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Bragg #2
The Missing and The Dead
THE MISSING AND THE DEAD
The Edgar Award nominated second thriller in the Bragg series of novels puts Jack Lynch in the same league as Robert B. Parker, Raymond Chandler, Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross MacDonald.
“Bragg is authentic, gripping, gritty.” San Francisco Examiner
Private eye Peter Bragg’s relentless search for a missing insurance investigator unearths shocking secrets involving embezzled money, the disappearance of a cop, art stolen from a San Francisco gallery, and a serial killer obsessed with the expressions on his victim’s faces when they realize they are going to die. Bragg connects the dots, creating a chilling portrait of impending death…and it could be his own.
“This is a first-rate series. The novels are well plotted. Bragg is a restrained and believable hero. The action scenes are excellent.” 101 Knights: A Survey of American Detective Fiction
“The books are damn good, featuring a hard but believable hero.” The Thrilling Detective
The Edgar Award nominated second thriller in the Bragg series of novels puts Jack Lynch in the same league as Robert B. Parker, Raymond Chandler, Sue Grafton, Dashiell Hammett, and Ross MacDonald.
“Bragg is authentic, gripping, gritty.” San Francisco Examiner
Private eye Peter Bragg’s relentless search for a missing insurance investigator unearths shocking secrets involving embezzled money, the disappearance of a cop, art stolen from a San Francisco gallery, and a serial killer obsessed with the expressions on his victim’s faces when they realize they are going to die. Bragg connects the dots, creating a chilling portrait of impending death…and it could be his own.
“This is a first-rate series. The novels are well plotted. Bragg is a restrained and believable hero. The action scenes are excellent.” 101 Knights: A Survey of American Detective Fiction
“The books are damn good, featuring a hard but believable hero.” The Thrilling Detective
- GenresMystery
228 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2014
21 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 8, 2014
San Francisco P. I. Peter Bragg returns in what appears, initially at least, to be a simple case of a missing person. Insurance investigator Jerry Lind has been uncharacteristically out of touch for several days and his sister, Janet Lind, a television newscaster, asks Bragg to find him.
The sister claims to be motivated by familial affection, but Bragg discovers that a wealthy relative has just died, leaving a small fortune to Janet and her brother. If her brother might have met an untimely end before the relative died, all the money goes to Janet. If the brother might have died after the wealthy relative, Janet will have to split the money with the brother's widow, whom Janet cannot stand.
Bragg, of course, hopes to find Jerry Lind alive and well and restore him to the bosom of his young and very sexy wife, but this may be easier said than done. Lind was on the trail of a piece of art that had been stolen from a gallery in San Francisco and that was insured by his company. But Bragg discovers that a cop on the trail of the same theft has also disappeared and that both Lind and the cop may have stumbled across the path of a large sum of money missing from a robbery several years earlier. Also lurking in the background is a professional hit man who would very much like to retire if people would only leave him the hell alone.
It all gets pretty complicated, as plots like this are wont to do, but Lynch and Peter Bragg guide the reader through the maze in a very entertaining fashion. It's a fun read that was deservedly nominated for an Edgar Award when it was first released in 1982. The book has led up very well and readers who discover it now are sure to enjoy it as much as those who found it upon its initial release.
The sister claims to be motivated by familial affection, but Bragg discovers that a wealthy relative has just died, leaving a small fortune to Janet and her brother. If her brother might have met an untimely end before the relative died, all the money goes to Janet. If the brother might have died after the wealthy relative, Janet will have to split the money with the brother's widow, whom Janet cannot stand.
Bragg, of course, hopes to find Jerry Lind alive and well and restore him to the bosom of his young and very sexy wife, but this may be easier said than done. Lind was on the trail of a piece of art that had been stolen from a gallery in San Francisco and that was insured by his company. But Bragg discovers that a cop on the trail of the same theft has also disappeared and that both Lind and the cop may have stumbled across the path of a large sum of money missing from a robbery several years earlier. Also lurking in the background is a professional hit man who would very much like to retire if people would only leave him the hell alone.
It all gets pretty complicated, as plots like this are wont to do, but Lynch and Peter Bragg guide the reader through the maze in a very entertaining fashion. It's a fun read that was deservedly nominated for an Edgar Award when it was first released in 1982. The book has led up very well and readers who discover it now are sure to enjoy it as much as those who found it upon its initial release.
November 12, 2021
Well, just finished this, the 2nd of the Bragg series, and am pleased to report it was just as good as the first one. This is a surprise-- a pleasant one at that-- since I had a fairly lukewarm reaction to book #3, which happened to be the first one of this series that I read. Maybe Lynch had a bad patch when he wrote that third book. No matter. I'm thoroughly enjoying this series now, and looking forward to #4.
Private eye Peter Bragg is one of those hard-boiled detectives that seems to work things out towards the end of each book. He helps us unwind Lynch's detailed and complex plots, often through conversations between he and some suspect or a woman of whom he's become enamored (or she of him). More often than not, these liaisons fall apart at the end of the books, but the door is left open for the romance to be rekindled at some future date.
The only criticism I had with this story is that, while searching for a missing insurance investigator, Bragg finds himself helping a local police force bushwhack through some rugged terrain in order to help a search/rescue team locate a crashed airplane. At first, I thought this was a brief diversion from the main story, but Lynch kept this sub-plot going longer than I really thought necessary and I began to lose connection to the main plot (which in and of itself is plenty complicated, with missing money, a Southern California detective also gone missing, stolen art painted by a serial killer... you get the idea).
Although Lynch tries to tie the search and rescue section (in which Bragg manages to carry a teenaged boy from the crashed plane down the mountain to safety at great risk to himself) to the finale, it's a stretch. I can forgive this, as everything in these novels is often a stretch in one direction of plausibility or another. Bragg manages to figure things out at the end, resulting in a nice, albeit incredulous confrontation and eventual victory for good over evil. These books, despite their obvious anchor to a time before cell phones, social media and exquisite sensitivities to sexism and other social mores, provide enjoyable reading to fans of the genre. I'm glad I gave them a second chance, as it has been entertaining reading and a nice diversion from life's trials and tribulations.
Private eye Peter Bragg is one of those hard-boiled detectives that seems to work things out towards the end of each book. He helps us unwind Lynch's detailed and complex plots, often through conversations between he and some suspect or a woman of whom he's become enamored (or she of him). More often than not, these liaisons fall apart at the end of the books, but the door is left open for the romance to be rekindled at some future date.
The only criticism I had with this story is that, while searching for a missing insurance investigator, Bragg finds himself helping a local police force bushwhack through some rugged terrain in order to help a search/rescue team locate a crashed airplane. At first, I thought this was a brief diversion from the main story, but Lynch kept this sub-plot going longer than I really thought necessary and I began to lose connection to the main plot (which in and of itself is plenty complicated, with missing money, a Southern California detective also gone missing, stolen art painted by a serial killer... you get the idea).
Although Lynch tries to tie the search and rescue section (in which Bragg manages to carry a teenaged boy from the crashed plane down the mountain to safety at great risk to himself) to the finale, it's a stretch. I can forgive this, as everything in these novels is often a stretch in one direction of plausibility or another. Bragg manages to figure things out at the end, resulting in a nice, albeit incredulous confrontation and eventual victory for good over evil. These books, despite their obvious anchor to a time before cell phones, social media and exquisite sensitivities to sexism and other social mores, provide enjoyable reading to fans of the genre. I'm glad I gave them a second chance, as it has been entertaining reading and a nice diversion from life's trials and tribulations.
December 5, 2016
Excellent thriller.
Started slow, but all the twists and turns made my head spinning. Story told as first person by Peter Bragg, he was hired to find missing brother. He has been missing for two weeks. Orphaned brother and sister was raised by uncle, he left them million dollars. Bank robbery, stolen painting, plane crash and full of very interesting characters. Bragg works very hard trying to make sense out of all these. His perseverance pays off, and even found some happiness too.
Started slow, but all the twists and turns made my head spinning. Story told as first person by Peter Bragg, he was hired to find missing brother. He has been missing for two weeks. Orphaned brother and sister was raised by uncle, he left them million dollars. Bank robbery, stolen painting, plane crash and full of very interesting characters. Bragg works very hard trying to make sense out of all these. His perseverance pays off, and even found some happiness too.
April 28, 2015
Read my review of the first book in the Peter Bragg series, The Dead Never Forget, here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....
I have mixed feelings about series. On the one hand, I enjoy seeing characters develop over time and through new situations; in the hands of a good author, a series gives the reader a whole new world to explore, inhabited by people whose eccentricities and foibles grow increasingly familiar. On the other hand, I am neurotic about reading a series in order, from first to last, which can become a problem if earlier books in the series are difficult to find or, conversely, if the author keeps adding new books. I follow a ridiculous number of series (677!) on FictFact.com; putting aside the question of how many books I can actually read before I keel over, I certainly can't finish a series which continues to grow as I read.
Jack Lynch's Peter Bragg series is the perfect series for a reader like me. Lynch died in 2008, so there will never be more than the manageable number of eight books. All of the books have been, or will soon be, reissued by Brash Books in readily available, reasonably priced Kindle editions. Most importantly, however, each book in the series appears able to stand on its own; while Bragg already feels like an old friend after only two books, I could have read The Missing and the Dead before The Dead Never Forget without losing anything. Lynch does not allude to any of the events in the previous book; instead, he gives the reader a brand-new, deliciously convoluted mystery involving a retired hit man, a painting stolen from an art museum, the reappearance of money taken in a payroll heist, not one but two philandering insurance investigators, a plane crash, an obsessed police detective, . . . Well, you get the picture. Lynch's successful juggling of such disparate elements kept me turning the pages at breakneck speed, and I figured out the killer's identity only pages before Bragg did.
Highly recommended. Now you'll have to excuse me; I'm off to follow Bragg on a bodyguard gig in Pieces of Death.
I received a free copy of The Missing and the Dead through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have mixed feelings about series. On the one hand, I enjoy seeing characters develop over time and through new situations; in the hands of a good author, a series gives the reader a whole new world to explore, inhabited by people whose eccentricities and foibles grow increasingly familiar. On the other hand, I am neurotic about reading a series in order, from first to last, which can become a problem if earlier books in the series are difficult to find or, conversely, if the author keeps adding new books. I follow a ridiculous number of series (677!) on FictFact.com; putting aside the question of how many books I can actually read before I keel over, I certainly can't finish a series which continues to grow as I read.
Jack Lynch's Peter Bragg series is the perfect series for a reader like me. Lynch died in 2008, so there will never be more than the manageable number of eight books. All of the books have been, or will soon be, reissued by Brash Books in readily available, reasonably priced Kindle editions. Most importantly, however, each book in the series appears able to stand on its own; while Bragg already feels like an old friend after only two books, I could have read The Missing and the Dead before The Dead Never Forget without losing anything. Lynch does not allude to any of the events in the previous book; instead, he gives the reader a brand-new, deliciously convoluted mystery involving a retired hit man, a painting stolen from an art museum, the reappearance of money taken in a payroll heist, not one but two philandering insurance investigators, a plane crash, an obsessed police detective, . . . Well, you get the picture. Lynch's successful juggling of such disparate elements kept me turning the pages at breakneck speed, and I figured out the killer's identity only pages before Bragg did.
Highly recommended. Now you'll have to excuse me; I'm off to follow Bragg on a bodyguard gig in Pieces of Death.
I received a free copy of The Missing and the Dead through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2014
Peter Bragg gets hired by a young TV personality to find her missing brother, an insurance investigator missing for two weeks. Find him alive, but short of that, determine when he died. In the interim, a rich uncle had died and the woman despised her brother's wife. If he was still alive when the uncle died, the wife gets half.
It doesn't take long for Bragg to uncover much more. A long lost stolen payroll, an art theft, a missing cop, participates in a rescue operation while looking for a crashed plane(piloted by the missing cop's brother), and a cunning killer that will go to great lengths to stay hidden.
How does it all tie together?
Excellently crafted thriller by a storyteller that knew his business.
It doesn't take long for Bragg to uncover much more. A long lost stolen payroll, an art theft, a missing cop, participates in a rescue operation while looking for a crashed plane(piloted by the missing cop's brother), and a cunning killer that will go to great lengths to stay hidden.
How does it all tie together?
Excellently crafted thriller by a storyteller that knew his business.
December 22, 2020
A welcome surprise - what I mean is: as I pick and read Edgar Nominees and Winners from the late 70s/early 80s, at least when it comes to Best Paperback Original, this one is superior to the herd. One of the better whodunits...and not loaded with offensive stereotypes, or ingrained attitudes towards women, gay or lesbian characters, black characters, Jewish characters, etc. I braced for the worst when Bragg, our detective, crashed a house party being enjoyed by gay men - but we got out of that scene almost feeling that Bragg is enlightened, for 1982, compared to what I've encountered cruising through Crime novels of roughly the same era.
Getting back to the Mystery content, there is perhaps a little too much thrown in, when you factor in the actual reason for the fellow's disappearance that sets it all in motion, plus large-scale false trails...or let's say semi-false trails that do add to the fun, but also to the "items to be sorted" list. This is a book where a plane crash in the wilderness near where skullduggery maybe happened seems like a weird, random contribution to the plot...but then why is Bragg suddenly on a search team for survivors, if this isn't somehow relevant to the case he's being delayed from working on?
Too much kitchen sink sticking to the wide web of deceit and murder? Oh no, I don't think so. Great clues, great twists, some terrific tension, creepy scenes, and all explained to my satisfaction and delight. This did become a Mystery where I clicked to something big near the end, so no surprise at a reveal - but in this case, no demerit points, because I got to feel a bit clever about 10 pages before the window of opportunity closed.
A lot going on, most of it leading to a fun, fast-paced Mystery, spiced with lots of adventure for Bragg. If the book originally contained one more major subplot, it was a smart choice to drop it. A great read, but certainly busy enough, thanks. It all made sense, and so I'm happy.
Getting back to the Mystery content, there is perhaps a little too much thrown in, when you factor in the actual reason for the fellow's disappearance that sets it all in motion, plus large-scale false trails...or let's say semi-false trails that do add to the fun, but also to the "items to be sorted" list. This is a book where a plane crash in the wilderness near where skullduggery maybe happened seems like a weird, random contribution to the plot...but then why is Bragg suddenly on a search team for survivors, if this isn't somehow relevant to the case he's being delayed from working on?
Too much kitchen sink sticking to the wide web of deceit and murder? Oh no, I don't think so. Great clues, great twists, some terrific tension, creepy scenes, and all explained to my satisfaction and delight. This did become a Mystery where I clicked to something big near the end, so no surprise at a reveal - but in this case, no demerit points, because I got to feel a bit clever about 10 pages before the window of opportunity closed.
A lot going on, most of it leading to a fun, fast-paced Mystery, spiced with lots of adventure for Bragg. If the book originally contained one more major subplot, it was a smart choice to drop it. A great read, but certainly busy enough, thanks. It all made sense, and so I'm happy.
November 22, 2021
The Missing and the Dead by Jack Lynch
9781941298329
240 Pages
Publisher: Brash Books
Release Date September 14, 2014
Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Hard-Boiled, Private Detective
This is the second book in the Peter Bragg series. Peter Bragg is a Korean War veteran. He covered stories for the San Francisco Chronicle before turning his research skills into a new career – private detective.
Jerry Lind, an insurance investigator, goes missing. His sister, Janet, is a local newscaster. Apparently, their uncle has died and left an inheritance. If Jerry died before the uncle, Janet gets it all. If not, it goes to his wife, Marcie. Jerry was investigating a missing painting that was part of a traveling show which is now in Portland.
Peter travels to the Pacific Northwest to a town called Barracks Cove. He gets information from the only art supply store in town that Big Mike Parsons is having a picnic at his house for local artists. There me meets Allison and his troubles begin.
The story has a steady pace, and the characters are developed. It is written in the first-person point of view. The book is somewhat dated since it was written before cell phones and other modern technology, but I thoroughly enjoyed that fact. If you like hard-boiled fiction with a witty private investigator, you will enjoy this book too.
9781941298329
240 Pages
Publisher: Brash Books
Release Date September 14, 2014
Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Hard-Boiled, Private Detective
This is the second book in the Peter Bragg series. Peter Bragg is a Korean War veteran. He covered stories for the San Francisco Chronicle before turning his research skills into a new career – private detective.
Jerry Lind, an insurance investigator, goes missing. His sister, Janet, is a local newscaster. Apparently, their uncle has died and left an inheritance. If Jerry died before the uncle, Janet gets it all. If not, it goes to his wife, Marcie. Jerry was investigating a missing painting that was part of a traveling show which is now in Portland.
Peter travels to the Pacific Northwest to a town called Barracks Cove. He gets information from the only art supply store in town that Big Mike Parsons is having a picnic at his house for local artists. There me meets Allison and his troubles begin.
The story has a steady pace, and the characters are developed. It is written in the first-person point of view. The book is somewhat dated since it was written before cell phones and other modern technology, but I thoroughly enjoyed that fact. If you like hard-boiled fiction with a witty private investigator, you will enjoy this book too.
August 25, 2022
This is an excellent Private Investigator mystery that was written in the 1980s and it takes place during that time period. The P.I. is Peter Bragg and he comes across as a hard-working bulldog of an investigator. He is not a near alcoholic ex-cop who is trying to overcome past injustices in his own life. His background story is hardly mentioned and of no consequence to the investigation in this story. In this case, Bragg is looking for a missing man at the request of the man’s sister. Bragg does his work by interviewing people who know the missing man and following any potential leads. Bragg must be persistent in this quest for information as there is no forensic information or team of criminal investigators to assist Bragg. Bragg is not a wise-cracking private eye either. He is a straight-forward investigator who once he gets his teeth into a case is not easily discouraged. The clues build and the suspense builds as the mystery takes shape. It turns out that this missing person case is much more complicated that it appears in the beginning. As such, you the reader are compelled and pulled forward into this story to find out how it ends.
January 23, 2021
Fast-paced and hard to put down. I rate it 4.7 stars.
July 27, 2015
Jerry Lind is missing, which is especially strange, given that he knows he is about to inherit a small fortune. It seems unlikely that he would take off for a long time without letting someone know about it. He ought to be back by now. Moreover, the next people in line to inherit his share are also wondering if he is okay. Not that they hope he isn’t. Of course not! And at this point I have to break my narrative to let you know that I was fortunate enough to get this DRC free, courtesy of Net Galley and Brash Books. It was previously published in the 1980’s and is just now being released digitally.
Back to Jerry. No, never mind, forget him for a minute. Let’s talk about our assassin.
Our assassin is not getting any younger, and his wife is exhausted from all the moves. Every time he carries out a contract, they have to either abandon their stuff or get a truck, and over years and years of professional killing, it wears a woman down. She wants a garden. From now on, he needs to either make do with the significant amount he’s squirreled away from his successful if messy business, or he’s going to have to goddamn hide the bodies.
It’s the least he can do for her.
Peter Bragg is our man. Jerry’s sister hires him to go to Barracks Cove, where Jerry was supposed to be running a professional errand, and see if he can’t track him down. And Bragg goes in prepared. If you are sick of reading wussy narratives that give flimsy reasons for the intrepid sleuth not to carry a gun and make sure he has bullets, this is your guy, and this is your story. Has he ever fired that thing? Oh yes. But not just for practice…in the line of duty? Again, oh hell yes.
And it’s a good thing, as it turns out.
By the time the thing is over, a great deal of action has taken place, and though I am a six-to-eight book-at-a-time reader, the urgent, taut narrative (reminiscent somewhat of the Richard Stark detective novels from about the same period) grabbed me by the front of my shirt and held me there until the last page was turned.
It was nominated for an Edgar, and the clever juggling of setting and character development, along with a plot line that is unbelievably lean and compelling, will probably leave you wondering, as it did me, why he was denied and just who exactly did get it.
The consolation? If you have a kindle, you can read this book right now. Change the window on your screen and order it up. You’ll have an excellent weekend…if you can wait that long!
Back to Jerry. No, never mind, forget him for a minute. Let’s talk about our assassin.
Our assassin is not getting any younger, and his wife is exhausted from all the moves. Every time he carries out a contract, they have to either abandon their stuff or get a truck, and over years and years of professional killing, it wears a woman down. She wants a garden. From now on, he needs to either make do with the significant amount he’s squirreled away from his successful if messy business, or he’s going to have to goddamn hide the bodies.
It’s the least he can do for her.
Peter Bragg is our man. Jerry’s sister hires him to go to Barracks Cove, where Jerry was supposed to be running a professional errand, and see if he can’t track him down. And Bragg goes in prepared. If you are sick of reading wussy narratives that give flimsy reasons for the intrepid sleuth not to carry a gun and make sure he has bullets, this is your guy, and this is your story. Has he ever fired that thing? Oh yes. But not just for practice…in the line of duty? Again, oh hell yes.
And it’s a good thing, as it turns out.
By the time the thing is over, a great deal of action has taken place, and though I am a six-to-eight book-at-a-time reader, the urgent, taut narrative (reminiscent somewhat of the Richard Stark detective novels from about the same period) grabbed me by the front of my shirt and held me there until the last page was turned.
It was nominated for an Edgar, and the clever juggling of setting and character development, along with a plot line that is unbelievably lean and compelling, will probably leave you wondering, as it did me, why he was denied and just who exactly did get it.
The consolation? If you have a kindle, you can read this book right now. Change the window on your screen and order it up. You’ll have an excellent weekend…if you can wait that long!
March 7, 2015
This is the second in the re-issued, Peter Bragg series. I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest reveiw.
When I first started reading it, I was not sure if it was as good as the first one, but once I got into, I could not wait to finish it. These books are your old school Private Eye, who is hired to solve a seemingly simple situation (in this case a missing person) but it turns out to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Bragg is hired by TV personality, Janet Lind to find her missing brother, Jerry, who works for North Coast Insurance Investigators. As he begins to investigate the claim that Jerry was working on it starts to converge with another claim from the same company. Bragg follows the leads and ends up helping with a search and rescue of a boy and his father whose plane has crashed. It turns out that they are trying to find out about a missing relative. The Detective they are looking for has been investigating the same crime, or at least it started out that way. Once again Bragg is beaten up, almost killed and meets a girl. Of course he solves the crime, finds out about the missing person and takes down bad guys. I did not figure out who done it, which makes it a great read for me. Bragg is a likable and believable character with real flaws and talents. I am really enjoying this series and recommend it to anyone who loves that mystery, detective, noire genre. Looking for the next one.
When I first started reading it, I was not sure if it was as good as the first one, but once I got into, I could not wait to finish it. These books are your old school Private Eye, who is hired to solve a seemingly simple situation (in this case a missing person) but it turns out to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Bragg is hired by TV personality, Janet Lind to find her missing brother, Jerry, who works for North Coast Insurance Investigators. As he begins to investigate the claim that Jerry was working on it starts to converge with another claim from the same company. Bragg follows the leads and ends up helping with a search and rescue of a boy and his father whose plane has crashed. It turns out that they are trying to find out about a missing relative. The Detective they are looking for has been investigating the same crime, or at least it started out that way. Once again Bragg is beaten up, almost killed and meets a girl. Of course he solves the crime, finds out about the missing person and takes down bad guys. I did not figure out who done it, which makes it a great read for me. Bragg is a likable and believable character with real flaws and talents. I am really enjoying this series and recommend it to anyone who loves that mystery, detective, noire genre. Looking for the next one.
October 22, 2015
I’m a strong proponent of writers giving the reader a chance to solve the mystery—or as Larry Niven put it, outwit the author—before it’s explained at the end. That means you can’t pull out a secret tunnel in a locked room mystery, or have your detective use a clue to solve the mystery without it having been mentioned before. In this book most readers would have forgotten the prologue by the time they get to the meat of the mystery, but including it is exactly why this author didn’t cheat.
Former Seattle reporter now a PI in San Fran hunts for a missing man, partly because he’s got an inheritance coming to him, and party. . . well, he’s missing. This is another in a series where I’ve read two entries, but this one goes back to near-beginning, being the second. I think I liked this entry a little less than the others, but because it happened earlier in the author’s career it doesn’t bear much thinking. It was a little weird seeing characters, like his soon-to-be-girlfriend, who are new here when I feel like I already know them. But already so early on the author had a knack for entertaining plotting while giving his protagonist just enough of a sense of humor without becoming cloying.
I will say I’ve learned a lot about the San Francisco area, mostly its surroundings, from these books. Next time I go to Napa I may take the scenic route. . .
Former Seattle reporter now a PI in San Fran hunts for a missing man, partly because he’s got an inheritance coming to him, and party. . . well, he’s missing. This is another in a series where I’ve read two entries, but this one goes back to near-beginning, being the second. I think I liked this entry a little less than the others, but because it happened earlier in the author’s career it doesn’t bear much thinking. It was a little weird seeing characters, like his soon-to-be-girlfriend, who are new here when I feel like I already know them. But already so early on the author had a knack for entertaining plotting while giving his protagonist just enough of a sense of humor without becoming cloying.
I will say I’ve learned a lot about the San Francisco area, mostly its surroundings, from these books. Next time I go to Napa I may take the scenic route. . .
February 28, 2015
Thank you to NetGalley and Brash Books for this free copy. In an exchange for this copy I am giving an honest review.
More great writing from a new-to-me author! I love the name Jack Lynch, it's a great pen name. And it might not be a pen name, it could be his real name which means he was destined to write in this genre. Lynch died in 2008, unfortunately, but wrote 8 Bragg novels before he left this earth. I hope to get my hands on all of them to read.
Brash Books is releasing updated editions of mystery/suspense books written in the 1980's and introducing them to new readers. I'm super glad, it's one of my favorite genres.
In this Bragg Thriller the hunt is on for a missing person that turns into two missing persons and grows into 4 missing persons due to a small airplane crash. Not all who are missing will be found alive though. Peter Bragg, a private detective, is on the hunt to find as many alive as possible. The path he originally takes twists and turns and becomes something totally different by the time all the pieces fall into place. The villain of the story is a fascinating study in human psychology, I'd actually like to know more about him as well! Peter Bragg is a good to honest detective, a lone ranger willing to do what it takes to solve the riddles.
More great writing from a new-to-me author! I love the name Jack Lynch, it's a great pen name. And it might not be a pen name, it could be his real name which means he was destined to write in this genre. Lynch died in 2008, unfortunately, but wrote 8 Bragg novels before he left this earth. I hope to get my hands on all of them to read.
Brash Books is releasing updated editions of mystery/suspense books written in the 1980's and introducing them to new readers. I'm super glad, it's one of my favorite genres.
In this Bragg Thriller the hunt is on for a missing person that turns into two missing persons and grows into 4 missing persons due to a small airplane crash. Not all who are missing will be found alive though. Peter Bragg, a private detective, is on the hunt to find as many alive as possible. The path he originally takes twists and turns and becomes something totally different by the time all the pieces fall into place. The villain of the story is a fascinating study in human psychology, I'd actually like to know more about him as well! Peter Bragg is a good to honest detective, a lone ranger willing to do what it takes to solve the riddles.
September 18, 2016
A good old style gumshoe story. A PI hired by a woman to find her missing brother who is himself an investigator for an Insurance Company. You have to know if an insurance investigator has to look into something there is a good chance there will be some illicit activities involved. Sure enough but along the way as in any good story there will be heroes and villains and of course a fine looking young lady. The story unwinds with a cast of characters right out of real life. Maybe not the life most of us live but coming across an enclave of artists is sure to lead to some quirky folks. Sure enough, mix in murder, thievery, a plane crash, romance, territorial issues for law enforcement and you have a plot that grabs you and holds your attention until the very last word on the last page. This talented author most unfortunately passed on in 2008, but his works as well as some other good stories written by great authors are brought back to life by Brash Books, the folks who look into the past instead of the current top ten sellers list. For us old timers this is as good as an oldies radio station and as enjoyable. This overlooked number from NetGalley proves good writing never goes out of style.
February 21, 2015
This is the second Bragg book I have read. I loved The Dead Never Forget and I wasn't disappointed with this one. We catch up with PI Peter Bragg, a man with flaws but a big heart. He is hired for a missing persons case that soon turns into a murder investigation. I won't go into specifics, as other reviewers have done that already. I will say i was hooked from the first page and found myself reading way past bedtime to see what would happen next. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing and an edge of your seat conclusion that I didn't see coming.
I would highly recommend this book, this series and this author to others. Sadly, we have lost Jack Lynch but are lucky that his books are available for our enjoyment.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not effect my review one way or the other. I was a fan of Mr. Lynch after I read The Dead Never Forget.
I would highly recommend this book, this series and this author to others. Sadly, we have lost Jack Lynch but are lucky that his books are available for our enjoyment.
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not effect my review one way or the other. I was a fan of Mr. Lynch after I read The Dead Never Forget.
September 8, 2016
I struggled through more than 40% of this book and could never get interested in it.
January 20, 2015
Follow detective Peter Bragg, hired by a TV news personality to find her missing brother, as he encounters more than he bargained for – a psycho serial killer painting portraits of people scared to death, a dead cop on the trail of this psycho, a light airplane crash and the need to rescue its survivors, and a beautiful artist.
Jump on this page turner that will keep you reading till the cows come home – it has it all, super suspense, California scenery that will want you to think about moving west if your aren’t there already, and some sweet romance.
Jump on this page turner that will keep you reading till the cows come home – it has it all, super suspense, California scenery that will want you to think about moving west if your aren’t there already, and some sweet romance.
February 18, 2015
A first-rate detective story with a cast of characters that Damon Runyan would have been proud of. I was pleased by the level of development for all characters, minor as well as major. The hero is a weak man who does heroic things. The villain is an evil man who masquerades as a good old boy. As people become missing and dead, the mystery deepens, and the reader chases the clues along with the hero. Nothing is hidden, but the ending stills comes as a surprise. I highly recommend this book.
April 8, 2015
I really enjoyed this book after I got in to it, I found it a bit slow to start but then it really picked up pace and kept that right u to the very end of the book. This is the first book that I have read by this author but I already have two more of his to read and I can't wait to get started on them. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 6, 2015
I received this arc from Netgalley.
This was a great read. It completely held my attention from first few pages until the final page. No lagging, no unbelievable heroic acts or leave you hanging ending. Just a good solid read. This is it, look no further for your next engaging read. I will be reading all of his previous books as soon as I can get my hands on them.
This was a great read. It completely held my attention from first few pages until the final page. No lagging, no unbelievable heroic acts or leave you hanging ending. Just a good solid read. This is it, look no further for your next engaging read. I will be reading all of his previous books as soon as I can get my hands on them.
February 26, 2015
An absorbing book with lots of intertwining threads which like a row of dominoes all come falling down at the end. Good characters which were well developed and a believable conclusion. Kept me engaged to the end.
November 29, 2016
Convoluted Mystery
Some things are readily explainable and other truths surface only after careful digging. The plot here is the latter, but the characters and action make it an enjoyable journey.
Some things are readily explainable and other truths surface only after careful digging. The plot here is the latter, but the characters and action make it an enjoyable journey.
June 1, 2015
This is the first jack lynch book I have read. I found it a bit slow at the beginning but persevered, and glad I did as I enjoyed it . would recommend this
May 18, 2018
Crime procedural - if you like them, you will like this.
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