Lovers Crossing

Roscoe Brinker #1

by James C. Mitchell

After a confrontation with a group of smugglers on the border leaves him nearly dead, Agent Brinker turns in his INS badge and starts up a safer line of work as a private investigator. And now that he's aced a few open-and-shut missing child cases, Brinker thinks he has finally escaped the nightmare of Lovers Crossing. But when Brinker is approached by the wealthy Tucson businessman Mo Crain to investigate the brutal murder of his wife, trouble is close behind. Desperately short on leads, Brinker can't find anyone in Tucson with a motive to kill Mrs. Crain. And then an acquaintance of hers is found dead in the trunk of his car, showing Brinker that he's up against a cold-blooded murderer who isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.

As Brinker travels from border to border in search of answers, his investigation leads him back to the very place he swore never to return--the underbelly of Lovers Crossing. And this time, he may not get out alive.

In the tradition of Michael McGarrity, James C. Mitchell introduces a border detective who is as fully human as he is smart and tough.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always feel a bit guilty about rating this type of book. What type, you ask? Well, the ones that are chosen by one of my book groups that I never would have read because I never would enjoy this kind of book. I mean, people always give the flip side of that coin, that book groups stretch us, and they do, but they also reinforce why we like certain types of books or not. That said, I was surprised that for a first novel this book seemed self-assured and well-written. The genre (hard-boiled Southwest) is just not my cup of tea.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8

[Carrie Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORING. I could not get done with this fast enough.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tucson, Az. private eye Roscoe "Brink" Brinker solves the murder of Tucson's most prolific car salesman's wife. Brinker, a former border agent turned private eye due to a serious would suffered at border. Brinker runs between Vancouver, New York, and Los Angeles to track down clues for his murder case. Novel read very quickly. Somewhat dry in parts did have a nice neat but improbable ending. Was kinda hoping for more of a bang. 4 stars out of 5. A pretty good read all in all.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#1 in the Roscoe Brinker series. Finalist 2004 Shamus Award for Best First Novel. Lovers Crossing in a Mexican border crossing nicknamed in honor of an inattentive INS agent occupied by unofficial entanglements.

Roscoe Brinker series - Working to restart his career after being shot in the line of duty, former INS agent and private detective Brinker investigates the murder of a local businessman's wife and discovers a possible connection to a smuggling operation.

[Cato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se deja leer. El libro narra la historia de un guarda de la frontera entre Mexico y Estados Unidos. Muestra como all� un polic�a honrado tiene que a veces cerrar los ojos ante actos de abuso cometidos por sus compa�eros y como dentro del grupo conviven policias honrados con criminales con uniforme de polic�a.

[Judith]

DNF This book just did not hold my interest. Will return the second one also....Choke point.

[Steve Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book enough to read the next in the series. The lead characters are interesting enough but there seemed to be a good deal of filler.