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Hardboiled Thriller with a Supernatural Twist.
Mason Gray is a walking cliche, complete with trench coat and fedora, and he knows it.
A former cop and now a private investigator, he has a solid grip on the world around him. But when he finds a dead man in his apartment, he knows his career is on the line...again. The police are corrupt, he’s being chased by an assassin, and he learns that vampires might actually be real. To solve this case, he must choose to go through the looking glass, wrestle with demons both figurative and literal, and- of course- save the girl.
Fans of Nightside, Alex Verus, and old hard-boiled detective novels are sure to enjoy this supernatural thriller.
“Exciting and intriguing with a distinct voice, this read will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more!”- Goodreads review
The doctors were full of questions about my diet and what supplements I was taking. All I said was, “I drink a lot of gin.”
William Markham’s Missing is a noir mystery right down to the chain-smoking, trench coat and fedora wearing, disgraced ex-cop turned PI looking for a missing dame… eh, woman. ;)
Set in contemporary Chicago, the story isn’t all cliché, thankfully. Sure, when a dead guy shows up in Masson Gray’s home, he goes out on his own to solve the crime, finding himself mixed up in a missing person case along the way, that turns out to be linked to the murder. In good PI fashion he talks to people, follows suspicious characters, sets up dodgy meets in dodgy parts of the city and gets royally beaten up for his efforts. However, what really impressed me and set this apart from so many other similar stories was Gray’s willingness to work with the authorities, even knowing he’s prime material for Suspect #1. He calls the cops when he finds the body and reports the shooting when a sniper takes pot shots at him. He answers the lead detective’s questions without a belligerent attitude. It was nice and refreshing.
The other aspect that stands out is the subtle introduction of the supernatural elements. The reader only becomes aware of it as Gray does and happily, Gray isn’t one to turn a blind eye to what he witnesses. He knows what he saw and goes looking, smartly, for possible explanations. He doesn’t find all the answers immediately, though, which leaves plenty of room in future instalments for him to get into trouble.
If I had to quibble about something, it’s the lack of depth to the interpersonal relationships. Personally, I like to see characters interacting with each other, especially with the important relationships. A little bit more shown detail on Gray’s friendships would have really rounded out this story for me.
Overall, the writing is smooth and the plot flows well, though there were the occasional areas where it got a little bogged in the mundane, but nothing to really hinder the reading. Recommended for people who like their noir with a twist.
Mason Gray is having a bad day. He's worked long hours at the office, the waitress in his local diner is taking forever to refill his coffee, and there's a dead man on the floor of his apartment.
And so begins Missing, the first book in a new noir / urban fantasy series by William C. Markham. I came to this novel without knowing much about it, but having read the blurb I was a little concerned that it might all be a bit... familiar. Ex-cop turned private eye; a missing persons case; and things that go "bump" in the night. To an extent, I was right. But wild, left-field originality is no good if the story is unreadable; what matters most to me is whether it's entertaining and well-written. I'm happy to report that Missing certainly is.
As mentioned earlier, the story begins with Gray finding an unknown dead man in his apartment. The Chicago PD - whose employment Gray left under something of a cloud - install him as Suspect #1. Being a PI, Gray begins his own investigation, which soon turns up a link to a recent missing person case assigned to his agency. This in turn leads to connections to a slick local politician, corrupt real estate brokers, and a human trafficking ring. Which would be complicated enough, were it not for some mysterious figures in the background who seem to be something more than human...
The story is written in the first person, and Gray's conversational style with the reader is reminiscent of old-school detectives like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. Markham does a good job of building a distinctive voice for Gray, and I felt I had a handle on what makes him tick after just a few pages. The story rolls along at a solid pace, and despite the supernatural angle - which is mostly in the background for the first half of the book - Gray is very much a detective, making progress through interviews, research, and expending shoe leather (he doesn't have a car; having been to Chicago myself, I can understand why).
Gray's response to the supernatural is pragmatic; obviously such beings don't fit into his current world-view, but he is prepared to trust the evidence of his own eyes. He's not a shoot-first-and-don't-remember-the-questions-until-much-later kind of guy, but he does have a temper and will push back if he has to.
So overall Missing is a very solid debut novel for Markham and I was certainly left wanting to read more. Well-written, well-paced, likeable main character and a nicely under-played UF element. The prose was concise and clear, with none of the grammar, spelling and formatting issues that often plague independently-published books. In terms of criticism, I would return to my comment at the beginning of the review regarding familiarity, certainly if you're an avid reader of UF; there were one or two plot elements that felt a little close to cliché; and as a UK reader I had a wry smile at some of the lines given to the British characters (we're not all Cockney stereotypes, you know). But these are minor niggles. If you like hard-boiled detective stories, UF, or both, then this is well worth a try.
Mason Gray is a retired cop, a Chicago PI, a man to watch. He's intelligent, kind to stray cats, does all of his Chicago commuting on public transportation and has outlived two assassination attempts in just the first few pages. Along with his boss Frank, they do their best to make a living helping people with the little setbacks in their lives. And sometimes, the big ones. Despite the peril involved, Mason can usually handle a mystery in just a day or two. But perhaps not this one. And who is Mr. Monday? And even more telling, WHAT is Mr. Monday? TheFussyLibrarian Author comment 1/26/2020 Reviewed on February 22, 2020, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, and BookBub. Not available to review on Kobo or GooglePlay.
This well-written gumshoe yarn takes a staple of the old-school PI genre and mixes it with something rather more… sinister.
The ex-cop protagonist is, inevitably, something of a loner, and author William Markham pays homage to all the genre requirements – an old-style diner, a fedora and a trenchcoat, a tame tech geek, a former colleague in the Chicago PD who still trusts him, and a lot of former PD colleagues who don’t – oh, and a dead body in his living room.
Markham pushes the pace along crisply as his detective follows the trail back to a missing girl, her concerned boyfriend who happens to be a low-level politician, and a low-life gang of scumbag kidnappers who may be sex-slave people traffickers. Or they may be something else – as Mason Gray discovers when he’s bitten during a fight and things take a ninety-degree turn into the slightly strange.
The spookynatural aspects of the story never overwhelm the detective narrative, and both plotlines pull together seamlessly for a full-on finale.
Well edited and presented, this indie book is as professionally produced as many from mainstream publishers. While most of it feels like familiar ground, it majors on good old fashioned private investigation – Gray makes progress by asking the right questions of the right people in the right way at the right time.
And the weirdly swirling light streams? Well, they are what makes The Missing a little different to every other hard-boiled gumshoe story on the shelf.
An enjoyable romp for folks who like hardboiled pulp and don’t mind dabbling in urban fantasy. 7/10
A great detective story with an urban fantasy twist.
Mason Gray is an ex-cop turned private investigator. A man murdered in his apartment upends his life and is related to a case he is working on. Besides having to figure out how all of this is connected, he is also forced to confront a supernatural world he did not know existed.
There is a lot to like about this book. I loved that while Mason Gray wears a trench coat and a fedora, he is also modern enough to love his smartphone and knows his way around a computer. This makes for a nice twist on the classic noir detective trope.
The mood and tone of the story was awesome; dark and gritty but with enough humor to keep things interesting.
The issue I had with the book is I picked it up thinking it was urban fantasy. While technically I guess it is, the vampire element really didn’t show up until the last third of the book. The first two-thirds of the book was pretty much your classic P.I. story.
Now that the supernatural elements of the story have been exposed, I figure the next book will lean harder into urban fantasy and look forward to reading it.
I won a copy of this book on goodreads in exchange for an honest review. "Missing" had a fantastic flow and was very well written. I read it in one sitting, it was an easy read with a good story. It was a old fashioned crime/detective story with perhaps a paranormal twist. I have read books that have had paranormal elements, either they were too out there for my liking, or when they tried to be subtle it just does not work; it works in this book (plus you aren't even sure if it really exists as it is subtle). I defiently will recommend this book, great crime/detective story that had a little bit more.
why can't I give it a 4.5? This story combined a lot of elements that I love, It is a little bit gritty, a little bit dark, and a little bit humorous. "Every time a democrat was elected, he went out and bought another gun." Best line ever. That is my house, too, and it was hysterical to read that. I enjoyed the character development and Mr. Markham has put a lot of irons in the fire that will be enjoyable to watch come together. I can't wait to see where Mason goes. Is he a supernatural? Is he some kind of vampire hunter? Is he descended from Angels? I don't know, but am interested in finding out. He weaves a good story and the ONLY reason I didn't give a 5 star is because there were a few scenes that seemed a little rushed. I have never been on a bus in Chicago, but I bet is smells horrible or that there are random crazy people riding it. I like a lot of that kind of detail, where maybe others don't and that is just my preference. Bring on the next one.
( Format : Audiobook ) "A very dark world through the looking glass." A detective noir with an hint of the supernatural. After being thrown out of the Chicago police for irregularities in his proceedures, Mason Gray was picked up and given a job in his P.I.business by Frank and became part of his extended family, with wife, Nancy, and their two children. When Gray finds a dead body in his apartment and the computer files on a new missing person case completely disappear from the office computer, Gray suspects a connection. And had the body in his room been a case of mistaken identity? Was someone really gunning for Gray?
Written mostly in the first person from Gray's perspective, the sentences are snappy, easy to read with some hints of humour. The main characters are mostly well defined, the action, when it happens, well described and visceral and the whole is visual, intense and often colourful. Because Gray has strange dreams, suffused in red and blue, which do affect his waking hours. The storyline is also intriguing - a missing girl, a wisp of politics and a shadowy organization which seems more than human. It all makes for an exciting read.
The narrator, Adam Barr, does an excellent job of further bringing the characters to life. Each has a distinctive voice, accents faithfully realistic, and the whole is delivered at a gentle pace well suited to Gray's personality. Barr's voice is pleasant but slightly gruff, steady, determined but with an underlying sense of guilt, despair almost, to match Gray's mental state and his anger, when performed, is desperate but cold. A good performance.
Not supernatural or paranormal in the sense of having super powers or magic or being able to commune with the dead, there is still the creepy otherworldly feel to the story at times which increases as the book progresses, so still acceptable, even recommended, to purists of the noir genre, as well as those looking for a detective with just a little bit more than basic human. I personally really enjoyed this book and wish to thank the rights holder of Missing, who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom. The first, I hope, of a long series of Mason Gray cases to come.
If Dashiell Hammett and Dirk Gently shared a cousin he would be Detective Gray. I was so fortunate to read an advance copy- I absolutely could not put this down! I read 3/4 of it in a single sitting, would have read all of it at once if my battery hadn't given out at chapter 23. The 2 hours I had to wait to get home to my charger so I could read the rest seemed like 2 weeks- this book is just that deliciously gripping!!
Its like Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" character. I read it and started to see the resemblance except for the vampires. But it waz still good and riveting.
This is a detective story but so different and so unexpected. Mr. Gray is one very cool character. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the fast pace, the grittiness and the humor. All I can say is expect the unexpected and read it.
I received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Noir is not my usual reading fare, but I really enjoyed this novel. It is a compelling story that kept me interested until the end. Although the summary says that vampires are involved, it was interesting to see Gray encounter them as something completely unknown to him, and not discount what he has experienced as others might have. I was also intrigued while listening to this story because I really felt like I was in Gray’s head, as opposed to seeing the world around him. However, while this kept me involved in the story as he experienced it, it also seems to have been a minor drawback. The climax of the story involves a very relationship-centered event; however, we never truly experience the importance of that relationship. We just hear Gray think about how important it is. Hopefully future entries in the series will work on developing relationships further. I look forward to spending some more time with Mason Gray in the future. I also enjoyed Adam Barr’s narration of this story. His voice and style are a perfect fit to the story and I hope he continues to narrate the series in the future.
I really enjoyed this book. Noir is a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and I had a good time going through this one. The audio book was narrated by Adam Barr and he did a great job of bringing the story to life. I could close my eyes and really feel like I was watching a movie play out. I never wondered what it would be like to have a gumshoe battle the supernatural. Now that I have experienced it, however, I want more.
This book was given to me for free at my request for my voluntary and unbiased review.
This is not my normal genre but I met the author at a show & I'm all about supporting local authors. I really like the character development of the main protaganist. He's got that Bogart trait... even has the trench coat & fedora. It's an interesting vampire twist. I also bought his second book in the series, so I'm curious to see where the author will go with this character.
During this time of stay-at-home, support your local authors & read a book!
Missing: A Mason Gray Case is an intriguing mystery with a paranormal twist. The characters are well developed and interesting. I love that Mason Gray actually wears the trench coat and fedora and feels like an old-fashioned gumshoe. The storyline is well written and captured my interest from the start. I loved this paranormal noir and cannot wait for the next one.
I received a review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I purchased this book a little while and promptly put it away to be read later. Today I chose it without any clue what the story involved. Wow. This book blew me away, it reminded me of all the best old detective stories - Philip Marlow, Sam Spade - but for the modern era. The characters especially Mason Gray are well developed, and the plot line contains a sufficient number of twists and false leads that you can't be sure who the bad guy is until the very end, not to mention there is an interesting twist involving these bad guys. This is one of those stories that grabs your attention and refuses to let go until the end, and alludes to potential future interactions between Mason Gray and an element of people associated with the bad guys.
Excellent novel that blends the supernatural world and with lots of mystery thrown in.
Book follows Mason Gray on his his search for the truth. The discoveries that he makes can be shocking, so sit tight and enjoy.
Narrator did a good job on the narration, but he seemed to use the same voice for each character so it was really hard to tell who was who if you didn't pay close attention.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving am honest review.
A well written noir thriller with an urban fantasy element mixed in. The plot flows well and the story is entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series.
The Narrator, Andrew Barr, gave an excellent performance throughout.
I received a free copy of this audiobook either from the author or a promotion or giveaway and am voluntarily writing an honest and unbiased review.
I particularly like the supernatural touch throughout the story. You have bad guys preying on innocent ones and Gray trying his best to correct it, while experiencing some strange power and stranger dreams along the way. Not a cliffhanger, this story was concluded but you are given titalating bits at the end letting the reader know there is much more to come.
This book is fun - it's a light, entertaining read and it's cinematic. The characters (especially Mason, of course) are interesting and diverse. And, the storyline is compelling and keeps you guessing (I'm still guessing, guess I gotta wait for the next installment!).
Wonderful blending of a mystery novel with an old fashioned vampire story from the days when the vampires were the villains. The author brought everything together perfectly in this thrilling tale. I received a free review copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.
This story had lots of twist and turns. Even though the story had a little bizarre thread of vampires in it, they did it in an entertaining way. The main character was a lovable, bumbling detective.