The Butcher's Boy by Peter Hawes, Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosely, Pitch Dark by Paul Doiron

 

The Butcher's Boy by Peter Hawes wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted The Butcher's Boy by Thomas Perry, but I wasn't paying attention.  

Nevertheless, I enjoyed it--although there were some uneasy moments.  Garen Gerard is a retired assassin, having given up his "career" after an incident that scarred him emotionally.

Past: Garen, son of a butcher, was living with his father and little sister, but when he was ten, corrupt police ruined his father, abducted his sister, and left Garen with his broken father, who shortly thereafter killed himself.  

Present: When a neglected young girl in the apartment next door catches his interest, Garen begins packing her lunches wanting to protect her as he was unable to protect his little sister. When an overdose leaves one man dead and her father jailed, he takes her under his wing.

The story moves back and forth in time, revealing how Garen became an assassin in the past and how he is drawn in again in the present.  This time, in addition to his other problems, Garen is the target.

Entertaining.  If you are a fan of Orphan X, you might enjoy The Butcher's Boy.

I read this in April or early May, and just noticed there is a new cover that doesn't appeal to me.  I like this one much better than the new one.

Assassin.  Print length:  306 pages.  Feb., 2024.

This is my first book by Walter Mosely, although I've been familiar with his Easy Rawlins books through others.  Farewell, Amethystine is the latest installment in the series and provides an interesting introduction for me.

Since I had never read anything by Mosely, there were plenty of times I knew that I was missing background information and characters.  Nevertheless, I liked Easy Rawlins, his strong family dynamic, and his friendships.

The novel opens in the 1970's with many references of a time gone by that amused me.  From mentions of songs and incidents, to Easy's reminiscences of his role in WWII, to the lack of cell phones, the small details give atmosphere.

Easy is now 50 and beset with two cases at once.  Amethystine Stoller comes to him for help in finding her ex-husband and Easy's friend with the LAPD Mel Suggs is also out of contact and in trouble.  Easy has his hands full.

If I can find time, I might want to try the first book in this classic series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books

Private Investigator.  June 4, 2024.  Print Length:  333 pages.  

Another book that I haven't read any of the previous books in the series, Pitch Dark is the 15th Mike Bowditch mystery.  Mike is a Maine game warden investigator who (since this is the 15th book) manages to have a great deal to investigate.

In this case, he's curious about a man who has gone missing after inquiring about a reclusive builder in the north woods and his young daughter.  Easy enough to get lost in the north woods of Maine, but something about the man's search for Redmond and his daughter bothers Mike.

Redmond is building a cabin for bush pilot Josie Johnson, a friend of his father-in-law, Charlie.  Mike and Charlie decide to visit Josie and see if she will fly them to the location of her new cabin.  Things go terribly wrong, and Mike ends up hunting Redmond and young Cady, afraid that she is in danger.  

The novel works fine as a stand-alone, but I found Mike a little too full of himself, often seeming juvenile and, although brave and committed, not entirely likable.  There is a twist that you may or may not suspect earlier in the book.  There is a lot of suspense as Mike tracks Redmon and Cady up to the Canadian border and beyond.  

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this fast-paced adventure through the woods of Maine.

Suspense/Mystery.  June 25th, 2024.  Print length:  304 pages.