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Alex McKnight #3
The Hunting Wind
Before he became a private investigator, before he served in the Detroit police, and long before he retreated to the wintry reaches of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Alex McKnight played ball in the minor leagues. He doesn't spend much time thinking about those days, at least not until a former teammate comes looking for him. . . .
The man's here to ask a favor. He wants Alex to help him find the woman with whom he had a brief, passionate affair three decades ago. Who is Alex to deny his friend a chance to ward off a classic midlife chill by rekindling an old flame? But as the search deepens, McKnight begins to suspect that he hasn't been told the full story. And there might just be a reason why this mysterious woman is so hard to find.
The Hunting Wind continues Steve Hamilton's award-winning and New York Times-bestselling Alex McKnight series.
The man's here to ask a favor. He wants Alex to help him find the woman with whom he had a brief, passionate affair three decades ago. Who is Alex to deny his friend a chance to ward off a classic midlife chill by rekindling an old flame? But as the search deepens, McKnight begins to suspect that he hasn't been told the full story. And there might just be a reason why this mysterious woman is so hard to find.
The Hunting Wind continues Steve Hamilton's award-winning and New York Times-bestselling Alex McKnight series.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
408 people are currently reading
989 people want to read
About the author
Steve Hamilton
53 books1,685 followersTwo-time Edgar Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of the Nick Mason series, The Lock Artist, and the Alex McKnight series. AN HONORABLE ASSASSIN (Mason #3) coming August 27, 2024!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
July 17, 2017
I like Alex's sense of humor but I was not satisfied with that ending.
Read
October 12, 2016
DNF @ 60%
As much as i hate to DNF a book, i just cant anymore. Im not gonna bother writing a full review about this book. It literally bored me to death and wasn't at all what i was expecting it to be.
Living in Australia, baseball isn't a big thing here at all and a big chunk of the first few chapters is about the MC and his friends baseball career back in the day. His friend trying to find a girl he met back in his teens (he is now in his 40), is just weird he doesn't even know her real name, or much about her at all. Its a really slow read, and the investigation goes round and round in circles.
The 'climatic events' if you can even call them that, bored me just as much.
So why bother if im not enjoying it?
Only plus is i got this hardcover for $3 at an op shops, and it will look pretty on my shelf.
As much as i hate to DNF a book, i just cant anymore. Im not gonna bother writing a full review about this book. It literally bored me to death and wasn't at all what i was expecting it to be.
Living in Australia, baseball isn't a big thing here at all and a big chunk of the first few chapters is about the MC and his friends baseball career back in the day. His friend trying to find a girl he met back in his teens (he is now in his 40), is just weird he doesn't even know her real name, or much about her at all. Its a really slow read, and the investigation goes round and round in circles.
The 'climatic events' if you can even call them that, bored me just as much.
So why bother if im not enjoying it?
Only plus is i got this hardcover for $3 at an op shops, and it will look pretty on my shelf.
October 16, 2020
Once again, Alex McKnight blunders around, and finds out things he wishes he didn't.
It's April in Michigan, and McKnight is hanging out at the local bar when a former pitcher teammate shows up. He's trying to find a lost love from 30 years ago. They go to Detroit, and find themselves in a whole lot of trouble.
I always wonder how McKnight survived eight years as a Detroit cop.
It's April in Michigan, and McKnight is hanging out at the local bar when a former pitcher teammate shows up. He's trying to find a lost love from 30 years ago. They go to Detroit, and find themselves in a whole lot of trouble.
I always wonder how McKnight survived eight years as a Detroit cop.
March 20, 2012
The Hunting Wind is Steve Hamilton's third book in the Alex McKnight mystery series. McKnight, an ex-Detroit cop who is administering his family set of cabins in the northern part of Michigan, runs into an old friend, a pitcher back from his days as a catcher in the Detroit Tigers farm system. He hasn't seen the guy in over 20 years, since he got called up by the Tigers, and got shelled in his one and only major league appearance.
This lefty wants him to find an old flame, someone he met while in Detroit for his only big league fling. He has kept her in mind all these years and wants McKnight to help find her again.
Of course, all isn't as it seems. The story twists and turns. I'm not sure anyone actually tells the truth to poor McKnight, figuring him to be one sap or another. He does eventually get to the bottom of all the subterfuge, but leaves a few bodies behind.
To be honest, this was a pretty weak entry in the McKnight series. I really enjoyed the first book (A Cold Day In Paradise) and the second book (Winter of the Wolf Moon) was, while still entertaining, only okay. This one was even slower to get going and McKnight got even more annoying. He spends the first 100+ pages telling his friend this is a stupid chase and why is he even doing this. By about page 50, we are all definitely agreeing with him. And when he puts his friend on a plane back to California, we know we are in for more, but we don't know exactly what.
Turns out his friend has a hidden past although it may or may not figure into his quest. The last half of the book is a dizzying array of changing alliances and truths, half-truths and outright lies, as McKnight tries to figure out who is using him more. And the book ends with a series of bloody murders, none of which really makes a whole bunch of sense to me.
So, all in all, not a very stellar entry. I think I'll have to hold back on reading the next one (North of Nowhere) for a bit. McKnight's schtick is getting tiresome. His incessant statement that he isn't a private detective is already very old. And you would think after all these years, his abrupt departure from the force wouldn't be such a front and center part of his existence. Move along, Alex, move along!
This lefty wants him to find an old flame, someone he met while in Detroit for his only big league fling. He has kept her in mind all these years and wants McKnight to help find her again.
Of course, all isn't as it seems. The story twists and turns. I'm not sure anyone actually tells the truth to poor McKnight, figuring him to be one sap or another. He does eventually get to the bottom of all the subterfuge, but leaves a few bodies behind.
To be honest, this was a pretty weak entry in the McKnight series. I really enjoyed the first book (A Cold Day In Paradise) and the second book (Winter of the Wolf Moon) was, while still entertaining, only okay. This one was even slower to get going and McKnight got even more annoying. He spends the first 100+ pages telling his friend this is a stupid chase and why is he even doing this. By about page 50, we are all definitely agreeing with him. And when he puts his friend on a plane back to California, we know we are in for more, but we don't know exactly what.
Turns out his friend has a hidden past although it may or may not figure into his quest. The last half of the book is a dizzying array of changing alliances and truths, half-truths and outright lies, as McKnight tries to figure out who is using him more. And the book ends with a series of bloody murders, none of which really makes a whole bunch of sense to me.
So, all in all, not a very stellar entry. I think I'll have to hold back on reading the next one (North of Nowhere) for a bit. McKnight's schtick is getting tiresome. His incessant statement that he isn't a private detective is already very old. And you would think after all these years, his abrupt departure from the force wouldn't be such a front and center part of his existence. Move along, Alex, move along!
October 31, 2011
It's a good sign that the Alex McKnight books keep getting better. Still not as good as The Lock Artist, but Hamilton clearly cares about his craft, and there's a lot to like here. Very well paced with two very different halves of the book that really work well together. Glad I stuck with the series.
January 16, 2020
Another terrific Alex McKnight novel. It's twisty and surprising with characters, especially McKnight, that are vivid and believable.
November 24, 2018
Hamilton writes a good story. This is the 5th book that I've read of his, the 3rd in the Alex McKnight series, and all 5 have been very good.
Mr. Hamilton doesn't write stories with neatly wrapped endings with a pretty bow. If there's a bow at all it's ragged and frayed. Sometimes you want that neat ending and that pretty bow but sometimes you want things that are a bit more realistic. Sometimes you want a story where the bad guys don't necessarily get their comeuppance because that's the way life can be all too often.
This little tale has an old teammate of Alex's who shows up and needs Alex to help him find a lost love for 30 years or so ago no matter how unrealistic that is. And that's the best part of the story from Alex's point of view, because nothing other than a pretty girl seems to be true in this story.
And that's a typical Hamilton story.
If you are looking for a neat little story, all wrapped up in that bow I mentioned earlier, pass this one by. If, on the other hand, you like a tale that keeps you guessing, that the only thing you're sure if is that there's nothing you can be sure of, then read this book. There's a lot of that in here.
Mr. Hamilton doesn't write stories with neatly wrapped endings with a pretty bow. If there's a bow at all it's ragged and frayed. Sometimes you want that neat ending and that pretty bow but sometimes you want things that are a bit more realistic. Sometimes you want a story where the bad guys don't necessarily get their comeuppance because that's the way life can be all too often.
This little tale has an old teammate of Alex's who shows up and needs Alex to help him find a lost love for 30 years or so ago no matter how unrealistic that is. And that's the best part of the story from Alex's point of view, because nothing other than a pretty girl seems to be true in this story.
And that's a typical Hamilton story.
If you are looking for a neat little story, all wrapped up in that bow I mentioned earlier, pass this one by. If, on the other hand, you like a tale that keeps you guessing, that the only thing you're sure if is that there's nothing you can be sure of, then read this book. There's a lot of that in here.
March 21, 2014
Alex McKnight is jarred out of his usual state of fireside numbness by the arrival of a former baseball minor league roommate. After the backslapping and introductions to Paradise, MI other hangers-on, the two retire to Alex's cabin. During the night the story unravels of his former roomie Randy's sudden appearance. And like the other Alex McK books the non-stop action begins. From the UP to Detroit to the shore of Lake Michigan to Traverse City to the UP and then the journey is repeated. We see a lot of the state of Michigan. All is the search for Maria, and then the education of who and what Msria is. I enjoyed this road trip book, wish Alex didn't get beat up so much...how does he possible have time to heal. And one more thing....in this novel Leon provides valuable detective work from his bed, as he is confined due to an accident.
August 24, 2016
H'mm - ok , maybe not a true 4 star- how about a 3.5 and I'll let you decide.
Ex-Detroit police detective Alex McKnight is a private investigator in (fictional) Paradise, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior. But, before this, for a brief time - 30 years ago - Alex McKnight played ball in the minor leagues. He doesn't spend much time thinking about those days, at least not until a former teammate comes looking for him. . . .
His old friend wants him to help him find the 'girl that got away' (also from 30 years ago). Finally Alex decides to help him with some misgivings which he probably should have listened to more closely.
McKnight is charming, witty, and an all around fun guy. At times, he finds himself wondering why on earth he is helping out someone- and most of the times he kicks himself for getting into a heap of trouble -
This is a great series- I recommend that you star from the first book - A fun, fast, read for sure!
Ex-Detroit police detective Alex McKnight is a private investigator in (fictional) Paradise, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula on the shores of Lake Superior. But, before this, for a brief time - 30 years ago - Alex McKnight played ball in the minor leagues. He doesn't spend much time thinking about those days, at least not until a former teammate comes looking for him. . . .
His old friend wants him to help him find the 'girl that got away' (also from 30 years ago). Finally Alex decides to help him with some misgivings which he probably should have listened to more closely.
McKnight is charming, witty, and an all around fun guy. At times, he finds himself wondering why on earth he is helping out someone- and most of the times he kicks himself for getting into a heap of trouble -
This is a great series- I recommend that you star from the first book - A fun, fast, read for sure!
November 25, 2019
The title, The Hunting Wind suggests the spirituality of mischief and mayhem in mostly menacingly cold weather. This is the 3nd book in the Alex McKnight series which normally contains at least a dozen aspects of stereotypical Michigan. The same retired inner city policeman from the other 9 novels reluctantly partners with recurrent character and private investigator wannabe Leon Prudell. He finds himself in a mystery, on a road trip around the state and reminiscing about baseball
October 17, 2018
Obviously, I'm very much enjoying the Alex McKnight series. This is book 3, and IMO it was every bit as good as books 1 and 2. Love the main character, love the setting (UP Michigan), and I love the twists and turns. Very well done.
Note: Some language (infrequent), and one R rated scene (very brief). This IS mainstream fiction, but if you're a fan of the police procedural (which this isn't - he's a retired cop but close enough), then you will probably enjoy it.
Note: Some language (infrequent), and one R rated scene (very brief). This IS mainstream fiction, but if you're a fan of the police procedural (which this isn't - he's a retired cop but close enough), then you will probably enjoy it.
May 31, 2018
Alex is surprised by an old friend he has not seen in 30 years, and is talked into helping him. I did not like him from the get go, guess I have good instincts. He ends up 6 hours away from home, helping people he should probably just sty away from. Interesting characters, fast paced, and a few surprises here and there to keep it going.
March 14, 2021
Had this been the first book, I would walk away from this series. It was a slow build and didn’t wrap up in a satisfying way.
July 14, 2022
I'm pretty sure the two reasons I keep going with this series are as follows; my grandfather recommended it to me before he passed, and it's set in Michigan. I'm largely familiar with the cities/towns that the stories tend to take place in and that adds a bit of the nostalgia factor I guess I would call it.
If it weren't for those two things, I would probably drop this like a hot pasty.
The main character, Alex McKnight, isn't all that likable. I'm not entirely sure how he manages to have any friends and I like cranky old man characters. His conversations with people are bland and sometimes he comes across as rather dumb. But, no worries, by the end of the book he will have solved whatever mystery as he is so smart and brave. Although, in reality, it's like he stumbles his way across it and manages to not die.
Now, my reading of the series has several year gaps in between, but it also seems like he's always falling in lust with every woman (even if it's a client, how professional) he comes across. So, ladies, he'll investigate your undies too if you so much as look at him a certain way.
I'm sure you're wondering, even with nostalgia factors, why do you keep reading this? It sounds lame. The first part of the books always seem to take awhile to get into the meat of the story, but once the drama starts, I can binge 100 pages without trying. It is 100% a 3-star read, which mean overall I tend to enjoy myself even with its imperfections. Don't be surprised when you see me pick up the next book in a few years.
If it weren't for those two things, I would probably drop this like a hot pasty.
The main character, Alex McKnight, isn't all that likable. I'm not entirely sure how he manages to have any friends and I like cranky old man characters. His conversations with people are bland and sometimes he comes across as rather dumb. But, no worries, by the end of the book he will have solved whatever mystery as he is so smart and brave. Although, in reality, it's like he stumbles his way across it and manages to not die.
Now, my reading of the series has several year gaps in between, but it also seems like he's always falling in lust with every woman (even if it's a client, how professional) he comes across. So, ladies, he'll investigate your undies too if you so much as look at him a certain way.
I'm sure you're wondering, even with nostalgia factors, why do you keep reading this? It sounds lame. The first part of the books always seem to take awhile to get into the meat of the story, but once the drama starts, I can binge 100 pages without trying. It is 100% a 3-star read, which mean overall I tend to enjoy myself even with its imperfections. Don't be surprised when you see me pick up the next book in a few years.
February 13, 2022
Alex McKnight is a former Detroit Police Officer who took a disability retirement 14 years ago after an attack killed his partner and left him with a bullet one centimeter from his heart. He's attempting to live a simpler life in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula but occasionally gets roped into assisting others in his current role as a reluctant Private Detective.
When Randy Wilkins, a friend he hasn’t seen or heard from in 30 years, shows up asking for a favor, Alex agrees to listen. Randy’s story is that he is looking for a woman whom he also last saw some 30 years ago and who, he says, he’s never been able to get out of his head. Alex feels there’s no chance of finding the woman, whose last name Randy doesn’t even know, but he agrees to help. Leon, Alex’s sometimes P. I. partner, has done some background work and things initially look promising; however, the more they learn the more doubtful Alex is. Doubtful of finding the mysterious woman and doubtful of Randy’s story.
The story is told in the first person by Alex McKnight, a curmudgeonly, sarcastic, likable enough guy. The Hunting Wind is full of twists and turns. I thought that I had the mystery figured out several times, but…🤷🏼♀️ The book is well paced and the details are engrossing. The Hunting Wind is book 3 of the series and I am hooked. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#EmptyNestReader #instagram #TheHuntingWind #AlexMcKnightSeries #SteveHamilton #crimefiction #mystery #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #FebruaryReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #librarybooks #AnnArborDistrictLibrary #aadlgram
When Randy Wilkins, a friend he hasn’t seen or heard from in 30 years, shows up asking for a favor, Alex agrees to listen. Randy’s story is that he is looking for a woman whom he also last saw some 30 years ago and who, he says, he’s never been able to get out of his head. Alex feels there’s no chance of finding the woman, whose last name Randy doesn’t even know, but he agrees to help. Leon, Alex’s sometimes P. I. partner, has done some background work and things initially look promising; however, the more they learn the more doubtful Alex is. Doubtful of finding the mysterious woman and doubtful of Randy’s story.
The story is told in the first person by Alex McKnight, a curmudgeonly, sarcastic, likable enough guy. The Hunting Wind is full of twists and turns. I thought that I had the mystery figured out several times, but…🤷🏼♀️ The book is well paced and the details are engrossing. The Hunting Wind is book 3 of the series and I am hooked. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#EmptyNestReader #instagram #TheHuntingWind #AlexMcKnightSeries #SteveHamilton #crimefiction #mystery #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagramalabama #bookstagrammichigan #bookreviews #bookreviewer #bookrecommendations #FebruaryReads #readalittlelearnalittlelivealittle #ebooks #librarybooks #AnnArborDistrictLibrary #aadlgram
July 30, 2021
I read two or three Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight books in the past but The Hunting Wind was exceptional and worthy of a 5 star to this reader.
McKnight is a middle aged former minor league (want to be catcher) followed by a 7 year police veteran until he caught and carries a bullet, living out his somewhat boring life in the remote wintery reaches of Michigan's upper Peninsula.
A former teammate tracks him down and unfortunately former teammate, Randy Wilkins didn't travel 3K miles to sit by the fire having a couple beers with McKnight. Wilkins convinces McKnight to help him find a woman whom he had a brief , passionate affair 3 decades ago.
"Beware of a woman scorned" 'You can pick your friends...' -and his trusted old friend may have not divulged the whole score to Alex and may cost both of their lives.
Plenty of action and a smoothly written tale makes you wonder if Alex and Wilkens are the only ones sho traveled this road in life.
McKnight is a middle aged former minor league (want to be catcher) followed by a 7 year police veteran until he caught and carries a bullet, living out his somewhat boring life in the remote wintery reaches of Michigan's upper Peninsula.
A former teammate tracks him down and unfortunately former teammate, Randy Wilkins didn't travel 3K miles to sit by the fire having a couple beers with McKnight. Wilkins convinces McKnight to help him find a woman whom he had a brief , passionate affair 3 decades ago.
"Beware of a woman scorned" 'You can pick your friends...' -and his trusted old friend may have not divulged the whole score to Alex and may cost both of their lives.
Plenty of action and a smoothly written tale makes you wonder if Alex and Wilkens are the only ones sho traveled this road in life.
September 4, 2018
It's a wonder how McKnight survived that long in the force, not to mention have a 3rd book. Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, poor sap.
The story was long and boring and I felt stuck in it with one of the most annoying secondary characters ever, and the clueless, hapless McKnight; not to mention baseball (which I know nothing about and couldn't care less about).
The story was long and boring and I felt stuck in it with one of the most annoying secondary characters ever, and the clueless, hapless McKnight; not to mention baseball (which I know nothing about and couldn't care less about).
October 2, 2019
Great book. Stayed up well past my bedtime last night to finish it. I love the MC, love that he's not a kid (he says in this installment that he's 49 years old)!
Only thing is that I've figured out quickly that Alex is going to get the crap beaten out of him at least once each book. Or maybe more. Poor guy.
Only thing is that I've figured out quickly that Alex is going to get the crap beaten out of him at least once each book. Or maybe more. Poor guy.
November 6, 2025
The plot and the premise of the mystery was so dull. It started to pick up around the 80% mark but I never felt like there was a “climax” where things get exciting. A lot of exposition in the dialogue and backstory about the main character, which I guess was necessary at this point of the series but damn, was I bored
May 19, 2020
Really enjoyed all the Detroit references as I was born in Grosse Pointe, and knew all the spots he mentions. I now live in Grand Rapids which was also featured. A Michigan travelogue. An enjoyable read!
April 26, 2017
I like this author.
March 21, 2020
3.5☆'s
A long tale told with a touch of humor and disbelief.
McKnight is truly an interesting character
A long tale told with a touch of humor and disbelief.
McKnight is truly an interesting character
October 4, 2018
Review to follow ...............
February 27, 2021
Alex McKnight ist ein Charakter, an den man sich gewöhnen kann. Nicht immer rational, mit Fehlern, und oft die Situation falsch einschätzend. Und diese Situationen sind es auch, die die Bücher von Steve Hamilton etwas ungewöhnlich machen. Denn nicht nur ist am Ende in der Regel alles anders, als man denkt (das ist ja häufig der Fall), sondern es gibt am Ende auch nicht unbedingt ein Happy End. Die Bösen werden nicht immer der gerechten Strafe überführt, und McKnight steht auch nicht als der strahlende Hald da. "Wie im richtigen Leben" bleibt die Situation am Ende unbefriedigend - aber auf eine Art und Weise, die einen das Buch nicht wütend in die Ecke knallen lässt.
Mir jedenfalls gefällt die etwas hemdsärmelige Art, in der Hamilton seine Geschichte erzählt. Und spannend ist sie auch.
Mir jedenfalls gefällt die etwas hemdsärmelige Art, in der Hamilton seine Geschichte erzählt. Und spannend ist sie auch.
May 15, 2021
Third entry in the Alex McKnight mystery series, it is a quite a bit unlike the first two installments. This is both good and bad. Unlike the first two novels, the vast majority of the novel doesn’t take place in the Upper Peninsula (it begins there and there is a minor book end at the end), but instead the novel ranges throughout much of the Lower Peninsula, starting in Detroit (after the initial opening in the Upper Peninsula) before going to another, different region of the Lower Peninsula. Though it was fun to see more of Michigan, especially Detroit and learning more about its relationship to where Alex grew up and worked as a Detroit cop, I really missed the sense of place of the Upper Peninsula, of the many interesting trappings of the setting that the author made such great use of, and I missed that in _The Hunting Wind_. Also some of the characters that reoccur in the previous books are largely absent (Leon Prudell makes a few appearances but for most of the book is absent).
There are a few things from Alex’s past that are effectively used and were greatly expanded upon, indeed were a key part of launching the mystery of this novel, that being Alex’s time in the minor leagues as a catcher. The person who hires Alex is Randy Wilkins (I think that I how you spell his last name; I listened to the audio book). For a time, both were on the same team in one of the minor league teams connected to the Detroit Tigers. Alex as we know left baseball from previous novels in the series, but Randy got called up to the big leagues. He pitched in one game, I think one solitary inning, and then was like Alex done with baseball.
Alex hadn’t seen or really even thought about Randy in close to thirty years until quite unexpectedly Randy shows up at the Glasgow and surprises Alex. At first completely mystified at Randy’s sudden appearance (they last saw each other in the early 1970s, about thirty years ago; the book was published in 2001 so I assume that is when it takes place), it soon comes out that Randy is looking for a girl he met in Detroit while he was in the majors in 1971. They dated for I believe it was ten days, they were intimate, but Randy hasn’t seen this girl – Maria- since then and wants Alex’s help finding her. Alex tries repeatedly to talk Randy out of this quest, reminding him she could be dead, married, that she won’t be a girl anymore, she might not remember him, and the information Randy is giving him isn’t enough to find someone he knew from thirty years ago.
Randy is determined, knows what buttons to push on Alex and appeals to his friendship, and Leon, who Randy contacted first, has already been working the case before Randy showed up at the Glasgow that night. Telling Randy he is doing this as a friend and not a private investigator, Alex drives the two of them to Detroit to find his crush from the early 1970s (listening to this book in 2021 that does seem very very long ago, about 50 years, but I try to remind myself the book came out in 2001 though technically the audio dates to 2010).
At first I, like Alex, find Randy a bit much to take. He is constantly talking, treating much of this as a vacation (wanting to see the sights in Detroit), is very schmoozey with everyone, just a constant presence impossible to ignore in every scene as he pursues his impossible quest. There is a lot of time spent reminiscing about baseball, maybe too much, and the book while not uninteresting, doesn’t really have any tension.
Until it does. At a point in the book, as Alex and Randy (Leon stays in Paradise, Michigan owing to an injury from cleaning the roof) get closer to finding Maria, they fall down a very dark, very dangerous rabbit hole, finding out that to be in Maria’s orbit is to be facing trouble from some very bad people, an orbit Randy and Alex fall into. Even the allies of Maria, at first suspicious of Alex and Randy (and I think rightly so) are very dangerous as well.
The rest of the story is a convoluted noirish story of deep dark pasts, hidden agendas, double-crosses, deception, and murder. Far from being a fun lark looking for a girlfriend of almost two weeks thirty years ago for a baseball buddy, Alex and Randy find themselves in life-threatening situations and learn that the past was better off left alone.
I liked the noirish, shifting sands of the core of the novel, of just when Alex thought he had the lay of the land so to speak, the ground would shift yet again and ultimately, nothing was as it seemed, including Randy. The other characters – including Randy – were extremely complex and I thought well-written and vivid.
I will say the ending is very complex and I can understand why reading the other reviews, some found it unsatisfying. It could have been tidier, happier, but it is an ending. Randy got to be a bit much in some scenes I will admit and again I missed some of the secondary characters so prominently in the first two novels. Though I think Detroit as a setting was effectively used, the other region in Michigan that was used didn’t have as much of the local color that I liked seeing. Though I liked the expansion of Alex’s baseball past, at times it was a bit too much baseball early on. Other reviewers have noted that bringing up how reluctant a private investigator Alex is or that he has a bullet next to his heart are getting a bit stale and I agree. They don’t ruin by the book by any means, but maybe they are tropes that can be phased out. Certainly not a bad book, I am not sure it is weakest of the first three novels but it is my least favorite thus far.
There are a few things from Alex’s past that are effectively used and were greatly expanded upon, indeed were a key part of launching the mystery of this novel, that being Alex’s time in the minor leagues as a catcher. The person who hires Alex is Randy Wilkins (I think that I how you spell his last name; I listened to the audio book). For a time, both were on the same team in one of the minor league teams connected to the Detroit Tigers. Alex as we know left baseball from previous novels in the series, but Randy got called up to the big leagues. He pitched in one game, I think one solitary inning, and then was like Alex done with baseball.
Alex hadn’t seen or really even thought about Randy in close to thirty years until quite unexpectedly Randy shows up at the Glasgow and surprises Alex. At first completely mystified at Randy’s sudden appearance (they last saw each other in the early 1970s, about thirty years ago; the book was published in 2001 so I assume that is when it takes place), it soon comes out that Randy is looking for a girl he met in Detroit while he was in the majors in 1971. They dated for I believe it was ten days, they were intimate, but Randy hasn’t seen this girl – Maria- since then and wants Alex’s help finding her. Alex tries repeatedly to talk Randy out of this quest, reminding him she could be dead, married, that she won’t be a girl anymore, she might not remember him, and the information Randy is giving him isn’t enough to find someone he knew from thirty years ago.
Randy is determined, knows what buttons to push on Alex and appeals to his friendship, and Leon, who Randy contacted first, has already been working the case before Randy showed up at the Glasgow that night. Telling Randy he is doing this as a friend and not a private investigator, Alex drives the two of them to Detroit to find his crush from the early 1970s (listening to this book in 2021 that does seem very very long ago, about 50 years, but I try to remind myself the book came out in 2001 though technically the audio dates to 2010).
At first I, like Alex, find Randy a bit much to take. He is constantly talking, treating much of this as a vacation (wanting to see the sights in Detroit), is very schmoozey with everyone, just a constant presence impossible to ignore in every scene as he pursues his impossible quest. There is a lot of time spent reminiscing about baseball, maybe too much, and the book while not uninteresting, doesn’t really have any tension.
Until it does. At a point in the book, as Alex and Randy (Leon stays in Paradise, Michigan owing to an injury from cleaning the roof) get closer to finding Maria, they fall down a very dark, very dangerous rabbit hole, finding out that to be in Maria’s orbit is to be facing trouble from some very bad people, an orbit Randy and Alex fall into. Even the allies of Maria, at first suspicious of Alex and Randy (and I think rightly so) are very dangerous as well.
The rest of the story is a convoluted noirish story of deep dark pasts, hidden agendas, double-crosses, deception, and murder. Far from being a fun lark looking for a girlfriend of almost two weeks thirty years ago for a baseball buddy, Alex and Randy find themselves in life-threatening situations and learn that the past was better off left alone.
I liked the noirish, shifting sands of the core of the novel, of just when Alex thought he had the lay of the land so to speak, the ground would shift yet again and ultimately, nothing was as it seemed, including Randy. The other characters – including Randy – were extremely complex and I thought well-written and vivid.
I will say the ending is very complex and I can understand why reading the other reviews, some found it unsatisfying. It could have been tidier, happier, but it is an ending. Randy got to be a bit much in some scenes I will admit and again I missed some of the secondary characters so prominently in the first two novels. Though I think Detroit as a setting was effectively used, the other region in Michigan that was used didn’t have as much of the local color that I liked seeing. Though I liked the expansion of Alex’s baseball past, at times it was a bit too much baseball early on. Other reviewers have noted that bringing up how reluctant a private investigator Alex is or that he has a bullet next to his heart are getting a bit stale and I agree. They don’t ruin by the book by any means, but maybe they are tropes that can be phased out. Certainly not a bad book, I am not sure it is weakest of the first three novels but it is my least favorite thus far.
February 2, 2017
I stayed through the first third of this book, wondering why I was bothering, given the boring and silly extended set-up and character development. And then it took off like a rocket and I thought, wow, I'm glad I stuck with it. And then, much like the first book in this series, the near-end and ending were very unsatisfying and sloppily unresolved. I wouldn't exactly call them loose ends as much as just frustratingly uncompleted.
December 21, 2016
When I started the book I wondered to myself what could be better, than a good detective series of an author I just discovered? Then I found out the book had baseball as a subplot and was in heaven. The book was good, a bit of departure from the first 2 of the series. But I enjoyed it a lot and look forward to the next one in line
November 17, 2016
Ok, didn't like the ending get there was unfinished ties.
October 1, 2025
I listened to this audiobook. This is the 3rd installment of the Alex McKnight series. Alex lives in tiny Paradise, Michigan near the Canadian border. He is a former Detroit cop who was gravely injured and stills carries a bullet near his heart. He lives and rents cabins along the lake now. But his hapless "friend" Leon wants desperately to be a private eye and he has recruited Alex to be his partner (much to Alex's consternation). Alex spent his youth as a catcher in the minor leagues. Out of nowhere a pitcher named Randy he work with for one year in 1971 shows up and wants to hire Alex to help him find a young woman he says he fell in love with 30 years ago in Detroit. Alex reluctantly agrees and so the adventure begins. Alex and Randy, with stay at home help from Leon, take off for Detroit. What happens has nothing to do with lost love. Alex does find Maria's family, but she is supposedly in hiding from a violent man. Randy seems to agree that they have done all they can and Alex leaves him. But instead of flying back to Los Angeles, Randy looks for the woman on his own and is shot in the neck and lies near death in Grand Rapids. Alex comes back down from his home to help solve what happened to Randy. He gets way more than he bargains for and there is a lot of danger. Nothing is what is seems. I enjoy the action in the books. I really enjoy the self deprecating demeanor of Alex. Some humor is thrown in to make for an enjoyable series.
July 2, 2018
I just did something I very rarely have ever done and that is not finish a book in a series I am reading. I like the series, it's interesting, but in the 3rd installment I wanted to do anything else but read this. Why? (1) I couldn't give a damn about all the baseball talk. That bored the ever living shit out of me. The two characters were minor league players a long time ago and couldn't stop talking about it. They both sucked so why relieve it? (2) Alex McKnight does not seem a like a character who has the ability for any kind of growth or character development. In other words, his ass is boring and he gets the shit kicked out of him all the time. He lives in a cabin by himself, goes to the Glasgow Inn to drink his Canadian beer, eat, and then get's himself in trouble by making really bad decisions. There is only so much of that I can take. I've got Book 4 coming and I will attempt to read that, but if it turns out like the previous ones, I will be done with it.
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