking you back a few decades to post-Vietnam America. Had to get out the map a couple of times to keep up. Intrigue and CIA ! Lots of violence against persons. Surprised about the ending.

[Bob Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of surprises

Good read. Tried too hard to be the second coming of Robert Parker. Some clever phrases. Good Boston background throughout.

[Juliewheatcox.Net · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery for guys.