Selected as one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month for February
Former Suffolk County cop Gus Murphy returns to prowl the meaner streets of Long Island’s darkest precincts with a Russian mercenary at his back in the stunning second installment of Reed Farrel Coleman’s critically acclaimed, Edgar-nominated series.
Gus Murphy and his girlfriend, Magdalena, are put in harm’s way when Gus is caught up in the distant aftershocks of heinous crimes committed decades ago in Vietnam and Russia. Gus’s ex-priest pal, Bill Kilkenny, introduces him to a wealthy businessman anxious to have someone look more deeply into the brutal murder of his granddaughter. Though the police already have the girl’s murderer in custody, they have been unable to provide a reason for the killing. The businessman, Spears, offers big incentives if Gus can supply him with what the cops cannot—a motive.
Later that same day, Gus witnesses the execution of a man who has just met with his friend Slava. As Gus looks into the girl’s murder and tries to protect Slava from the executioner’s bullet, he must navigate a minefield populated by hostile cops, street gangs, and a Russian mercenary who will stop at nothing to do his master’s bidding. But in trying to solve the girl’s murder and save his friend, Gus may be opening a door into a past that was best left forgotten. Can he fix the damage done, or is it true that what you break you own...forever?
Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.
A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.
Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.
A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.
I like the way Coleman writes: he consistently delivers no nonsense, hardboiled crime fiction. But following the conclusion of his successful Moe Prager series, I was slightly nervous as to how he would follow it up. I shouldn't have been. His first book introducing his new front man Gus Murphy, Where It Hurts, hit all the right notes and I instantly took a liking to (yet) another damaged ex-cop trying to eke out a living whist conunuing to entertainin the thought that he can still bust balls and see off the bad guys, sans uniform. Murphy struts his stuff on Long Island, New York – but not in the well-heeled parts. His manor is not The Hamptons, that summer destination for affluent New York City residents, but the more working class area of Suffolk County.
Gus lost his son in tragic circumstances and now lives in an airport motel, where he doubles as the in-house detective and the shuttle service driver. He’s divorced, struggling to come to terms with the loss of his son but he has recently invited a new woman into his life. Could it be that after hitting rock bottom his life is on the upturn again? Well, that assessment might be challenged as he agrees to look into the death of a young woman as a favour for a friend of his.
The heart of the story is really Gus and his struggle with where he finds himself at this point in his life. The investigation is interesting enough and it does allow the author to introduce some colourful characters that certainly add spice to the tale, but for me it still boiled down to a question of whether our lead man was going to manage to shuffle his life in the right direction or if he was going to be forced back into the shadowlands of despair and regret, whence he came.
It’s a well written and engaging story with a cast of characters that could have come straight out of a Dickens novel. It's great fun. If I have a complaint it's that the plot eventually becomes somewhat predictable, but what the hell. My enjoyment of books is mainly determined by whether I find myself able to invest something in the characters within. Here I have no problem adopting Gus Murphy as a damaged soul I’ll be seeking every opportunity to share company with for some time to come.
My thanks to Penguin Group Purnam and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
After liking the first book, this one disappointed. Gus is such a downer. And the characters in this one, although well drawn (especially Slava and the Polish/Russian gang associates )- were cold. Merciless seems like a mantra.
There is such repeated talk of young death and endless back looking despair of void over his son, John Jr.- that it just lays like a pall over the whole. Not the new woman or the varied job flow even dents it, IMHO. Only technical or procedural movements and eats seem to mix the gloom for more than a page at a time.
There's just too much violence in this scenario, even Long Island is described by its dregs as much as its advantages, IMHO. And the Vietnam vet priest seems like a cartoon to me, especially in his speech patterns. He's dark too. The entire thing seems nearly joyless.
Mean, post-cop misery gets some answers. Not the ones I wanted or felt compelled to know by the 1/2 way point, that's for sure. I am disappointed because I liked the first one much better and it held tension. This one didn't for me.
WHAT YOU BREAK by Reed Farrel Coleman is the second book of the Gus Murphy series, and follows Gus in his attempts to move on with his life after the sudden death of his son followed by the break up of his marriage. Gus is a former police officer with several years on the force who never was a detective, but has experience & qualities that enable him to be effective as a private detective. Gas has a relationship with Magdalena, who like him comes along with baggage, yet the two of them have a good relationship where there seems to be a foundation for a future together. Slava is a friend of Gus who is a mysterious Russian with a past that they've agreed not to talk about, yet Slava lets Gus know in no uncertain terms that he lives in shame and will be haunted by his past, and feels compelled to live since death would be too easy of a way out for him, he must live to suffer. Bill McKinney is a former priest and is the only other close friend of Gus at this point in his life, and like Slava is someone that Gus trusts and feels indebted to since they both share the distinction of having saved his life. Bill asks Gus to look into the death of the granddaughter of a business man named Spears, who Gus takes an immediate disliking to. Gus accepts only after Spears offers to set up a foundation in the name of his late son. Gus questions his decision but vows to keep his word, and he is also caught up in his friend Slava's possible involving in an assassination that Gus has witnessed. I've already given much away here, and adding more might spoil the rest of what takes place. Recently I gave a less than glowing review of Robert B. Parker's Debt to Pay written by author Reed Farrel Coleman where I mentioned my disappointment with the book yet mentioned that the writer may be a fine writer and I that only had that book to judge him by. Soon after, I had the chance to be able to read this, and am glad I did as this is a very good book that is well written with strong characters and action to keep interest from start to finish. I need to go back and read Where It Hurts, the first book in the series, and will look forward to other books by this author in the future.
With the El tracks, the little shops at street level, and two stories of rental apartments above them, the streets crowded with people, I felt I was looking into the past at old New York. But in the past, the signs would have been in English or maybe Italian or Yiddish. Not the signs here now, Not now. In Brighton Beach the signs were written in Russian. Maybe it was Ukrainian. How the hell would I know the difference?
What You Break is the second in series of crime novels by Reed Farrel Coleman to feature former Suffolk County police officer, Gus Murphy, working as courtesy bus driver and sometime hotel security for the Paragon, airport hotel on the seamier side of Long Island, New York. The action takes place a few months after Where It Hurts and features many of the same characters, with frequent references to the often violent confrontations in the earlier book. His ex-wife features briefly and his blossoming affair with actress Magdalena is on hold when she goes to Detroit for rehearsals for a play.
The second book opens with Gus transferring two guests from the local airport, one chatty, the other silent, a “Michael Smith” who the night porter, Slava, recognises. Slava and Gus eat breakfast together each Saturday following the late shift, but have a gentlemen’s agreement not to discuss their pasts. When Gus is attacked in his room at the hotel he follows Slava and the man to Coney Island in Brooklyn, where he is witness to an assassination and helps Slava go into hiding from the Russian mafia.
Running in parallel (Father) Bill Kilkenny introduces Gus to businessman Micah Spears, who he knew from Vietnam, and whose adopted granddaughter, Linh Trang, was brutally murdered by a member of one of the Hispanic gangs, who was arrested after a tipoff but refuses to talk. Spears wants answers, offering money to set up a charitable fund in memory of Gus’ son John Jr to take up the case. Reluctantly Gus follows up leads, talking to family, friends and the factory where she worked as an accountant.
The workers eyed me with suspicion. I didn’t blame them. A lot of the people who worked the dirty, dangerous jobs on the island were illegals. If you deported all the illegals off Long Island, there’d be no open restaurants, our lawns would overwhelm us, and no one would be available to repave driveways or lay tiles.
Like the first book this is a slow-burner initially, written in short chapters across the days, with Coleman deftly weaving the two stories in parallel, until they overlap…a master of the noir crime genre.
ARC received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway
I cannot believe that I haven't discovered Reed Farrel Coleman before now! What a talent! This novel is so well-written, I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!
Gus, the main character, is a retired cop working at a rundown hotel driving the courtesy van. His son died suddenly on the basketball court and out of that grief came a lack of faith, a divorce and brokenness. His brokenness is what drives this story. He has friends of questionable moral and ethics who have saved his life in the past. In short, he's trying to put his life back together in a new way.
In doing a favor for an ex-priest friend he is asked to look into the murder of a man's granddaughter. The cops have her murder in custody but the grandfather needs the why of the crime. While trying to give the man some answers, Gus is also drawn into tensions between his friend Slava and his enemies from the Motherland of Russia.
I find Coleman's writing compulsively readable, very realistic with a whole lot of cynics with a dash of hope that maybe things really aren't as bad as they seem. I found the law enforcement people just like the ones that I know. I'll be searching for the 1st book in this series and also for the books in Coleman's other 4 series. What a talent!!
Gus Murphy, a former cop, is caught up in a situation that has him on the alert and leery of everyone. He's been introduced to a wealthy man, Speares, whose granddaughter was murdered. The police say they have their man but is that the way Gus sees it? At the same time Gus's employee and friend, Slava, has been targeted for a hit. Finally Slava comes clean and unloads all the hidden secrets in his past that has put his very life in jeopardy.
Gus understands his responsibility is to find the granddaughters killer and rescue his friend Salva from death. The question is how to do that without getting killed himself.
This author can write and write well...very well. Easy to follow story line that becomes more involved as the plot thickens. Good character development between Gus and Slava that was believable. This book enlightened me as to the reasoning that led up to Robert B. Parker leaving this author in his will to continue the Jesse Stone series. Highly recommended.
The second book in the Gus Murphy series is another dark take on life after loss. This regional series paints a very dim picture of life on the raw side of Long Island.
The death of his son has shattered Gus's life. His job, his wife, his family and his professional relationships as a former Suffolk County policeman have all been irreparably altered.
Just as he seems to be coming to the surface to catch a gulp of air, he finds himself involved in two cases that threaten his new love and his new best friend. And as the cases intersect, they may make him choose between the two people he holds dear.
Reed Farrel Coleman is an incredible talent. This series has legs!
The sudden death of his son ended the life Gus Murphy had as a husband/father and Suffolk County police officer. Now, besotted with grief and regrets, he ekes out a living as house dick/van driver for an airport hotel and bouncer at a sleazy club. All that changes and not for the better when Gus reluctantly accepts a job looking into the brutal murder of Micah Spears' granddaughter. Police have the killer in custody, but Spears wants to know why he did it. In the midst of resolving that mystery, Gus becomes entangled in another when his friend, Slava, the hotel's night bellman, is threatened because of secrets from the past. These two entanglements put Gus and those close to him in danger from a Russian mercenary and street gangs and put him in conflict with hostile cops. I love Coleman's Moe Prager series and expected to enjoy this second in the Gus Murphy series. While it features Coleman's usual fine prose, good characterization, sense of place and gripping plot, the narrative plods along at times due to our still getting to know Gus. But, hey, I'm up to continuing the journey.
What You Break by Reed Farrel Coleman is a very highly recommended second detective novel featuring ex-cop Gus Murphy.
Gus is still working as security for the Paragon Hotel in Suffolk County and part time courtesy driver to Long Island’s MacArthur Airport. Gus is asked by his friend Bill Kilkenny, an ex-priest, to meet with Micah Spears and take on an investigation into why Spears granddaughter, Linh Trang, was brutally murdered. The cops have the man who did it, suspect, Asesinos gang member Rondo Salazar, but no one knows why he did it and he's not talking. Spears offers Gus two big incentives to find out the answers: 2 large check, one to fund a youth sports association in John Jr.'s name, his late son, and another to fund research at Stony Brook University Hospital.
At the same time it appears that his reticent friend who also works at the Paragon, Slava Podalak, is in trouble. A man with a Russian accent who appears to be on the run has arrived and he and Slava took off together. Gus followed, saw them pick up a third man, and go to his house. After Slava and the first man left, Gus saw the third man gunned down in front of his house. The cops are now questioning Gus when it's reported that his car was near the scene, but Gus doesn't give them any help while he's trying to protect Slava. But when a mysterious Russian hitman implies Maggie's (Gus's girlfriend) life is in danger if Gus doesn't provide him information, Gus needs to protect her too.
Gus Murphy is a great character and I'm pleased to see him back in this second novel. Again, the writing is great, the plot is tight, and the action fast-pace. While I didn't like What You Break quite as much as the first Gus Murphy novel, Where It Hurts, we're talking 4.5 to 5, so I still liked it quite a bit. It is just as engrossing as the first and yes, I stayed up way too late to finish it. There are two great factors that make Coleman's Gus Murphy novels so appealing. The first is the character of Gus, who is flawed. He's broken, still hurting, and it seems that memories and emotional minefields are everywhere for him.
Gus is smart, though, which leads to the second fact: they are well written and thoughtful. I like that we don't always know what Gus is thinking, that he plays his cards close to his chest. I would expect that of him and appreciate it in the character. When the cases eventually, unexpectedly collide, it is very clever. The end is a bit of a shocker, but it leads to some serious anticipation for the next Gus Murphy novel. You kind of want to tell Gus, "Be careful, Boy-o, with your heart and yourself."
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Penguin Publishing Group.
Michael Connolly has Los Angeles, Ian Rankin Edinburgh, Laura Lippman Baltimore; the late Robert Parker Boston; Tim Hallinan Bangkok. Others write about localities they know. And Reed Farrel Coleman not only lives in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, but takes us on a guided tour, in this novel featuring his somewhat flawed ex-cop Gus Murphy, still suffering after the death of his 20-year-old son, John Jr. Gus, divorced after the death blew up his marriage, lives and works at a second-rate motel, driving a van to and from MacArthur airport and a LIRR station, picking up and dropping off passengers to and from the Paragon and providing security services in exchange for a free room.
The night bellman, Slava, who had once saved Gus’s life, is a close friend. When his friend’s past catches up with him and his life is threatened Gus is faced with a dilemma: sacrifice his friend or attempt to help him. Meanwhile, another of Gus’s friends, the ex-priest Bill Kilkenny, asks him to take on finding out why wealthy Miceh Spears’ granddaughter was murdered. The two plots move along simultaneously along the highways and byways stretching from Queens County and Brooklyn right across Long Island.
Coleman even delves into the social and economic differences between various localities, with the Long Island Expressway sort of dividing north (white and wealthy) and south (for the most part poorer) and how enclaves protect the richer from others. The novel takes a penetrating look at Gus, his personality and psyche, his assets and flaws.
This is the second and latest of the Gus Murphy series of novels and it's a cracker. Murphy is a retired Suffolk County cop whose world fell apart when his son died suddenly and now he works as a courtesy bus driver, bouncer and house detective at the Paragon Hotel in Long Island. He is also an unlicensed PI and in this latest novel he has to keep his Polish friend Slava safe from a Chechen hitman, while trying to discover the reason for a young Vietnamese girl's apparently motiveless death, at the hands of a local gangbanger. All this, while also trying to keep his relationship with Maggie from disintegrating, dealing with his ex-wife and trying to manage his own grief. There is a small cast of recurring characters from the first novel of whom 'Father' Bill is the most prominent being a sort of mentor to Gus. The writing is great and Gus's character has been developed further in this novel and although his back story is repeated, it's done in a way that it doesn't feel as though it's a retread of what was written in the first novel. I did think it was fairly easy to guess the source of the murder but not the reasons of why it was done. Also by the end of the novel Gus has potentially vowed to work with some questionable people in order to keep those around him safe and I suspect this may be laying the groundwork for the next instalment?
This past weekend I read Where It Hurts and What You Break and not only are they extremely involved stories with several cogs and moving parts, but they serve to get you thinking about a number of issues that you are currently seeing in the evening news. If I learned anything from reading this book, it is that I need to brush up on my history and current events. My favorite part about reading, even if it’s fiction, is the knowledge you pick up as part of the story. So much of this story piqued my interest when it came to cultures and places I know very little about. . I look forward to when I don’t have a tower of books awaiting to be read so that I can do some of my own research. Which also segues into why this is yet another book that you shouldn’t read if you’re hungry. Coleman is constantly describing delicious, regional fare, whether it be pizza or fast food wings, in addition to the constant stream of coffee that had me craving my cuppa joe, even in the middle of the night. I was a huge fan of the supporting cast, people so intricately described that I can vividly conjure them up in my imagination; Slava is definitely my favorite. I’ll be honest, though, the main character is not my favorite person. His brusqueness and bitterness are a huge turnoff for me, and finishing these books was like coming out of a constant depression. However, I believe that is the point. The author is very successful in getting across Gus’s state of mind, which is what makes Reed Farrel Coleman an excellent storyteller and why I enjoyed these books.
I almost gave this one a "Two" star rating.. I LOVE Coleman's Moe Prager series. But one thing I didn't like about that series was that it seemed like he demanded that you remember EVERYTHING from the books before-and if you happened to miss a book in the series, too bad.... Even though this is just book 2 of his new series, it seems once again, Coleman wants you to recall his previous book-very well. I enjoyed the 1st Gus book, though not as much as his Moe series. Book 2 has left me underwhelmed again. As others have said, it is very dark and gloomy. (as were the Moe Prager books at times) Maybe too much so. And the mystery(ies) well it wasn't that much of a mystery. The big reveal scenes were ok, but nothing you didn't see coming (more so if you read the inside flap before starting the book..) I will read #3 when it comes out.....I just hope I remember the events in 1 and 2... :)
4.5 Stars Gus Murphy is back and in this book becomes inadvertently involved in his friend Slava's past and also is asked by his friend Father Bill to look into why a rather nasty man's granddaughter was brutally murdered. The past figures substantially in both of these story lines. In this book, Gus has made progress in his recovery from his son's sudden death. His son's death will always be a part of who Gus is, but it was a lot less heavy handed in this outing than the first. I love Coleman's writing style which is old time PI noir, and he sure knows how to turn a phrase. I'll read anything Coleman writes.
Gus Murphy is an exceptional protagonist. He was a cop, though never a detective. Still, he has skills, some common sense, second-guesses himself frequently, and on occasion requires someone else's help to get out of a tough scrape. In other words, a character most of us can relate to. A page-turner of a story. Another reason this is an excellent series - his friend Slava (who might deserve his own story). Highly recommended, though do start with Where It Hurts!
Another winner for Mr. Coleman. Few writers take the time to develop their characters but Mr. Coleman certainly is in no hurry to get to the action and I applaud that. His characters are all flawed in some way which makes them more relatable. Mr. Coleman continues to be at the top of his game.
(2 1/2) The first Gus Murphy book was big fun. This one is a little darker and more involved and it really helps to have read the first one to get a better handle on this one. That all being said, Coleman keeps this one hopping. You have no time to figure out what the hell is really going on because the excitement is pretty much non stop. A wonderful, flawed protagonist, we see lots of different introspective sides of Gus in this story, all if it pretty darn interesting. The looseness of the story is its detriment, the never ending changing storyline and pace are the high points. I like Coleman, I really like what he has done with Jesse Stone, I will be interested to see where he takes Gus Murphy in the future.
I liked the multi-flawed, haunted character of Gus Murphy. He has interesting friends, too: Bill Kilkenny, an ex-priest who lost his faith for forty years and now serves as a sounding board for Gus; Slava, a coworker who has a deep, dark past he's unwilling to share with Gus; and some cop pals who provide him with some valuable information.
I want to read more of this author's work.
My thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of this novel, which will be on sale 2/7/17.
Wow...Gus Murphy is still reeling from the death of his son. And his last case that left bodies blocking any forward path.But he might e on the road to recovery.he accepts a case from an old pal looking towards redemption. Nothing is what it seems. This is a ride not to be missed.dark and twisty
I listened to this audiobook. Gus Murphy is a former Suffolk County cop. After his son died suddenly from an unknown heart defect, his world ended - his job, his marriage, his relationship with his daughter. Now Gus works as a courtesy van driver / weekend bouncer / security for a second rate hotel. He is friends with an ex-priest and an enigmatic Russian coworker. When (former) Father Bill asks Gus for a favor, he can’t say no. Bill introduces Gus to a wealthy businessmen whose granddaughter was brutally murdered some months earlier. Her killer, a Latino gang member, has been arrested and has confessed, but won’t elaborate. What the grandfather wants to know is why. Gus says he will look into it even as he questions the grandfather’s motives. Meanwhile Gus’s Russian friend Slava is in big trouble. His sins from the past have caught up with him and an assassin from Russia is here to make him pay. Slava saved Gus’s life and Gus will help him even when he learns of Slava’s brutality back in Chechnya. I enjoyed this book more as it progressed. Sometimes the narrative is slightly hackneyed, but Gus is sympathetic. You root for him to figure out what is going on and to use his resourcefulness to get out of trouble. The Vietnam war and its atrocities, the Russian-Chechnya conflicts and its atrocities, and the greed of gangs figure in to a violent tale.
I'll give this one a 4.5. Reed Farrel Coleman is a fine writer and you care about his characters. "Gus" Murphy's second adventure is as thrilling as the first, the only draw back in my mind was the continual reminder that Gus had lost his son and that it predicates his almost every move. The continual reminders throughout this novel tended to get a bit old. That, however, is a small distraction. This tale of Gus taking on an investigation into a murder of a young Vietnamese adopted girl, doesn't seem to be much of a mystery. The girl is dead, horribly stabbed and mutilated. The murderer is caught and behind bars already. The girl's grandfather just wants to know the why. That fairly simple premise begins this slowly starting but rapidly snowballing adventure/mystery. Also his friend Slava, that mysterious Russian co-worker at the Paragon hotel is being threatened by someone from Slava's mysterious past. Both of these storylines snowball into a careening, furious and yet satisfying finish. I recommend Reed Farrel Coleman.
#2 in the Gus Murphy series. Author Coleman, accurately and with feeling, describes Long Island's Suffolk County. I lived and worked there for a half dozen years in the early 1980s, and Coleman evokes the variety to be found in the second largest county of the US. This noirish novel of a retired cop struggling to exist while grieving the sudden death of his son and the resulting breakup of his marriage is not a quick read but it is certainly satisfying.
Gus Murphy - Gus, who's still struggling with the sudden death of his 20-year-old son, John Jr., kills time working as a courtesy-van driver shuttling between a downscale Suffolk County hotel and Long Island's MacArthur Airport. Meanwhile, the hidden past of his friend Slava Podalak, the hotel's night bellman, has resurfaced with a vengeance, and Gus becomes a witness to murder. In addition, Gus's confidant, Bill Kilkenny, a former priest, asks him to help the wealthy Micah Spears find out not who butchered his granddaughter but why. Spears makes Gus an offer impossible to resist- a quarter million dollars funding for a youth sports foundation in John Jr.'s name and research at a university hospital.
Far too many works of crime fiction focus so much on the protagonist at the expense of the villains, who often come across as cartoonish, lacking depth, or both. What You Break offers more than one villain, all of whom are multi-dimensional characters who're seriously dangerous, yet contain elements of humanity, even if those elements appear in barely noticeable vapors. You can read the plot synopsis in other places, but if you're a fan of crime fiction, you really should check out this novel. I didn't know when I picked it up that this is the second novel in a series, but felt like whatever I'd missed from the first book was covered so well through character and various light touches that I wasn't really missing out. Recommended.
I found the second entry in the Gus Murphy series more enjoyable than the first, mostly because the plot and plot resolution are cleaner. And the things that I liked in the first Murphy book--snappy dialogue, good character development--are still present in this one. As a Long Islander, I found it endlessly entertaining to be able to recognize the geography in which the story is set. In one instance, Coleman describes in great detail the location of a bar where Murphy has a meeting, a place called "Antics pub." I happen to know that the real name of the actual place is "Shenanigans." Ha! So, that kind of stuff is fun.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up) This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader. --- Why? It's three letters that permeate this novel. We're all familiar with the need for an answer to that question. From the time that a toddler starts ever so persistently asking that question until the end, we keep wondering, "why?" Few need the answer as much as someone who has to deal with the unexpected death of a younger family member. In Where It Hurts, we saw just what the lack of an answer did to Gus Murphy and his life. So when a grandfather comes to Gus for help finding out why his granddaughter was brutally murdered, there's no way that he can turn his back on the request. Especially given the inducements being offered.
He wasn't recruited to solve the murder -- the police have a man awaiting sentencing for the crime. But he won't tell anyone anything about the crime or his relationship (or lack thereof) to the victim. The grandfather, Micah Spears, rubs Gus wrong from the get-go -- if it weren't for Father Bill's endorsement, and his understanding of Spears' deep need to know, Gus would've walked. It probably would've been better for him if he had. Almost no one -- especially her family, the police (many of whom are still angry for what Gus turned up in the last book) -- wants him to pursue this. The more Gus learns about Linh Trang (she preferred "LT"), the more he becomes convinced that there's no reason for the killer to want her dead, which just makes the "Why?" even more pressing.
Before he can really start to work for Spears, Gus has a few other why's to answer -- why did his friend/co-worker, Slava, just drive off with the mysterious new guest at the hotel? Why did a Russian gangster get assassinated before Gus' eyes shortly after Slava and the guest talk to him? Why is there a very formidable Russian running around Long Island looking for Slava? The focus of the novel is on the Spears case, but this storyline casts a shadow over everything. I didn't really spend too much time in Where It Hurts worried about what would happen to anyone, and the Spears case is more of a puzzle than anything -- but there's peril to this Russian story, and the reader will become convinced that whatever happens in it, will have a large impact on Gus (and not just because of Slava's involvement).
Gus has grown a bit, made some steps toward health since we last saw him, but he has a lot of work to do. Things with his ex- are about where they were previously, but with less anger (mutually), his romance is progressing with Maggie, and so on. Basically, Gus is becoming someone different from just the ex-cop with a dead son. That sill the core of his being, but there's something more to it than that -- maybe even some room for happiness. It's hard to discuss briefly, but simply: Gus was better off by the end of Where it Hurts than he was at the beginning, and at the start of this novel, he was better off yet. As for the ending of this book? Well, read it and decide for yourself.
This book deals with some pretty potent things -- as Coleman did when we met Gus -- there's love, friendship, loss, grief, confusion and resentment, to name a few of the ingredients in the emotional cauldron everything in the novel is steeping in. Not just from Gus, Slava and Spears -- but everyone in the book is dealing with things that no one should have to, but most of us do. I'd like (but cannot expect) to circle back around and see how LT's friends are doing in a couple of years, ditto for her sister and ex-step-grandmother. I'd like a lot more time with a judge that Gus interviews, as well as Gus' lawyer. I expect the latter, at least, will be granted to me.
Spears and Gus do get some answers as to why LT was killed -- but, as is so often the case, really those answers don't satisfy much and lead to further questions. No tidy bows here for anything -- which isn't to say the concluding scenes of the novel won't satisfy the reader, just that there's no pat endings or rides off into the sunset. Just survivors (not saying how many of them there'll be) moving on. The Epilogue will stay with you. That's really all I can say.
This book put me through the wringer -- not as much as Gus and Slava were, but still -- Coleman has really topped himself from Where it Hurts, we know these people better now, so he can push them further. I lost sleep with this one, which isn't that unusual, but I lost more sleep staying up to get through this than I have in a long time. There's a darkness, an emptiness throughout that wasn't there in our first encounter with Gus -- or if it was, it's changed in source and intensity. I'm not sure many readers will like where Gus is by the time we get to book 3 or 4 (including me) -- but I'll understand it. Coleman's making sure his writing and characterization is honest, as real as fiction can get.
Once again, he delivers a crime novel that could be mistaken for a non-genre novel (as if such a thing exists), suitable for thoughtful crime readers or those who don't mind crime to show up in a novel about a parent redefining himself after the death of a child.
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this. It didn't change my opinions on the book, I was simply able to form them a couple of months early.
Gus Murphy is a retired cop working as a bouncer and a hotel van driver. Gus’s ex-priest pal, Bill Kilkenny, introduces him to a wealthy businessman anxious to have someone look more deeply into the brutal murder of his granddaughter. Though the police already have the girl’s murderer in custody, they have been unable to provide a reason for the killing. As Gus looks into the murder, he discovers a deeper well of crimes.