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Kurt Muller #3
Pariah
In Aspen, ex-hippies drive Volvos, ski bums cut million-dollar deals, and Sheriff Kurt Muller is the a single father with a checkered past and the notion that right and wrong still matter. But one evening, against his better judgment, Muller spends the night comforting an old flame, a reclusive heiress named Nicole Bauer who's convinced her ex-lover, the 60s blues idol Rocky Rhodes, is threatening to kill her. Kurt doesn't believe her story, for good twenty years earlier, Rocky's body was found on the grounds of the Bauer mansion, and Nicole was charged with his murder.
But the next morning Nicole is found dead, and Kurt is a prime suspect. To clear his name and find her killer, he begins his own investigation, digging through the shady profiles of Nicole's jet-set contemporaries, and the mystery of Rocky's death. Amid the sin, sorrow, and secrets of the living, Kurt stumbles across a mysterious woman once called Pariah--who hides her past, a butterfly tattoo, and the key to Nicole's final hours.
But the next morning Nicole is found dead, and Kurt is a prime suspect. To clear his name and find her killer, he begins his own investigation, digging through the shady profiles of Nicole's jet-set contemporaries, and the mystery of Rocky's death. Amid the sin, sorrow, and secrets of the living, Kurt stumbles across a mysterious woman once called Pariah--who hides her past, a butterfly tattoo, and the key to Nicole's final hours.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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27 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Zigal
18 books7 followersTHOMAS ZIGAL is the author of the critically acclaimed Kurt Muller mystery series set in Aspen, Colorado. He is a graduate of the Stanford Writing Program and has published short stories and book reviews in literary magazines and fiction anthologies for the past 30 years. He grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast and in Louisiana and now lives in Austin, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 25, 2018
Some American police-procedurals too often descend into clichés as in this case set in Aspen, Colorado, where a sheriff investigates the apparent suicide of his wealthy ex-lover, with whom he slept on the night of her death. She had been acquitted of murdering her rock-musician boyfriend in the 1970s which links in to the various killings that follow and the sheriff, not caring about sleep, safety or his own position, unravels a murky situation. It’s quite well-written and exciting in places if a little too obvious and unrealistic at times.
May 22, 2010
PROTAGONIST: Sheriff Kurt Muller
SETTING: Near Aspen, Colorado
SERIES: #3 of 3 (trilogy)
RATING: 2.75
Kurt Muller has been the sheriff of Pitkin County of which Aspen, Colorado, is a part, for quite some time. However, he's facing a challenge to his position with a recall vote only a short time away. Ben Smerlas is the county commissioner who is looking to climb the political ladder and is doing his best to drag Kurt through the mud. He doesn't need much help. Local heiress Nicole Bauer has bid on Kurt's services at a charity auction. She isn't looking for a "hot date"; she wants Kurt to investigate a series of threatening letters that she has received from a man who died on her property many years before. Nicole and Kurt had a brief affair a year earlier; much to his regret, Kurt succumbs to her charms once again. That wouldn't have been an issue if Nicole had not committed suicide after he left.
Before Nicole's death, Kurt was able to look at the letters that she received. It appears that they are from the "late" 60s blues idol Rocky Rhodes, who is on a mission to punish Nicole and everyone that she has been close to. Dubious at first, Kurt begins to believe that this far-fetched scenario may be true. He finds himself a target of the madman. Kurt's second-in-command, Muffin Brown, informs Kurt that he cannot proceed with the investigation, as he is so personally involved. But he doesn't listen.
While digging through the few clues that are available, Kurt goes back into the past to look at the associations between Nicole, Rocky and the other hangers-on of the local party scene. Certainly, it was a wild time in the lives of almost everybody, the time when "hippies" reigned—a crazy scene of impulses and excesses. Kurt begins to zero in on a groupie type woman named Mariah Windstar, known as "Pariah". He feels that Pariah is somehow involved in all the events that have taken place. At the same time, Muller is uncovering some interesting information about Smerlas. It all begins to tie together. The clock is ticking – other people associated with Rocky are murdered, and Kurt appears to be on the list as well.
I am a big fan of police procedurals, but this book didn't work for me. As the police authority figure, Kurt's actions were completely incomprehensible. He withheld evidence; he often rashly moved forward in the investigation which jeopardized the result. He confronted possible suspects with wild theories that he basically made up and didn't have any real evidence to support. Although quite seriously injured, he kept going and going and going and going – the lack of sleep certainly didn't improve his decision-making abilities.
PARIAH was even more disappointing to me because I had such high expectations for it based on my reaction to Zigal's standalone, THE WHITE LEAGUE, which was one of my top reads for last year. PARIAH is being touted as the third book in a trilogy; I'm hoping that Zigal will move on to other endeavors that will showcase the talent that he exhibited in LEAGUE.
SETTING: Near Aspen, Colorado
SERIES: #3 of 3 (trilogy)
RATING: 2.75
Kurt Muller has been the sheriff of Pitkin County of which Aspen, Colorado, is a part, for quite some time. However, he's facing a challenge to his position with a recall vote only a short time away. Ben Smerlas is the county commissioner who is looking to climb the political ladder and is doing his best to drag Kurt through the mud. He doesn't need much help. Local heiress Nicole Bauer has bid on Kurt's services at a charity auction. She isn't looking for a "hot date"; she wants Kurt to investigate a series of threatening letters that she has received from a man who died on her property many years before. Nicole and Kurt had a brief affair a year earlier; much to his regret, Kurt succumbs to her charms once again. That wouldn't have been an issue if Nicole had not committed suicide after he left.
Before Nicole's death, Kurt was able to look at the letters that she received. It appears that they are from the "late" 60s blues idol Rocky Rhodes, who is on a mission to punish Nicole and everyone that she has been close to. Dubious at first, Kurt begins to believe that this far-fetched scenario may be true. He finds himself a target of the madman. Kurt's second-in-command, Muffin Brown, informs Kurt that he cannot proceed with the investigation, as he is so personally involved. But he doesn't listen.
While digging through the few clues that are available, Kurt goes back into the past to look at the associations between Nicole, Rocky and the other hangers-on of the local party scene. Certainly, it was a wild time in the lives of almost everybody, the time when "hippies" reigned—a crazy scene of impulses and excesses. Kurt begins to zero in on a groupie type woman named Mariah Windstar, known as "Pariah". He feels that Pariah is somehow involved in all the events that have taken place. At the same time, Muller is uncovering some interesting information about Smerlas. It all begins to tie together. The clock is ticking – other people associated with Rocky are murdered, and Kurt appears to be on the list as well.
I am a big fan of police procedurals, but this book didn't work for me. As the police authority figure, Kurt's actions were completely incomprehensible. He withheld evidence; he often rashly moved forward in the investigation which jeopardized the result. He confronted possible suspects with wild theories that he basically made up and didn't have any real evidence to support. Although quite seriously injured, he kept going and going and going and going – the lack of sleep certainly didn't improve his decision-making abilities.
PARIAH was even more disappointing to me because I had such high expectations for it based on my reaction to Zigal's standalone, THE WHITE LEAGUE, which was one of my top reads for last year. PARIAH is being touted as the third book in a trilogy; I'm hoping that Zigal will move on to other endeavors that will showcase the talent that he exhibited in LEAGUE.
December 8, 2012
#3 in the Sheriff Kurt Muller series. The final entry in the series has ex-hippie Muller facing a recall vote sponsered by County Commissioner Ben Smerdlas. I find it odd that the Commissioner should engage in a debate with the embattled sheriff - why not have the prospective sheriff speak. In any event, Muller is under attack for being too easy on Mexican immigrants and illegal drugs (mostly marijuana). He is opposed by ex-drug users, now rich developers, who want to despoil the natural beuty of the area and put up more ski resorts.
Kurt Muller series - In Aspen, Sheriff Kurt Muller is the law: a single father with a checkered past and the notion that right and wrong still matter. But one evening, against his better judgment, Muller spends the night comforting an old flame, a reclusive heiress named Nicole Bauer who’s convinced her ex-lover, the 60s blues idol Rocky Rhodes, is threatening to kill her. Kurt doesn’t believe her story, for good reason: twenty years earlier, Rocky’s body was found on the grounds of the Bauer mansion, and Nicole was charged with his murder. But the next morning, Nicole is found dead, and Kurt is a prime suspect.
Kurt Muller series - In Aspen, Sheriff Kurt Muller is the law: a single father with a checkered past and the notion that right and wrong still matter. But one evening, against his better judgment, Muller spends the night comforting an old flame, a reclusive heiress named Nicole Bauer who’s convinced her ex-lover, the 60s blues idol Rocky Rhodes, is threatening to kill her. Kurt doesn’t believe her story, for good reason: twenty years earlier, Rocky’s body was found on the grounds of the Bauer mansion, and Nicole was charged with his murder. But the next morning, Nicole is found dead, and Kurt is a prime suspect.
June 7, 2013
Police cannot do the things the sheriff in this story did and not be arrested for committing felonies. This was not some noir story (it takes place in Aspen, Colorado, for starters), where a private eye walks a personal, fine line of honor that sometimes violates the letter of the law. This was a sheriff in a small, ritzy town, who shares custody of his grade school son, who bumbles around on half thought out hunches, and ignores all the smart people in his life. A mess from start to finish. An annoying mess.
July 20, 2012
Another in the series set in Aspen with the sheriff as the protagonist. This one is about the wife of a dead rock musician being found dead just where her husband died 20 years earlier. Of course the other part of the equation is whether she was driven to suicide on purpose to clear the way for new developers to take over her property. And the sheriff was with her a couple of hours before she died, and he's on video with her in bed.... Oh, the complications, but really a good story.
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September 19, 2014For some reason, this book made me think constantly of the Heart song "Magic Man" ... not sure why, but it was a good thing.
April 7, 2014
Good reading!
as always hard to put down as you get to know the characters....I feel I know the author by the sincerity of his writing
as always hard to put down as you get to know the characters....I feel I know the author by the sincerity of his writing
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews