The Man Who Risked His Partner

The Man Who #2

by Stephen R. Donaldson

Stephen R. Donaldson is one of America's acclaimed storytellers. But in the 1980s, he published three novels about private investigators Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari, as paperback originals under the pseudonym "Reed Stephens." In 2001, Tor published a fourth novel about these characters, The Man Who Fought Alone, this time in hardcover under Donaldson's own name. Now Donaldson has returned to the first three novels in the sequence, rewriting and expanding them. The Man Who Killed His Brother was the first, and this is the second of the three.

Mick "Brew" Axbrewder is a P.I. who's seen better days. Deeply into alcoholism, some time back, he accidentally shot and killed a cop. Worse, the cop turned out to be his brother. Even worse, in a case not long after that, his partner Ginny Fistoulari blew off her own left hand, protecting him and others.

Now Mick works mostly as hired muscle for Ginny. They don't talk much. But their latest client's story doesn't add up. They're going to have to start working better together. And Brew's going to have to face some of his own worst fears.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Detective, Crime, Contemporary, Science Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Stephen Reeder Donaldson is an American fantasy, science fiction, and mystery novelist; in the United Kingdom he is usually called "Stephen Donaldson" (without the "R"). He has also written non-fiction under the pen name Reed Stephens.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION:

Stephen R. Donaldson was born May 13, 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, James, was a medical missionary and his mother, Ruth, a prosthetist (a person skilled in making or fitting prosthetic devices). Donaldson spent the years between the ages of 3 and 16 living in India, where his father was working as an orthopaedic surgeon. Donaldson earned his bachelor's degree from The College of Wooster and master's degree from Kent State University.

INSPIRATIONS:

Donaldson's work is heavily influenced by other fantasy authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Roger Zelazny, Joseph Conrad, Henry James, and William Faulkner. The writers he most admires are Patricia A. McKillip, Steven Erikson, and Tim Powers.

It is believed that a speech his father made on leprosy (whilst working with lepers in India) led to Donaldson's creation of Thomas Covenant, the anti-hero of his most famous work (Thomas Covenant). The first book in that series, Lord Foul's Bane, received 47 rejections before a publisher agreed to publish it.

PROMINENT WORK:
Stephen Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, which is centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.

PERSONAL LIFE:
He currently resides in New Mexico.

THE GRADUAL INTERVIEW

Reviews

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the pseudonym Reed Stephens, celebrated fantasy author Stephen R. Donaldson wrote this mystery novel, the second in the series, just after completing the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant trilogy. The story involving a client who has been turned down by all the other local private investigator firms is an improvement over the first in the series (The Man Who Killed His Brother) although still nothing special as far as mysteries go. Protagonists Mick Axebrewder and his partner Ginny Fistouli are damaged on the inside and the outside, like many of Donaldson's characters, and copious amount of inner turmoil should be expected of the narrative.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the core, Donaldson's Mitch Axbrewder mysteries are little different than his fantasy novels. He builds a world - in this case, a world that mirrors the New Mexico he calls home - and populates it with flawed and broken characters. He then watches them thrash against each other, trying to survive. The "mystery" here isn't particularly interesting but I had fun comparing the two detectives to Thomas Covenant. It's probably not a coincidence that Covenant and Ginny Fistoulari have mangled hands...

[Don Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this a lot. It was a mystery until the very end.

[Douglas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Though I do like Donaldson's work overall, I've found I've not gotten into his mysteries as much. I recall reading The Man Who Killed His Brother somewhere around the turn of the century and liking it somewhat, but I never got around to reading the others in the series. I guess I can see why.

Donaldson remains more or less true to form in these books. Things are bad, the protagonist and his allies struggle and suffers, and things proceed to get worse for them. Mick Axbrewder is the narrator and hero of these stories. In the previous novel he set out to find his niece -- the daughter of the brother he accidentally shot -- and in the process his partner lost her hand. The start of this novel we're in the aftermath. Ginny Fistoulari struggles with the loss of her hand and is not the same, strong woman Mick knows and cares about. In an effort to bring her back to her old self, Axbrewder accepts a case that is easily a bad deal. Their client thinks someone is trying to kill him, namely the Mexican cartel boss of the area, and he wants protection. Meanwhile, Mick also discovers that Pablo, the son of a family he cares about, has gone missing.

The various threads of this novel tie together, but it's somewhat messy. Perhaps this is because it's an earlier work in a genre he normally did not write. The more Reg Haskell grins madly and feeds them lie after lie, the more we realize that Haskell is the problem and not the victim. Unfortunately it's projected too much and Ginny and Mick are so preoccupied with their own troubles that it seems they can't even pay attention to the obvious. The slight twist of an ending proves to be less of a twist than would be hoped for. It's fairly clear early on where this is going unfortunately.

I may read books three or four later on, but for now I'm setting this series aside. So in fifteen years maybe I'll pick it up again, who knows?

This tends to be a hard series of books to find. Donaldson wrote under the pen name "Reed Stephens" because of pressure from his publisher when the books were originally released, and then he came back to the series later around 2001 for book four. On a side note, thank goodness for interlibrary loans, as most libraries just don't have this series.

[Jennifer Mugrage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Mick Axbrewder book by Donaldson is darker than the first one.

In the first one, "Brew" was an alcoholic, but he was willing to dry out in response to the call of his PI partner, Ginny Fistoulari, who is a very tough, capable lady. (Ginny is super logical and Brew is super intuitive. In a lot of ways, she's just a guy in a female body and vice versa.) Anyway, I ended Book 1 (The Man Who Killed His Brother) moderately hopeful, because Brew had managed to get through withdrawal without staring to drink again. He and Ginny were both clearly beat up by life, but they seemed to be good for each other.

In this book, that whole dynamic has been undone. Ginny lost her hand to a bomb at the end of the book #1. Brew has been caring for her for the past six months, but getting maimed knocked the stuffing out of her. As a result, when the book opens, these former lovers live in a state of constant mutual unease, guilt, resentment, fear, pride, and mistrust. And this continues ... for the entire book.

Donaldson is really good at writing characters who are the end of their rope physically, emotionally, and mentally. But I wish someone had told him that you have to give them a little relief or progress from time to time to throughout the book, or else it's a completely unpleasant experience for the reader.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I skimmed the last half. Not sure what the deal is with this series, but these really do not show Donaldson's talent.

The characters are weak with no depth. Too much tell and little show. The female lead is too strong and I hate how her "broken and crooked nose" is harped on.

It is ONLY because I am a die hard fan of this author that I continue reading this series. Just for the clout of saying I have read all of his work.

This is one I advise not to read.

I put stand alone and read in order because they are actually both. Ok as a stand alone, but reading the first one can help the reader a bit.

Warning: Male lead is a recovering alcoholic. May be a trigger for some.
Otherwise, clean read and safe. Mild violence and cursing (I think)

[Anthony McFarlane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unkillable Brew

As much as I enjoyed the first book, this one stretched my belief somewhat, but what drew me back in was the fact that Mr Donaldson has done it again, given the main characters that most unlike able trait of being enormously annoying, just as Thomas Covenant and Prince Bifalt, I found myself shouting at the characters to stop thinking words and say them out loud! Hence, once again, characters I love to hate from what they don’t say. I will be buying the next one though, and in all honesty I have read this book in 4 sittings so, can’t be that bad can it?

[Bingo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puerta del Sol is the setting for this detective series. A fictitious multi-cultural city, sprawling somewhere in the southwestern United States, it sets the tone with great effect and brings a life-like sensitivity to the characters and events.

The author says his Axbrewder novels are part of the more relaxed phase of his writing cycle, where the epic works are followed by short stories, then by a detective story before the next epic is begun.

This piece of trivia is good to have in mind while engaged in the book.

[Laurie Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my top 5 favourite contemporary writers.

At times, a bit too damned tortuous for me (reminds me of Thomas Covenant's self-excruciation), but there's a satisfying complexity and real-to-life-ness about Axbrewder and Fistoulari. The inter-wovenness of their personal and professional relationships and the cases(s) they're working on make for compelling reading.

[Stephen Hickman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Put it down and then picked it up again. It was pitchy but gradually started to gather momentum. I felt it was trying to be a bit Elmore Leonard but I was never convinced the author had the plot nailed. Haskell was not convincing and we needed to be taken a bit closer to El Señor to provide some flavour. Axbrewder and Ginny were a bit Petrochelli. B Grade.

[Paul Close · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little tedious how both have problems and neither is willing to talk to the other.

[Chris Stephens · Rating 3 out of 5]

2nd time through this series,
of the opinion everything written by Donaldson is worth 2nd reads,
If you like imperfect people and failures
and even sometimes a happy ending.

[Suzana Vuksanovic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puerta del Sol, somewhere new the Mexican border, is where this story is set.
Stephen Donaldson, renowned for his best-selling fantasy series' The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant proves himself an able and entertaining writer in more than one genre. In fact, he wrote these books (of which there are three, I believe) starring Mick Axbrewder and partner (wished-for lover) Ginny Fisoulari before he wrote his best-selling series', and only had them published after his star had risen. Just shows how much the publishers know. Because this is well written, and entertaining.
The setting adds real flavour to the story (somewhat indicative of the major role setting would play in his fantasy novels) and provides and interesting backdrop to events. This novel, the sequel to "The Man Who Killed His Brother" takes up where the former left off..Ginny Fistoulari has a stump where her left hand was blown off in the last novel, and is not coming to terms with it, and Mick Axbrewder, an alcoholic, is pinig for the lost direction and drive that she provided in his life.
Classic Thomas Covenant type stuff.
Unlike many P.I. type novels, I had no difficulty following the characters and events in the story (my other great P.I. writing love, Peter Corris, can sometimes lose me in the intricacies.
I've always been more of a "character" person rather than a "plot" person, and in this (and his former) novel Stephen Donaldson delivers in spades.
As for plot, the story starts with an apparently respectable banker/accountant seeking protection for what he says is a "welched" bet. As the two from "Fistoulari Investigations" progress it seems that their client is lying about his own circumstances - and frightened more by threat of discovery than by the death threats that drove him to seek protection in the first place.
I enjoyed this book. There are two more in the series: The Man Who Tried To Get Away and The Man Who Fought Alone and I intend to read them both.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a Stephen R. Donaldson fan, and this is the fourth series of his work that I've read. I first read them years ago, and I had fond memories of them...enough so, that I decided to re-read them. These books don't do well on the second read. Maybe no mystery stories do, but I found the writing almost painful this time.

In this genre, the mystery is often either so inscrutable that it becomes irrelevant, or it is so obvious that the reader has to wait whole chapters for the "detectives" to catch up. This book is much more of the former.

The detectives form a theory, commit themselves wholly to it's correctness, have it disproved with the very next clue, then commit themselves wholly to another perfectly rational theory, rinse, repeat. It's very confusing for the reader, because each new theory could very well fit the situation. When the theory falls apart, it seems kind of random. I wanted to believe that these detectives are good at their job, and that the theories they spin make sense. When they turn out to be nonsense, we wonder why the professionals didn't see through it.

Donaldson has these hard-nosed characters make that most annoying and unrealistic of mistakes associated most closely with the climax of a Scooby-Doo mystery: they confront and accuse the villain without drawing their guns first. They spend minutes explaining every detail of how they know he's guilty, then are taken by surprise when he pulls a gun on them. Who would really do that?!?

I remain a Donaldson fan, but these book made me realize that his real talent is in writing characters. I didn't like this book, but these characters are memorable, even iconic. Mysteries are apparently not a great area for him to apply his talent.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen R. Donaldson is primarily a fantasist, and his The Man Who detective series borrows heavily from that toolkit. I wouldn't necessarily call it worldbuilding, but the setting of these books feels ever-so-slightly heightened and off-kilter from the reality we would expect in a typical crime thriller. And that matches the general theme illuminating Donaldson's fantasy work, which is that external tokens -- be they magic spells or bottles of mescal -- should be in service to internal character dilemmas.

The strange southwestern town of these first two Man Who novels is a purgatory for Donaldson's characters, who are seeking to make sense of their respective traumas as much as of the case in front of them. This sequel offers a more distinctive investigation on all fronts than the first time around, and although there aren't many big surprises in the narrative -- a compulsive liar of a client mostly just keeps compulsively lying -- the heroes feel sharper and less inscrutable as they struggle towards answers.

As ever, Donaldson provides a claustrophobically haunting look at addiction through the eyes of his alcoholic protagonist, and the novel (first published under a pseudonym in 1984 before being revised and reissued in 2003 with the author's name attached) showcases the same sort of torturous anguish perfected in his earlier and more famous Thomas Covenant series. I don't know if I'd recommend the story to whodunnit readers who care about plot over atmosphere, but as a nice juicy noir, it's even better on a reread than I remember.

[Feliks · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best 'sleeper' discoveries you will ever have the pleasure of stumbling into. Surprisingly, astoundingly durable and solid detective writing from someone whom --at the time--I had never heard of.

Understanding only recently that it was Stephen R. Donaldson writing behind a pseudonym, is to marvel at. I read his fantasy series as a lad; and would never have expected the kind of mature, sensitive, and gritty output he comes up with here.

Its totally startling. You wonder where he grew the motivation; what inspired him to strike off like this, in a whole other direction from fantasy, magic, and world-creation. I can't even think of more than a few authors who ever straddled genres like this. He certainly beats Norman Mailer's "Tough Guys Don't Dance" attempt.

Highly recommended, enjoyable entertainment. Written with verve and panache. Understated but confident. Something about the Axbrewder character will stick with you.

[Tufty McTavish · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is much faster paced than usual, despite sharing the agonised characters that typically fill Donaldson's books. They're still torn and insightful but for the most part the book just gets on with the story, which builds and builds to the conclusion quite well.

I read the first book in the series a long time ago and now barely remember any of its details. So I was left stumbling to recall references to the previous adventure throughout. That made me want to go back and re-read the first title to get up-to-speed, though I didn't bother in the end, thinking it wouldn't matter. I actually wish I had re-read the first even by the end.

All-in-all these characters don't have it good - it's a rough and brutal world that they occupy. I don't normally do detective stories, but I like the author a lot so it made a nice change from my usual fare.

[Roberth · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had read this book back in the 80's I would probably have loved it, especially with all the martial arts going on here.

Now? Well. It is a decent PI story, but the martial arts stereotypes are painful to me... Also, having practiced one of the styles used for the plot in the book I cannot help but see the errors and not being able to look past them.

The good parts of the book, which helps getting the rating up to "OK" is the inner dialogue of the main character and his character flaws. It paints a picture of a real person, and as with all Donaldson's writing the internal turmoil is the cornerstone of the story, and this is what I really like in his writings.

I cannot really recommend this book to others unless they, like me, are fans of Donaldson in general and would like to consume everything he's written.

[Pat Stearman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't know Stephen Donaldson had written crime novels as well as his fantasy series' so thought I'd try this when I saw it on the library shelves.
Typically for the author, both protagonists are damaged, the 'man' as an alcoholic and the 'partner' having lost part of an arm, due to something he did in the previous novel (may well read that if I see it in the library.)
Nicely written, he does atmosphere very well, nice twists and a decent ending.

[Rob Hermanowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual genre, but I wanted to read all of Donaldson's books, and this series is beginning to grow on me. As is typical of SRD, the main characters are complex psychological messes. Who would've thought that I'd find THAT interesting?

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the change in character that took place, but it didn't seem quite as well written this time. It wasn't as sympathetic as it should have been. That said, I lost several hours of sleep because I didn't want to put it down.

[Garry Le Maistre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is one of Stephen Donaldson's private detecive series (aka Reed Stephens). The characters in this book really come alive and, if you like the genre, I would recommend it.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery by my man Stephen R. Another decent read, but not a page-turner. Not a lot to say about this one.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep and dark and great

[David Blaylock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story and will continue reading this series.

[Terry Mulcahy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me of John D. MacDonald in it's violence, intelligence, and the damaged but sympathetic characters who, nevertheless, work with honesty and integrity. A joy to read!

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: Mick, Brew Axbrewder is a PI who's seen better days. Mick works mostly as hired muscle for Ginny. Their client's story doesn't add up.