What do you think?
Rate this book
Joe Gunther #32
Marked Man
In Archer Mayor's Marked Man, the death of a local millionaire becomes suspicious when Joe Gunther learns that he was not who he claimed.
A year ago, local philanthropist and millionaire Nathan Lyon died a natural death in his sprawling mansion, a 150,000 square foot converted mill, surrounded by his loving, attentive family. Or so it seemed at the time. Now Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team has discovered that almost nothing about that story was true. Nathan Lyon was actually Nick Bianchi from Providence, Rhode Island. His money came from Mafia-tainted sources. And his family now seems to be dying themselves and their deaths are now revealed to be murders.
As Gunther's team desperately works to uncover what is going on at The Mill, who is responsible and what they are trying to accomplish, Joe himself travels to Rhode Island to look into the original source of the money. While the police are doing their jobs, private investigator Sally Kravitz teams up with reporter Rachel Reiling to expose the truth behind this tangled and expanding web of duplicity, greed, and obsession. Having betrayed many, it's no surprise that Nathan Lyon was a marked man. But now Gunther has to figure out who, among the many, killed him, and stop them before their killing spree claims another.
A year ago, local philanthropist and millionaire Nathan Lyon died a natural death in his sprawling mansion, a 150,000 square foot converted mill, surrounded by his loving, attentive family. Or so it seemed at the time. Now Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team has discovered that almost nothing about that story was true. Nathan Lyon was actually Nick Bianchi from Providence, Rhode Island. His money came from Mafia-tainted sources. And his family now seems to be dying themselves and their deaths are now revealed to be murders.
As Gunther's team desperately works to uncover what is going on at The Mill, who is responsible and what they are trying to accomplish, Joe himself travels to Rhode Island to look into the original source of the money. While the police are doing their jobs, private investigator Sally Kravitz teams up with reporter Rachel Reiling to expose the truth behind this tangled and expanding web of duplicity, greed, and obsession. Having betrayed many, it's no surprise that Nathan Lyon was a marked man. But now Gunther has to figure out who, among the many, killed him, and stop them before their killing spree claims another.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2021
96 people are currently reading
3290 people want to read
About the author
Archer Mayor
44 books735 followersOver the years, Archer Mayor has been photographer, teacher, historian, scholarly editor, feature writer, travel writer, lab technician, political advance man, medical illustrator, newspaper writer, history researcher, publications consultant, constable, and EMT/firefighter. He is also half Argentine, speaks two languages, and has lived in several countries on two continents.
All of which makes makes him restless, curious, unemployable, or all three. Whatever he is, it’s clearly not cured, since he’s currently a novelist, a death investigator for Vermont’s medical examiner, and a police officer.
Archer has been producing the Joe Gunther novels since 1988, some of which have made the “ten best” or “most notable” lists of the Los Angeles and the New York Times. In 2004 Mayor received the New England Booksellers Association book award for fiction.
Intriguing plots, complex characters, and a vivid landscape are the foundation of Archer Mayor's award-winning New England thrillers.
All of which makes makes him restless, curious, unemployable, or all three. Whatever he is, it’s clearly not cured, since he’s currently a novelist, a death investigator for Vermont’s medical examiner, and a police officer.
Archer has been producing the Joe Gunther novels since 1988, some of which have made the “ten best” or “most notable” lists of the Los Angeles and the New York Times. In 2004 Mayor received the New England Booksellers Association book award for fiction.
Intriguing plots, complex characters, and a vivid landscape are the foundation of Archer Mayor's award-winning New England thrillers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
August 24, 2021
A new Joe Gunther book is always a cause for celebration. I just love this team! Each member brings a different strength, but none so much as Willy. As Mayor writes “Willy Kunkle was a singularly intricate piece of work.”
And this time, Mayor has created a particularly unique introduction. A med student is working on his cadaver when he realizes the old man didn't die of natural causes. Not with a broken hyoid bone and hemorrhaging in the strap muscles like that. And once that initial death begins to be investigated, others follow.
It’s also a rare treat to have a police procedural series where everyone is ensconced in healthy relationships. Writing about Joe and Beverly, Mayor states “ they were a couple of life’s veterans, survivors of loss and sorrow, exposed through their jobs to more than an average portion of trauma and viciousness. They’d also known and trusted each other for decades. Their love was a settled, solid thing, as reliable as the cast iron woodworking tools he had in his next door shop.”
Mayor created a convoluted mystery that kept me engaged with several different storylines that finally came together. The initial victim was despised by his entire family, giving us lots of possible suspects. Sally Kravitz again makes an appearance, investigating employee theft in one of the family businesses. And the third storyline involves an aging mob tagalong who’s agreement to do time in exchange for a “pension” was forgotten. I had no clue how it would play out and I can’t believe any reader would. But the ending worked really well.
This is a series best read in order, as Mayor doesn’t waste a lot of time rehashing folks’ background.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
And this time, Mayor has created a particularly unique introduction. A med student is working on his cadaver when he realizes the old man didn't die of natural causes. Not with a broken hyoid bone and hemorrhaging in the strap muscles like that. And once that initial death begins to be investigated, others follow.
It’s also a rare treat to have a police procedural series where everyone is ensconced in healthy relationships. Writing about Joe and Beverly, Mayor states “ they were a couple of life’s veterans, survivors of loss and sorrow, exposed through their jobs to more than an average portion of trauma and viciousness. They’d also known and trusted each other for decades. Their love was a settled, solid thing, as reliable as the cast iron woodworking tools he had in his next door shop.”
Mayor created a convoluted mystery that kept me engaged with several different storylines that finally came together. The initial victim was despised by his entire family, giving us lots of possible suspects. Sally Kravitz again makes an appearance, investigating employee theft in one of the family businesses. And the third storyline involves an aging mob tagalong who’s agreement to do time in exchange for a “pension” was forgotten. I had no clue how it would play out and I can’t believe any reader would. But the ending worked really well.
This is a series best read in order, as Mayor doesn’t waste a lot of time rehashing folks’ background.
My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.
August 24, 2021
I found this author by coincidence a couple of years ago and I am so glad I did. Archer Mayor is a master at writing mysteries. Marked Man out September 28 is the latest book abourt Joe Gunther and his colleagues at VBI in Vermont. This time they get a case that is a little unusual, a suspicious death that apparently happened 9 month ago. At the same time we get to follow a man released from prison after surving time for a murder he didnt do forty years ago. He is looking for answers why he wasn't compensated by the mob. Will the two mysteries connect and if so how? I really love the characters mr. Mayor has created in this series and the environment he knows so well. I strongly recommend all that you read these books and enjoy the wonderful Vermont scenery. I must thank @minotaur_books @macmillanusa and @this_is_edelweiss for letting me read this advance copy and @archermayorbooks for writing this stuff. Great work sir.
September 19, 2021
It all started when a medical student preparing for his next laboratory assignment discovers that the cadaver he is working on didn’t die of natural causes. The student together with one of the teaching staff determine that the person died of strangulation. So begins the journey down the rabbit hole for Joe Gunther and his team at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation.
As Joe and his team conduct their investigation, they discover that the deceased was Nathan Lyon also known as, Nick Bianchi, a former crime boss who died a year earlier. Thus any evidence of foul play has since been lost. Now it’s up to Joe and the team to unearth the forensic files, conduct interrogations of Nathan’s friends and relatives. But as soon as the team gets close to uncovering clues, two more family members end up dead. Accidents or murders? Joe and the team need to solve the mystery before anymore bodies turn up.
Marked Man is the 32nd novel in the Joe Gunther series, but it is possible to read it as a standalone. However, I think that reading a few of the prior Gunther series would be beneficial in understanding the established characters. Especially since Marked Man has over a dozen different characters; and this reader had somewhat of a difficult time keeping track of who’s who without taking notes. I must say, however, that all the characters are well developed with unique personalities.
The storyline is somewhat complex in that there are several narratives occuring at the same time and it’s not until the end that they all converge into an unexpected ending.
Overall Marked Man is a remarkable read deserving of four stars.
I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
As Joe and his team conduct their investigation, they discover that the deceased was Nathan Lyon also known as, Nick Bianchi, a former crime boss who died a year earlier. Thus any evidence of foul play has since been lost. Now it’s up to Joe and the team to unearth the forensic files, conduct interrogations of Nathan’s friends and relatives. But as soon as the team gets close to uncovering clues, two more family members end up dead. Accidents or murders? Joe and the team need to solve the mystery before anymore bodies turn up.
Marked Man is the 32nd novel in the Joe Gunther series, but it is possible to read it as a standalone. However, I think that reading a few of the prior Gunther series would be beneficial in understanding the established characters. Especially since Marked Man has over a dozen different characters; and this reader had somewhat of a difficult time keeping track of who’s who without taking notes. I must say, however, that all the characters are well developed with unique personalities.
The storyline is somewhat complex in that there are several narratives occuring at the same time and it’s not until the end that they all converge into an unexpected ending.
Overall Marked Man is a remarkable read deserving of four stars.
I received a digital ARC from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
October 12, 2021
If you have not read a Joe Gunther book before, you will have no problem with this book. Everything is explained without spoilers for the earlier books. One of the great pleasures of this series is following the lives of the team; I have a crush on Willy personally, but they are all interesting and fun to read about.
A reader who enjoys mysteries and police procedurals cannot do better than a book about Joe Gunther and the VBI. This is the 32nd book of the series, so if you are new to these tales, you have a lot of pleasure ahead of you and I am almost jealous. In the meantime, you have this excellent book in front of you.
A reader who enjoys mysteries and police procedurals cannot do better than a book about Joe Gunther and the VBI. This is the 32nd book of the series, so if you are new to these tales, you have a lot of pleasure ahead of you and I am almost jealous. In the meantime, you have this excellent book in front of you.
November 8, 2021
Another well done mystery from Archer Mayor. The Joe Gunther series is probably one of the most consistent high quality series being written today, with a cast of interesting VBI (Vermont Bureau of Investigation) members who all bring different strengths and personalities to the job.
In the Marked Man, there is a murder discovered a year after the victim died, then followed by suspicious deaths in that man’s family. Now, that man was a somebody, Nathan Lyon, an eccentric billionaire, who lived in a converted mill building in Brattleboro with his wife and his extended family. One year after Lyon’s death, supposedly of natural causes, having learned of the real manner of death, Gunther and his team have opened an investigation of the victim and all those surrounding him in an effort to make up for lost time. Among their finds: Nathan Lyon didn’t exist before his life in Brattleboro. So who was the victim exactly? Then there is another death in the family. As usual for me, I will stop there and leave it to the readers to learn more details.
I recommend this book, and series, to any readers who enjoy police procedurals. The individual team members are well developed and each has their own style. It’s definitely possible to step into this series and pick up relationships that are important as enough background is provided.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
In the Marked Man, there is a murder discovered a year after the victim died, then followed by suspicious deaths in that man’s family. Now, that man was a somebody, Nathan Lyon, an eccentric billionaire, who lived in a converted mill building in Brattleboro with his wife and his extended family. One year after Lyon’s death, supposedly of natural causes, having learned of the real manner of death, Gunther and his team have opened an investigation of the victim and all those surrounding him in an effort to make up for lost time. Among their finds: Nathan Lyon didn’t exist before his life in Brattleboro. So who was the victim exactly? Then there is another death in the family. As usual for me, I will stop there and leave it to the readers to learn more details.
I recommend this book, and series, to any readers who enjoy police procedurals. The individual team members are well developed and each has their own style. It’s definitely possible to step into this series and pick up relationships that are important as enough background is provided.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 30, 2021
Complicated family, hidden history, disguised murder
“Marked Man” by Archer Mayor is part of the series featuring Special Agent Joe Gunther, Vermont Bureau of Investigation. Characters, both new and recurring, are described in detail within the context of the situation. Readers get to know the players through personal details and background information dropped in as part of the narrative. The story opens in an unusual way when a medical student at the University of Vermont finds something unfamiliar, and suddenly the classroom cadaver ceases to be an instructional tool and instead becomes a case for the state medical examiner.
Alternating points of view take readers back and forth among several seemingly separate stories told by different people with diverse perspectives. Gunther and team are investigating a rash of unexplained deaths. Members of a prominent family are dying one by one. Is someone from the outside killing off people or is the murderer a member of the messed-up family? The missing piece in this tangled and complicated mess is “why.” Other characters are investigating not only these tragic deaths but additional problematic activities as well. Is it possible that each of these events is a little sliver of the same case? It is almost as if people are working on a jigsaw puzzle made up of pieces from four different boxes; nothing really fits together.
At first, the narrative seems disconnected with lots of balls being juggled in the air at one time while readers wonder which will fall first. This is far from the truth, and even the book’s title hints at the surprising and shocking connection. The story has a lot of family members with complex relationships, and I was tempted to make a family chart, but even that was complicated. Just reading about them made me understand why people wanted them dead.
I received a review copy of “Marked Man” from Archer Mayor, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Publishing. Each book in the “Joe Gunther Series” is strong, well organized, and stands on its own. Continuing characters wander in and out of complex plots giving readers an opportunity to know them as “real” people with strengths and weaknesses, mistakes and successes. The books do not have to be read in order, so those who might have missed a few in the series can easily go back and read them now.
“Marked Man” by Archer Mayor is part of the series featuring Special Agent Joe Gunther, Vermont Bureau of Investigation. Characters, both new and recurring, are described in detail within the context of the situation. Readers get to know the players through personal details and background information dropped in as part of the narrative. The story opens in an unusual way when a medical student at the University of Vermont finds something unfamiliar, and suddenly the classroom cadaver ceases to be an instructional tool and instead becomes a case for the state medical examiner.
Alternating points of view take readers back and forth among several seemingly separate stories told by different people with diverse perspectives. Gunther and team are investigating a rash of unexplained deaths. Members of a prominent family are dying one by one. Is someone from the outside killing off people or is the murderer a member of the messed-up family? The missing piece in this tangled and complicated mess is “why.” Other characters are investigating not only these tragic deaths but additional problematic activities as well. Is it possible that each of these events is a little sliver of the same case? It is almost as if people are working on a jigsaw puzzle made up of pieces from four different boxes; nothing really fits together.
At first, the narrative seems disconnected with lots of balls being juggled in the air at one time while readers wonder which will fall first. This is far from the truth, and even the book’s title hints at the surprising and shocking connection. The story has a lot of family members with complex relationships, and I was tempted to make a family chart, but even that was complicated. Just reading about them made me understand why people wanted them dead.
I received a review copy of “Marked Man” from Archer Mayor, Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Publishing. Each book in the “Joe Gunther Series” is strong, well organized, and stands on its own. Continuing characters wander in and out of complex plots giving readers an opportunity to know them as “real” people with strengths and weaknesses, mistakes and successes. The books do not have to be read in order, so those who might have missed a few in the series can easily go back and read them now.
October 26, 2021
I’ve read and reviewed well over 400 novels on Goodreads but this one is perhaps the most painful.
I’d been a fan of Archer Mayor for many years. I’d recommended his novels to several friends. No, his stories don’t change your life. They’re not the type of books that days later you’re thinking about. However, they’re enjoyable, they pass some time and hey, isn’t that what a book is supposed to do.
I always felt a connection to Joe, Willy, Lester and Sammie. I felt like I knew them personally and that I, too, had a vested interest in nabbing the bad guy.
I’ve read close to 20 of Mr. Mayor’s novels and although I didn’t love each and every one of then, his novels were pretty much always a lock for at least 4 stars.
Three years ago I read ‘Trace’ and could not in good conscience rate it more than 2 stars. I was surprised. I figured it was a one off. Hey, not every song by The Beatles is Let It Be.
After that, I read ‘Bury the Lead’ and was generous in rating that 2 stars. (I even commented in my review at the time that I was simply rating it 2 stars and not 1 due to the fact I’m a fan of Mr. Mayor.)
I decided to ‘take a break’ from his books for a while.
Last year I read ‘The Orphans Guilt.’ Correction: I TRIED reading The Orphans Guilt but after 200 pages, I gave up. This was the first time I was unable to read a book by Mr. Mayor.
Tonight, I decided to give him one more chance to keep me as a fan. Sadly, it didn’t work out.
I sat down with low expectations. I was reading simply to pass the time. However, I couldn’t even get through the first chapter!
Mr. Mayor’s books no longer read like novels or even procedurals but rather like textbooks. His writing is dry, he is overly wordy and overly descriptive, his dialogue—something I thought he was very skilled at—no longer rings true. And even those characters I used to identify with—Joe, Willy, Sammie and Lester---have become boring, bland and one dimensional.
I tried reading Marked Man but gave up after 15 minutes and only 6 pages. (I’m not a slow reader but the fact took a quarter of an hour to muddle my way through 6 measly pages tells you everything you need to know about his writing style and his wordiness.)
He needs to remember that books are supposed to be enjoyed, not something to endure and suffer through. We live in a fast-paced world nowadays with many distractions. If you don’t like this book, there are plenty of other options.
I couldn’t help but laugh when in the first chapter we’re introduced to 2 mafia guys. Their names? Fredo and Vito!
Really???
Really, Mr. Mayor???
Tell me, did anyone read that and not think of ‘The Godfather’?
This simply shows that either Mr. Mayor is out of touch or simply is just ‘phoning it in.’
I hate to end my review this way but I seriously think it’s time for Mr. Mayor to step away from writing for a while or at least come up with new characters.
I keep giving him chances to win me back but this was his last chance.
I’d been a fan of Archer Mayor for many years. I’d recommended his novels to several friends. No, his stories don’t change your life. They’re not the type of books that days later you’re thinking about. However, they’re enjoyable, they pass some time and hey, isn’t that what a book is supposed to do.
I always felt a connection to Joe, Willy, Lester and Sammie. I felt like I knew them personally and that I, too, had a vested interest in nabbing the bad guy.
I’ve read close to 20 of Mr. Mayor’s novels and although I didn’t love each and every one of then, his novels were pretty much always a lock for at least 4 stars.
Three years ago I read ‘Trace’ and could not in good conscience rate it more than 2 stars. I was surprised. I figured it was a one off. Hey, not every song by The Beatles is Let It Be.
After that, I read ‘Bury the Lead’ and was generous in rating that 2 stars. (I even commented in my review at the time that I was simply rating it 2 stars and not 1 due to the fact I’m a fan of Mr. Mayor.)
I decided to ‘take a break’ from his books for a while.
Last year I read ‘The Orphans Guilt.’ Correction: I TRIED reading The Orphans Guilt but after 200 pages, I gave up. This was the first time I was unable to read a book by Mr. Mayor.
Tonight, I decided to give him one more chance to keep me as a fan. Sadly, it didn’t work out.
I sat down with low expectations. I was reading simply to pass the time. However, I couldn’t even get through the first chapter!
Mr. Mayor’s books no longer read like novels or even procedurals but rather like textbooks. His writing is dry, he is overly wordy and overly descriptive, his dialogue—something I thought he was very skilled at—no longer rings true. And even those characters I used to identify with—Joe, Willy, Sammie and Lester---have become boring, bland and one dimensional.
I tried reading Marked Man but gave up after 15 minutes and only 6 pages. (I’m not a slow reader but the fact took a quarter of an hour to muddle my way through 6 measly pages tells you everything you need to know about his writing style and his wordiness.)
He needs to remember that books are supposed to be enjoyed, not something to endure and suffer through. We live in a fast-paced world nowadays with many distractions. If you don’t like this book, there are plenty of other options.
I couldn’t help but laugh when in the first chapter we’re introduced to 2 mafia guys. Their names? Fredo and Vito!
Really???
Really, Mr. Mayor???
Tell me, did anyone read that and not think of ‘The Godfather’?
This simply shows that either Mr. Mayor is out of touch or simply is just ‘phoning it in.’
I hate to end my review this way but I seriously think it’s time for Mr. Mayor to step away from writing for a while or at least come up with new characters.
I keep giving him chances to win me back but this was his last chance.
June 8, 2021
304 pages
5 stars
Joe, Special Agent for Vermont's Bureau of Investigation (VBI), Beverly Hillstrom, state medical examiner and Joe's girlfriend, Willy the one-armed detective, Sammie, his partner, and Lester are all back for this latest police investigation. Rachel Reiling, reporter, also returns for this book.
Joe receives a telephone call from Beverly. She tells Joe that a medical student made a startling discovery in his cadaver class. The death is now suspicious. The man's name was Nathan Lyon an eighty-two year old from Joe's hometown.
Sammie and Lester go to interview Nathan's widow and family.
At the same time, private investigator Sally Kravitz gets a related case. Someone is stealing from the food business in the same huge building where all of the Lyons live.
Compiling all the information given by those interviewed, the reader finds Nathan Lyon was a monster: controlling and vicious. As one interviewee called him, “...a spider spinning his web.” As the investigation continues, the police learn Nathan's real identity.
Then more bodies turn up. All in the Lyon family and all living at the compound. The team reaches out to other police agencies. They look into Nathan's past now that they know who he really is.
It all comes together in the end.
In Archer Mayor's usual style, this book is very well written and plotted. I enjoyed meeting up with the old gang again. I really like Joe, Willy and the others. They are all such different people, yet they work together very well. I had no problem keeping the cops and the suspects straightened out. Having read all of Mr. Archer's previous novels, I was very familiar with the usual characters. So, all I had to do was keep the suspects and various other witnesses in order. This is a bang up read and I truly enjoyed it. I usually don't read books with organized crime involved in them, but this novel had me hooked. Next please, Mr. Mayor!
I want to thank St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
5 stars
Joe, Special Agent for Vermont's Bureau of Investigation (VBI), Beverly Hillstrom, state medical examiner and Joe's girlfriend, Willy the one-armed detective, Sammie, his partner, and Lester are all back for this latest police investigation. Rachel Reiling, reporter, also returns for this book.
Joe receives a telephone call from Beverly. She tells Joe that a medical student made a startling discovery in his cadaver class. The death is now suspicious. The man's name was Nathan Lyon an eighty-two year old from Joe's hometown.
Sammie and Lester go to interview Nathan's widow and family.
At the same time, private investigator Sally Kravitz gets a related case. Someone is stealing from the food business in the same huge building where all of the Lyons live.
Compiling all the information given by those interviewed, the reader finds Nathan Lyon was a monster: controlling and vicious. As one interviewee called him, “...a spider spinning his web.” As the investigation continues, the police learn Nathan's real identity.
Then more bodies turn up. All in the Lyon family and all living at the compound. The team reaches out to other police agencies. They look into Nathan's past now that they know who he really is.
It all comes together in the end.
In Archer Mayor's usual style, this book is very well written and plotted. I enjoyed meeting up with the old gang again. I really like Joe, Willy and the others. They are all such different people, yet they work together very well. I had no problem keeping the cops and the suspects straightened out. Having read all of Mr. Archer's previous novels, I was very familiar with the usual characters. So, all I had to do was keep the suspects and various other witnesses in order. This is a bang up read and I truly enjoyed it. I usually don't read books with organized crime involved in them, but this novel had me hooked. Next please, Mr. Mayor!
I want to thank St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
June 4, 2021
I'm a huge fan of Archie Mayor as I used to live in Brattleboro (the setting for most of his books) and I probably find it easier than most to follow his stories since I can often visualize exactly where his characters are. I enjoyed this one more than the last few, but as others have said, it does include quite a number of characters and I had to check myself a few times to make sure I had it right. I liked how the story intersected with goings on in Providence--that added a new element. All in all, I was quite satisfied with this latest book. I think readers are going to want to read a few of his earlier works before tackling this one so that they can get a good taste of his characters and settings.
November 12, 2021
Agatha Christie meets the Rhode Island mob in the latest Joe Gunther book. A mill in Brattleboro has been converted to house the psychotic family patriarch and his children and step-children, along with their business enterprises. But he is now dead and then others start dying.
Joe, Willy, Lester, Sam - and Rachel and Sally - have to puzzle through the complexities of this one. Thank goodness for DNA evidence.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Joe, Willy, Lester, Sam - and Rachel and Sally - have to puzzle through the complexities of this one. Thank goodness for DNA evidence.
3.5 stars, rounded up.
December 8, 2021
After reading the last Joe Gunther book, The Orphan's Guilt, I had almost decided that I was through with this Archer Mayor series. I had grown tired of the main characters even though the action and plot were interesting. My wife brought home the newest Gunther from the library and I gave it a whirl. I like this book much better than the last one. Partly because there is an expanded cast of villains and victims and partly because of the complexity of the suspect family, this novel is just more interesting than the last one. We still have the main core of the team, Joe, Sammie, Willie and Lester, all still locked into their characters, but a bit more exciting when pitted against the Lyon family. Rachel makes an appearance and is less irritating than in the last novel. So I rate this book as well worth reading, especially if you've been along for the long ride.
October 5, 2021
First off- I've been a huge fan of this series but know that this latest installment, more than most of the earlier ones, can be read as a standalone because, to my disappointment, it relies less on the characters of the VBI and more on a tangled and somewhat confusing series of murders within one family. Whew. That's not to say that I didn't gulp this down. Nathan Lyons was a wealthy, mysterious, and controlling man who more or less forced his entire family to move their own families and their businesses into a renovated mill. When a medical student dissecting his neck as part of an anatomy class discovers that he was actually murdered, Joe Gunther and the VBI are called in. And then more bad things happen. At the same time, Eddie (the Mouse) has just been released from prison for the long ago murder of a mob kid and he's out to find out the truth about that hit. You know the two stories will link up but how? Usually the Gunther books have a heavy (and welcome) dose of Vermont- this does not, and the beloved VBI officers (Willie, Sam, Lester) are less important than usual (they do the interviews, sure but..). The central mystery of who killed Nathan takes twists (what a dysfunctional family) and you will be forgiven if you like me find yourself rereading the last chapter to see if you missed something. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A must read for Mayor fans, a good entry for new readers. I'm looking forward to the next one.
October 12, 2021
Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series is just the best. When I finish his latest book I always look forward to the next. "Marked Man" is the most recent book, and it is wonderful; well worth waiting for. (Can you tell I'm a big fan?)
I don't like spoilers so I won't give any. You can get the outline of the story from the blurb. It is pretty convoluted, with a number of strands feeding into the main story. Personally. I found the Rhode Island aspects of the story most beguiling because I used to live there. YMMV!
If you have not read a Joe Gunther book before you will have no problem with this book. Everything is explained without spoilers for the earlier books. One of the great pleasures of this series is following the lives of the team; I have a crush on Willy personally, but they are all interesting and fun to read about.
A reader who enjoys mysteries and police procedurals cannot do better than a book about Joe Gunther and the VBI. This is the 32nd book of the series, so if you are new to these tales, you have a lot of pleasure ahead of you and I am almost jealous. In the meantime, you have this excellent book in front of you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I don't like spoilers so I won't give any. You can get the outline of the story from the blurb. It is pretty convoluted, with a number of strands feeding into the main story. Personally. I found the Rhode Island aspects of the story most beguiling because I used to live there. YMMV!
If you have not read a Joe Gunther book before you will have no problem with this book. Everything is explained without spoilers for the earlier books. One of the great pleasures of this series is following the lives of the team; I have a crush on Willy personally, but they are all interesting and fun to read about.
A reader who enjoys mysteries and police procedurals cannot do better than a book about Joe Gunther and the VBI. This is the 32nd book of the series, so if you are new to these tales, you have a lot of pleasure ahead of you and I am almost jealous. In the meantime, you have this excellent book in front of you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
October 30, 2021
What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive...
This book had some many twists and turns, once you think you figured one out then bam, you find out that your guess is all wrong.
Archer Mayor, did a wonderful job of taking 1 murder? wait 2 murders? 3 murders? maybe 4 murders along family secrets, mob secrets, adultery and tying it up in a neat little bow. Joe Gunther and is investigating team have a unique way of interviewing and chasing leads; this allows the reader to enjoy the plot twists and turns as they figure out the "who done it" to each of the mysteries.
I really enjoyed all the characters and learning about each character as well as, the lies, secrets and actions of each on. Even the investigative characters had interesting backgrounds!
This book had some many twists and turns, once you think you figured one out then bam, you find out that your guess is all wrong.
Archer Mayor, did a wonderful job of taking 1 murder? wait 2 murders? 3 murders? maybe 4 murders along family secrets, mob secrets, adultery and tying it up in a neat little bow. Joe Gunther and is investigating team have a unique way of interviewing and chasing leads; this allows the reader to enjoy the plot twists and turns as they figure out the "who done it" to each of the mysteries.
I really enjoyed all the characters and learning about each character as well as, the lies, secrets and actions of each on. Even the investigative characters had interesting backgrounds!
September 12, 2021
Archer Mayor keeps up his strong work. Many other authors struggle with a series this long but reading a Joe Gunther book is like putting a warm blanket over you. There is a past mystery and a present mystery that we work through. The family dynamics of the victims family are fascinating and a bit horrifying.
Fun ride.
I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review
Fun ride.
I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review
August 6, 2024
Not one of his better books. He spends a lot of time reintroducing the main characters in his series, and the story felt a bit mechanical. The secret sauce in the Joe Gunther stories are the character's likeability. Gunther is a genuinely nice guy, being amiable, honorable and driven to catch the crooks. There didn't seem to be anything to like or dislike about him or his team in this mystery.
November 2, 2021
Well done, as always. Mayor trends a bit away from the regular crew - very little of Sam, Beverly, Lester or even Rachel and Sally. Nevertheless, he weaves an intricate (maybe too intricate) tale of murder in a wealthy family with a shady background that takes us to Rhode Island and the mob.
July 13, 2022
A little convoluted plot but what a fascinating concept. Very Agatha Christie to have all the members of a family in one lavish but secure building slowly being murdered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 17, 2021
The new Joe Gunther novel MARKED MAN from author Archer Mayor starts out in an understated manner.
A lone medical student is working on a cadaver when he notices something amiss and soon Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team (Willy Kunkle, Samantha Martens and Lester Spinney) find themselves investigating a year old murder that was deemed a natural death.
But it won't be easy, to say the least. The crime "scene" is a year old and in the midst of huge complex that houses the victim's entire family. And though Nathan Lyon is dead, the iron grip he had on those in his orbit remains strong so there are suspects aplenty. And if that isn't enough, it would appear that Nathan Lyon wasn't who he said he was...even his name isn't real.
As the story unfolds, the team learns that the victim was originally from Providence, Rhode Island. He had ties to a time when the mob held strong in the city. Joe Gunther has to take a trip to Providence to get a feel for the man Lyon was in order to determine if the murder had any ties to the past.
Meanwhile, Willy, Sam and Lester are trying to track down the alibis for the family members. But as they do, more bodies start dropping. Someone is going to extraordinary lengths to keep the family secrets buried. Joe and his team have to figure out the whodunit before even more people wind up dead.
When the story focuses on this aspect of the story, the narrative is propelled along quite nicely but there's two separate subplots to deal with as well. While both eventually tie into the main story, I felt that they could've done without them. The first deals with reporter Rachel Reiling and P.I. Sally Kravitz working separate threads of their own that involve the dead man and his family. Their work, both solo and together, helps illuminate more about Nathan Lyon but it almost felt like it was done so the characters could be included in the story.
The second subplot was just flat out annoying. The readers are taken along for a ride as two old-school mob foot soldiers are out to avenge one of them being set up for a fall with promised recompense in the future nowhere to be found. There was no way to sympathize with the characters and each chapter that featured them until the very end was just a distraction from the main plotline.
I did appreciate the rather understated way the story ended. It demonstrated that kind of New England pragmatism that shows characters there to do their work and simply get on with things.
While I did enjoy the main plot of the book, the unfortunate subplot digressions of MARKED MAN made parts of the book a bit of a slog to get through at times.
A lone medical student is working on a cadaver when he notices something amiss and soon Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team (Willy Kunkle, Samantha Martens and Lester Spinney) find themselves investigating a year old murder that was deemed a natural death.
But it won't be easy, to say the least. The crime "scene" is a year old and in the midst of huge complex that houses the victim's entire family. And though Nathan Lyon is dead, the iron grip he had on those in his orbit remains strong so there are suspects aplenty. And if that isn't enough, it would appear that Nathan Lyon wasn't who he said he was...even his name isn't real.
As the story unfolds, the team learns that the victim was originally from Providence, Rhode Island. He had ties to a time when the mob held strong in the city. Joe Gunther has to take a trip to Providence to get a feel for the man Lyon was in order to determine if the murder had any ties to the past.
Meanwhile, Willy, Sam and Lester are trying to track down the alibis for the family members. But as they do, more bodies start dropping. Someone is going to extraordinary lengths to keep the family secrets buried. Joe and his team have to figure out the whodunit before even more people wind up dead.
When the story focuses on this aspect of the story, the narrative is propelled along quite nicely but there's two separate subplots to deal with as well. While both eventually tie into the main story, I felt that they could've done without them. The first deals with reporter Rachel Reiling and P.I. Sally Kravitz working separate threads of their own that involve the dead man and his family. Their work, both solo and together, helps illuminate more about Nathan Lyon but it almost felt like it was done so the characters could be included in the story.
The second subplot was just flat out annoying. The readers are taken along for a ride as two old-school mob foot soldiers are out to avenge one of them being set up for a fall with promised recompense in the future nowhere to be found. There was no way to sympathize with the characters and each chapter that featured them until the very end was just a distraction from the main plotline.
I did appreciate the rather understated way the story ended. It demonstrated that kind of New England pragmatism that shows characters there to do their work and simply get on with things.
While I did enjoy the main plot of the book, the unfortunate subplot digressions of MARKED MAN made parts of the book a bit of a slog to get through at times.
October 29, 2021
Let me begin by saying that this is the FIRST book in the series that I have read. And sadly, for being the thirty-second book in a series, I felt that the main group characters felt very one-dimensional and under developed. I didn't feel like I had missed anything by not reading any of the other books either, which was very surprising.
Sadly, for me this book was just too much. There were too many characters thrown into the pot to be able to keep track of them (much less care about them). In fact, I think the author even got confused as they bounce back and forth between Gene having been Monica's son that she gave up for adoption, then saying that Nathan was just a "donor" to Gene's mother. If the author can't keep their own characters straight, how am I as the reader?
There were also too many story-lines, which I'm sure intersected at some point, and possibly even in a creative way, but after three days of trying to get through this story, I just couldn't force myself to pick it up anymore.
I think a lot of this has to do with the overly lengthy descriptions we are given. In some areas, it felt more like I was reading from a history book than one meant to be entertaining, here is a passage from the story that I picked at random for an example, "As suggestive as that was of nineteenth-century sweatshops factories, spewing pollution and working women and children to death, the reality today was mostly modern American Bland - shopping malls, commercial strips, auto graveyards, and converted factories, closing around pockets of sedate, middle-class neighborhoods that stuck like barnacles to the river's banks".
There were a lot of instances of the author going on those long-winded tangents about the area, taking up page after page of things that (for me at least) seemed completely unrelated to the story or the characters. In fact, I found myself skimming a lot of these passages in an attempt to get back to the story itself, but in the end had to give up for the sake of my sanity.
My best advice? If you're a long-time fan of the series, give it a shot. If you're looking for a fast-paced police procedural? You might want to skip this one.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
Sadly, for me this book was just too much. There were too many characters thrown into the pot to be able to keep track of them (much less care about them). In fact, I think the author even got confused as they bounce back and forth between Gene having been Monica's son that she gave up for adoption, then saying that Nathan was just a "donor" to Gene's mother. If the author can't keep their own characters straight, how am I as the reader?
There were also too many story-lines, which I'm sure intersected at some point, and possibly even in a creative way, but after three days of trying to get through this story, I just couldn't force myself to pick it up anymore.
I think a lot of this has to do with the overly lengthy descriptions we are given. In some areas, it felt more like I was reading from a history book than one meant to be entertaining, here is a passage from the story that I picked at random for an example, "As suggestive as that was of nineteenth-century sweatshops factories, spewing pollution and working women and children to death, the reality today was mostly modern American Bland - shopping malls, commercial strips, auto graveyards, and converted factories, closing around pockets of sedate, middle-class neighborhoods that stuck like barnacles to the river's banks".
There were a lot of instances of the author going on those long-winded tangents about the area, taking up page after page of things that (for me at least) seemed completely unrelated to the story or the characters. In fact, I found myself skimming a lot of these passages in an attempt to get back to the story itself, but in the end had to give up for the sake of my sanity.
My best advice? If you're a long-time fan of the series, give it a shot. If you're looking for a fast-paced police procedural? You might want to skip this one.
DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.
February 3, 2022
Marked Man – A Joe Gunther Novel – 2021 - *** – Joe Gunther and the crew from Vermont delve deeply into one affluent family and a series of deaths. Gunther and crew are as likable as always, showing light humor, police procedural, and human characteristics that make you want to root for them. After all of that, the story falls sharply on improbables to the extreme, making the plot and solution bizarre and unbelievable. Too bad. Mayor has a lot of skill and is wasting it on far fetched happenings just to make a story. The twists and turns involving a multitude of characters and points of view were complex and hard to keep in focus. Some readers may like that, others not so much. Mayor did provide some key charts to help understand the brew that was being mixed, which I referred to frequently. Without these, I think I may have given up on the book about half way through. Will I read more Mayor, maybe. But if the next one is of this quality, that would be an end to Mayor for me.
December 21, 2021
I don't like books with too many characters to keep track of, some with similar names. Not fond of switching scenes every other chapter much less within same chapter. I kept forgetting the family flowchart and eventually just focused on the areas actually solving the myriad of who belongs to who and what was their part in the plot. Not a very interesting story or ending. All pretty much predictable.
December 24, 2021
My goodness, where are all these 4s and 5s coming from? The story line is just OK but there are too many characters. I hate it when you have a narrative going and then you have a space and they they are off on a different story line. Not my idea of a good book. I will finish it just to see who the culprit is. Well, now we know who did it.
January 28, 2022
Author Archer Mayor may be running out of steam after 32 books in the Joe Gunther series. The premise of this mystery (which I will not divulge) is pretty strong, but the execution is verbose and formulaic.
February 24, 2023
Every author of a renowned series is entitled to one flop. Marked Man is Archer Mayor’s. The book features a flat, predictable series of events and unremarkable resolutions.
August 15, 2021
Marked Man – Archer Mayor
A medical student is laboring over his patient in the anatomy lab, when he makes an unexpected discovery – a broken hyoid bone in a patient who supposedly died of natural causes. A trip to the medical examiners office results in a reclassification of Nathan Lyon’s death to suspicious, likely consistent with a strangulation.
Special Agent Joe Gunther of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation catches the case and begins with the deceased’s family where he finds an unusual living arrangement, containing all of Nathan’s diverse, extended family living in a luxurious, spacious, renovated old mill. The set-up of each of the characters in the family was intriguing – like a logic problem, or a Clue game. It took me quite a while to remember who each of the family members were, and how they were related, and why.
Meanwhile, a couple of old mob thugs appear, Eddie & Fredo, looking to right an old wrong. Eddie has just been released from prison after a multi-year stint for taking the blame for a murder he did not commit, with the promise that the mob would reward him for his sacrifice. Eddie now is trying to collect on that promise, but most of the players are dead. But that will not stop him from trying…
As the investigation commences, and Joe and his team, along with other familiar faces including Willy, Sally Kravitz and Bev’s daughter Rachel, try to piece together the lives and occupations of the famed Mill residents. As Joe digs deeper into Nathan’s life, he discovers a past identity, and thanks to DNA technology, the ripple effects that gone events are causing in the present, resulting in murder…
I always love re-visiting some of my old New England haunts in Archer Mayor’s series, and it is always a delight to see his beloved characters grace my pages again. While I had a bit of difficulty keeping my characters straight at times, and I often scratched my head trying to figure out where the storyline was going, it all finally comes together, making this a very satisfying read!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an objective review.
A medical student is laboring over his patient in the anatomy lab, when he makes an unexpected discovery – a broken hyoid bone in a patient who supposedly died of natural causes. A trip to the medical examiners office results in a reclassification of Nathan Lyon’s death to suspicious, likely consistent with a strangulation.
Special Agent Joe Gunther of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation catches the case and begins with the deceased’s family where he finds an unusual living arrangement, containing all of Nathan’s diverse, extended family living in a luxurious, spacious, renovated old mill. The set-up of each of the characters in the family was intriguing – like a logic problem, or a Clue game. It took me quite a while to remember who each of the family members were, and how they were related, and why.
Meanwhile, a couple of old mob thugs appear, Eddie & Fredo, looking to right an old wrong. Eddie has just been released from prison after a multi-year stint for taking the blame for a murder he did not commit, with the promise that the mob would reward him for his sacrifice. Eddie now is trying to collect on that promise, but most of the players are dead. But that will not stop him from trying…
As the investigation commences, and Joe and his team, along with other familiar faces including Willy, Sally Kravitz and Bev’s daughter Rachel, try to piece together the lives and occupations of the famed Mill residents. As Joe digs deeper into Nathan’s life, he discovers a past identity, and thanks to DNA technology, the ripple effects that gone events are causing in the present, resulting in murder…
I always love re-visiting some of my old New England haunts in Archer Mayor’s series, and it is always a delight to see his beloved characters grace my pages again. While I had a bit of difficulty keeping my characters straight at times, and I often scratched my head trying to figure out where the storyline was going, it all finally comes together, making this a very satisfying read!
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an objective review.
September 3, 2021
“Marked Man” by Archer Mayor marks the second book (after last year’s “The Orphan’s Guilt”) in my return to the Joe Gunther mystery series, having taken a break after the first 13. And I continue to be glad to be back!
This one starts with a medical student realizing that his cadaver didn’t die a natural death, which turns a routine death of an older patriarch into a murder case for Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation. The victim, millionaire Nathan Lyon, was a local eccentric who moved his entire extended family into an old, converted mill, where he proceeded to rule over them with an iron fist. The question isn’t really who wanted him dead (that was everybody), but who was the one who finally got up the courage to do the deed. We meet the not-too-bereaved wife along with an assortment of sons, half-brothers, daughters-in-laws, and who knows what else. Once the team starts digging into the past, we find out that the complicated relationships are even way more confusing than originally thought (you might actually need a family tree diagram!).
We also have a parallel story of a low-level mob enforcer who just got out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He is on the trail of finding out who actually committed the crime, since all that was promised to him didn’t come true. Along with his cousin, he travels the murky past of the Rhode Island mob scene, on a collision course with the Nathan Lyon investigation.
Mr. Mayor does a fine job of weaving the stories together, merging the past history with today’s crimes. We also have some supporting roles for old favorites Sally Kravitz and Rachel Reiling, adding some color to the tale. Joe’s VBI colleagues don’t have much to do in this episode outside of routine work, but it’s still nice to have them around. Although the family machinations are a bit far-fetched and confusing, it’s still a nice return to old friends.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
This one starts with a medical student realizing that his cadaver didn’t die a natural death, which turns a routine death of an older patriarch into a murder case for Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation. The victim, millionaire Nathan Lyon, was a local eccentric who moved his entire extended family into an old, converted mill, where he proceeded to rule over them with an iron fist. The question isn’t really who wanted him dead (that was everybody), but who was the one who finally got up the courage to do the deed. We meet the not-too-bereaved wife along with an assortment of sons, half-brothers, daughters-in-laws, and who knows what else. Once the team starts digging into the past, we find out that the complicated relationships are even way more confusing than originally thought (you might actually need a family tree diagram!).
We also have a parallel story of a low-level mob enforcer who just got out of prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He is on the trail of finding out who actually committed the crime, since all that was promised to him didn’t come true. Along with his cousin, he travels the murky past of the Rhode Island mob scene, on a collision course with the Nathan Lyon investigation.
Mr. Mayor does a fine job of weaving the stories together, merging the past history with today’s crimes. We also have some supporting roles for old favorites Sally Kravitz and Rachel Reiling, adding some color to the tale. Joe’s VBI colleagues don’t have much to do in this episode outside of routine work, but it’s still nice to have them around. Although the family machinations are a bit far-fetched and confusing, it’s still a nice return to old friends.
I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from St. Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
November 12, 2024
After 31 Joe Gunther novels, the author's style has matured and allows for the creation of stories with familiar elements and characters yet are not overtly formulaic. Sometimes that results in complex plots with interwoven story arcs that push parts of the tale along but generally get in the way - case in point, the former mob foot soldiers Fredo and Eddie.
The narrative has a lot of loose ends with strange, almost providential incidents that baffle our heroes as the body count mounts. Characters pop in and out, deliver their lines, and aren't heard from again. The new duo of PI Sally Kravitz and reporter/photographer Rachel Reiling offer future possibilities and though serve a purpose, add to the burgeoning cast of characters.
As for the plot itself, Vermont, it seems, draws wealthy megalomaniacs and psychopaths to Joe Gunther's front door. Oddly, the amount of cash flowing into the locals hands for the mega-construction projects undertaken in all these novels must vaporize in the frigid cold. In this instance it is a mob fellow-traveller who reinvented himself as a wealthy eccentric in the Green Mountain State. He refurbished a former mill into a five story domicile for his extended family with space left over to house their separate business ventures and rules them all as a puppet master through their dependance on his money. In his old age, he dies in bed, his body willed to science as a cadaver for medical students. Things begin to unravel when one of the students discovers the man's death might not have been from natural causes. What follows goes back and forth between ancient mob history and present-day shenanigans orchestrated by the departed puppet master whose ideas about family are decidedly medieval.
The narrative has a lot of loose ends with strange, almost providential incidents that baffle our heroes as the body count mounts. Characters pop in and out, deliver their lines, and aren't heard from again. The new duo of PI Sally Kravitz and reporter/photographer Rachel Reiling offer future possibilities and though serve a purpose, add to the burgeoning cast of characters.
As for the plot itself, Vermont, it seems, draws wealthy megalomaniacs and psychopaths to Joe Gunther's front door. Oddly, the amount of cash flowing into the locals hands for the mega-construction projects undertaken in all these novels must vaporize in the frigid cold. In this instance it is a mob fellow-traveller who reinvented himself as a wealthy eccentric in the Green Mountain State. He refurbished a former mill into a five story domicile for his extended family with space left over to house their separate business ventures and rules them all as a puppet master through their dependance on his money. In his old age, he dies in bed, his body willed to science as a cadaver for medical students. Things begin to unravel when one of the students discovers the man's death might not have been from natural causes. What follows goes back and forth between ancient mob history and present-day shenanigans orchestrated by the departed puppet master whose ideas about family are decidedly medieval.
October 9, 2021
There aren't many mystery series that can still deliver a great read with the 32nd book in the series. Archer Mayor is one of those rare authors and it was a pleasure to escape into the world of Joe Gunther and the members of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. While it works fine as a stand alone, treat yourself and read them all in order.
This starts out with a medical student and his medical school team's cadaver. Having started with the man's back and done all the required classroom work there it's time to turned him over and work from the front. Therein lies the surprise - what had been ruled a natural death nine months ago turns out to be anything but - with a broken hyoid bone. The cadaver fondly referred to as Wilber was a murder victim. Not only that, the name on his death certificate, Nathan Lyon, wasn't his real name, either. He was Nick Bianchi and he had been in The Mob, big time. Time to call on Joe Gunther and his team.
Their list of suspects would fill a small phone book and the killer has turned to Nick's family for some more killings. With an investigation that has many threads to follow, this is a well constructed complex puzzle. There are lots of characters to keep track of but it follows very well. One of the many things I like about this series is the subtle sense of humor - like this...."Hyoids, like karaoke singers, can be of unreliable quality." Add to that a fine cast of recurring characters and it's no surprise that this series continues to be, at least for this reader, a must read.My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's/Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
This starts out with a medical student and his medical school team's cadaver. Having started with the man's back and done all the required classroom work there it's time to turned him over and work from the front. Therein lies the surprise - what had been ruled a natural death nine months ago turns out to be anything but - with a broken hyoid bone. The cadaver fondly referred to as Wilber was a murder victim. Not only that, the name on his death certificate, Nathan Lyon, wasn't his real name, either. He was Nick Bianchi and he had been in The Mob, big time. Time to call on Joe Gunther and his team.
Their list of suspects would fill a small phone book and the killer has turned to Nick's family for some more killings. With an investigation that has many threads to follow, this is a well constructed complex puzzle. There are lots of characters to keep track of but it follows very well. One of the many things I like about this series is the subtle sense of humor - like this...."Hyoids, like karaoke singers, can be of unreliable quality." Add to that a fine cast of recurring characters and it's no surprise that this series continues to be, at least for this reader, a must read.My thanks to the publisher St. Martin's/Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 5, 2021
From the Goodreads Blurb: In Archer Mayor's Marked Man, the death of a local millionaire becomes suspicious when Joe Gunther learns that he was not who he claimed. A year ago, local philanthropist and millionaire Nathan Lyon died a natural death in his sprawling mansion, a 150,000 square foot converted mill, surrounded by his loving, attentive family. Or so it seemed at the time. Now Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team has discovered that almost nothing about that story was true. Nathan Lyon was actually Nick Bianchi from Providence, Rhode Island. His money came from Mafia-tainted sources. And his family now seems to be dying themselves and their deaths are now revealed to be murders.
The Rhode Island connection was interesting. I'm pretty sure this was the first book I've read that has any reference in it to Rhode Island.
A tangled mess of characters, but Mayor provides charts, and keeping the relationships straight was relatively easy. The family "enclave" was a weirdly interesting setting. (Old mill buildings, I remember were something of a trademark in the Joe Gunther books.)
I realized part way along, that I had missed #30 and #31 in the series. They are now on order at the bookstore. I have also ordered used copies the first two books in the series; if they are as good a second time around we might work our way through them again as Read-alouds.
The Rhode Island connection was interesting. I'm pretty sure this was the first book I've read that has any reference in it to Rhode Island.
A tangled mess of characters, but Mayor provides charts, and keeping the relationships straight was relatively easy. The family "enclave" was a weirdly interesting setting. (Old mill buildings, I remember were something of a trademark in the Joe Gunther books.)
I realized part way along, that I had missed #30 and #31 in the series. They are now on order at the bookstore. I have also ordered used copies the first two books in the series; if they are as good a second time around we might work our way through them again as Read-alouds.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews