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Joe Gunther #6
The Dark Root
A brutal home invasion shocks Brattleboro's small Asian community, but no one's talking. Undeterred, Joe Gunther digs deeper and discovers a cross-border smuggling route carrying drugs, contraband, and illegal aliens into and out of Canada. Operating below the radar for years, competition between underworld rivals is bringing it into the light with deadly consequences. International jurisdiction is a complicated thing, and Gunther will have to collaborate with the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Mounties in the pursuit of justice.
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
229 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
About the author
Archer Mayor
43 books732 followersOver the years, Archer Mayor has been photographer, teacher, historian, scholarly editor, feature writer, travel writer, lab technician, political advance man, medical illustrator, newspaper writer, history researcher, publications consultant, constable, and EMT/firefighter. He is also half Argentine, speaks two languages, and has lived in several countries on two continents.
All of which makes makes him restless, curious, unemployable, or all three. Whatever he is, it’s clearly not cured, since he’s currently a novelist, a death investigator for Vermont’s medical examiner, and a police officer.
Archer has been producing the Joe Gunther novels since 1988, some of which have made the “ten best” or “most notable” lists of the Los Angeles and the New York Times. In 2004 Mayor received the New England Booksellers Association book award for fiction.
Intriguing plots, complex characters, and a vivid landscape are the foundation of Archer Mayor's award-winning New England thrillers.
All of which makes makes him restless, curious, unemployable, or all three. Whatever he is, it’s clearly not cured, since he’s currently a novelist, a death investigator for Vermont’s medical examiner, and a police officer.
Archer has been producing the Joe Gunther novels since 1988, some of which have made the “ten best” or “most notable” lists of the Los Angeles and the New York Times. In 2004 Mayor received the New England Booksellers Association book award for fiction.
Intriguing plots, complex characters, and a vivid landscape are the foundation of Archer Mayor's award-winning New England thrillers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
June 1, 2015
This is a difficult review to write.
I am a big fan of Archer Mayor. The first 2 novels of his I’d read, “Red Herring” and ‘3 Can Keep a Secret,” hooked me big time. I was shocked that Mr. Mayor is not up there with the more well-known authors of the world like Baldacci, Connelly, Patterson, etc…
You can always count on Mr. Mayor to provide excellent novels that are police procedurals. I always think of his books as Ed McBain for a new generation.
After reading more of his novels—and just finishing ‘The Dark Root’---I now understand why he’s not up there in the top echelon.
I’ve now read 9 novels by Mr. Mayor. Some were excellent. Some were okay. But 3 of the 9 left me feeling flat. Without a doubt, I’d say ‘The Dark Root’ is the weakest novel I’ve read by Mr. Mayor.
As always, the story is well-written. I love the characters and
connect with them. To me, that’s a big deal. I like to read about characters I can feel something for. And how can you not love Joe Gunther? And Willy? And Sammie? Willy did not serve an integral part in this novel but Joe obviously did as did Sammie and Les Spinney.
I also feel that Mr. Mayor is one of the best at writing dialogue.
However, I found ‘The Dark Root’ a HUGE letdown. The book just never pulled me in.
Other reviews backed up my claim so I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt this way.
The story is revolved around Asian gangs trying to get a foothold in Vermont. It seemed, however, that the author threw in every possible scenario he could: money laundering, illegal immigrants, smuggling of aliens, rape, murder and drive-by shootings.
Another problem I had was the overabundance of characters. Simply put, there were far too many people to keep track of. Also—and I know this will sound bad—but since the book focused on Asians, many of the names were alike and made it impossible to keep track of, especially when some went by aliases. By the last 75 pages or so, I was just going through the motions of finishing this book and was utterly confused what was going on and who was who. Also, there was a chase scene toward the end which should have been exciting: car chase through the woods, down alleys, through a train station, etc…Yet, it was boring to read.
I still enjoy Mr. Mayor’s writing style and characters. But The Dark Root was very lacking. This book really deserves a 2 but I’m giving it 3 stars simply because I like the authors and the characters.
I am a big fan of Archer Mayor. The first 2 novels of his I’d read, “Red Herring” and ‘3 Can Keep a Secret,” hooked me big time. I was shocked that Mr. Mayor is not up there with the more well-known authors of the world like Baldacci, Connelly, Patterson, etc…
You can always count on Mr. Mayor to provide excellent novels that are police procedurals. I always think of his books as Ed McBain for a new generation.
After reading more of his novels—and just finishing ‘The Dark Root’---I now understand why he’s not up there in the top echelon.
I’ve now read 9 novels by Mr. Mayor. Some were excellent. Some were okay. But 3 of the 9 left me feeling flat. Without a doubt, I’d say ‘The Dark Root’ is the weakest novel I’ve read by Mr. Mayor.
As always, the story is well-written. I love the characters and
connect with them. To me, that’s a big deal. I like to read about characters I can feel something for. And how can you not love Joe Gunther? And Willy? And Sammie? Willy did not serve an integral part in this novel but Joe obviously did as did Sammie and Les Spinney.
I also feel that Mr. Mayor is one of the best at writing dialogue.
However, I found ‘The Dark Root’ a HUGE letdown. The book just never pulled me in.
Other reviews backed up my claim so I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt this way.
The story is revolved around Asian gangs trying to get a foothold in Vermont. It seemed, however, that the author threw in every possible scenario he could: money laundering, illegal immigrants, smuggling of aliens, rape, murder and drive-by shootings.
Another problem I had was the overabundance of characters. Simply put, there were far too many people to keep track of. Also—and I know this will sound bad—but since the book focused on Asians, many of the names were alike and made it impossible to keep track of, especially when some went by aliases. By the last 75 pages or so, I was just going through the motions of finishing this book and was utterly confused what was going on and who was who. Also, there was a chase scene toward the end which should have been exciting: car chase through the woods, down alleys, through a train station, etc…Yet, it was boring to read.
I still enjoy Mr. Mayor’s writing style and characters. But The Dark Root was very lacking. This book really deserves a 2 but I’m giving it 3 stars simply because I like the authors and the characters.
September 4, 2021
"The Dark Root" is the 6th Joe Gunther novel. He is a central participant on a multi-agency task force which takes on Asian gangs which are fighting each other at the same time. You will need to track who is who in terms of the Asian characters (literally suggest you keep a list with pertinent notations), and there are many of them, with various names. If you are familiar with Southeast Vermont (Brattleboro area) and Montreal, Quebec, you will find yourself comfortable with the references. If not, I suggest you keep a map handy.
Vermont is about 96% white, with about 1% Asian. So, I was surprised that the book focused on Asians, but at the time the book was written, Asians represented the largest minority, albeit a small number, in Vermont. The action is fast paced and dramatic.
The reason I assigned 4 stars rather than 5 is I got lost from time to time with all the Asian characters.
Vermont is about 96% white, with about 1% Asian. So, I was surprised that the book focused on Asians, but at the time the book was written, Asians represented the largest minority, albeit a small number, in Vermont. The action is fast paced and dramatic.
The reason I assigned 4 stars rather than 5 is I got lost from time to time with all the Asian characters.
July 1, 2020
A disappointing book from Archer Mayor. Also a difficult book for me. The first part was interesting, as it dealt with relationships and personalities. However, the last part gets bogged down in multiple Asian characters who are really enigma’s, as we don’t get to know them as people. I have enjoyed this series, and I like Joe Gunther—how he relates to people. If only a part of what is portrayed in this book concerning Asian gangs and human trafficking, that is really scary. I accept that many of Gunther’s exploits are beyond belief, but that is his persona. So, I will continue the series and hope this is a “one of.”
December 13, 2024
Solid Joe Gunther entry…Brattleboro, VT, and other Vermont cities are beset by a growing threat of Chinese organized crime groups involve in Trafficking, extortion, drugs, credit fraud and money laundering…As Joe and the Brattleboro cops confront this new threat to law and order, we go deeper into the Byzantine nature of these groups…Good Stuff!!!
September 1, 2020
The sixth in the Joe Gunther series and my favorite so far. Mayor abandons the thriller aspect of some of the earlier books and focuses on what he does best, police procedural. The first half is fascinating and only bogs down once Joe joins a task force about two-thirds of the way in. Yes, it is overlong, but the peak behind the scenes of Asian Organized Crime was fascinating. Plus I am really starting to enjoy the accompanying characters.
March 14, 2015
Too racist for this day and age.
February 23, 2017
One of a series I like, found baddies disturbing but that's cuz they are! Well narrated and recommended.
March 13, 2012
A Joe Gunther book: working with his fellow police in Montreal, Gunther is appointed a temporary federal agent, working to nab some Asian gangsters. It starts with a home invasion that ends in murder and leads to kidnapping, multiple killings and a secret network of illegal immigration based on the intimidation and blackmail of Asian-Americans.
This was by far the most boring of the series. Mayor is in full “tell don’t show” mode; as with the other books, he did his homework, but instead of having the reader enter a richly-detailed world, the reader is merely informed about that world as if through the dry minutes of a meeting. The Asian characters are always seen at a distance, so at the end of the book with its requisite climax (a confrontation that Gunther is a witness to only through the most improbable yet uninteresting chase scene ever), I didn’t care at all about who was going to shoot whom. And through all the blah blah blah about snakeheads (immigrant traffickers) and the “dark root” of Asian cabals, there’s no main villain to center on but three, not one of whom the reader ever gets to know. Not even the kidnap victim is given much time --- Mayor would rather cram his 350 pages with Gunther following a guy on a subway in Canada, or the minutiae of Gunther doing routine surveillance of a suspect. In short, too much information, nowhere near enough character development, and no clear plot goals.
This was by far the most boring of the series. Mayor is in full “tell don’t show” mode; as with the other books, he did his homework, but instead of having the reader enter a richly-detailed world, the reader is merely informed about that world as if through the dry minutes of a meeting. The Asian characters are always seen at a distance, so at the end of the book with its requisite climax (a confrontation that Gunther is a witness to only through the most improbable yet uninteresting chase scene ever), I didn’t care at all about who was going to shoot whom. And through all the blah blah blah about snakeheads (immigrant traffickers) and the “dark root” of Asian cabals, there’s no main villain to center on but three, not one of whom the reader ever gets to know. Not even the kidnap victim is given much time --- Mayor would rather cram his 350 pages with Gunther following a guy on a subway in Canada, or the minutiae of Gunther doing routine surveillance of a suspect. In short, too much information, nowhere near enough character development, and no clear plot goals.
August 5, 2019
We’ve been reading Archer Mayor’s lengthy Vermont detective Joe Gunther series in order (“Root” = #6); so we definitely like both the protagonist and the author’s writing and plot-crafting skills. Unfortunately, things went off the rails in this one – basically a difficult to follow tale about Asian gang members, and how such criminals thought nothing about extortion or shooting each other or burning people’s houses down, etc. etc.
In short, not much to be happy about herein. While the ending chapters finally generated some suspense over capturing the big bad guy, there was otherwise so little to care about in this whole thing, we were really tempted to just skim whole chapters. Joe early on took his colleagues to task for using derogatory references to the “Oriental” characters. Yet this book still had a racist overtone to it with regard to the many evils of the Asians portrayed, with the “Root” of much of this bad stuff supposedly ancestral conditioning. It’s almost hard to believe how a book published in 1995 can’t do better, although come to think of it, that is a quarter-century ago! Meanwhile, Joe's girlfriend Gail, a major player in the stories so far, had barely a mention this time.
Anyhow, we march on to #7 – but surely wished we could have skipped this one. {1.5}
In short, not much to be happy about herein. While the ending chapters finally generated some suspense over capturing the big bad guy, there was otherwise so little to care about in this whole thing, we were really tempted to just skim whole chapters. Joe early on took his colleagues to task for using derogatory references to the “Oriental” characters. Yet this book still had a racist overtone to it with regard to the many evils of the Asians portrayed, with the “Root” of much of this bad stuff supposedly ancestral conditioning. It’s almost hard to believe how a book published in 1995 can’t do better, although come to think of it, that is a quarter-century ago! Meanwhile, Joe's girlfriend Gail, a major player in the stories so far, had barely a mention this time.
Anyhow, we march on to #7 – but surely wished we could have skipped this one. {1.5}
October 8, 2011
Routine novel of rival Vietnamese gangs fighting over control of territory. The gangs are basically amoral and very violent with little social redeeming qualities. It's fun to see them get theirs, but it is hard to care about the fate of vicious slimeballs.
June 16, 2021
Again, a solid entry into the world of Brattleboro (and beyond). This time Joe Gunther have to collaborate with federal agencies and Canada to stop cross-border smuggeling of drugs and people.
I recommend listening to the audiobooks. The narrator is doing a really good job.
I recommend listening to the audiobooks. The narrator is doing a really good job.
November 5, 2021
This entry revolves around Asian crime. Perhaps because it was written in 2007, a lot of time is spent explaining the culture and how the Asian crime syndicate works which is not really necessary to today's reader. The result was a slower-paced story which I found dragged a bit. All-in-all, this is solid storytelling by Archer Mayor and I am happy to be moving on to the next adventure.
February 10, 2015
Archer Mayor is a fine mystery/thriller writer. His descriptions of crime scenes, locations, scenery, relationships, criminal mentalities, etc are spot-on. However, after finishing this book, #6 in a row, I'm growing a bit weary of his standard formats; protagonist Joe Gunther, detective, is such a risk-taking, over the top, rule-bending good guy who causes other good guys to suffer, even die because he is so impatient. His saving grace is, he usually does get the bad guys, and admits to his own shortcomings. I do recommend this book, just don't read the series back to back.
December 18, 2020
This is a 31 book series and I had really enjoyed the first few books. This is a small town Vermont police protocol. The author excels in the small town setting and build up of his characters. But his writing is long winded, i.e. takes a long time to say a little. The worse part about this book is that the plot is also overly long winded as well. 84% in the book, I no longer cared about the criminals or the story and I dnf'd it. The plot is about Asian gangs in the NE US and adjoining Canadian area. As usual, I enjoyed the characters but not the long winded plot or writing.
August 29, 2021
I generally like this series. It is often a slower plotted story but well developed. However, this installment is again slow and the plot is not one that I wanted to continue with. I read approximately one hundred pages and stopped. It involves Asian gangs, people and drug trafficking and brutal violence that includes torture, not for me. I tried to go back to the book a number of times, but I clearly did not want to find out what happens, which is the element that will get me to the end of a story I don't like very well.
October 17, 2018
Ugh. DNF. Normally a fan of the Joe Gunther series, but this book was way too bogged down in statistics about gang warfare, Asian gangs, Vietnamese immigrants, home invasions and extortion, etc. I appreciate that Mayor does his research, but this is a novel, not a report for the development of criminal policy. The forward movement of plot suffered.
August 14, 2012
All Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series mystery books are page turners. As soon as I finished one I began another.
August 7, 2021
I am giving this 3.5 stars, if I can....
I liked it, but I wonder how long the author can keep moving up the levels of his policeman's cases. He is still a Lieutenant in a small town in Vermont (Brattleboro), but now, after crimes that I will get into shortly, he is the de facto head of an international crime fighting team, albeit temporarily.
Starting with a home invasion carried out on a Chinese family in Brattleboro, the story escalates into a full scale war between two Chinese / Vietnamese criminal gangs, who straddle Quebec / Vermont / Mass / New York. We have rape, kidnap, car bombs, and rocket attacks. Not very Vermont-y. And as I noted, where does Hoe Gunther go from here? how can the crimes be escalated any more? Has he peaked too early?
My other concern with the book was the bleak picture painted of the life of Chinese-Americans, who seem to have no choice but to bow to the Asian gangs who were depicted as ruling their lives. How true is this? I have no way of knowing. I hope it's not true, as it is supremely depressing. But if it's not true, then the picture painted is false and defamatory.
So the story moves along well, with a lot of collateral damage, but the charm that the series has is still present. The author describes in great detail the streets of several different Vermont towns, Mostly Brattleboro, but also Rutland and even going into West Lebanon, NH. Worth reading, just for those, even.
I liked it, but I wonder how long the author can keep moving up the levels of his policeman's cases. He is still a Lieutenant in a small town in Vermont (Brattleboro), but now, after crimes that I will get into shortly, he is the de facto head of an international crime fighting team, albeit temporarily.
Starting with a home invasion carried out on a Chinese family in Brattleboro, the story escalates into a full scale war between two Chinese / Vietnamese criminal gangs, who straddle Quebec / Vermont / Mass / New York. We have rape, kidnap, car bombs, and rocket attacks. Not very Vermont-y. And as I noted, where does Hoe Gunther go from here? how can the crimes be escalated any more? Has he peaked too early?
My other concern with the book was the bleak picture painted of the life of Chinese-Americans, who seem to have no choice but to bow to the Asian gangs who were depicted as ruling their lives. How true is this? I have no way of knowing. I hope it's not true, as it is supremely depressing. But if it's not true, then the picture painted is false and defamatory.
So the story moves along well, with a lot of collateral damage, but the charm that the series has is still present. The author describes in great detail the streets of several different Vermont towns, Mostly Brattleboro, but also Rutland and even going into West Lebanon, NH. Worth reading, just for those, even.
April 10, 2021
3.5
I found this police procedural quite an interesting story with its spotlight on the Asian criminal culture around Joe Gunther's Vermont. The initial chapters pulled me in and I settled down for what I thought would be the usual 4 star Gunther experience. I'm reading this series in order and Archer Mayor's writing seems to get better with each installment. However, in "The Dark Root" and the previous offering "Fruits of the Poisonous Tree," Archer's seems to shoot himself in the foot. In the latter it was the subject matter, and in this one... well read on.
The first half of this novel kept me wrapped tight, but somewhere past midpoint things became bogged down. There was maybe a little too many details and law enforcement minutiae. I'm sure some people like that. However, it's not quite as thrilling having someone tell the series protagonist, Joe Gunther, what happened, as having him (and the reader) experience it first hand. There were many so many names to keep track of, I found myself having to go back a few pages to remember who the character was. I wonder if a better editing would have streamlined this book, of course it would have been 75 pages shorter, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I found this police procedural quite an interesting story with its spotlight on the Asian criminal culture around Joe Gunther's Vermont. The initial chapters pulled me in and I settled down for what I thought would be the usual 4 star Gunther experience. I'm reading this series in order and Archer Mayor's writing seems to get better with each installment. However, in "The Dark Root" and the previous offering "Fruits of the Poisonous Tree," Archer's seems to shoot himself in the foot. In the latter it was the subject matter, and in this one... well read on.
The first half of this novel kept me wrapped tight, but somewhere past midpoint things became bogged down. There was maybe a little too many details and law enforcement minutiae. I'm sure some people like that. However, it's not quite as thrilling having someone tell the series protagonist, Joe Gunther, what happened, as having him (and the reader) experience it first hand. There were many so many names to keep track of, I found myself having to go back a few pages to remember who the character was. I wonder if a better editing would have streamlined this book, of course it would have been 75 pages shorter, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
May 13, 2022
From the Goodreads Blurb: A brutal home invasion shocks Brattleboro's small Asian community, but no one's talking. Undeterred, Joe Gunther digs deeper and discovers a cross-border smuggling route carrying drugs, contraband, and illegal aliens into and out of Canada. Operating below the radar for years, competition between underworld rivals is bringing it into the light with deadly consequences. International jurisdiction is a complicated thing, and Gunther will have to collaborate with the FBI, the Border Patrol and the Mounties in the pursuit of justice.
A LOT of characters — bad guys, cops from all across the state and across the border, States Attorneys, victims and the family of victims — but Archer keeps the reader focused; okay, you might want to make a diagram... A very high body count compared to Mayor's earlier books. Lester Spinney from the Vermont State Police (book #1 in the series) makes an appearance; he's a good character. There is a bit of a shake-up in the hierarchy in the Brattleboro detective squad. Joe and Lester visit Montreal, and part of the action takes place at the site of Expo 67.
This was book #19 on our 2022 Read-alouds With Lutrecia List, and book #25 on our own Read-alouds List.
A LOT of characters — bad guys, cops from all across the state and across the border, States Attorneys, victims and the family of victims — but Archer keeps the reader focused; okay, you might want to make a diagram... A very high body count compared to Mayor's earlier books. Lester Spinney from the Vermont State Police (book #1 in the series) makes an appearance; he's a good character. There is a bit of a shake-up in the hierarchy in the Brattleboro detective squad. Joe and Lester visit Montreal, and part of the action takes place at the site of Expo 67.
This was book #19 on our 2022 Read-alouds With Lutrecia List, and book #25 on our own Read-alouds List.
January 26, 2018
My son brought this home from a college library sale during Winter break. I love "older" (I'm 45), police procedural/ crime mysteries, set in the 80's and early 90's before high tech.
Anyway, not being familiar with the protagonist "Joe Gunther", I quickly became a fan. First of all this novel was set in the state I live, Vermont. Some parts even set in the Northeast Kingdom (NEK), which is rare to find, so I could identify with a lot of the local area's and geography.
"The Dark Root" refers basically to the worst parts of the Asian mob. It was very interesting to read about cultural alliances during this period and how strong ties can be in certain communities. I highly recommend researching this topic further.
Anyway, after a routine traffic stop something doesn't sit right with Joe. About 6 months later other events start happening that seem to tie in together, including home invasions where horrible acts occur, however the homeowners refuse to talk about what happened.
As the violence and body count ratchets up, Joe and his team are quickly running out of time to connect the dots and close in on the main players before it's too late.
Highly charged, thrilling read.
Anyway, not being familiar with the protagonist "Joe Gunther", I quickly became a fan. First of all this novel was set in the state I live, Vermont. Some parts even set in the Northeast Kingdom (NEK), which is rare to find, so I could identify with a lot of the local area's and geography.
"The Dark Root" refers basically to the worst parts of the Asian mob. It was very interesting to read about cultural alliances during this period and how strong ties can be in certain communities. I highly recommend researching this topic further.
Anyway, after a routine traffic stop something doesn't sit right with Joe. About 6 months later other events start happening that seem to tie in together, including home invasions where horrible acts occur, however the homeowners refuse to talk about what happened.
As the violence and body count ratchets up, Joe and his team are quickly running out of time to connect the dots and close in on the main players before it's too late.
Highly charged, thrilling read.
October 15, 2019
Brattleboro, Vermont, does not seem like the setting for Asian gang wars but Lt. Joe Gunther finds himself embroiled in one of the most dangerous and vicious investigations of his entire career. This quaint New England town has begun to serve as a direct route to Montreal where a notorious Asian gang leader has set up shop. There is nothing this gang is not involved in: illegals, drugs, money laundering, kidnapping, home invasions, guns. The gang only targets Asian family-owned businesses and the families are too frightened to cooperate with the police. Gunther and his team, which this time includes both the FBI and the RCMP, are adamant that they will take down the leader and his gang members before any more innocent people are killed.
I am a huge fan of the Joe Gunther series but I had a very difficult time with this book. I believe it was the similarity in the names of the gang members that I had trouble sorting out. It was an exiting read but not one of my favorites in this series.
I am a huge fan of the Joe Gunther series but I had a very difficult time with this book. I believe it was the similarity in the names of the gang members that I had trouble sorting out. It was an exiting read but not one of my favorites in this series.
January 29, 2023
A lot of bad things are happening to the east Asian denizens of Brattleboro, VT. In The Dark Root, Joe Gunther is on the case to find out what is going on. The story takes us on a tour of violent, international Asian crime rings that set their sights on Montreal’s Green Mountain exurbs. Joe becomes part of a federal task force set up to bring the gang activity to an end.
While The Dark Root at its soul is still a police procedure detective novel, it could have been paced a bit better. Sure, Joe Gunther is the consummate police detective in Brattleboro, VT, but how the Brattleboro police handled the cases the Asian crime mob threw at them leaves the reader a bit aghast.
Brattleboro is just about an hour north on the banks of the Connecticut from my hometown of Springfield. Maybe because of that bit of sentimentality, I still recommend the Joe Gunther stories, and they will continue to punctuate my extended reading list.
While The Dark Root at its soul is still a police procedure detective novel, it could have been paced a bit better. Sure, Joe Gunther is the consummate police detective in Brattleboro, VT, but how the Brattleboro police handled the cases the Asian crime mob threw at them leaves the reader a bit aghast.
Brattleboro is just about an hour north on the banks of the Connecticut from my hometown of Springfield. Maybe because of that bit of sentimentality, I still recommend the Joe Gunther stories, and they will continue to punctuate my extended reading list.
July 25, 2018
I dislike writing poor reviews, but honestly, I had to fight through every moment of this police procedural involving an Asian gang of human traffickers / drug dealers / general crooks, despite the fact that it takes place in my own home state of Vermont. By rights, I should have loved it.
I did not.
I found it confusing, with too many characters and too little reflection of what the heck was happening. At least the descriptions of Vermont and Western New Hampshire were spot on. But... I won't be going back for more Archer Mayor. Perhaps if I'd started with book one, but still, this was all over the place. Not for me. Sorry, Mr. Mayor.
I did not.
I found it confusing, with too many characters and too little reflection of what the heck was happening. At least the descriptions of Vermont and Western New Hampshire were spot on. But... I won't be going back for more Archer Mayor. Perhaps if I'd started with book one, but still, this was all over the place. Not for me. Sorry, Mr. Mayor.
March 12, 2020
This story is another in the series the author writes about the character of Joe Gunther, a police detective in Brattleboro, Vermont. In this book, Joe investigates an Asian crime organization that attempts to take root in Vermont. This crime syndicate specializes in importing illegal immigrant workers, protection rackets and money laundering involving Asian owned businesses such as restaurants. It is a good story and a police procedural driven investigation. However, the Asian names made it difficult for me to keep all the players straight between gang members and honest businessmen caught up in the activities of these criminal organizations.
April 27, 2020
Another reliable Joe Gunther mystery, well written, well paced and interesting.
The premise here is Asian gangs smuggling drugs and people back and forth between the US and Canada, and tiny little Brattleboro (Joe's town in Vermont) ends up at a crossroads of some of the chaos associated with the illicit activity.
I have been a fan of the Joe Gunther mysteries for awhile, generally listen to them and apparently cannot seem to read/listen to them in order. This particular offering is an older story and I did get a kick out of the outdated technology, but the story was worth the time to hear
The premise here is Asian gangs smuggling drugs and people back and forth between the US and Canada, and tiny little Brattleboro (Joe's town in Vermont) ends up at a crossroads of some of the chaos associated with the illicit activity.
I have been a fan of the Joe Gunther mysteries for awhile, generally listen to them and apparently cannot seem to read/listen to them in order. This particular offering is an older story and I did get a kick out of the outdated technology, but the story was worth the time to hear
January 15, 2021
Lots of detail with many Archer Mayor books have. An original story mixed in with the Asian gangs. I have read many of Peter May's books so there wasn't a lot of new ground for me but it was interwoven well and kept my attention throughout the book. Some people didn't like the 2nd half but I believe those are readers who prefer action over procedure. Procedure can get bogged down but I found it interesting in this book because of the things I learned on the way to a conclusion. I just hope that Joe Gunther doesn't get shot, maimed, etc. in the next book. That part is getting a little old.
February 18, 2022
Again, a different angle on the series so far. This addresses the subject of the growing Asian communities that become the targets of an also growing Asian gangs. They are a different unit then our police are used to generally dealing with. Finding a way in and information proves to be much harder. They are violent and cause such fear in the victims, no one is willing to talk. It take a multi unit task force from MANY agencies and countries to even make an attempt to take them down. I got a bit lost in all the names and ties between them, as they all had multiple names and aliases. Still, it was a great book full of action. Narrator once again did a fantastic job.
November 10, 2018
I’ll definitely continue to make my way through the series as the library loans become available, but I was not swept up into this one as much as I have been in Gunther’s previous adventures. The inscrutable Oriental threat felt a little stilted and the action felt seriously repetitive this time around. I did enjoy the brief foray into Canada and the glimpse of Feds procedures vs Staties limitations, and the mention of grand juries provided a thrill of recognition, but otherwise I just was not invested in this.
January 10, 2023
I've read the previous 5 in his series...gave 1-4 four stars...number 5 I rounded up to 4 stars from 3.5.
This one just didn't catch my interest...too long, with too many entries of not particularly interesting details and events of Asian crime gangs with too many characters, who were hard to differentiate....the story just went slowly dragging on and on and on!
I'm hoping I find number 7 is back on a good track.
This one just didn't catch my interest...too long, with too many entries of not particularly interesting details and events of Asian crime gangs with too many characters, who were hard to differentiate....the story just went slowly dragging on and on and on!
I'm hoping I find number 7 is back on a good track.
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