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Even the Wicked
A man brings his daughter to Martha’s Vineyard to uncover the truth about her mother’s death in this suspense novel by master of crime fiction Ed McBain.
For the first time since their daughter was born, Zachary and Mary Blake are taking a trip alone, calling it it their second honeymoon. After months of vicious infighting at his broadcasting job, Zach is looking forward to a relaxing vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, a paradise untouched by time. But the respite won’t last for long.
When Mary’s body is discovered, the coroner deems it accidental drowning, but Zach can’t accept that. One year later, he returns to the island to find proof that his wife was murdered. He has a letter from a resident claiming to know the true story of Mary’s death, but when he goes to meet his correspondent, she’s been gruesomely murdered. With his nine-year-old daughter, Penny, by his side, Zach begins asking dangerous questions. Unhinged by grief, he’ll do anything to find out what really happened, but every move he makes puts Penny’s life in greater danger.
A hard-driving suspense story, Even the Wicked is a classic crime novel. Written by Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Ed McBain, it explores the terrifying truths lurking in the shadows of a small, sleepy town.
For the first time since their daughter was born, Zachary and Mary Blake are taking a trip alone, calling it it their second honeymoon. After months of vicious infighting at his broadcasting job, Zach is looking forward to a relaxing vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, a paradise untouched by time. But the respite won’t last for long.
When Mary’s body is discovered, the coroner deems it accidental drowning, but Zach can’t accept that. One year later, he returns to the island to find proof that his wife was murdered. He has a letter from a resident claiming to know the true story of Mary’s death, but when he goes to meet his correspondent, she’s been gruesomely murdered. With his nine-year-old daughter, Penny, by his side, Zach begins asking dangerous questions. Unhinged by grief, he’ll do anything to find out what really happened, but every move he makes puts Penny’s life in greater danger.
A hard-driving suspense story, Even the Wicked is a classic crime novel. Written by Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Ed McBain, it explores the terrifying truths lurking in the shadows of a small, sleepy town.
148 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
8 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Ed McBain
706 books667 followers"Ed McBain" is one of the pen names of American author and screenwriter Salvatore Albert Lombino (1926-2005), who legally adopted the name
Evan Hunter
in 1952.
While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.
While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 10, 2016
Zach’s wife drowned the year before and now he and his daughter have returned to Martha’s Vineyard because he has received a letter telling him it was not an accident. Zach always knew his wife did not drown because she was an accomplished swimmer and he cannot believe she would die by drowning. They rent the same house but when they arrive everything starts to go wrong. They are told the house was rented to someone else. The woman who wrote him the letter is dead. And now his daughter is missing and he has been told to leave Martha’s Vineyard and do not return if you want your daughter safe. Along the way he meets a young freelance writer for the local paper and he cannot help his growing attraction for her. Great Read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.
October 15, 2016
One year after the accident, Zach Blake returns to Martha’s Vineyard with his nine-year-old daughter Penny. The death of Zach’s wife Mary was ruled an “accidental drowning” and the case was closed, leaving father and daughter to their grief. But something didn’t sit right with Zach; his wife was an expert swimmer, not someone inexperienced with ocean currents. That’s when the letter arrives, a terse message that reopens the old wound: Your wife Mary did not drown accident. That’s what drew Zach back to the island, the urge to find out the reason behind his wife’s death, a quest for the truth—and possibly vengeance. He’ll find an island with a dark, seedy underbelly, a multitude of suspects and motives, and lusty woman more than interested in him. Zach will only realize the danger he and his daughter are in when he finds the limp body of the letter’s author…
This one certainly has an intriguing setup, with Zach out to uncover the truth behind his wife’s death. That he brought his daughter along was an odd choice, but she’s an interesting if bland character rather than falling into a usual stereotype of a child, and the father-daughter dynamic works well to humanize Zach. (McBain always did have certain humanist elements in his works, so it shouldn’t be surprising.) Their investigation across the resort community of Martha’s Vineyard starts off well, proving the area a unique place to set a mystery; later on, the stakes are raised, Penny’s safety is threatened, and a panicked Zach finds himself ordered to leave the island but stuck there as he’s a person of interest in a murder investigation. The novel’s zippy pacing and continual stream of cliffhangers kept my attention.
My only complaint is how short the novel was, a slim 116 pages. It’s easy to breeze through in a night—I’m a fast reader and went through it in a couple of hours—but it leaves many elements left hanging, introduced and then written away in the next chapter. The relationship between Zach and femme fatale Enid felt like it moved at speed of plot since it certainly didn’t develop naturally; in the space of some 70 pages, they go from “she thinks I’m handsome” to “marry me.” (I expected a surprise reveal where her coming on to him was a distraction, right before she turned out to be the villain and tried to kill him, but alas, I guess love conquers all.) Most characters don’t have any time to develop, which is a shame, since we’re introduced to a bunch of interesting people (the lawyer, teenage hoods, and old sailor) who don’t really have much to do. And despite the paragraphs spent detailing his New York radio job, most of Zach’s non-wife backstory amounted to naught; nothing would have changed if he had been a tile-setter from Cleveland.
That said, I find it really hard to fault the novel. It’s the epitome of the beach read or airplane novel, a serviceable potboiler that fulfills its purpose and entertains for a few hours. The story zips along at a lightning pace, and Marsten’s prose is as sharp and strong as any other Hunter/McBain novel. This is pure pulp entertainment, drawing you in with an interesting mystery and characters, then hooking you when the chapters start to end on increasingly dire cliffhangers. The more of these I read, the more I start to see why the Richard Marsten alias was phased out—they aren’t the author’s best works, but I’ve yet to read anything “bad” by Hunter/McBain.
If you want a fast, taut thriller from the ’50s with a unique setting and characters, this one will definitely whet your appetite. I’m glad to see the novel is available again under McBain’s name, one of many now available as ebooks, and I’ll certainly buy more of them as they’re available.
Full review, and other reviews of mystery, noir, and McBain books, on my blog.
This one certainly has an intriguing setup, with Zach out to uncover the truth behind his wife’s death. That he brought his daughter along was an odd choice, but she’s an interesting if bland character rather than falling into a usual stereotype of a child, and the father-daughter dynamic works well to humanize Zach. (McBain always did have certain humanist elements in his works, so it shouldn’t be surprising.) Their investigation across the resort community of Martha’s Vineyard starts off well, proving the area a unique place to set a mystery; later on, the stakes are raised, Penny’s safety is threatened, and a panicked Zach finds himself ordered to leave the island but stuck there as he’s a person of interest in a murder investigation. The novel’s zippy pacing and continual stream of cliffhangers kept my attention.
My only complaint is how short the novel was, a slim 116 pages. It’s easy to breeze through in a night—I’m a fast reader and went through it in a couple of hours—but it leaves many elements left hanging, introduced and then written away in the next chapter. The relationship between Zach and femme fatale Enid felt like it moved at speed of plot since it certainly didn’t develop naturally; in the space of some 70 pages, they go from “she thinks I’m handsome” to “marry me.” (I expected a surprise reveal where her coming on to him was a distraction, right before she turned out to be the villain and tried to kill him, but alas, I guess love conquers all.) Most characters don’t have any time to develop, which is a shame, since we’re introduced to a bunch of interesting people (the lawyer, teenage hoods, and old sailor) who don’t really have much to do. And despite the paragraphs spent detailing his New York radio job, most of Zach’s non-wife backstory amounted to naught; nothing would have changed if he had been a tile-setter from Cleveland.
That said, I find it really hard to fault the novel. It’s the epitome of the beach read or airplane novel, a serviceable potboiler that fulfills its purpose and entertains for a few hours. The story zips along at a lightning pace, and Marsten’s prose is as sharp and strong as any other Hunter/McBain novel. This is pure pulp entertainment, drawing you in with an interesting mystery and characters, then hooking you when the chapters start to end on increasingly dire cliffhangers. The more of these I read, the more I start to see why the Richard Marsten alias was phased out—they aren’t the author’s best works, but I’ve yet to read anything “bad” by Hunter/McBain.
If you want a fast, taut thriller from the ’50s with a unique setting and characters, this one will definitely whet your appetite. I’m glad to see the novel is available again under McBain’s name, one of many now available as ebooks, and I’ll certainly buy more of them as they’re available.
Full review, and other reviews of mystery, noir, and McBain books, on my blog.
February 28, 2025
I have a large number of Ed McBain books bought over the years, thought I had read all of them as they were acquired but I didn't remember this early one. Nicely done, fast-paced, a little old-fashioned but then it was first published in 1958. Enjoyed it, might blow the dust off some of the others on the shelf
July 11, 2020
Zach Blake thought his wife drowned, but when he finds out otherwise, he returns to the scene of the crime to find out what really happened, towing his nine-year-old daughter along with him.
Evan Hunter / Ed McBain / Richard Marsten was incredibly prolific and he has a reputation for a high level of general quality. I can only recall reading three of his novels before. “Downtown” was a stinker, but “Guns” and “Every Little Crook and Nanny” were flat-out brilliant. This one falls somewhere in between. There are a few too many contrived plot points and the end falls flat, but it’s short enough and well-written enough that it doesn’t out-stay its welcome.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
Evan Hunter / Ed McBain / Richard Marsten was incredibly prolific and he has a reputation for a high level of general quality. I can only recall reading three of his novels before. “Downtown” was a stinker, but “Guns” and “Every Little Crook and Nanny” were flat-out brilliant. This one falls somewhere in between. There are a few too many contrived plot points and the end falls flat, but it’s short enough and well-written enough that it doesn’t out-stay its welcome.
https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com
November 11, 2016
Even the Wicked by Ed McBain is the kind of throwback short mystery fiction that laid the bedrock for the genre. It is as tense as it is touching. The tale of a grieving husband and single father who must make sense of the death of his wife.
"...This Menemsha is Indian,' he said.
'Really? Are there Indians here, Daddy?'
'Out at Gay Head there are.'
Penny considered this solemnly for a moment. Then she said, 'Was it the Indians who killed Mommy?'
The question startled him. In his own grief, he had not imagined the child thought much about it.
'No,' he said. 'Mommy drowned.'
Almost as if she were thinking aloud, Penny said. 'Mommy was a good swimmer.'
'Yes,' he answered. 'Mommy was a good swimmer..."
A year before Zachary and Mary Blake took a trip to Martha's Vineyard alone, the first time without their daughter. They called it their second honeymoon. With a promotion looming and horrible infighting in his broadcasting career, Zachary needed a break and the idyllic vacation spot of Martha's Vineyard looked like paradise. But their paradise was cut short when Mary's body is found. The coroner called it a drowning but Zach could never really accept that. Now a year later, with his young daughter in tow, Zachary is back in Martha's Vineyard to discover the truth.
"...Is that it?' Penny asked.
'What?' He turned slowly, staring at her.
'Is this--?'
'Yes,' he said. 'Yes.'
She stared at him. 'Does it make you sad, Daddy?'
'Yes, darling,' he said. 'It makes me very sad.' He clutched her to him suddenly, holding her fiercely, feeling fresh pain, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. She drew away from him slowly and then looked into his face with the wide open candor of a very young child.
'Why did we come here, Daddy?' she asked.
And because there was honesty on her face and in her eyes, and because he had never lied to his daughter in the short nine years of her life, he held her eyes with his own and whispered, 'Because I think your mommy was murdered, Penny..."
On Martha's Vineyard, Zach finds himself an unwelcomed presence and with every question he poses he finds himself deeper and deeper in the web of lies and pretenses. Now he will have to separate the truth from the lies on Martha's Vineyard. But with every move he makes, he puts himself and Penny in further danger.
Even the Wicked is a hard nose crime novel the likes of which filled pulp fiction magazines and book racks in years gone by. Now it is difficult to find such a well written noire novel. The story unfolds layer by layer and when the truth finally exposes itself, it is not only the reveal that is well plotted but the surviving of it by Zach and Penny.
Besides the mystery itself, what McBain does so well is show the grief of Zach and his struggle to work through it as he strives to find his wife's murderer.
Even the Wicked is a treat for noire fans of the pulp masters of mysteries and should be required readers for the newer generations to come.
"...This Menemsha is Indian,' he said.
'Really? Are there Indians here, Daddy?'
'Out at Gay Head there are.'
Penny considered this solemnly for a moment. Then she said, 'Was it the Indians who killed Mommy?'
The question startled him. In his own grief, he had not imagined the child thought much about it.
'No,' he said. 'Mommy drowned.'
Almost as if she were thinking aloud, Penny said. 'Mommy was a good swimmer.'
'Yes,' he answered. 'Mommy was a good swimmer..."
A year before Zachary and Mary Blake took a trip to Martha's Vineyard alone, the first time without their daughter. They called it their second honeymoon. With a promotion looming and horrible infighting in his broadcasting career, Zachary needed a break and the idyllic vacation spot of Martha's Vineyard looked like paradise. But their paradise was cut short when Mary's body is found. The coroner called it a drowning but Zach could never really accept that. Now a year later, with his young daughter in tow, Zachary is back in Martha's Vineyard to discover the truth.
"...Is that it?' Penny asked.
'What?' He turned slowly, staring at her.
'Is this--?'
'Yes,' he said. 'Yes.'
She stared at him. 'Does it make you sad, Daddy?'
'Yes, darling,' he said. 'It makes me very sad.' He clutched her to him suddenly, holding her fiercely, feeling fresh pain, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. She drew away from him slowly and then looked into his face with the wide open candor of a very young child.
'Why did we come here, Daddy?' she asked.
And because there was honesty on her face and in her eyes, and because he had never lied to his daughter in the short nine years of her life, he held her eyes with his own and whispered, 'Because I think your mommy was murdered, Penny..."
On Martha's Vineyard, Zach finds himself an unwelcomed presence and with every question he poses he finds himself deeper and deeper in the web of lies and pretenses. Now he will have to separate the truth from the lies on Martha's Vineyard. But with every move he makes, he puts himself and Penny in further danger.
Even the Wicked is a hard nose crime novel the likes of which filled pulp fiction magazines and book racks in years gone by. Now it is difficult to find such a well written noire novel. The story unfolds layer by layer and when the truth finally exposes itself, it is not only the reveal that is well plotted but the surviving of it by Zach and Penny.
Besides the mystery itself, what McBain does so well is show the grief of Zach and his struggle to work through it as he strives to find his wife's murderer.
Even the Wicked is a treat for noire fans of the pulp masters of mysteries and should be required readers for the newer generations to come.
September 21, 2016
With the memory of his wife’s drowning the year before off Martha’s Vineyard and a note from a woman on the Vineyard telling his wife’s drowning was no accident, Zach and his daughter, Penny, rent the same house as the previous year.
Zach is determined to discover the truth behind his wife’s death and his 9 year old daughter seems to sense this as well.
Strange things begin to happen almost immediately. It turns out their rented house has also been rented to a mysterious Mr Carpenter. After a brief discussion, Zach does get his rental.
When Zach drives out to see the woman who sent the note, she denies knowing anything about it. He soon meets a young woman, a freelance writer, wanting to interview him since he is a radio personality, and there is an almost instant attraction between them.
Zack returns to see the woman who sent him the note only to find her dead; not long after,his ddaughter is kidnapped and he is told to leave the island and drive to Providence if he wants to see his daughter again.
Action, suspense, and a touch of romance – a perfect mix for one great read!
Zach is determined to discover the truth behind his wife’s death and his 9 year old daughter seems to sense this as well.
Strange things begin to happen almost immediately. It turns out their rented house has also been rented to a mysterious Mr Carpenter. After a brief discussion, Zach does get his rental.
When Zach drives out to see the woman who sent the note, she denies knowing anything about it. He soon meets a young woman, a freelance writer, wanting to interview him since he is a radio personality, and there is an almost instant attraction between them.
Zack returns to see the woman who sent him the note only to find her dead; not long after,his ddaughter is kidnapped and he is told to leave the island and drive to Providence if he wants to see his daughter again.
Action, suspense, and a touch of romance – a perfect mix for one great read!
November 8, 2016
An old-fashioned mystery/suspense. A man and his 9-year old daughter travel to Martha's Vineyard to discover the truth about his wife's drowning a year before, but what he discovers goes far beyond what he imagined. From the moment they arrive, nothing is quite right.
Some of the connections seemed a bit quick, but this is a novella and it wasn't incomparable to others in this genre, and there were some edge-of-seat moments despite the somewhat detached writing style.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Some of the connections seemed a bit quick, but this is a novella and it wasn't incomparable to others in this genre, and there were some edge-of-seat moments despite the somewhat detached writing style.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 28, 2020
An incredibly quick read that doesn't let down for a moment. Each chapter ends in a cliffhanger or revelation that will have the reader diving into the next.
Zachary Blake and his nine year-old daughter Penny go to Martha's Vineyard for the first time in a year. Not to relax, but because Blake received a call from a woman on the island who says his wife didn't drown last year--she was murdered. What follows cannot be spoiled, suffice to say things heat up quickly with another murder, plenty of suspects, and Penny kidnapped. The pacing is great, the lead character engaging, and the mystery nicely done. This was perfect beach reading.
Zachary Blake and his nine year-old daughter Penny go to Martha's Vineyard for the first time in a year. Not to relax, but because Blake received a call from a woman on the island who says his wife didn't drown last year--she was murdered. What follows cannot be spoiled, suffice to say things heat up quickly with another murder, plenty of suspects, and Penny kidnapped. The pacing is great, the lead character engaging, and the mystery nicely done. This was perfect beach reading.
September 1, 2019
This is a very light murder mystery set in the 1950's. The writing style is very easy to read but at 153 pages I felt there could have been more added to the story as the events characters seemed rushed and without substance. This was an early novel in McBain's long and impressive career and while it shows the promise of what was to come it is not one of his stronger works. Good to read when you do not want to concentrate too much.
June 26, 2020
Fun read
I liked the story and the reveals as they happened. The plot was interesting and the love story old-fashioned. I have never read any Ed McBain mysteries. Recently his police procedurals were compared to a series I like so I bought this one on Kindle. It’s not a police pre editable, but I will try other McBain books in the future.
I liked the story and the reveals as they happened. The plot was interesting and the love story old-fashioned. I have never read any Ed McBain mysteries. Recently his police procedurals were compared to a series I like so I bought this one on Kindle. It’s not a police pre editable, but I will try other McBain books in the future.
September 28, 2022
Cosa c'è da dire su questo libro, sicuramente nulla di brutto.
Mi ha preso dalla prima all'ultima pagina e non mi ha mai stancato, non è di sicuro un libro scontato, almeno per me.
Ogni volta che dovevo stoppare la mia lettura per una cosa o per l'altra mi dispiaceva tantissimo.
Leggetelo perché ne vale seriamente la pena.
Buon viaggio da Zach, Enid e Penny.
Mi ha preso dalla prima all'ultima pagina e non mi ha mai stancato, non è di sicuro un libro scontato, almeno per me.
Ogni volta che dovevo stoppare la mia lettura per una cosa o per l'altra mi dispiaceva tantissimo.
Leggetelo perché ne vale seriamente la pena.
Buon viaggio da Zach, Enid e Penny.
September 19, 2017
An easy distraction. Remember when I discovered the norish style of Ed McBsin at Blaxland Library and the thrill still hasn't left me. This was a bit pulpish in it tendencies but still a pleasant enough novella.
June 15, 2018
Short, straightforward, punchy ticking clock murder mystery, it works mostly because McBain is just so good at this sort of thing. It's a quick read, and an interesting look at 1950's Martha's Vineyard.
January 22, 2019
Great old Mystery!
September 3, 2019
Extremely quick and fun read. Very straightforward. Not a lot of character development, but replaced by full-on action.
November 7, 2023
Another great McBain.
I've read many McCain stories and they never disappoint. I'm off to find another of his stories I haven't read befe, or maybe one I have read before.
I've read many McCain stories and they never disappoint. I'm off to find another of his stories I haven't read befe, or maybe one I have read before.
November 27, 2025
A subpar crime novel that is showing it's age.
Nothing remarkable and some eye roll scenes.
Nothing remarkable and some eye roll scenes.
October 7, 2016
Best known by the pseudonym Ed McBain, Richard Marsten, the name under which this book was originally scribed in 1958, was born as Salvatore Lombino. I was a huge fan of McBain’s, and every time I see some small thing he wrote that I haven’t had a chance to read yet, I snap it up. And so it was with this DRC, which I received compliments of Net Galley and Open Road Media. But once I reached the halfway mark, I felt sort of queasy and couldn’t continue. I suspect that much of what he wrote as Marsten might as well be left in whatever obscure attic corner it’s perched in, because society has moved forward since the 1950s, and this book is still there.
The re-publication date of this novel is October 25, 2016.
The premise is this. Our protagonist, Zach, is returning to the beach house where he and his now-deceased wife stayed on their wedding night. He brings their little girl Penny along with him. Before he can commence to do any sleuthing, however, the real estate concern that rented the place to him tells him it’s been taken by someone else. Zach isn’t going down easily for two reasons: first, he wants to see if his suspicion regarding the possible murder of his wife is true, and second, he’s already paid in full for the entire stay. The story starts with the excellent, tense build up that would become Lombino-Marsten-McBain-Hunter’s hallmark. I rolled up my sleeves and snuggled in.
And then bit by bit it all went to hell.
First of all, why would a man on a deadly mission bring his little girl with him? Leave the tot somewhere safe or stay home. And then there’s the stereotypic, racist crap about the local Indian. (He’s ‘chiseled’, of course, but he’s also just plain creepy looking.) Next, Daddy Zach tells Penny that he’s pretty sure her mommy was murdered.
The fuck?
And as he sets up his date with destiny, he finally realizes he has to have a sitter for Penny after all—in the contested house, of course, where surely nothing bad will happen to her while he’s away—and so he asks a complete stranger for the name of a babysitter, and the person refers him to someone that’s also a complete stranger. He sets it all up, arranging to leave his little girl, all he has left in this world, with someone he’s never heard of till today and doesn’t even plan to interview, and hits the road to solve the crime.
I got halfway through this thing and finally threw up my hands. Had I read the rest, I might have thrown up, period.
I know that in bygone times, people in the US were much more relaxed about child care arrangements than we are today. Many Caucasian people were also really racist, and men and sometimes even women were sexist, too. But that doesn’t mean I care to see it in my escapist fiction.
If you haven’t read Ed McBain, find something he wrote after 1980 and you’ll be in for a treat. But this one is a thumbs-down.
June 3, 2023
The author from the 87th precinct Novels now has a stand-alone mystery about a man who returns to Martha’s Vineyard a year after his wife is said to have drowned accidentally. He is now wanting to prove that she was murdered. A very good book by a good author and I have enjoyed some of the 87th novels, I found them to be a good read.
January 14, 2017
Zachary Blake takes his young daughter on a trip to Martha's Vineyard, in hopes that he can find out the truth about the drowning of his wife the year before. As Blake digs deeper into the mystery, he begins to realize that the drowning wasn't as accidental as he was led to believe. Will he be able to find out the truth about what happened to his wife before he or someone else gets hurt?
I really enjoyed this novel by Ed McBain. I couldn't put it down once I started and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel.
I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this novel by Ed McBain. I couldn't put it down once I started and it had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel.
I received this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2016
I enjoyed the visit to Martha's Vineyard. Familiar places brought back long ago memories. Although not quite as long ago as this book was written. I would have been too young to have considered reading it when it was first published. So many things were different back in those days. No cell phones, Native Americans were still called Indians, a sense of innocence. It was interesting reading, but I think I would have appreciated it more when it was first published. Too fast relationship with new woman in his life. The publisher provided a copy via NetGalley with the hope I would post a review.
December 21, 2013
I loved this book. Well written and spare. One of the best mysteries I have read in a while. The story is pared to its essentials. No padding. Beautiful prose. Discovering little gems like this is one of my favorite joys of reading. I finished half of this book before work, and all through my shift I was looking forward to getting home so I could finish it off.
January 10, 2017
There's nothing new or all that exciting about this little novella from Marsten aka McBain aka Hunter. Solid writing. A solid story. Just nothing to write home about.
September 13, 2014
It's well-written, but everything seems rushed.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews