Death at Fort Devens - (Andy Roark Mystery) by Peter Colt (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

It's a race against time to find a teenager missing on the mean streets of Boston, in this hardboiled mystery featuring Andy Roark, Vietnam veteran turned Private Investigator.

Boston, 1985. Private Investigator Andy Roark left the military behind years ago, but his past comes flooding back when he's hired by an old army buddy who's worried about his rebellious teenage daughter's safety. There are bonds of blood between Roark and the highly-decorated Lieutenant Colonel Dave Billings, forged in the steamy Vietnamese jungle, and some debts aren't easy to forget.

Working the case for free, Roark's investigation quickly leads him to Boston's Combat Zone, five acres of sex, drugs and crime, right in the heart of one of America's oldest cities - and to Judy's unsavory new boyfriend, the drug-dealing K-nice.

Then Judy runs away, and the clock starts ticking in earnest. Roark is determined to save his friend's daughter from a life of drugs and prostitution, but it'll take more than missing-person flyers and polite questions to save the girl and get them both out of the concrete jungle of the Combat Zone alive.

This page-turning hard-edged mystery, written by a US Army veteran and New England police officer, is a great choice for readers who enjoy military detail, twisty plots and classic PI heroes with plenty of flaws, humour and attitude.

Review Quotes

A classical mystery with an honor-bound detective and a keen sense of place . . . Roark is genuinely likeable (not too tough, but not a patsy)-- "The New York Times on Back Bay Blues"

Atmospheric . . . Should appeal to fans of the early works of Dennis Lehane and Robert B. Parker-- "Library Journal on The Off-Islander"

Entertaining . . . Like Philip Marlowe - or Robert Parker's Spenser - Andy has a sharp eye for telling detail and male haberdashery-- "Publishers Weekly on The Off-Islander"

Excellent . . . balances a gripping plot with further development of Roark's character. Jeremiah Healy fans looking for a new Beantown hero will be eager for more-- "Publishers Weekly Starred Review of Back Bay Blues"

Lots of attitude-- "Kirkus Reviews on The Off-Islander"

Roark's skill at his job is displayed amid a gift for self-conscious mockery . . . There's plenty of room for detection and a blood-soaked finale-- "Booklist on Back Bay Blues"

About the Author

Peter Colt is a 1996 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a BA in Political Science and a 24-year veteran of the Army Reserve with deployments to Kosovo and Iraq as an Army Civil Affairs officer. He is currently a police officer in Rhode Island. He is married with two sons and two perpetually feuding cats. He is the author of the Andy Roark mysteries: The Off-Islander, Back Bay Blues and Death at Fort Devens.