Trace - (Joe Gunther Mystery) by Archer Mayor (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Vermont Bureau of Investigation (VBI) has been pulled onto three cases at the same time; meanwhile, VBI head Joe Gunther has to take time off to care for his ailing mother. Those cases are now in the hands of the individual investigators. Sammie Martens is assigned a murder case. The victim is a young woman, the roommate of the daughter of Medical Examiner Beverly Hillstrom, and a recent transplant from Albany, New York. Sammie must find out what put a hit man on the trail of this seemingly innocent young woman. Lester Spinney takes over a famous cold case, a double murder where a state trooper and a motorist were killed in an exchange of gunfire. Or so it has seemed for years. When Lester is told that the motorist's fingerprints were planted on the gun he's supposed to have fired, it opens the question--who really killed the state trooper? Willy Kunkle's case starts with a child's discovery of three teeth on a railroad track, leading eventually to a case of possible sabotage against critical military equipment. In cases that lead the team all over Vermont and nearby, Archer Mayor once again shows why his novels featuring Joe Gunther and the VBI team are among the finest crime fiction today.

Review Quotes

"Excellent . . . a dazzling tale that combines detection, compassion, small-town sociology, local politics, and personal priorities . . . How much better can Mayor get? This combination of detection and nonstop action is his best yet."
--Toronto Saturday Star

A deft mix of storm stories, political shenanigans, small-town procedural stuff and some pretty shocking buried secrets. One of [protagonist] Joe [Gunther]'s best."
--Kirkus Reviews

"All the Joe Gunther books are terrific . . . As they say in New England, wicked good writing." --Washington Post Book World

"I have a soft spot for quiet writers like Archer Mayor, whose unassuming voice and down to earth style stamp his regional crime novels with a sense of integrity. The strength of these narratives has always come from the author's profound understanding of his region and from his hero's intuitive ability to relate to the people who live there."
-- Marilyn Stasio,
The New York Times
"Superb"
--Publisher's Weekly
(starred review)

"It is our good fortune that Mr. Mayor's skills are equal to the vigor of his imagination."
--The New Yorker

"Mayor's elegiac tone and his insights into the human condition make [each book] a fine addition to one of the most consistently satisfying mystery series going."
--Thomas Gaughan,
Booklist

"Archer Mayor is producing what is consistently the best police procedural series being written in America."
--The Chicago Tribune

"As a stylist, Mayor is one of those meticulous construction
workers who are fascinated by the way things function. He's the boss man on procedures."
--The New York Times

"Mayor is not given to gimmicks and manipulation. There are flashier writers, but few deliver such well-rounded novels of such consistent high quality."
--Arizona Daily Star

"A fine thriller"
--Wall Street Journal

"First rate . . . Mayor has a way with white-knuckle final scenes, and he does it again in this atmospheric story."
--Los Angeles Times

"Lots of cat-and-mouse suspense . . . enough twists and turns to keep the reader on the chair's edge."
--Publisher's Weekly

"This fine series offers all the elements that have captivated readers for more than two decades: solid police-procedural detail, a vivid sense of place, and wonderfully human interactions."
--Booklist on Paradise City
"A riveting read...Mayor writes an intelligent mystery....It's a pleasure to find a story that captures readers' attention, makes them care about the characters--and offers such dark chills."
--Associated Press on Tag Man