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Mac McKenzie #1
A Hard Ticket Home
Ex-St. Paul cop Rushmore McKenzie has more time, and more money, than he knows what to do with. In fact, when he's willing to admit it to himself (and he usually isn't), Mac is downright bored. Until he decides to do a favor for a friend facing a family Nine-year-old Stacy Carlson has been diagnosed with leukemia, and the only one with the matching bone marrow that can save her is her older sister, Jamie. Trouble is, Jamie ran away from home years ago. Mac begins combing the backstreets of the Twin Cities, tracking down Jamie's last known associates. He starts with the expected pimps and drug dealers, but the path leads surprisingly to some of the Cities' most respected businessmen, as well as a few characters far more unsavory than the street hustlers he anticipated. As bullets fly and bodies drop, Mac persists, only to find that what he's looking for, and why, are not exactly what he'd imagined. David Housewright's uncanny ability to turn the Twin Cities into an exotic, brooding backdrop for noir fiction, and his winning, witty hero Rushmore McKenzie, serve as a wicked one-two punch in A Hard Ticket Home, a series debut that reinforces Housewright's well-earned reputation as one of crime fiction's rising stars.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 4, 2004
448 people are currently reading
1899 people want to read
About the author
David Housewright
68 books418 followersA past president of the Private Eye Writers of America, David Housewright has published 28 crimes novels including In A Hard Wind (June 2023 St. Martin’s Minotaur) and has contributed short stories to 15 anthologies and other publications. He has earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, a Shamus nomination from the PWA, and three Minnesota Books Awards. A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man, he has also taught writing courses at the University of Minnesota and Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. His name and face were recently added to “Minnesota Writers on the Map” by the Minnesota Historical Society and Friends of the St. Paul Public Library.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 189 reviews
September 16, 2017
This book landed on my TBR list about a year ago because it is written by a Minnesotan and takes place in the Twin Cities area. It’s always fun to read a novel that is set in familiar territory. A couple of weeks ago I saw that the author would be participating in a five-author panel at my local library at the end of the month. I have already read books by two of the five authors (including Mindy Mejia who wrote Everything You Want Me To Be) and decided to try to read something by a couple of the others before the presentation.
A Hard Ticket Home is book #1 of the Mac McKenzie series. Mac is a former cop for the St. Paul police. He came into some money, and now he does PI type jobs for friends though he has never gotten around to getting licensed. This time, McKenzie takes on the assignment of finding a young woman, estranged from her family, who may be a bone marrow match for her little sister dying of leukemia. Little does Mac know this job is going to mushroom into something much much larger!
This protagonist is not particularly scarred and has no giant demons. He is a rather self-deprecating type of fellow who carries in his head “how to get through life challenges” quotes from his deceased father. He also has a cool sense of humor. I found him extremely likeable. I would call the character development in the story sketchy at best, but the likeability factor with Mac was a satisfactory tradeoff for me.
Other positive aspects include a convoluted (in a good way) plot. If you are paying very close attention and are a very smart and experienced sleuth, you may be able to put it together. Me being neither enjoyed seeing how everything eventually played out by the end. The story was very pacy and though the chapters weren’t short, I wanted to keep going whenever I finished one. The humor, Mac’s in particular, is a definite plus and makes up a bit for the first person narrative, which isn’t my favorite. The 2004 setting was refreshing (is that an oxymoron?). The many references to Twin Cities locations was a lot of fun as I spent a several years up there while in school.
I have to admit there were a number of instances where I had to put aside believability. However, I was able to do that, rather easily in fact, as I was having a rollicking good time with this book. Then there was the gore and violence. Being an enthusiastic crime fiction/thriller fan, this didn’t bother me either, but others might take offense.
I went into this novel with zero expectations. A basic shot in the dark. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it and will definitely be picking up book #2. I was shocked to see there are already 14 books in this series (number 14 released just this year), so I have a lot of enjoyment ahead of me. I recommend A Hard Ticket To Home for all crime fiction readers who don’t mind a few graphic scenes and some bigger than life elements.
A Hard Ticket Home is book #1 of the Mac McKenzie series. Mac is a former cop for the St. Paul police. He came into some money, and now he does PI type jobs for friends though he has never gotten around to getting licensed. This time, McKenzie takes on the assignment of finding a young woman, estranged from her family, who may be a bone marrow match for her little sister dying of leukemia. Little does Mac know this job is going to mushroom into something much much larger!
This protagonist is not particularly scarred and has no giant demons. He is a rather self-deprecating type of fellow who carries in his head “how to get through life challenges” quotes from his deceased father. He also has a cool sense of humor. I found him extremely likeable. I would call the character development in the story sketchy at best, but the likeability factor with Mac was a satisfactory tradeoff for me.
Other positive aspects include a convoluted (in a good way) plot. If you are paying very close attention and are a very smart and experienced sleuth, you may be able to put it together. Me being neither enjoyed seeing how everything eventually played out by the end. The story was very pacy and though the chapters weren’t short, I wanted to keep going whenever I finished one. The humor, Mac’s in particular, is a definite plus and makes up a bit for the first person narrative, which isn’t my favorite. The 2004 setting was refreshing (is that an oxymoron?). The many references to Twin Cities locations was a lot of fun as I spent a several years up there while in school.
I have to admit there were a number of instances where I had to put aside believability. However, I was able to do that, rather easily in fact, as I was having a rollicking good time with this book. Then there was the gore and violence. Being an enthusiastic crime fiction/thriller fan, this didn’t bother me either, but others might take offense.
I went into this novel with zero expectations. A basic shot in the dark. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it and will definitely be picking up book #2. I was shocked to see there are already 14 books in this series (number 14 released just this year), so I have a lot of enjoyment ahead of me. I recommend A Hard Ticket To Home for all crime fiction readers who don’t mind a few graphic scenes and some bigger than life elements.
April 2, 2025
I decided on a series binge of David Housewright’s Mac McKenzie collection, of which this is the first book. Housewright tackles this collection with a former St. Paul PD detective and the gritty actions he encounters. A great debut in this police procedural series is sure to have the reader on the edge of their seat as the mystery develops. Housewright delivers a story that handles the murder of a young woman and her connection to a sick family member. Housewright has me eager to see where things are headed and I am already hooked!
Former St. Paul police officer Mac “Rushmore” McKenzie is sitting on a pile of money and time after an event about which he does not want to talk. McKenzie’s bored, something he would not want to admit to anyone, and it’s driving him stir-crazy! He’s eager to help when a friend asks that he serve as an informal private investigator for a family in need. Stacy Carlson is only 9 years of age and has leukemia. She needs a bone marrow transplant and her rare blood type has made getting help even harder. There is one possible solution; testing her adult-age sister, but Jamie ran away from home many years ago.
As McKenzie begins his investigation, he leaves no stone unturned. He travels the streets of the Twin Cites to see if anyone has seen or heard from Jamie. No one has, nor is Jamie's name in any directory to which Mac McKenzie has access. He's left to wonder if this will be a futile effort, disappointing a family in need. After McKenzie receives an odd lead that sends him to Jamie's husband, he rushes to connect the dots.
When he thinks there is something tangible, McKenzie is devastated to learn that Jamie has been murdered by some people with dark connections. Even trying to connect with Jamie's husband proves that threats are keeping him from sharing anything. McKenziec has learned from his years in St. Paul, Minnesota, that you cannot stop working a case until all is clearly revealed and there are a few threads that could provide answers to locate Jamie's killers. David Housewright lures readers into a great series debut and leaves a great deal up in the air.
I fell into this series when I was handed an ARC of the latest novel. I wanted to begin at the start, which will ensure I have a long and exciting adventure along the way. Housewright delivers a strong debut with a narrative that is both solid and intriguing. Characters are gritty and protagonist Mac McKenzie proves how exciting this series is sure to be. The surprises that emerge in the plot kept me reading well into the night and eager to forge onwards. David Housewright is a great crime writer and I can see wonderful things are sure to emerge in this collection.
Kudos, Mr. Housewright, for a great debut novel that has me reaching for the next book now!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Former St. Paul police officer Mac “Rushmore” McKenzie is sitting on a pile of money and time after an event about which he does not want to talk. McKenzie’s bored, something he would not want to admit to anyone, and it’s driving him stir-crazy! He’s eager to help when a friend asks that he serve as an informal private investigator for a family in need. Stacy Carlson is only 9 years of age and has leukemia. She needs a bone marrow transplant and her rare blood type has made getting help even harder. There is one possible solution; testing her adult-age sister, but Jamie ran away from home many years ago.
As McKenzie begins his investigation, he leaves no stone unturned. He travels the streets of the Twin Cites to see if anyone has seen or heard from Jamie. No one has, nor is Jamie's name in any directory to which Mac McKenzie has access. He's left to wonder if this will be a futile effort, disappointing a family in need. After McKenzie receives an odd lead that sends him to Jamie's husband, he rushes to connect the dots.
When he thinks there is something tangible, McKenzie is devastated to learn that Jamie has been murdered by some people with dark connections. Even trying to connect with Jamie's husband proves that threats are keeping him from sharing anything. McKenziec has learned from his years in St. Paul, Minnesota, that you cannot stop working a case until all is clearly revealed and there are a few threads that could provide answers to locate Jamie's killers. David Housewright lures readers into a great series debut and leaves a great deal up in the air.
I fell into this series when I was handed an ARC of the latest novel. I wanted to begin at the start, which will ensure I have a long and exciting adventure along the way. Housewright delivers a strong debut with a narrative that is both solid and intriguing. Characters are gritty and protagonist Mac McKenzie proves how exciting this series is sure to be. The surprises that emerge in the plot kept me reading well into the night and eager to forge onwards. David Housewright is a great crime writer and I can see wonderful things are sure to emerge in this collection.
Kudos, Mr. Housewright, for a great debut novel that has me reaching for the next book now!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
August 25, 2020
Good enough start to a series, introducing Mac McKenzie, a former police officer who comes into a large amount of money, enough for some financial security, yet still has that 'itch' to investigate and works as an independent PI. His first case is to find a young woman who ran away from home years earlier. Her parents are looking for her because her younger sister who has cancer, needs a bone transplant. All very straightforward and sensible...
So the story starts out rather plain, set in the area around the twin cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis, but quickly dives into gangster-land and possibly corrupt rich guys working side-by-side with said gangsters. Maybe? Maybe not. It's another example of a story which is 'all is not what it seems to be...'
But with a lot of action thrown in. A lot of shootings. A few grisly details. Murders pile up as Mac gets nowhere fast. There's also women, each strikingly attractive - and described. In that way the book reminds me of earlier 'tough guy PI' stories in which the women are dames and stand around as entertainment devices rather than real people.
Now, as a first story in a series, not bad, and I'll probably continue with it, but I do hope women are served up as more than mere decorations with body parts described. But it does read as rather old-fashioned to be written in this century.
Mac is likeable, though, despite the fact he's one of those tough-talking wiseguys, and I'm gonna be honest, when a guy is cracking jokes with a gun pressed to his temple, or when he's bleeding, or in a gunfight I think, OMG, the 1960's! Everything's gotta be a joke, or witty, even when crawling out of a ditch with a concussion! (I was there in the 60's, btw; I know the genre.)
In summary: three generous stars.
So the story starts out rather plain, set in the area around the twin cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis, but quickly dives into gangster-land and possibly corrupt rich guys working side-by-side with said gangsters. Maybe? Maybe not. It's another example of a story which is 'all is not what it seems to be...'
But with a lot of action thrown in. A lot of shootings. A few grisly details. Murders pile up as Mac gets nowhere fast. There's also women, each strikingly attractive - and described. In that way the book reminds me of earlier 'tough guy PI' stories in which the women are dames and stand around as entertainment devices rather than real people.
Now, as a first story in a series, not bad, and I'll probably continue with it, but I do hope women are served up as more than mere decorations with body parts described. But it does read as rather old-fashioned to be written in this century.
Mac is likeable, though, despite the fact he's one of those tough-talking wiseguys, and I'm gonna be honest, when a guy is cracking jokes with a gun pressed to his temple, or when he's bleeding, or in a gunfight I think, OMG, the 1960's! Everything's gotta be a joke, or witty, even when crawling out of a ditch with a concussion! (I was there in the 60's, btw; I know the genre.)
In summary: three generous stars.
September 4, 2007
A HARD TICKET HOME (Unlicensed Sleuth/Former Cop-Minnesota-Cont) – VG
David Housewright - Standalone (or 1st of series, I hope)
St. Martin’s Minatour, 2004- Hardcover
Former policeman Rushmore McKenzie has enough money that he doesn’t need to work, but he likes helping people. He agrees to look for Jamie Carlson in hopes that she might be a bone marrow match for her younger sister. But a simple search turns much more dangerous as McKenzie becomes a target for murder and others start dying around him.
*** Having lately bemoaned the lack of strong, ethical-but-not-perfect protagonists, I’ve found one in McKenzie. When an embezzler offers him half the money, he chooses to quit the Force, turn the crook in and collect the reward money; he becomes angry at his best friend thinking of having an affair, and he berates himself in alphabetic order “Ass. Bastard. Creep…” This is a fast-moving book with excellent descriptions and dialogue, although a little weak on the secondary characters. But I was late for work because of not being able to put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this and have ordered all this other books.
David Housewright - Standalone (or 1st of series, I hope)
St. Martin’s Minatour, 2004- Hardcover
Former policeman Rushmore McKenzie has enough money that he doesn’t need to work, but he likes helping people. He agrees to look for Jamie Carlson in hopes that she might be a bone marrow match for her younger sister. But a simple search turns much more dangerous as McKenzie becomes a target for murder and others start dying around him.
*** Having lately bemoaned the lack of strong, ethical-but-not-perfect protagonists, I’ve found one in McKenzie. When an embezzler offers him half the money, he chooses to quit the Force, turn the crook in and collect the reward money; he becomes angry at his best friend thinking of having an affair, and he berates himself in alphabetic order “Ass. Bastard. Creep…” This is a fast-moving book with excellent descriptions and dialogue, although a little weak on the secondary characters. But I was late for work because of not being able to put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed this and have ordered all this other books.
March 2, 2014
Faced with the possibility of having to turn in an embezzler and come away with nothing or leave the police department and collect a huge finders fee from the insurance company, St. Paul detective Rushmore MacKenzie chooses the latter. Now he works similar to Lawrence Block’s Scudder: he has no license but does things to help people. In this story he’s been hired to find the sister of a girl who needs a transplant. Jamie Carlson had left home at 18 (never satisfactorily explained) never to return, after graduating high school, and now they need to see if she’s a match for her younger sister, Stacy who needs a bone marrow transplant.
MacKenzie finds the sister quickly enough. She’s married, with a child, TC, to a used car salesman in St. Paul who is involved with a rather shadowy group of elite businessmen who all made their money selling at a discount. He tells her of the need to be tested for the transplant, and she agrees to go home but is viciously murdered before she can. Mac’s oldest friend is a homicide detective on the St. Paul police force and he’s working on a case that’s soon linked to Jamie’s death, not to mention the involvement of the ATF and FBI.
As with any first book in a series, there are some loose ends and the occasional requirement to suspend credulity (what Mac does with a concussion at the end of the book defies belief despite its explanation). Nevertheless, a good read.
I discovered Housewright after reading Penance, one of the Holland Taylor series. This new series, featuring Rushmore MacKenzie shows promise, and I’ve already started on Tin City, second in the series.
MacKenzie finds the sister quickly enough. She’s married, with a child, TC, to a used car salesman in St. Paul who is involved with a rather shadowy group of elite businessmen who all made their money selling at a discount. He tells her of the need to be tested for the transplant, and she agrees to go home but is viciously murdered before she can. Mac’s oldest friend is a homicide detective on the St. Paul police force and he’s working on a case that’s soon linked to Jamie’s death, not to mention the involvement of the ATF and FBI.
As with any first book in a series, there are some loose ends and the occasional requirement to suspend credulity (what Mac does with a concussion at the end of the book defies belief despite its explanation). Nevertheless, a good read.
I discovered Housewright after reading Penance, one of the Holland Taylor series. This new series, featuring Rushmore MacKenzie shows promise, and I’ve already started on Tin City, second in the series.
April 19, 2018
I'm really only reviewing this to provide a warning of sorts to those who might read it. I'm a big fan of mysteries BUT I have a low tolerance for graphic violence directed against women and for unnecessary violence. I didn't get that far with this book. Made it past the first graphic misogynist murder but stopped at the second. (Another serial killer preying on women, you know?) Anyway, if it's not your style, be warned.
October 29, 2015
I've found another local Minnesota author. This is his first in the McKenzie series. Very entertaining book, McKenzie chases down the bad guys with muscle, charm, and a fun sense of humor. I definitely will read more in this series.
October 14, 2024
Why 5 you ask? OMG let me tell you the ways. This is the very first in this series, with the first one coming out in 2004. Ah... the good old days , when dective stories were... well detective stories. Good stories , not a bunch of crap that is coming out today. Anyway-- this guy Mac was a police officer that 'came into money' and now is a PI... BUT, he never quite got around to making it 'legal' So he does his PI THING - and I love him. I'm now putting in a request from my library for the 2nd book. Maybe I'm a 'bit over the top' with this book... but man oh man ..... some of these current books out today - even by authors that I like/love are just awful. I know I know.. if it was so easy writing a book why don't I do it. I get it. I really do. But, I'm not an author ... just a gal that loves to read GOOD STORIES.
April 15, 2014
First book in the Rushmore MacKenzie series tells the origin tale of our hero.
Mac's bored, and decides to help an acquaintance find his daughter, who ran away from home seven years ago. It seems fairly straightforward, but within hours of starting the investigation, people start tying to kill Mac, and down the rabbit hole we go.
Pretty good, when the author isn't spouting off boring liberal social commentary.
Mac's bored, and decides to help an acquaintance find his daughter, who ran away from home seven years ago. It seems fairly straightforward, but within hours of starting the investigation, people start tying to kill Mac, and down the rabbit hole we go.
Pretty good, when the author isn't spouting off boring liberal social commentary.
June 8, 2020
(3 1/2). This was the easiest mark up to 4 stars in quite a while. This is just a solid, fun read. McKenzie, retired cop-now P.I. (There’s that formula again) is just the easiest protagonist to like I have run across in quite a while. No agenda, not Superman, but still tough and very wily. This story twists and turns in a variety of interesting ways with a couple of really good spins at the end. Minneapolis is a good character in here as well. Short and sweet. Really good stuff.
December 9, 2020
Bring me more McKenzie. The story is original...it's the McKenzie character and the complexity of how his relationships play out, and into, the plot that keeps me turning the pages. I'd call him a writing mentor, but I haven't met David Housewright.
January 26, 2026
*3.5 stars rounded up. In the series debut, we are introduced to Mac McKenzie, a former St Paul cop who quit when he came into a fortune and now is working as an unlicensed PI. A friend asks him to look for their estranged daughter who left home several years ago and hasn't been heard from since. How can such an innocent request lead to so much violence and death? If you have a taste for gritty noir fiction, this series is for you.
December 6, 2010
I needed another quick and easy read in between book club books, and this fit the bill. This is the first book in the series. I don't think it mattered too much that I had read the second one first. Again, I liked the quick pacing, the humor, and the local flavor. Too much violence to call it a "cozy," nevertheless it reads like a cozy.
Book description: Ex-St. Paul cop Rushmore McKenzie has more time, and more money, than he knows what to do with. In fact, when he's willing to admit it to himself (and he usually isn't), Mac is downright bored. Until he decides to do a favor for a friend facing a family tragedy: Nine-year-old Stacy Carlson has been diagnosed with leukemia, and the only one with the matching bone marrow that can save her is her older sister, Jamie. Trouble is, Jamie ran away from home years ago.
Mac begins combing the backstreets of the Twin Cities, tracking down Jamie's last known associates. He starts with the expected pimps and drug dealers, but the path leads surprisingly to some of the Cities' most respected businessmen, as well as a few characters far more unsavory than the street hustlers he anticipated. As bullets fly and bodies drop, Mac persists, only to find that what he's looking for, and why, are not exactly what he'd imagined.
David Housewright's uncanny ability to turn the Twin Cities into an exotic, brooding backdrop for noir fiction, and his winning, witty hero Rushmore McKenzie, serve as a wicked one-two punch in A Hard Ticket Home, a series debut that reinforces Housewright's well-earned reputation as one of crime fiction's rising stars.
Series info:
Mac McKenzie series
01. A hard ticket home - read
02. Tin city - read
-----------------------
03. Pretty girl gone
04. Dead boyfriends
05. Madman on a drum
06. Jelly's gold
07. The taking of Libbie
08. Highway 61
09. Curse of the jade lily
10. The last kind word
Book description: Ex-St. Paul cop Rushmore McKenzie has more time, and more money, than he knows what to do with. In fact, when he's willing to admit it to himself (and he usually isn't), Mac is downright bored. Until he decides to do a favor for a friend facing a family tragedy: Nine-year-old Stacy Carlson has been diagnosed with leukemia, and the only one with the matching bone marrow that can save her is her older sister, Jamie. Trouble is, Jamie ran away from home years ago.
Mac begins combing the backstreets of the Twin Cities, tracking down Jamie's last known associates. He starts with the expected pimps and drug dealers, but the path leads surprisingly to some of the Cities' most respected businessmen, as well as a few characters far more unsavory than the street hustlers he anticipated. As bullets fly and bodies drop, Mac persists, only to find that what he's looking for, and why, are not exactly what he'd imagined.
David Housewright's uncanny ability to turn the Twin Cities into an exotic, brooding backdrop for noir fiction, and his winning, witty hero Rushmore McKenzie, serve as a wicked one-two punch in A Hard Ticket Home, a series debut that reinforces Housewright's well-earned reputation as one of crime fiction's rising stars.
Series info:
Mac McKenzie series
01. A hard ticket home - read
02. Tin city - read
-----------------------
03. Pretty girl gone
04. Dead boyfriends
05. Madman on a drum
06. Jelly's gold
07. The taking of Libbie
08. Highway 61
09. Curse of the jade lily
10. The last kind word
October 31, 2009
I liked the main character, Rushmore McKenzie, and the opening was a real grabber, hooked me right in. Still, it seemed like a first novel. Too many characters and subplots. The family with the sick kid, the serial murders, the gunn-running entrepreneurs, and the gang/protectors, the prostitute/wife. I didn't care for the first person writing.. too many asides to the audience, and too much foreshadowing.. (".,. that was my first mistake, etc...") Finally, the final capture scene 't credible. MacKenzie lets himself be led away from the house where Merci was taken by the FBI, calmly listens to their story while Merci is still with the bad guys, and he doesn't tell them until they're finishing their exposition? And, when they finally return for her, she's sitting calmly in the limo drinking? They kidnapped her because she said Jamie had told her stuff, why weren't they trying to get that info out of her? Sloppy, unless I missed something.
Still, I'd read the next one. I liked McKenzie.
Still, I'd read the next one. I liked McKenzie.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2018
A new series for me. This is set in Minnesota and this author will add to the competition between Virgil Flowers (John Sanford) and O'Connor (William Kent Krueger).
In this first book an ex cop "Mac" McKenzie, decides to help find a missing daughter as she is a match for her little sister who needs a bone marrow transplant. Fast moving, lots of twists and bodies roll. I look forwards to reading the rest in the series.
In this first book an ex cop "Mac" McKenzie, decides to help find a missing daughter as she is a match for her little sister who needs a bone marrow transplant. Fast moving, lots of twists and bodies roll. I look forwards to reading the rest in the series.
August 18, 2024
*3.75 stars.
"'...did you hear the one about the blind man who walks into a bar and starts swinging his dog over his head by its tail? The bartender asks, "What are you doing?" And the blind man says, "Just looking around"'" (53). *Yeah, I'll admit it--this made me laugh.
"Suddenly he was a five-year-old losing a battle with an ice cream cone on a hot summer day" (209).
"'...did you hear the one about the blind man who walks into a bar and starts swinging his dog over his head by its tail? The bartender asks, "What are you doing?" And the blind man says, "Just looking around"'" (53). *Yeah, I'll admit it--this made me laugh.
"Suddenly he was a five-year-old losing a battle with an ice cream cone on a hot summer day" (209).
July 12, 2020
This series was recommended and it was both different and good; however, I lost track of who all the characters were.
July 27, 2023
A really enjoyable story and easy to listen to - I binged it in a day. Love all the Minnesota references but always cringe when names of cities are incorrectly pronounced.
December 16, 2025
If you are familiar with Minnesota, you will love how this Minnesota author uses landmarks,streets, and towns in his book to set the scenes. Very good mystery and makes you think.
November 15, 2017
Another great recommendation from Goodreads! Took me a moment to get into it and once in...zoom! I like Mac McKenzie, his humor and his intentions. Reminds me a bit of Harry Dresden.
February 25, 2025
Rushmore Mackenzie, ex cop, now sort of a private investigator looks into a missing person case to help a family whose child needs an organ transplant.
August 10, 2023
I got this book from Chirp. I didn’t realize it was from 2004 and it was fun seeing how different life is since then. The protagonist talks about his PC, Xerox, answering machines and fax. People are stopping to find a public phone booth. Yes, they have cell phones but it was part of the story.
The GOOD- exciting book with lots of action from the start, not too many characters that I got lost (always a plus).
The reader got most of the suburb pronunciations spot-on.
The book takes place in St Paul and Minneapolis. That was the draw for me.
The reader just read the dialogue instead of putting in the characters’ names of who said what. Makes for a smoother story. The humor in the dialogue is GREAT!
The BAD- violent to the nth degree!
The GOOD- exciting book with lots of action from the start, not too many characters that I got lost (always a plus).
The reader got most of the suburb pronunciations spot-on.
The book takes place in St Paul and Minneapolis. That was the draw for me.
The reader just read the dialogue instead of putting in the characters’ names of who said what. Makes for a smoother story. The humor in the dialogue is GREAT!
The BAD- violent to the nth degree!
September 1, 2023
I am hooked, and a little bit in love with Rushmore McKenzie. This first in a long-running series is a compelling multiple plot mystery with a propelling Pace, building suspense and, sometimes, dread, a well-imagined Twin City setting, and the wise-cracking, smart ass former cop turned good deed doer, McKenzie. Why has it taken me so long to find him? As a former RA librarian most of my reading was more about my readers and the collection than about me. Now that I am retired, I am diving into the series and titles that I knew would speak to me on a personal level when I reviewed them (often speed-reading the 1st in a series or just read the reviews). Glad I waited and I have many more to look forward to after this one. There are Red Flags: graphic violence and vulgar language. McKenzie is the kind of URN (Unreliable Narrator) whose 1st person narrative is laced with humor, both wry observational and personal (mostly self-deprecating), as he doubts his choices, gives himself pep talks (often quoting his father’s adages), and describes the action while he listens to exacting rock and jazz playlists. I also enjoyed the ST (Sexual Tension) while he flirts, his relationships with his police detective best friend Bobby and Bobby’s wife Shelby. All the procedural and White Knight details work and Housewright gives me what I need to believe that McKenzie can withstand the physical and mental punishment and prevail in his quest for answers. Readalikes are all favorites of mine: Matt Goldman’s Nils Shapiro series, Michael Connelly and Parker’s Spenser fans, as well as Randall Silvis and William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Connor.
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August 20, 2022If you read this, you will experience a snapshot of the life of the fictional detective Rushmore McKenzie. He used to be a cop in Minneapolis, but you learn in the prologue about the circumstances that caused him to walk away from that job and embark on a career as a private investigator. He has no actual license to do that job, but if they get nasty about it, he can walk away from that as well. He certainly has enough money. Read the prologue for details.
Mac McKenzie is one of the most likable fictional detectives you'll meet anywhere. He lives alone, and he is coming off a hard landing from a bad relationship. He is if nothing else a survivor. You will see that as you read this book. He gets a call one day from a distressed family in a town not far from the Twin Cities. Their nine-year-old daughter has Leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant from a relative, she will surely die. The problem is, her older sister, Jamie, left the town upon graduation from high school and never came back. The family begs Mac to find the older sister in time to benefit the younger one. He agrees, and the adventure begins! What seems like a simple cut-and-dried case becomes anything but. Before this book ends, the dead bodies will pile up. Mac is responsible for some of those bodies. But he had no choice, as you will see if you read it.
I admire the talent of this author very much. He pulls together several intriguing and interesting plot lines that join well at the end. I didn't see the final solution coming. That's always satisfying. There are also vivid scenes here in which you assume that all is hopeless for poor Mac McKenzie. I love authors who can craft that kind of scenario. It's a wonderful conflict. You can't see how that poor person is ever going to get out of that jam, and yet you know somehow it must happen since you are still several minutes or even longer away from the end of the book. I'm always impressed by anyone who can make those things come together without tweaking my disbelief meter too much.
In short, this is worth the time you'll spend reading it. If you do the audio edition, the narrator is phenomenal. He is perfect for the main character. There are no falsettos here, there are no stupid accents, it's just a glorious straight read with just enough drama built into it to draw you into the book without the messenger distracting you.
Mac McKenzie is one of the most likable fictional detectives you'll meet anywhere. He lives alone, and he is coming off a hard landing from a bad relationship. He is if nothing else a survivor. You will see that as you read this book. He gets a call one day from a distressed family in a town not far from the Twin Cities. Their nine-year-old daughter has Leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant from a relative, she will surely die. The problem is, her older sister, Jamie, left the town upon graduation from high school and never came back. The family begs Mac to find the older sister in time to benefit the younger one. He agrees, and the adventure begins! What seems like a simple cut-and-dried case becomes anything but. Before this book ends, the dead bodies will pile up. Mac is responsible for some of those bodies. But he had no choice, as you will see if you read it.
I admire the talent of this author very much. He pulls together several intriguing and interesting plot lines that join well at the end. I didn't see the final solution coming. That's always satisfying. There are also vivid scenes here in which you assume that all is hopeless for poor Mac McKenzie. I love authors who can craft that kind of scenario. It's a wonderful conflict. You can't see how that poor person is ever going to get out of that jam, and yet you know somehow it must happen since you are still several minutes or even longer away from the end of the book. I'm always impressed by anyone who can make those things come together without tweaking my disbelief meter too much.
In short, this is worth the time you'll spend reading it. If you do the audio edition, the narrator is phenomenal. He is perfect for the main character. There are no falsettos here, there are no stupid accents, it's just a glorious straight read with just enough drama built into it to draw you into the book without the messenger distracting you.
August 2, 2010
The writing and style of this book reminded me so much of Robert Parker. I rather like Robert Parker's abrupt and stoic style, but this story had really violent death depicted and I don't want images like that in my head. Omitting the descriptive violence this book would have been more likeable for me. Tell me if this sounds familiar--tough older PI tracking down the killer without police assistance and against all odds. McKenzie is tough--surviving death threats and shoot-outs while investigating numerous deaths. He is a lone sleuth in search of some version of the truth, but will he ever find it?
August 23, 2019
This read more like a product placement infomercial than a crime novel. Plus, there were parts that seemed racist. Plus the story jumped all over the place and no matter what, the hero survived overwhelming odds. Plus the ending was not very good. Plus the writing was kind of sophomoric, too macho for me. Plus I had to speed read the last half or I never would have finished it.
March 24, 2023
The writing doesn't suit me. I like 1st Person POV but this one has a bit of a 60-ish tone to it. Not quite noir but not contemporary either. I also found the plot more and more convoluted as it unwound and it became such a chore to listen to. I wanted to bang my phone against my head for giving this book so much of my time. Ugh.
January 2, 2017
There was a lot not to like about this book but overall I enjoyed it. I'll forgive the super-human detective skills displayed by Mac as I found him to be quite likable. The thing with the hand grenade was almost more than I could take though.
June 15, 2019
Sloppy writing...
mars an otherwise nicely plotted mystery. On over reliance on cliches and describing characters as looking like famous people distracts from might have been an enjoyable read.
mars an otherwise nicely plotted mystery. On over reliance on cliches and describing characters as looking like famous people distracts from might have been an enjoyable read.
January 1, 2020
Ridiculous amount unnecessary depiction of violence and it's aftermath. Later novels in the series have less and are better. Skip this one, you don't need it to follow the protagonist. Best for readers who want description if Twin Cities with their mystery.
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