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Eddy Harkness #1
Third Rail: An Eddy Harkness Novel
A Boston narcotic detective's search for his lost gun reveals a network of corruption and cover-up that reaches the highest levels of the city in this propulsive debut, first in an exciting new series in the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Robert Parker.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
35 people are currently reading
707 people want to read
About the author
Rory Flynn
5 books27 followersDennis Lehane says that Boston crime/mystery writer Rory Flynn "is a terrific writer who knows how to spin a yarn with grit and confidence." Flynn created the Eddy Harkness series (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) – which debuted with THIRD RAIL in 2014. The much-anticipated second novel in the series, DARK HORSE, is available in bookstores now!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
November 13, 2015
This taut, gritty novel introduces Eddy Harkness, who was once the young, rising star of the Boston P.D.'s narcotics unit. But a tragic incident cost him his career in the big city, and Eddy, now twenty-nine, is reduced to working on the police force of Nagog, Massachusetts, the small town outside of Boston where he was born and raised.
For Eddy, it's been a particularly long and humbling fall, especially given his assignment for the Nagog P.D., which is emptying the town's parking meters. Then, to compound matters, on the anniversary of the event that cost him his job in Boston, Eddy gets roaring drunk, behaves very badly and, sometime during the course of the evening, loses the service revolver that the town has issued him.
Eddy is determined to recover the weapon and his effort to do so turns into a desperate quest to find some sort of redemption. The search drags him down into the seamy underside of this community that appears so bucolic on the surface and ensnares him in a web of crime and corruption along with an unusual mix of characters, some of whom are very badly bent, and many of whom are as desperate, each in his or her own way, as Eddy Harkness.
It's a gripping story, populated by characters that are fresh and intriguing. One of the blurbs on the cover suggests that Eddy Harkness is a "worthy successor" to Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone. But as much as I admired Parker's work, and as much as I enjoyed most of the Jesse Stone novels, I think that this book is much more complex and ultimately a much better read than some of the later Jesse Stone books. I'm really looking forward to the second book in the series.
For Eddy, it's been a particularly long and humbling fall, especially given his assignment for the Nagog P.D., which is emptying the town's parking meters. Then, to compound matters, on the anniversary of the event that cost him his job in Boston, Eddy gets roaring drunk, behaves very badly and, sometime during the course of the evening, loses the service revolver that the town has issued him.
Eddy is determined to recover the weapon and his effort to do so turns into a desperate quest to find some sort of redemption. The search drags him down into the seamy underside of this community that appears so bucolic on the surface and ensnares him in a web of crime and corruption along with an unusual mix of characters, some of whom are very badly bent, and many of whom are as desperate, each in his or her own way, as Eddy Harkness.
It's a gripping story, populated by characters that are fresh and intriguing. One of the blurbs on the cover suggests that Eddy Harkness is a "worthy successor" to Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone. But as much as I admired Parker's work, and as much as I enjoyed most of the Jesse Stone novels, I think that this book is much more complex and ultimately a much better read than some of the later Jesse Stone books. I'm really looking forward to the second book in the series.
November 13, 2014
Frank Vincent Zappa, an American composer, musician, and film director, has mentioned about "drugs" as:
“A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole.”
That's true, a simple chemical compound having so much power to turn people into impulsive zombies with no brain. Rory Flynn, a Boston-based mystery writer, explores the lucid world of a new drug found in the dark dingy alleys of Boston, in his debut of the Eddy Harkness series, Third Rail: An Eddy Harkness Novel .
Synopsis:
At crime scenes, Eddy Harkness, the "Harvard Cop," is a human Ouija board, a brilliant young detective with a knack for finding the hidden something—cash, drugs, guns, bodies. Harkness's swift rise in an elite narcotics unit is derailed by the death of a young Red Sox fan in the chaos after a World Series win, a death some camera-phone-wielding witnesses believe he could have prevented. Scapegoated, Eddy is exiled to his hometown, Nagog, just outside Boston, where he empties parking meters and struggles to redeem his disgraced family name.
But one night Harkness’s police-issued Glock disappears. Harkness starts a search—just as a string of fatal accidents in Nagog lead him to uncover a dangerous new smart drug, Third Rail. With only a plastic gun to protect him, Harkness begins a high-stakes investigation that sends him into the darkest corners of the city.
From the beginning, the plot simply gripped me with its pace and adrenaline-rushing actions and mysteries. Eddy is a hero, who can sometime look very stupid with his toy gun, but he made me fall for his unflattering heroism and determination. He always saw the glitches, he always sniffed the foul smell, and he always bet on the suspected characters- in short, he always was right! Unfortunately, because of a past mistake, his guys in Narco-Intel had a hard time in believing his theories. I liked the fact that how Eddy stood against the tide to find the origin of a killer drug, although he used to work in a town where everything had a negative color, where everything was flawed and where people loved to get stoned and wasted rather than behaving meaningfully. I almost felt drunk with the aura of this ploy\t where the underbelly of the criminal world looked so bright and striking.
The characters are maybe very faulty and flawed, but they all had the power to hook you into the core of the book. From well-developed characters to well-written plot, Flynn knows how to turn his simple plot into an action-packed pot-boiler story. I liked the narrative, it was kept short, simple and thoroughly intriguing, and the best part being every chapter ending on a mysterious note, and that peak my interest in this book. To be honest, there were not much twists in this story, moreover, they were not even meant to keep hidden from the readers, I guess, because, from the very first moment, I can see who the real thief of Eddy’s gun was. Moreover, the book felt more like as if I was watching the whole scene in front of my eyes rather than reading it. The author has strikingly portrayed the underbelly of a city and while reading this book, you almost feel its sick stink at the bottom of your stomach. And Eddy is indeed a marvelous character, stupid-at-times, yet brilliant.
Verdict: Read this power-packed debut book to get swept away in the wild ride of crime and drugs.
Courtesy: Many thanks to the author, Rory Flynn, for providing me with a copy of his book, in return for an honest review.
“A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole.”
That's true, a simple chemical compound having so much power to turn people into impulsive zombies with no brain. Rory Flynn, a Boston-based mystery writer, explores the lucid world of a new drug found in the dark dingy alleys of Boston, in his debut of the Eddy Harkness series, Third Rail: An Eddy Harkness Novel .
Synopsis:
At crime scenes, Eddy Harkness, the "Harvard Cop," is a human Ouija board, a brilliant young detective with a knack for finding the hidden something—cash, drugs, guns, bodies. Harkness's swift rise in an elite narcotics unit is derailed by the death of a young Red Sox fan in the chaos after a World Series win, a death some camera-phone-wielding witnesses believe he could have prevented. Scapegoated, Eddy is exiled to his hometown, Nagog, just outside Boston, where he empties parking meters and struggles to redeem his disgraced family name.
But one night Harkness’s police-issued Glock disappears. Harkness starts a search—just as a string of fatal accidents in Nagog lead him to uncover a dangerous new smart drug, Third Rail. With only a plastic gun to protect him, Harkness begins a high-stakes investigation that sends him into the darkest corners of the city.
From the beginning, the plot simply gripped me with its pace and adrenaline-rushing actions and mysteries. Eddy is a hero, who can sometime look very stupid with his toy gun, but he made me fall for his unflattering heroism and determination. He always saw the glitches, he always sniffed the foul smell, and he always bet on the suspected characters- in short, he always was right! Unfortunately, because of a past mistake, his guys in Narco-Intel had a hard time in believing his theories. I liked the fact that how Eddy stood against the tide to find the origin of a killer drug, although he used to work in a town where everything had a negative color, where everything was flawed and where people loved to get stoned and wasted rather than behaving meaningfully. I almost felt drunk with the aura of this ploy\t where the underbelly of the criminal world looked so bright and striking.
The characters are maybe very faulty and flawed, but they all had the power to hook you into the core of the book. From well-developed characters to well-written plot, Flynn knows how to turn his simple plot into an action-packed pot-boiler story. I liked the narrative, it was kept short, simple and thoroughly intriguing, and the best part being every chapter ending on a mysterious note, and that peak my interest in this book. To be honest, there were not much twists in this story, moreover, they were not even meant to keep hidden from the readers, I guess, because, from the very first moment, I can see who the real thief of Eddy’s gun was. Moreover, the book felt more like as if I was watching the whole scene in front of my eyes rather than reading it. The author has strikingly portrayed the underbelly of a city and while reading this book, you almost feel its sick stink at the bottom of your stomach. And Eddy is indeed a marvelous character, stupid-at-times, yet brilliant.
Verdict: Read this power-packed debut book to get swept away in the wild ride of crime and drugs.
Courtesy: Many thanks to the author, Rory Flynn, for providing me with a copy of his book, in return for an honest review.
September 11, 2017
Third Rail by Rory Flynn introduces us to Harvard educated, tough-guy cop Eddy Harkness. Harkness is tougher than an overcooked pork-chop, he’s grittier than the lining of my swim trunks after taking a dip in the ocean by Atlantic City, and he’s more driven than Miss Daisy. And he’s going through a rough patch at the moment. Disciplined for his actions in a fatal shooting outside Fenway, this once promising head of the Boston PD’s Narco Intel drug unit, is now emptying parking meters in his suburban hometown of Nagog. He’s fallen harder than a geriatric without a LifeCall medical alarm pendant, and now after recklessly going on booze filled bender discovers the next morning his police issued Glock is missing.
And then, after almost getting run over by a speeding Volvo, Eddy discovers a new designer narcotic has invaded his town—a little number called Third Rail which is as addictive as it is deadly. This is all really great stuff. There are dark secrets from the past, a booze-addled girlfriend who may or may not be working for a human trafficking mobster with a grudge against Eddy, corrupt police and more.
Defying the laws of physics, Rory Flynn is able to pack this entire story into a bare bones 200 page novel. On my next vacation I think I’ll ask Mr. Flynn (the Boston sounding pen name for Stona Fitch) over to see if he is likewise as skilled packing shorts, socks, culottes, tighty whities and the rest of my family’s luggage. Third Rail is clever, brutal, punk, and satisfying. I read the also great second book (out of order) last year and I am anxiously waiting for the next installment.
And then, after almost getting run over by a speeding Volvo, Eddy discovers a new designer narcotic has invaded his town—a little number called Third Rail which is as addictive as it is deadly. This is all really great stuff. There are dark secrets from the past, a booze-addled girlfriend who may or may not be working for a human trafficking mobster with a grudge against Eddy, corrupt police and more.
Defying the laws of physics, Rory Flynn is able to pack this entire story into a bare bones 200 page novel. On my next vacation I think I’ll ask Mr. Flynn (the Boston sounding pen name for Stona Fitch) over to see if he is likewise as skilled packing shorts, socks, culottes, tighty whities and the rest of my family’s luggage. Third Rail is clever, brutal, punk, and satisfying. I read the also great second book (out of order) last year and I am anxiously waiting for the next installment.
December 23, 2015
Extraordinarily good debut novel about Eddy Harkness, a 29 year old Boston detective banished from the Drug-Intel Squad to a patrolman's position in his home town, an historic suburb west of the city. Eddy spends his days emptying parking meters while trying to find his service revolver that "disappeared" one crazy drug/alcohol fueled night in Boston's Chinatown. This starkly original story is essentially about a young man overcoming adversity and seeking redemption for himself and his home town which is threatened by a new and dangerous designer drug. Uniquely drawn characters and sharp, witty dialogue fuel a fast moving plot that shows no signs of being derivative of anything else. This is one of those rare debut novels that very quietly sort of sneaks up on you and reminds you again why you can't ever stop turning the pages!
(Thank you again James Thane for the recommendation)
(Thank you again James Thane for the recommendation)
August 17, 2014
Rory Flynn's cop investigation story is a hard hitting, fast reading powerhouse of a debut that introduces a great new voice in detective fiction. Readers will be swept along on a wild ride as Eddy Harkness has to single handedly bring a new drug dealer, an old nemesis and a crooked politician to their knees.
Harkness was once the head of an elite Boston narcotics unit, but after a shooting incident ended with the tragic death of Pauley Fitz, a Red Sox fan, Harkness has been exiled to his hometown of Nagog, Masschusetts, where he has been reduced to being the meter maid. Infamously known, Harkness is now universally blamed for the Sox's losing season.. Tragedy seems to be dogging the Harkness family. His mother has dementia and his father blew his brains out after screwing people out of money in a Ponzi scheme.
When we first meet Harkness, he is drunk and dangerously playing chicken on the highway with passing cars. He is barely surviving his demons.
Then Harkness goes on a night of heavy drinking and ends up having hot sex with Thalia Havoc, a sultry amber haired waitress recently a mainstay at Mr. Mach's bar, a drug dealer that Harkness busted years before. When Harkness awakes, he finds his service pistol missing. Harkness immediately suspects that his Glock was stolen, not lost. His day gets even worse when he starts getting prank calls from Pauley Fitz's cellphone, which should be in an evidence locker in Boston.
Rather than report his missing piece, Harkness figures to run a private investigation, but soon finds himself hip deep in several other private investigations. Someone is cooking up a new designer drug called Third Rail that gives a tremendous boost, but also causes people to hallucinate and think they are invincible. Victims are dropping like flies.
When a high school senior goes running in a forest and pulverizes her brain by smashing her head into a tree, Harkness is told by his superiors her death should be ruled an accident. Harkness is not buying this story. He soon starts to piece together who is cooking up the new drug.
Meanwhile, Jeet, a friend of Havoc, who also worked for Mach, gives Harkness an incendiary trove of pictures of criminals, politicians and citizens with Mach's prostitutes. The pictures are especially damning in an election season.
Then the Chief of Police drowns in a mysterious accident and leaves Harkness even more evidence.
The drug investigation, dead cop and dead girl, missing gun, and pictures all come together in a fiery conclusion to this explosive novel.
It's a must read for any fan of hard hitting police investigations.
Harkness was once the head of an elite Boston narcotics unit, but after a shooting incident ended with the tragic death of Pauley Fitz, a Red Sox fan, Harkness has been exiled to his hometown of Nagog, Masschusetts, where he has been reduced to being the meter maid. Infamously known, Harkness is now universally blamed for the Sox's losing season.. Tragedy seems to be dogging the Harkness family. His mother has dementia and his father blew his brains out after screwing people out of money in a Ponzi scheme.
When we first meet Harkness, he is drunk and dangerously playing chicken on the highway with passing cars. He is barely surviving his demons.
Then Harkness goes on a night of heavy drinking and ends up having hot sex with Thalia Havoc, a sultry amber haired waitress recently a mainstay at Mr. Mach's bar, a drug dealer that Harkness busted years before. When Harkness awakes, he finds his service pistol missing. Harkness immediately suspects that his Glock was stolen, not lost. His day gets even worse when he starts getting prank calls from Pauley Fitz's cellphone, which should be in an evidence locker in Boston.
Rather than report his missing piece, Harkness figures to run a private investigation, but soon finds himself hip deep in several other private investigations. Someone is cooking up a new designer drug called Third Rail that gives a tremendous boost, but also causes people to hallucinate and think they are invincible. Victims are dropping like flies.
When a high school senior goes running in a forest and pulverizes her brain by smashing her head into a tree, Harkness is told by his superiors her death should be ruled an accident. Harkness is not buying this story. He soon starts to piece together who is cooking up the new drug.
Meanwhile, Jeet, a friend of Havoc, who also worked for Mach, gives Harkness an incendiary trove of pictures of criminals, politicians and citizens with Mach's prostitutes. The pictures are especially damning in an election season.
Then the Chief of Police drowns in a mysterious accident and leaves Harkness even more evidence.
The drug investigation, dead cop and dead girl, missing gun, and pictures all come together in a fiery conclusion to this explosive novel.
It's a must read for any fan of hard hitting police investigations.
August 6, 2014
I loved this. A great summer read, despite being noir, with a smart, flawed hero you can't help but root for, doing good in a well-portrayed world. In Third Rail, Boston is gritty and urban, but it's the apparently quaint suburbs are where the rot has really set in. Oh, and there's some really sharp humor too. Recommended.
July 30, 2017
The first 50 or so pages I kept thinking about author Mickey Spillane and his longtime protagonist Mike Hammer, and how Rory Flynn was trying too hard to make readers think of Hammer when they are reading about Eddy Harkness. But then the story softened, the reader finds out more about Harkness, and realizes his character is not as one dimensional as feared. Once a hot shot cop in Boston, a very public event has Harkness' career almost in ruins and he is forced to work in the small suburb of Boston in which he grew up. He wakes up one day after a particularly hard night of drinking and partying to find his gun is missing. The story goes from there and it was better than I expected, suspenseful throughout and with a good ending that makes me want to continue with any novels that follow.
June 10, 2014
The author’s publishing house, Houghten Mifflin Harcourt, gave me a copy of this book in exchange for my review. I received this book as an uncorrected Advance Reader’s Copy. Content may have changed between the version I received and date of publication.
Eddy is kind of sinking into himself when his gun goes missing. Not a good mark on the balance sheet for a man who is being scouted to one day go back to his old unit of Narco-intel in Boston. Society bothers Harkness, suburbia bothers Harkness and he’s not prepared to think the best of anyone and nor, we learn, should he when one of Nagog’s upper tier citizens crashes into a statue while high on the new wonder drug. As annoyed as he is by most things, the most important thing to Harkness is making it back to his old unit. Flynn peppers Eddy’s narrative with flashbacks and personal reflections to show us how far he rose and the distance he had to fall. On Page 28 he mentally begs whoever took his gun not to use it to kill anyone. He would be done and knows it and that sense of passion for something humanizes a man who would be a complete jackass otherwise. We may not cheer for him but we’re locked into who he is as a character.
“Third Rail” is a truly dark story. I am not a fan of present tense in story telling but for Flynn’s story it works. Flynn brings readers into the moment so that the desperation, emotion and shock of the main character shows a dark but human side where Harkness might be unrealistically too jaded and cool. Harkness, in the absence of his Glock, is carrying a plastic gun and in witnessing an accident and on page 40 he thinks of how easy it would be to take the drivers gun and cover the loss of his own if only it looked like a Glock. He looks for the loopholes and beyond the purpose of the case we know that Harkness is driven by his greater purpose.
“Third Rail” is a beautifully dark story set in a gritty and dangerous visually compelling world. If you like noir hardboiled fiction like that written by Dashiell Hammet and JD Rhoades, you will love Rory Flynn’s “Third Rail.”
November 19, 2014
Officer Eddy Harkness, formerly of the Boston Police Department, is demoted, and exiled to his hometown of Nagog, where he is assigned to reading parking meters. He doesn't even have enough credibility to collect the money in them, but he goes about his assigned duties and tries to make the best of it, offering courtesies to his old school teachers and others who remember him back in the day. The trouble is he can't get out of his head the image of a man falling off a bridge onto the turnpike below, and neither can anyone else.
The many ways in which Eddy's life has gone awry don't make much sense to him but he plods along, until he makes things even worse by losing his gun. Eddy drinks too much, questions everything and everyone, and manages to follow his nose right into a mess of hometown corruption.
For anyone who knows New England, the story of Harkness investigating in a small town as well as Boston is a great trip through familiar spaces and people. The political corruption is subtle but pervasive, the damage to others' lives realistic. This is the beginning of what promises to be a terrific series showcasing Boston and its environs.
The many ways in which Eddy's life has gone awry don't make much sense to him but he plods along, until he makes things even worse by losing his gun. Eddy drinks too much, questions everything and everyone, and manages to follow his nose right into a mess of hometown corruption.
For anyone who knows New England, the story of Harkness investigating in a small town as well as Boston is a great trip through familiar spaces and people. The political corruption is subtle but pervasive, the damage to others' lives realistic. This is the beginning of what promises to be a terrific series showcasing Boston and its environs.
March 3, 2015
for a first crime novel, it was very good. A down and out cop from Boston sent to his hometown Nagog to empty parking meters ends up doing a lot more. The personal story was well written as well. Loved it and am looking forward to any other novels of his.
January 15, 2020
I really like these Harkness books, Rory Flynn has hit on something and he knows his city. It's funny because we were heading out to a restaurant we like out near Fort Devens, but we got off route 2 too early and wound up driving through Nagog ! I looked for Eddie, but.....this didn't name check quite as many friends as Dark Horse, but it was still fun.
December 3, 2018
Stepped a little out of my usual fiction lane by picking up this crime novel at the library. It was good! A lot of fun, if not terribly original. Noir conciets used well. I thought it was cool that the protagonist was a Boston hardcore straightedge kid before becoming a cop.
September 28, 2019
well-written novel on newer synthetic.
New England scenery is spot on the Combat Zone, et al.
New England scenery is spot on the Combat Zone, et al.
March 14, 2017
I like Eddy. It'll be interesting to see how they use (the girl) and the potential girlfriend.
January 19, 2018
I blew through this hard-boiled masterpiece in two days, because it's just that good. Plus, it's really short.
April 6, 2018
Tough to get in to...almost put it down but finally came together!
September 10, 2020
Drunk Eddy grew on me slowly--so slowly I almost gave this book a 3. But then he started to click.
February 23, 2024
I truly enjoyed this read. It kept me interested to the last page. It was such a welcome relief to find a read that challenged me to stay engaged in my reading.
Read
May 26, 2021***
October 19, 2014
As seen on my blog:
GOD this book was entertaining. Before I checked the stats for Third Rail, I was under the impression that there was a whole slew of Eddy Harkness novels prior to this one. You can imagine my disappointment when I realized that I was actually reading Rory Flynn's debut. And WHAT.A.DEBUT it was. Third Rail was varying shades of fantastic, and just the kind of read that can quench a thirst you didn't even know you had. Crime fiction is the distant cousin I keep forgetting I have, but when we're reunited, I remember EXACTLY why I loved being around them so much. Third Rail was crime fiction at it's best, and the beginning of my rekindled love affair with it's genre.
There's a new drug on the streets, and it's revealing itself in some seriously twisted ways. Eddy Harkness is a big shot supervisor of a narcotics unit, turned small town cop. The small town is Nagog, and with a whole slew of sketchy characters, and a missing/stolen gun to boot, Eddy Harkness doesn't exactly have his work cut out for him. In the depths, Eddy is stewing in guilt from an incident he failed to be the hero of, a guilt that works itself into both the silent, and loud moments of Eddy's mind, a guilt that seeps into the narrative every chance it gets.
Eddy Harkness. Snarky, ballsy, guilt-ridden Eddy. I kept switching back and forth between my established love for Hank Palace in The Last Policeman series, and my newly forming attachment to Eddy. It was the one in a million feeling they produced, that everything they were accomplishing could only be done by them, and them alone. Eddy Harkness was ruthless, but not in the out-of-control way, but in that completely controlled "OKAY, THAT WAS BADASS" kind of way. Think Denzel Washington, in pretty much every cop movie he's ever made. Yes, Eddy Harkness, you can stay, for a very long time.
It may have been the mood I was in, but I found little to zero flaws in Rory Flynn's writing. I thought he was subtle when it mattered, and completely in-your-face when you least expected it. His characters were full of dry wit, and humorous dialogue. The story line was not seriously fast-paced, but it was one that left you with VERY little chance of becoming bored. There wasn't a chapter in this book I didn't enjoy and not a single person I didn't suspect of doing the crime. The conclusion wasn't in the category of mind-blowing, but I'm becoming repetitive now: the pleasure was in the build-up, in the drawing out of a story that Rory Flynn obviously put some serious thought into.
There will be prayers to the literary Gods for a LARGE number of Eddy Harkness books. Please let this be a possible 10-15 book series!
Recommended for fans of: Crime Fiction, Contemporary, Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, Ben H. Winters, The Last Policeman series.
GOD this book was entertaining. Before I checked the stats for Third Rail, I was under the impression that there was a whole slew of Eddy Harkness novels prior to this one. You can imagine my disappointment when I realized that I was actually reading Rory Flynn's debut. And WHAT.A.DEBUT it was. Third Rail was varying shades of fantastic, and just the kind of read that can quench a thirst you didn't even know you had. Crime fiction is the distant cousin I keep forgetting I have, but when we're reunited, I remember EXACTLY why I loved being around them so much. Third Rail was crime fiction at it's best, and the beginning of my rekindled love affair with it's genre.
There's a new drug on the streets, and it's revealing itself in some seriously twisted ways. Eddy Harkness is a big shot supervisor of a narcotics unit, turned small town cop. The small town is Nagog, and with a whole slew of sketchy characters, and a missing/stolen gun to boot, Eddy Harkness doesn't exactly have his work cut out for him. In the depths, Eddy is stewing in guilt from an incident he failed to be the hero of, a guilt that works itself into both the silent, and loud moments of Eddy's mind, a guilt that seeps into the narrative every chance it gets.
Eddy Harkness. Snarky, ballsy, guilt-ridden Eddy. I kept switching back and forth between my established love for Hank Palace in The Last Policeman series, and my newly forming attachment to Eddy. It was the one in a million feeling they produced, that everything they were accomplishing could only be done by them, and them alone. Eddy Harkness was ruthless, but not in the out-of-control way, but in that completely controlled "OKAY, THAT WAS BADASS" kind of way. Think Denzel Washington, in pretty much every cop movie he's ever made. Yes, Eddy Harkness, you can stay, for a very long time.
It may have been the mood I was in, but I found little to zero flaws in Rory Flynn's writing. I thought he was subtle when it mattered, and completely in-your-face when you least expected it. His characters were full of dry wit, and humorous dialogue. The story line was not seriously fast-paced, but it was one that left you with VERY little chance of becoming bored. There wasn't a chapter in this book I didn't enjoy and not a single person I didn't suspect of doing the crime. The conclusion wasn't in the category of mind-blowing, but I'm becoming repetitive now: the pleasure was in the build-up, in the drawing out of a story that Rory Flynn obviously put some serious thought into.
There will be prayers to the literary Gods for a LARGE number of Eddy Harkness books. Please let this be a possible 10-15 book series!
Recommended for fans of: Crime Fiction, Contemporary, Linwood Barclay, Harlan Coben, Ben H. Winters, The Last Policeman series.
December 14, 2014
It's been one year since Eddy Harkness's was put on forced leave. One year since the embarrassment of the Turnpike Toreador. Since then, he's been biding his time working for the local police in his hometown of Nagog, waiting for a chance to return to the city force. But an evening of drinking leads to the loss of his gun and then he starts to receive phone calls from a dead man. Someone has it out for Eddy and he's going to have to figure out who before his bosses realize he's no longer in possession of his service weapon. Then Eddy discovers something odd in Nagog, a series of "accidents" where a new designer drug seems to have played a part. The further he gets into his investigation, the more it becomes clear that the drug and his missing gun might be connected.
I hate to rip off Forrest Gump with the whole "life is like a box of chocolates" thing, but really with books it is the same: you never quite know what you're going to get. Sure you have the cover design and the jacket copy to lead you in the right direction - to give you hints of what you can expect. You have the author (if you've read or heard of him/her before) and you have blurbs. You even have the publisher itself. But none of that really matters because each book is something new and different
I sometimes wish that I could dive into more books without any prior knowledge. Seems like it would make for some adventuresome reading. But I am like most readers in that I do like to know a little something about a book I'm about to begin.
With Third Rail, however, I don't know that any amount of info (short of spoiling the whole book) can really prepare a reader for what's inside. First, I received my copy from a trusted source who does tend to send me really fabulous books, so of course I was going to read it. But it arrived a few months ago and after I scheduled my review I put it aside. My Swiss cheese brain took care of the rest and I was able to go into Third Rail with little expectation other than that it was a mystery/thriller.
And it was super cool! The reader is thrown into the story midstream. We meet Eddy as he stumbles along the freeway waiting to get hit by a car. Whaaaa?! Then he's onto his binge drinking with a new girlfriend and just pages later he's discovered his gun is missing. Now we're off and rolling! The truth about the early case is revealed slowly throughout the book, leaving the reader wondering much of the time exactly what happened to have landed a cop - who by all accounts is pretty fantastic at his job - in such hot water.
I won't tell you anymore except this, Third Rail makes it to my highly recommended list for being dark, gritty, and a standout! (Rory Flynn is a pseudonym for Stona Fitch, Third Rail is the first release in a new series - I can't wait for more Eddy Harkness!)
I hate to rip off Forrest Gump with the whole "life is like a box of chocolates" thing, but really with books it is the same: you never quite know what you're going to get. Sure you have the cover design and the jacket copy to lead you in the right direction - to give you hints of what you can expect. You have the author (if you've read or heard of him/her before) and you have blurbs. You even have the publisher itself. But none of that really matters because each book is something new and different
I sometimes wish that I could dive into more books without any prior knowledge. Seems like it would make for some adventuresome reading. But I am like most readers in that I do like to know a little something about a book I'm about to begin.
With Third Rail, however, I don't know that any amount of info (short of spoiling the whole book) can really prepare a reader for what's inside. First, I received my copy from a trusted source who does tend to send me really fabulous books, so of course I was going to read it. But it arrived a few months ago and after I scheduled my review I put it aside. My Swiss cheese brain took care of the rest and I was able to go into Third Rail with little expectation other than that it was a mystery/thriller.
And it was super cool! The reader is thrown into the story midstream. We meet Eddy as he stumbles along the freeway waiting to get hit by a car. Whaaaa?! Then he's onto his binge drinking with a new girlfriend and just pages later he's discovered his gun is missing. Now we're off and rolling! The truth about the early case is revealed slowly throughout the book, leaving the reader wondering much of the time exactly what happened to have landed a cop - who by all accounts is pretty fantastic at his job - in such hot water.
I won't tell you anymore except this, Third Rail makes it to my highly recommended list for being dark, gritty, and a standout! (Rory Flynn is a pseudonym for Stona Fitch, Third Rail is the first release in a new series - I can't wait for more Eddy Harkness!)
May 22, 2014
Eddy Harkness used to be a bigshot in the Boston Police Department. He was destined to be a rising star all the way to the top. After making detective he was then picked to head-up a new department, the Narcotics Intelligence Unit (Narco-Intel). During the 2004 Baseball Playoffs, a fan falls off a bridge that goes over the Mass Turnpike and is killed. A fan got it all on his camera and Harkness was accused of dereliction of duty.
Now he’s working for the Nagog Ma Police Department spending most of his time emptying parking meters. One day Harkness is almost run over by one of the towns upstanding citizens who proceeds to irreparably damage the Civil War monument. When Harkness look into the car he finds empty vodka bottle and a vial of amber liquid. The liquid turns out to be a new designer drug called “Third Rail”. It’s a potent mixture of mind altering chemicals that make everything “clear” but make the user irrational.
A few days later, one of the High School’s better students is found dead behind the track. She’s dressed in a cheerleader’s outfit that’s too small for her and has a large contusion on her head. Turns out she was using ‘third rail’ and literally ran into the tree headfirst. Harkness is determined to find where the drug comes from.
Harkness has been hanging out in Boston with an ex-bartender who worked in a club in Chinatown that’s known for its’ drug dealers and gangsters. After spending the night drinking at the club, Harkness wakes up to find his gun gone. Sometime during the night he went out for cigarettes and came back without it.
From here the story gets into the selling of illegal drugs, crooked politicians and cops on the take. During all this time Harkness is looking for his gun which turns up in the possession of the owner of the bartender’s bar. Did she take it? If not, who did and why? This is a nice tight story with no loose ends when it raps up.
Zeb Kantrowitz
Now he’s working for the Nagog Ma Police Department spending most of his time emptying parking meters. One day Harkness is almost run over by one of the towns upstanding citizens who proceeds to irreparably damage the Civil War monument. When Harkness look into the car he finds empty vodka bottle and a vial of amber liquid. The liquid turns out to be a new designer drug called “Third Rail”. It’s a potent mixture of mind altering chemicals that make everything “clear” but make the user irrational.
A few days later, one of the High School’s better students is found dead behind the track. She’s dressed in a cheerleader’s outfit that’s too small for her and has a large contusion on her head. Turns out she was using ‘third rail’ and literally ran into the tree headfirst. Harkness is determined to find where the drug comes from.
Harkness has been hanging out in Boston with an ex-bartender who worked in a club in Chinatown that’s known for its’ drug dealers and gangsters. After spending the night drinking at the club, Harkness wakes up to find his gun gone. Sometime during the night he went out for cigarettes and came back without it.
From here the story gets into the selling of illegal drugs, crooked politicians and cops on the take. During all this time Harkness is looking for his gun which turns up in the possession of the owner of the bartender’s bar. Did she take it? If not, who did and why? This is a nice tight story with no loose ends when it raps up.
Zeb Kantrowitz
June 17, 2014
Rory Flynn's debut crime novel, 'Third Rail', was promoted as "in the tradition of Robert Parker". That got my attention. I love Robert Parker's novels. Sadly, this wasn't my conclusion--more on that later.
'Third Rail' is the story of Narcotics Detective Eddie Harkins whose talent for reading a crime scene fuels his meteoric rise within the department--until he is blamed for a civilian death on a case he's working. He's thrown out. This could be the end of his career until he receives a lifeline from a friend in another city. Instead of solving high-profile cremes that no other detective can unravel, he accepts the position to police parking meters, happy to have an opportunity to heal his emotional wounds while hopefully rebuilding his career. Nagog is a quiet town, a seeming dead end for any policeman, where they go to retire, but Harkins uncovers a seedy underside of drugs and violence. When he tries to expose it, many around him try to stop him. Unfortunately for them, Harkins can't give up. It's just not him.
Dialogue is authentic. Characters are interesting. Harkins has that 'Mentalist' personality of Independence of thought and action, tolerated by his fellow crime fighters because he notices details no one else does (though it doesn't show up often on his parking meter patrol).
So this sounds good. What is so different about 'Third Rail' and the novels Parker wrote about NFN Spenser, PI? Eddy Harkins is much darker, more damaged by life than Spenser. Where Parker's character was content with the hand life dealt, always played it with a sense of humor, Harkins constantly rails against it, trying to change it, thinking he'll fail. Spenser would never think that.
My recommendation: Read it, but don't expect a return to Parker. 'Third Rail' stands on its own, as Flynn's worthy start to a new series.
'Third Rail' is the story of Narcotics Detective Eddie Harkins whose talent for reading a crime scene fuels his meteoric rise within the department--until he is blamed for a civilian death on a case he's working. He's thrown out. This could be the end of his career until he receives a lifeline from a friend in another city. Instead of solving high-profile cremes that no other detective can unravel, he accepts the position to police parking meters, happy to have an opportunity to heal his emotional wounds while hopefully rebuilding his career. Nagog is a quiet town, a seeming dead end for any policeman, where they go to retire, but Harkins uncovers a seedy underside of drugs and violence. When he tries to expose it, many around him try to stop him. Unfortunately for them, Harkins can't give up. It's just not him.
Dialogue is authentic. Characters are interesting. Harkins has that 'Mentalist' personality of Independence of thought and action, tolerated by his fellow crime fighters because he notices details no one else does (though it doesn't show up often on his parking meter patrol).
So this sounds good. What is so different about 'Third Rail' and the novels Parker wrote about NFN Spenser, PI? Eddy Harkins is much darker, more damaged by life than Spenser. Where Parker's character was content with the hand life dealt, always played it with a sense of humor, Harkins constantly rails against it, trying to change it, thinking he'll fail. Spenser would never think that.
My recommendation: Read it, but don't expect a return to Parker. 'Third Rail' stands on its own, as Flynn's worthy start to a new series.
June 28, 2014
Eddy Harkness is still a cop, but just barely. He used to be the head of an elite drug task force in Boston; now he empties the parking meters in his hometown of Nagog. To add to his troubles, his police sidearm, a Glock 17 is missing. Hoping to keep his job, he finds a plastic toy gun that fits his holster. Eddy begins searching for his gun, but what he finds instead is a new designer drug called THIRD RAIL that seems to be everywhere in Nagog. He is on a dangerous trail and doesn’t have his gun.
This is a very quirky detective story. Harkness’ character appears flawed and unappealing on the surface but lurking at his core is strength and mettle. All of the info about designer drugs was interesting, but there were just too many instances of Eddy already being involved with the key players. It seemed like half the people he encounters are criminals and those that aren’t are sure to provide him with useful information about the ones who are. The protagonist sort of reminded me of Dirk Gently, Douglas Adams’ Holistic Detective, but Flynn expects the reader to take Harkness seriously. I found THIRD RAIL to be funny at times, intermittently interesting, and occasionally annoying.
This is a very quirky detective story. Harkness’ character appears flawed and unappealing on the surface but lurking at his core is strength and mettle. All of the info about designer drugs was interesting, but there were just too many instances of Eddy already being involved with the key players. It seemed like half the people he encounters are criminals and those that aren’t are sure to provide him with useful information about the ones who are. The protagonist sort of reminded me of Dirk Gently, Douglas Adams’ Holistic Detective, but Flynn expects the reader to take Harkness seriously. I found THIRD RAIL to be funny at times, intermittently interesting, and occasionally annoying.
July 9, 2014
Murder and mayhem in Massachusetts
Eddy Harkness is a 29 year old traffic meter cop in his hometown of Nagog, quite a downturn from a year ago when he was working for Narco-Intel in Boston.
He has quite a talent for finding things that people want to stay hidden, especially drugs, but isn't having much luck finding his service Glock that was stolen from him one night when he was out drinking with his girlfriend. Hopefully one of these days he'll be able to go back to his old job if he can get his act together. But first (in his spare time) he's on the trail of the makers/sellers of a new designer drug that makes you smarter, before it kills you, that is - Third Rail.
Dark, gritty, noirish, the characters are well drawn and believable. The story moves quickly from the first page. I am already looking forward to the next in the Eddy Harkness series. Hopefully Rory Flynn aka Stona Fitch won't take too long getting us the next installment.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Eddy Harkness is a 29 year old traffic meter cop in his hometown of Nagog, quite a downturn from a year ago when he was working for Narco-Intel in Boston.
He has quite a talent for finding things that people want to stay hidden, especially drugs, but isn't having much luck finding his service Glock that was stolen from him one night when he was out drinking with his girlfriend. Hopefully one of these days he'll be able to go back to his old job if he can get his act together. But first (in his spare time) he's on the trail of the makers/sellers of a new designer drug that makes you smarter, before it kills you, that is - Third Rail.
Dark, gritty, noirish, the characters are well drawn and believable. The story moves quickly from the first page. I am already looking forward to the next in the Eddy Harkness series. Hopefully Rory Flynn aka Stona Fitch won't take too long getting us the next installment.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
July 19, 2015
"Third Rail" started out with great potential. The writing was far better than most books of the cop/mystery genre, but unfortunately Flynn was able to sustain the momentum. The book falls victim to the over done and preposterous crooked politician/mob theme that no one seems to be able to avoid when setting a story in Boston. Boston certainly has its share of crooked politicians, but the shadiness is more about kickbacks from building contractors and that sort of thing than it is underworld connections. It's a shame, because apart from this Flynn gets so much of the local color correct. As the story progresses Flynn continues to muddy his solid core by throwing nearly everything at it. There's too much unnecessary back story and subplots. It's as if he's trying too hard to lay the groundwork for a series of books. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it needs to happen organically instead of as a laundry list of mystery book themes. Despite these flaws Flynn has potential and I'd certainly give another book a shot should he turn it into a series.
June 16, 2014
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
A well written and thought out book with some of the best descriptions I've read; not overly done, short and sweet and to the point, Flynn was able to get a mood or setting across better in a sentence or two than most can do with multiple paragraphs.
I felt the first page or two stumbled...like it was written with a different narrative mode in mind, although it could just as easily have been the fact that I've read mostly first person narratives recently. Don't let that hold you back from reading it, though, as it only took a few more pages to get immersed in the story and really appreciate Flynn's narration style.
Eddy Harkness is a compelling character I could picture in the real world. He isn't a saint. He makes mistakes, and is trying to do right knowing full well nearly everyone thinks he's a fuck up.
If there is to be more from Eddy Harkness, sign me up.
A well written and thought out book with some of the best descriptions I've read; not overly done, short and sweet and to the point, Flynn was able to get a mood or setting across better in a sentence or two than most can do with multiple paragraphs.
I felt the first page or two stumbled...like it was written with a different narrative mode in mind, although it could just as easily have been the fact that I've read mostly first person narratives recently. Don't let that hold you back from reading it, though, as it only took a few more pages to get immersed in the story and really appreciate Flynn's narration style.
Eddy Harkness is a compelling character I could picture in the real world. He isn't a saint. He makes mistakes, and is trying to do right knowing full well nearly everyone thinks he's a fuck up.
If there is to be more from Eddy Harkness, sign me up.
June 12, 2014
First I should acknowledge that I received this book as an ARC through Goodreads First reads program. It was a gift, a giveaway, whatever. This does not in anyway color my judgement of the book, which I liked.
Really, the cover tells you alot about the book. The mood it evokes is a little Noir. Choppy and disjointed at times Third Rail and it's leading man Eddy Harkness are engaging. Sex, Drugs, Booze, corrupt cops & politicians. A missing gun. An honest cop whose made some mistakes. Everything works out in the end, I'm not spoiling anything here, that's how these books work and it's the first book in what I suppose will be a series.
Do I recommend the book? Yes. Do I hope the people who send out ARCs send me out the next one? Yes, I hope they do, and I hope they send me every volume after if only to save me from buying them.
Really, the cover tells you alot about the book. The mood it evokes is a little Noir. Choppy and disjointed at times Third Rail and it's leading man Eddy Harkness are engaging. Sex, Drugs, Booze, corrupt cops & politicians. A missing gun. An honest cop whose made some mistakes. Everything works out in the end, I'm not spoiling anything here, that's how these books work and it's the first book in what I suppose will be a series.
Do I recommend the book? Yes. Do I hope the people who send out ARCs send me out the next one? Yes, I hope they do, and I hope they send me every volume after if only to save me from buying them.
January 19, 2016
Eddy Harkness is a narcotics detective on forced leave from the Boston PD. He is temporarily working for the Nagog Police Department, mostly emptying parking meters. Nagog is being invaded by drug dealers with a powerful new drug called Third Rail. The premise was good and so was the writing style. The descriptions were very realistic and put me in the story. However, quite often Eddy foolishly charges into situations where his only hope of escape is that he is character in a novel. Each time he escapes, it reminds me he is a character in a novel. Also, other things happen that could only happen in a novel, which also reminded me this is a novel. So it was a bumpy read as I flopped in and out of the story.
June 19, 2014
I received a free copy of this book through the GoodReads First Reads giveaways.
Third Rail: An Eddy Harkness Novel is a good summer read that brought me on an adventure through the Boston area. The adventure was choppy at times, but that fit with the writing style of the book. I could see this book being made into a movie, but I don’t think Matt Damon or Ben Affleck could play Eddy Harkness, probably a no name would be better. I was drawn into the book right from the first chapter and had a hard time putting the book down. I would definitely read another book by Rory Flynn in the future.
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