Forest Park: A Rick Conwright, PI Mystery

by Peter Swan

A mild-mannered arborist, Brian Westlake, is killed while walking his dog in Portland’s vast urban wilderness, Forest Park. The police think it was a simple robbery gone bad, but have turned up no real leads. The dead man’s brother hires PI Rick Conwright to learn why Brian died and who murdered him. Rick discovers a former Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms agent has suddenly vanished, leaving a happy marriage and a successful second career behind. Rick believes the two cases could be linked. His fast-moving investigation takes him from the Arizona desert to the San Francisco Bay Area as he starts to connect the dots. But all is not quite as it seems. Rick must return to Portland and solve the murder of a college coed eight years earlier to identify and apprehend Brian’s killer.

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2015

Reviews

[Pam Lindholm-levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Rick Conwright mystery was tightly plotted and wove two murders into one story. Unlike "Past Due," a gory murder and body disposal takes place. Rick goes to Southern California to check on possible suspects and finally gets him.

[Schuyler Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A disclaimer: Peter Swan, author of “Forest Park,” is a friend and neighbor in Wilsonville, Oregon. That said, as Pete knows, I am not one to fawn over books that I review. I’ve reviewed two other novels of his and have tried to be objective, sometimes to Pete’s disgruntlement. So, damn the torpedoes, here we go on his latest crime thriller.

Swan has a distinctive writing style. I’d call it heavily narrative. His stories are always presented in the first person, the narrator being Rick Conwright, a dogged Portland private investigator with the fortunate asset of having the ear of the police.
Plots are disclosed through Conwright’s step-by-step narration as he pursues solutions to the problems presented to him. Past events are not heavily detailed nor is there much back tracking. Conwright thinks out his course of action, and then details his activities in sequential narrative. It’s a rather innovative approach that Swan does well and that creates an easy reading adventure that keeps the reader engaged.

In “Forest Park,” Conwright is hired by the brother of a man who is killed while walking his dog in a Portland wilderness area. The brother isn’t buying the police idea that it’s a possible robbery by an unknown homeless person and wants Conwright to take a closer look. Many possibilities begin to surface and the intrepid Conwright investigates them all, taking the reader on many excursions, through numerous interviews, and on a number of clandestine searches that border on breaking and entering. One by one, clues are uncovered, pursued, discarded, or added to a list of circumstantial evidence that eventually leads to the murderer. The reader tags along, absorbing both the joys of discovery and jolting disappointments, until Conwright hands over a foolproof case to a grateful police department.

Swan’s writing is neither profane nor gruesome. It is straightforward and to the point. There is no need for the reader to insert a lot of self-generated thoughts, so the story moves smoothly and inexorably to a satisfying finish. It’s a refreshing departure from many crime novels that rely on intricate narratives that become irksome with their mind-numbing complexity.

Swan must be a gourmand of sorts. The novel is loaded with information about food and places to eat. I’d call it name-dropping, except the places he mentions happen to be some of my favorites and bring back fond memories of pleasurable meals. It’s a nice side benefit of reading his book.

Swan has in inventive mind and incessant urge to write. He keeps cranking out good stories. The dialogue and grammar is exceptionable. His legal expertise as a retired lawyer is evident. He explains the intricacies involved in putting together an investigation with clarity. I recommend all of his books for an entertaining read with an authoritative ring.

[Pam Lindholm-levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are red herrings and trips to California. Rick Conwright is trying to find out whether there was really a body in a water heater. He's smart and he's lucky.