Stephen Dau's The Book of Jonas is a marvelous, lyrical debut that examines the effects of war on everyone involved. Dau weaves together the stories...
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I like the snappy, witty dialogues and the off-the-grid characters who portray Portland so well. I especially enjoyed imagining myself in the scenes set in familiar locales and the real-time descriptive passages.
Detective Bowers is a great character. He reminds me of the older mystery dicks who had some personality and lived real lives outside their police work. His new partner Minnie is a kick, too, and adds just the right amount of sexy spice to the story. I can see all these characters developing with time and blossoming in their personal relationships, so I'm assuming we are going to get a sequel, or two? Hope so. Because I want to follow along and see how they handle their personal adventures. As for the crime, I really liked having the victim's POV right from the get go and then following along as the cops track the scent to the killer. There's a nasty police bureau cover-up that is quite credible and the ending makes it all fit. The interviews with old hookers and a peek into the S&M scene was a kick too. Nothing phony or contrived about this mystery. A big round of applause for Ray Bates -- he hooked me from the first chapter, and the characters and gritty prose and brainy humor kept me turning the pages until the very end.
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tttyrone has commented on (1) product.
Blue Butterfly: A Detective John Bowers Mystery by Ray Bates
tttyrone, August 7, 2006
I like the snappy, witty dialogues and the off-the-grid characters who portray Portland so well. I especially enjoyed imagining myself in the scenes set in familiar locales and the real-time descriptive passages.Detective Bowers is a great character. He reminds me of the older mystery dicks who had some personality and lived real lives outside their police work. His new partner Minnie is a kick, too, and adds just the right amount of sexy spice to the story. I can see all these characters developing with time and blossoming in their personal relationships, so I'm assuming we are going to get a sequel, or two? Hope so. Because I want to follow along and see how they handle their personal adventures. As for the crime, I really liked having the victim's POV right from the get go and then following along as the cops track the scent to the killer. There's a nasty police bureau cover-up that is quite credible and the ending makes it all fit. The interviews with old hookers and a peek into the S&M scene was a kick too. Nothing phony or contrived about this mystery. A big round of applause for Ray Bates -- he hooked me from the first chapter, and the characters and gritty prose and brainy humor kept me turning the pages until the very end.
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)