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Three Card Monte
Someone is killing women in Maine’s largest city of Portland. They are killed in the dead of night, innocent and random. A sniper whose lethal aim has the city wondering who is next. Detective Jack Chamberlain, direct descendant of Civil War hero and former Maine governor Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, is the detective in charge of catching and bringing justice down on the threat to his city. With the help of his partner, the brash Claire Sanchez, they begin to gather the meager clues left behind.
But the sniper is watching and purposely leading the detectives down the path he has designed. Like a hustler’s game of three card monte on the streets of New York City, the sniper leaves a trail of misdirection. But Chamberlain has his doubts and so a game of wits ensues as murder rages through the quaint port city.
But the sniper is watching and purposely leading the detectives down the path he has designed. Like a hustler’s game of three card monte on the streets of New York City, the sniper leaves a trail of misdirection. But Chamberlain has his doubts and so a game of wits ensues as murder rages through the quaint port city.
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First published November 29, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 17, 2017
A fantastic read.
Was very surprised to learn that this was a first novel, written for "fun" by the author. It is really gripping, a non-stop run from cover to cover. The characters are well developed, and the scenarios believable. I would recommend this highly.
Was very surprised to learn that this was a first novel, written for "fun" by the author. It is really gripping, a non-stop run from cover to cover. The characters are well developed, and the scenarios believable. I would recommend this highly.
January 29, 2017
Action packed thriller!
James Timmins keeps the reader engaged in this fast moving story about a serial killer with a chilling end game, a villain you won't see coming.
James Timmins keeps the reader engaged in this fast moving story about a serial killer with a chilling end game, a villain you won't see coming.
August 7, 2016
First, let me say that I liked the way author James Timmins developed his characters in "Three Card Monte" even though some of them were less than lovable.
I also enjoyed the fact this mystery was set in Portland instead of Boston, New York, or Chicago. Timmins obviously knows the city well and his descriptions of it ring true. Making Portland the scene of the crimes was inspired, I thought.
That said, I found the plot to be pretty ordinary; a shadowy killer murdering innocent people to disguise the real target has been done so many times in the past that it's nearly impossible to make it fresh. I also thought that, given the killer's background, he would have been better able to avoid detection. Instead, he makes numerous mistakes that eventually lead to him being identified.
I also had some difficulty with the romantic aspects of the story. Detective Claire Sanchez is a terrific character and the fact she falls in love with her partner is not beyond the realm of possibility.
(Despite the fact that I found Detective Jack Chamberlain boorish, I'm sure that she sees him in a different light.)
However, in any U.S. police force once their "situation" became known - as it does fairly quickly in this novel - their partnership would have been dissolved and they would have been re-assigned to other detectives. The reason: It's bad procedure to have lovers as partners who work dangerous cases together because they are prone to make mistakes based on their emotional attachment. That's just a fact of police life and, as someone who spent nearly 50 years as a reporter covering cops for a good share of that time, I can say with some authority that when romantic attachments developed between partners they were immediately split up.
There were some typos that slowed the narrative down a little and some continuity issues that slowed the flow of the story. For example, Chamberlain and Sanchez work for a police captain in charge of a precinct. Twice during the novel, however, that captain is referred to as the chief of police. I don't know of a police department in the United States where a precinct captain doubles as police chief. Further, Portland doesn't even have precinct captains - or captains of any stripe. It has officers, it has sergeants, lieutenants, a major, a commander, an assistant chief, and a chief but no captains.
Timmins has a good narrative voice and "Three Card Monte" moves along at a steady pace without "information dumps" about his characters. Instead, their histories are told as part of the narrative and that's a plus in my opinion.
The verdict: An okay read with some interesting characters but an overused plot device.
I also enjoyed the fact this mystery was set in Portland instead of Boston, New York, or Chicago. Timmins obviously knows the city well and his descriptions of it ring true. Making Portland the scene of the crimes was inspired, I thought.
That said, I found the plot to be pretty ordinary; a shadowy killer murdering innocent people to disguise the real target has been done so many times in the past that it's nearly impossible to make it fresh. I also thought that, given the killer's background, he would have been better able to avoid detection. Instead, he makes numerous mistakes that eventually lead to him being identified.
I also had some difficulty with the romantic aspects of the story. Detective Claire Sanchez is a terrific character and the fact she falls in love with her partner is not beyond the realm of possibility.
(Despite the fact that I found Detective Jack Chamberlain boorish, I'm sure that she sees him in a different light.)
However, in any U.S. police force once their "situation" became known - as it does fairly quickly in this novel - their partnership would have been dissolved and they would have been re-assigned to other detectives. The reason: It's bad procedure to have lovers as partners who work dangerous cases together because they are prone to make mistakes based on their emotional attachment. That's just a fact of police life and, as someone who spent nearly 50 years as a reporter covering cops for a good share of that time, I can say with some authority that when romantic attachments developed between partners they were immediately split up.
There were some typos that slowed the narrative down a little and some continuity issues that slowed the flow of the story. For example, Chamberlain and Sanchez work for a police captain in charge of a precinct. Twice during the novel, however, that captain is referred to as the chief of police. I don't know of a police department in the United States where a precinct captain doubles as police chief. Further, Portland doesn't even have precinct captains - or captains of any stripe. It has officers, it has sergeants, lieutenants, a major, a commander, an assistant chief, and a chief but no captains.
Timmins has a good narrative voice and "Three Card Monte" moves along at a steady pace without "information dumps" about his characters. Instead, their histories are told as part of the narrative and that's a plus in my opinion.
The verdict: An okay read with some interesting characters but an overused plot device.
December 13, 2013
Jack and Claire are a dynamic detective duo I fell in love with and can't get enough of! A perfect blend of work and play this story captivates you from the first page to the last! The characters are so well written and the plot keeps you guessing what will come next. And even better, the sequel Marketable is here and available on Amazon!! You don't have to wait to jump back in their world and be swept away with action and romance as they work to solve their next big crime!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews