Judging from Archer Mayor’s THE SECOND MOUSE, things are hopping in Upstate Vermont, which is kind of surprising since all I think about Vermont is snow, ski, Larry, Darryl and Darryl.
MOUSE is advertised as a mystery, but to be honest, the mystery element is more window-dressing to other things going on. This book is in the long line of novels featuring Joe Gunther, a cop who works for the major crime squad of Vermont. A women is found dead by her neighbor; it seems her heart just gave out, but Joe has a different idea: He is sure the owner of the house – the father of the woman’s former boyfriend, who died months earlier – is behind it.
While Gunther follows that line of investigation, we have a concurrent story of three lowlife ex-biker types out for criminally minded kicks. The group is comprised of Mel, the psychotic one; his wife, Nancy; and Ellis, who is pretty much joined at the hip of the former and sleeping with the latter.
Mayor tells a story like episodic television, juggling multiple storylines that never leave you lost. It’s more about the investigation then the actual crime. Once Joe figures out the mystery of the woman’s death, you feel closure, even if it’s not what Joe wanted it to really be. Mayor does a great job with this kind of story, painting a book that feels like big-time police work, but in a smaller setting than most of us are used to. –Bruce Grossman
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