Flashpoint

Dev Conrad #4

by Ed Gorman

Political Consultant Devlin Conrad had the feeling that his very married client Senator Robert Logan was a lot more involved with the beautiful and mysterious Tracy Cabot than he wanted to admit. But he learned too late that the Cabot woman was a spy working for a shadowy right-wing organization – too late because by then she'd been found murdered in Senator Logan’s fishing cabin, and the police are certain that he killed her. But Conrad finds numerous suspects in the Senator's mansion and in the somewhat comic but dangerous figure of political saboteur Howie Ruskin. He must find the real killer if he is to win the election for a client whose vanity and arrogance make him right at home in the United States Senate.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good Dev Conrad mystery.
Political Consultant Dev is working with Senator Robert Logan on his reelection.
The married Senator has been seen more than once with a beautiful woman...not his wife.
When that woman turns up dead in the Senator's cabin, Dev has to find out who did it, and try to save the election.
Fast moving, good characters and story.
And that Gorman humour...

[Susanne Leist · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this book is considered a thriller, then it offers little action. As a mystery, it flunks. The tiny clue that led the author to name someone as the murderer, who, for a moment, I forgot who the person was, does not tie well with the other clues. The ending is left open without resolving who was behind the setup or if it was a setup.

[Joel Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good old fashioned mystery from one of the masters, Ed Gorman