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Detective P. T. Marsh #1
The Good Detective
Introducing Detective P.T. Marsh in a swift and bruising debut where Elmore Leonard’s staccato prose meets Greg Iles’ Southern settings.
How can you solve a crime if you’ve killed the prime suspect?
Detective P.T. Marsh was a rising star on the police force of Mason Falls, Georgia—until his wife and young son were killed in an accident. Since that night, caught in a spiral of grief and booze, he’s lost the ability to see the line between smart moves and disastrous decisions. Such as when he decides to ’help out’ an exotic dancer by confronting her abusive boyfriend. When the next morning he gets called to the scene of his newest murder case, he is stunned to arrive at the house of a dead man, the very man he beat up the night before. He could swear the guy was alive when he left, but can he be sure? What he does know is that his fingerprints are all over the crime scene.
But the trouble is only beginning. P.T. and his partner Remy begin to suspect the murder is connected to a local arson and lynching; two days earlier, the dead body of a black teenager was found in a burned-out field, a portion of a blackened rope around his neck—and P.T. realizes he might have killed the #1 suspect of this horrific crime.
Amid rising racial tension and media scrutiny, P.T. uncovers something sinister at the heart of the boy’s murder—a conspiracy leading all the way back to the time of the Civil War. Risking everything to unravel the puzzle even as he fights off his own personal demons, P.T. races headlong toward an incendiary and life-altering showdown.
How can you solve a crime if you’ve killed the prime suspect?
Detective P.T. Marsh was a rising star on the police force of Mason Falls, Georgia—until his wife and young son were killed in an accident. Since that night, caught in a spiral of grief and booze, he’s lost the ability to see the line between smart moves and disastrous decisions. Such as when he decides to ’help out’ an exotic dancer by confronting her abusive boyfriend. When the next morning he gets called to the scene of his newest murder case, he is stunned to arrive at the house of a dead man, the very man he beat up the night before. He could swear the guy was alive when he left, but can he be sure? What he does know is that his fingerprints are all over the crime scene.
But the trouble is only beginning. P.T. and his partner Remy begin to suspect the murder is connected to a local arson and lynching; two days earlier, the dead body of a black teenager was found in a burned-out field, a portion of a blackened rope around his neck—and P.T. realizes he might have killed the #1 suspect of this horrific crime.
Amid rising racial tension and media scrutiny, P.T. uncovers something sinister at the heart of the boy’s murder—a conspiracy leading all the way back to the time of the Civil War. Risking everything to unravel the puzzle even as he fights off his own personal demons, P.T. races headlong toward an incendiary and life-altering showdown.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2019
1388 people are currently reading
7196 people want to read
About the author
John McMahon
5 books722 followersJohn McMahon is the author of THE GOOD DETECTIVE and THE EVIL MEN DO, both featuring Georgia detective P.T. Marsh.
The New York Times Book Review called McMahon “one of those rare writers who seems to have sprung out of nowhere” and whose debut novel is “pretty much perfect.”
In his role as an ad agency creative director, he has won a Gold Clio for his work on Fiat, and he’s written a Super Bowl spot for Alfa Romeo.
He currently lives in Southern California with his family and two rescue animals.
The New York Times Book Review called McMahon “one of those rare writers who seems to have sprung out of nowhere” and whose debut novel is “pretty much perfect.”
In his role as an ad agency creative director, he has won a Gold Clio for his work on Fiat, and he’s written a Super Bowl spot for Alfa Romeo.
He currently lives in Southern California with his family and two rescue animals.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 594 reviews
March 19, 2019
I should tell you that once I picked up The Good Detective that it was so gripping and thrilling that I could not put it down until I finished it. I should tell you, but I can’t. The fact is that I started this book twice, two months apart, and each time I read the first chapter, got so incensed that I put the book down and didn’t finish it. But there was something about the blurb that kept pulling at me, reeling me back in; something that kept saying “read it, c’mon, you know you want to.” So, on the third try I vowed to get past the second chapter regardless of how angry I became. You know what happened, right? I didn’t put the book down until I completely finished the book! I stayed up all night long and finished reading it. I cannot believe how stupid I was to think I wouldn’t absolutely love this book – because I absolutely LOVED this book!!
The Good Detective is P.T. Marsh, a “rising star” in a southern Georgia police department, at least he was until his wife and young son drowned in an accident that either was or might not have been a horrible accident. For over a year, P.T. has been a semi-functioning drunk. While in a bar, more like a strip club, he promises a dancer that he will have a talk with her abusive boyfriend. His “talk” actually means that PT beats the crap out of the guy after which he goes home to drink the remainder of his night away. Imagine his surprise when PT is called out the next morning to a murder scene and it is the boyfriend who is murder victim. This is the part that made me so angry. I have no tolerance for police brutality even when the person on the receiving end is a Neo-Nazi scumbag. However, all of this takes place on just a few pages at the very beginning of the book and the remainder of the book is incredibly fascinating! Read on…..
The death of the scumbag leads PT and his partner to the lynching site of a young African American boy. As they begin to search for the boy’s killer – since the best witness and/or suspect is now dead thanks to possibly PT- they begin to uncover something very sinister in their small rural, Georgia town, something that has been happening for centuries and it is dark and conspiratorial, and dangerous and of the very worst sort of nightmare that you can possibly imagine. I wouldn’t even attempt to perceive such atrocities except that I lived in the south and my father was from rural Georgia so I know that this horror does exist and that is what made this book so terrible and fascinating all at the same time. It was like watching a train derailing. I didn’t want to know, didn’t want to see the travesty that was unfolding but I couldn’t stop either.
McMahon has created characters on both sides of the fence that are perfectly conceptualized. They are not pretty, they are not good, they have flaws and some are so awful you won’t want them in your room, not even on your pages. I’m not sure you can create characters like this unless you have encountered them at some point in your lifetime. There were times that this read like something out of the 1930s or 40s, but then I remembered that there are parts of the rural south that still are very much like this. Who am kidding? There are places like this all over the US, not just the south. That’s what is so disturbing. This is happening everywhere, not just in small towns or in a particular region. In the end, there was a small amount of justice and a bit of redemption for PT as well. I can only hope that we will find this type of redemption for America soon.
I know this was a bit of a rambling review. This was a very emotional book for me. The one thing I can say is that I highly recommend it and hope that you will read it, even it takes you a time or two to get started.
I owe much appreciation to #Edelweiss, @PutnamBooks, #JohnMcMahon and @PenguinPublishingGroup for my advanced copy of #TheGoodDetective
The Good Detective is P.T. Marsh, a “rising star” in a southern Georgia police department, at least he was until his wife and young son drowned in an accident that either was or might not have been a horrible accident. For over a year, P.T. has been a semi-functioning drunk. While in a bar, more like a strip club, he promises a dancer that he will have a talk with her abusive boyfriend. His “talk” actually means that PT beats the crap out of the guy after which he goes home to drink the remainder of his night away. Imagine his surprise when PT is called out the next morning to a murder scene and it is the boyfriend who is murder victim. This is the part that made me so angry. I have no tolerance for police brutality even when the person on the receiving end is a Neo-Nazi scumbag. However, all of this takes place on just a few pages at the very beginning of the book and the remainder of the book is incredibly fascinating! Read on…..
The death of the scumbag leads PT and his partner to the lynching site of a young African American boy. As they begin to search for the boy’s killer – since the best witness and/or suspect is now dead thanks to possibly PT- they begin to uncover something very sinister in their small rural, Georgia town, something that has been happening for centuries and it is dark and conspiratorial, and dangerous and of the very worst sort of nightmare that you can possibly imagine. I wouldn’t even attempt to perceive such atrocities except that I lived in the south and my father was from rural Georgia so I know that this horror does exist and that is what made this book so terrible and fascinating all at the same time. It was like watching a train derailing. I didn’t want to know, didn’t want to see the travesty that was unfolding but I couldn’t stop either.
McMahon has created characters on both sides of the fence that are perfectly conceptualized. They are not pretty, they are not good, they have flaws and some are so awful you won’t want them in your room, not even on your pages. I’m not sure you can create characters like this unless you have encountered them at some point in your lifetime. There were times that this read like something out of the 1930s or 40s, but then I remembered that there are parts of the rural south that still are very much like this. Who am kidding? There are places like this all over the US, not just the south. That’s what is so disturbing. This is happening everywhere, not just in small towns or in a particular region. In the end, there was a small amount of justice and a bit of redemption for PT as well. I can only hope that we will find this type of redemption for America soon.
I know this was a bit of a rambling review. This was a very emotional book for me. The one thing I can say is that I highly recommend it and hope that you will read it, even it takes you a time or two to get started.
I owe much appreciation to #Edelweiss, @PutnamBooks, #JohnMcMahon and @PenguinPublishingGroup for my advanced copy of #TheGoodDetective
April 1, 2019
This was an ok police procedural about detective P. T. Marsh and his partner Remy in Macon Falls, Georgia. It employs the tired trope of the troubled detective who’s drinking too much, in this instance because his pregnant wife and young son were killed in an accident. The case the detectives are investigating involves the lynching of the teenaged son of a Baptist preacher. This leads them to much earlier cases of the deaths of other black children. The writing was serviceable but I found the plot improbable. I didn’t find Marsh particularly interesting or anything outstanding about this book, so if this is the start of a series I doubt that I would continue with it. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
March 26, 2019
Does pain have a purpose?
Detective P.T. Marsh keeps asking himself. But he knows one thing: It's relentless and all-consuming. The more precious the loss, the greater the void.
No matter how many hours he clocks at the Mason Falls Police Station, Marsh runs into grief around every corner. It was a tragic accident. Lena and his young son never had a chance. Booze numbs it, but it doesn't strike the people blind. They all know.
Late one night parked outside a local sleeze bar, Marsh tips back from his own supply. He notices large bruises on one of the dancers and promises to "inform" her live-in boyfriend that it's going to stop. He pays a visit to Virgil and sets him straight......or so he thinks. Marsh wakes up at home in his own crumpled bed with not much memory of the night before. Turns out, Virgil won't be having that same luxury. He's dead.
Blackouts snap off the lightswitch and Marsh is not sure if he's guilty or if someone visited Virgil after he left......Virgil being far from an upstanding citizen of this town. Until he knows more, Marsh ain't talkin'. But there's gonna be more than Virgil to mull over. A crime of unspeakable proportions will be visiting this small Georgia town with a tidal wave of impact.
Marsh and his female partner, Remy, spot a burned out farmer's field in the distance. Upon closer inspection, they come upon a charred body. And this will become the impetus that will set Marsh on a collision course with something more far-reaching that he and Remy could even imagine.
The Good Detective contains some heavy-duty subject matter. It deals with the dark side of human nature. P.T. Marsh will undertake demons from within and demons of someone else's making. Bottom feeding lowlifes have existed since the beginning of time. But on the flipside, so have individuals with heart who still counteract their devious deeds. I choose to believe there are more of the latter.
This is a debut novel for John McMahon and he shows great promise with his main character of P. T. Marsh. The dialogue has some snap to it with some very original retorts. The storyline gains speed from the beginning as you find yourself wrapped up in Marsh's knotted up life. It's my understanding that McMahon is at work on the next one in this series. Will be on the lookout for it for sure.
Detective P.T. Marsh keeps asking himself. But he knows one thing: It's relentless and all-consuming. The more precious the loss, the greater the void.
No matter how many hours he clocks at the Mason Falls Police Station, Marsh runs into grief around every corner. It was a tragic accident. Lena and his young son never had a chance. Booze numbs it, but it doesn't strike the people blind. They all know.
Late one night parked outside a local sleeze bar, Marsh tips back from his own supply. He notices large bruises on one of the dancers and promises to "inform" her live-in boyfriend that it's going to stop. He pays a visit to Virgil and sets him straight......or so he thinks. Marsh wakes up at home in his own crumpled bed with not much memory of the night before. Turns out, Virgil won't be having that same luxury. He's dead.
Blackouts snap off the lightswitch and Marsh is not sure if he's guilty or if someone visited Virgil after he left......Virgil being far from an upstanding citizen of this town. Until he knows more, Marsh ain't talkin'. But there's gonna be more than Virgil to mull over. A crime of unspeakable proportions will be visiting this small Georgia town with a tidal wave of impact.
Marsh and his female partner, Remy, spot a burned out farmer's field in the distance. Upon closer inspection, they come upon a charred body. And this will become the impetus that will set Marsh on a collision course with something more far-reaching that he and Remy could even imagine.
The Good Detective contains some heavy-duty subject matter. It deals with the dark side of human nature. P.T. Marsh will undertake demons from within and demons of someone else's making. Bottom feeding lowlifes have existed since the beginning of time. But on the flipside, so have individuals with heart who still counteract their devious deeds. I choose to believe there are more of the latter.
This is a debut novel for John McMahon and he shows great promise with his main character of P. T. Marsh. The dialogue has some snap to it with some very original retorts. The storyline gains speed from the beginning as you find yourself wrapped up in Marsh's knotted up life. It's my understanding that McMahon is at work on the next one in this series. Will be on the lookout for it for sure.
January 30, 2019
I don't really remember why this debut inspired the request button but I'm not sorry I spent time with it. That said, I think I like this mystery better as a standalone instead of a series, but I'm saying that from the perspective of not knowing what is to come from this town as far as future cases and also because of where our protagonist, PT, is left at the end of THE GOOD DETECTIVE.
I'll admit the latter half was far more thrilling than the first act, the twists and turns leaning in to the climax kept me rooted to the page, and I really enjoyed the doubt and uncertainty at play for the detective and his own involvement in part of the crime. The spooky vibe of this big organization, hidden in the shadows, was deliciously disturbing and I really appreciated how things resolved without being tied in too neat of a blow. But despite how it wrapped up for PT, and how I liked where that went, I'm not sure I was ever particularly taken by any of the characters. No one really stood out. It was the story that kept me pushing on and less so the people chipping away at solving it.
Anyway, I would pick up a McMahon book again for sure. Would I read more Detective Marsh? To be determined.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
I'll admit the latter half was far more thrilling than the first act, the twists and turns leaning in to the climax kept me rooted to the page, and I really enjoyed the doubt and uncertainty at play for the detective and his own involvement in part of the crime. The spooky vibe of this big organization, hidden in the shadows, was deliciously disturbing and I really appreciated how things resolved without being tied in too neat of a blow. But despite how it wrapped up for PT, and how I liked where that went, I'm not sure I was ever particularly taken by any of the characters. No one really stood out. It was the story that kept me pushing on and less so the people chipping away at solving it.
Anyway, I would pick up a McMahon book again for sure. Would I read more Detective Marsh? To be determined.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
June 14, 2025
P.T is a detective who loves his home state of Georgia. He is drinking too much in the aftermath of the death of his wife and son. PT is making bad decisions. As the book opens our good detective decides to put the scare into the abusive boyfriend of a stripper he knows. Crimson had been beaten up pretty badly and PT goes over to her apartment and punches Mr. Abusive in the face and threatens to really hurt him if Crimson shows up with bruises one more time. PT also has a shot or two and remembers nothing else until he wakes up in his bed the next day missing his flannel over shirt.
No big, right? Until his partner calls him to go to the site of a murder and whoops! it happens to be the bad boyfriend who is dead.
PT doesn’t have ton much time to ponder whether or not he is a murders when he and his partner stumble upon the dead boy of a young black boy with a rope around his neck. Did I mention that the bad boyfriend was also a Neo Nazi? PT suddenly has more than one mystery to solve.
I really enjoyed this book.It has a lot of Michael Connolly elements to it - but his author does it better. The characters are more likable and the mystery is better. There is also a supernatural element to this mystery. This made me think of John Connolly’s writing, and also James Lee Burke. It isn’t easy to get the spooky or spiritual aspect right in a mystery but John McMahon did it. Now that I think about it , PT does have a haunted aspect much like Connolly’s Parker. I highly recommend this series.
No big, right? Until his partner calls him to go to the site of a murder and whoops! it happens to be the bad boyfriend who is dead.
PT doesn’t have ton much time to ponder whether or not he is a murders when he and his partner stumble upon the dead boy of a young black boy with a rope around his neck. Did I mention that the bad boyfriend was also a Neo Nazi? PT suddenly has more than one mystery to solve.
I really enjoyed this book.It has a lot of Michael Connolly elements to it - but his author does it better. The characters are more likable and the mystery is better. There is also a supernatural element to this mystery. This made me think of John Connolly’s writing, and also James Lee Burke. It isn’t easy to get the spooky or spiritual aspect right in a mystery but John McMahon did it. Now that I think about it , PT does have a haunted aspect much like Connolly’s Parker. I highly recommend this series.
January 16, 2021
7,75/10
Libro muy entretenido, creo que es su principal virtud, escrito de un modo muy ameno para el lector y con personajes interesantes. Su mayor pero son los clichés que acompañan al protagonista, no sé vosotros pero yo estoy harto de personajes repletos de los mismos traumas de siempre, y que para mi gusto restan más que suman.
En cualquier caso, lectura que engancha, cortita, bien ambientada y con una trama principal bastante bien hilvanada.
Seguiré está serie si siguen traduciéndola al Castellano.
Libro muy entretenido, creo que es su principal virtud, escrito de un modo muy ameno para el lector y con personajes interesantes. Su mayor pero son los clichés que acompañan al protagonista, no sé vosotros pero yo estoy harto de personajes repletos de los mismos traumas de siempre, y que para mi gusto restan más que suman.
En cualquier caso, lectura que engancha, cortita, bien ambientada y con una trama principal bastante bien hilvanada.
Seguiré está serie si siguen traduciéndola al Castellano.
February 25, 2025
Discovering a new series is always a great experience for me. John McMahon presents the debut novel in the Detective P.T. Marsh collection and pulls no punches. An apparent racial killing in the Deep South had Detective Marsh on edge. Everything he sees worries him and the fact that it’s a child is even worse. When more murders can be loosely connected, Detective Marsh worried that a repeat or copycat killer might be on the loose. What is soon revealed could sour things like nothing Marsh has ever seen in all his years as a cop. McMahon provides a stunning debut to this series that has me eager to forge onwards!
Detective P.T. Marsh had a great career working on the police force in Mason Falls, Georgia. All that changed after a tragic accident cost him the lives of his wife and son, sending Marsh into a dark hole, fueled by booze and sullied thoughts of those he loved. Detective Marsh is also prone to making poor decisions, such as the night he agreed to help an adult dancer whose boyfriend was getting too abusive. A few punches seem to have solved that problem, until Detective Marsh is called to the scene of his newest homicide, which happens to be the abode he visited the night before. The victim was fine, though slightly bloodied, after the dust-up. Working the scene, Marsh will have to contend with getting answers while worrying that his prints cover most every surface of the house.
As the investigation progresses, Marsh and his partner make a connection between the murder and a local arson case two days before. A teenaged boy was found burned and lynched in a tree, his black skin even darker from the soot. All Detective Marsh can wonder now is whether he killed the prime suspect for that crime, which will now likely go unsolved. All this stirs up many troubling issues for Marsh, as well as a collection of past crimes of a racial nature, with similar presentations.
As the locals grapple with the news of the Black teenager's murder, media outlets are quick to pen a story and sensationalise things for everyone involved. With racial tensions getting more divisive, Detective Marsh uncovers a connection that can be traced back to the Civil War and is just as problematic. One can only presume how horrid things might get in Mason Falls when the truth comes out. Shelving his personal issues might be the only way this case finds some resolution and Detective P.T. Marsh can move forward to find new life in a town that has cost him so much of late. McMahon offers up a great novel that has me curious for more!
John McMahon made an impact on me earlier this year with a great psych thriller. I thought it would be a good idea to explore some of his other work, locating this police procedural series. McMahon delivers a great debut novel, exploring policing in the Deep South, using a well-executed narrative to provide clear direction for the story. Things gain momentum from there and keep the reader engaged as nuances emerge to entertain as well as educate. Characters pave the way for a great story and leave me wondering how things will progress in the series, as well as how they will interact with ease. Plot points emerge and keep the reader on edge, while also providing great twists to fuel a stunning story that is sure to get better as the series continues. I cannot wait to keep reading and discovering life in rural Georgia.
Kudos, Mr. McMahon, for this chilling novel with historical connections!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Detective P.T. Marsh had a great career working on the police force in Mason Falls, Georgia. All that changed after a tragic accident cost him the lives of his wife and son, sending Marsh into a dark hole, fueled by booze and sullied thoughts of those he loved. Detective Marsh is also prone to making poor decisions, such as the night he agreed to help an adult dancer whose boyfriend was getting too abusive. A few punches seem to have solved that problem, until Detective Marsh is called to the scene of his newest homicide, which happens to be the abode he visited the night before. The victim was fine, though slightly bloodied, after the dust-up. Working the scene, Marsh will have to contend with getting answers while worrying that his prints cover most every surface of the house.
As the investigation progresses, Marsh and his partner make a connection between the murder and a local arson case two days before. A teenaged boy was found burned and lynched in a tree, his black skin even darker from the soot. All Detective Marsh can wonder now is whether he killed the prime suspect for that crime, which will now likely go unsolved. All this stirs up many troubling issues for Marsh, as well as a collection of past crimes of a racial nature, with similar presentations.
As the locals grapple with the news of the Black teenager's murder, media outlets are quick to pen a story and sensationalise things for everyone involved. With racial tensions getting more divisive, Detective Marsh uncovers a connection that can be traced back to the Civil War and is just as problematic. One can only presume how horrid things might get in Mason Falls when the truth comes out. Shelving his personal issues might be the only way this case finds some resolution and Detective P.T. Marsh can move forward to find new life in a town that has cost him so much of late. McMahon offers up a great novel that has me curious for more!
John McMahon made an impact on me earlier this year with a great psych thriller. I thought it would be a good idea to explore some of his other work, locating this police procedural series. McMahon delivers a great debut novel, exploring policing in the Deep South, using a well-executed narrative to provide clear direction for the story. Things gain momentum from there and keep the reader engaged as nuances emerge to entertain as well as educate. Characters pave the way for a great story and leave me wondering how things will progress in the series, as well as how they will interact with ease. Plot points emerge and keep the reader on edge, while also providing great twists to fuel a stunning story that is sure to get better as the series continues. I cannot wait to keep reading and discovering life in rural Georgia.
Kudos, Mr. McMahon, for this chilling novel with historical connections!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
March 22, 2019
You know how sometimes you start reading a book knowing there are plenty of other things you should be doing, but you just want to take a few minutes to sample a few pages to see if all the good things you heard about the book are true? And then it turns out that the book is even better than you'd heard, and you end up reading the whole book straight through because you literally cannot stop? This is that book. If you love smart, complicated detective stories with characters as real as your next door neighbors, I guarantee you'll love THE GOOD DETECTIVE. Just don't start reading unless you're prepared to finish!
April 3, 2019
Voice is the Big Kahuna, it's the everything in writing and this book has a fabulous voice. Truly. Its original, and easy to drop into. Love the way his dog talks to the point of view character. I could’ve used more of that.
Having said that I only made it through to page 170 and put the book down. Part of it is the persnickety writer in me and part of it is the 31yrs. of being a cop. I also have a personal objection when a main a main plot point hangs on an alcoholic blackout. I hung in with that one because of the voice. Then the law enforcement part of the story, the procedure, ventured too far off the mark. I understand that there are issues that are pushed for the sake of entertainment, and I’m good with it. Minor ones. But in this story there are four, “Whoa, that would never happen.” And lastly the thing with the horse race and lotto, that took it too far out of the realm of reality and placed it firmly into fantasy.
I would hope the author gets his next book vetted by someone in law enforcement and writes a clean story he definitely has the writing chops. I’ll be buying his next book.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
Having said that I only made it through to page 170 and put the book down. Part of it is the persnickety writer in me and part of it is the 31yrs. of being a cop. I also have a personal objection when a main a main plot point hangs on an alcoholic blackout. I hung in with that one because of the voice. Then the law enforcement part of the story, the procedure, ventured too far off the mark. I understand that there are issues that are pushed for the sake of entertainment, and I’m good with it. Minor ones. But in this story there are four, “Whoa, that would never happen.” And lastly the thing with the horse race and lotto, that took it too far out of the realm of reality and placed it firmly into fantasy.
I would hope the author gets his next book vetted by someone in law enforcement and writes a clean story he definitely has the writing chops. I’ll be buying his next book.
David Putnam author of the Bruno Johnson series.
October 12, 2020
Una serie que hay que seguir.
October 19, 2020
Me ha convencido totalmente el amigo John McMahon con su primera novela que tiene como protagonista al detective P.T. Marsh. Muy interesante de principio a fin, la he devorado. Parece que tendrá continuación por lo que le seguiré muy de cerca. Altamente recomendable.
March 23, 2019
Detective P.T. Marsh has been on a downward spiral since the deaths of his wife and son, mostly drinking his life away. Now he may have killed someone... He's just not sure because he can't remember much from the night before, only that he helped an exotic dancer by beating up her boyfriend. Now the boyfriend is dead and Marsh's fingerprints are all over the crime scene. And, it keeps getting worse - the murdered man may be the lead suspect in the case of a lynching of a young black boy...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
September 4, 2025
5 stars for the promise of a new detective series
that was more smooth than bumpy;
that was more of the southern lit done well that I am craving;
that circles around the divine or voodoo or rigged luck in a very mysterious way;
that has a good dog play a role without anthropomorphic characteristics (don’t even get me started on how I hate that because dogs > humans and would be offended);
that motivates me to read books 2 and 3
AND
that all books were ready for immediate pick up at the library no waiting.
that was more smooth than bumpy;
that was more of the southern lit done well that I am craving;
that circles around the divine or voodoo or rigged luck in a very mysterious way;
that has a good dog play a role without anthropomorphic characteristics (don’t even get me started on how I hate that because dogs > humans and would be offended);
that motivates me to read books 2 and 3
AND
that all books were ready for immediate pick up at the library no waiting.
November 16, 2025
McMahon's debut went places I wasn't expecting. Quick paced, with a progressively dark, intense crime investigation that does not shy away from the tough topics— extreme racism of Deep South history, or a touch of the unknown / occult. There's a lot going on here!
I didn't love it like I loved the author's more recent Head Cases, but having read that one, I see the polishing of his craft, and the potential this series has. I'm chomping at the bit to read the next two P.T. Marsh books.
4+ stars
Bonuses: A good dog and a good detective partner.
I didn't love it like I loved the author's more recent Head Cases, but having read that one, I see the polishing of his craft, and the potential this series has. I'm chomping at the bit to read the next two P.T. Marsh books.
4+ stars
Bonuses: A good dog and a good detective partner.
April 6, 2019
I downloaded "The Good Detective" because I was in the mood for some decent crime fiction. 308 pages later, I'm still in the mood for some decent crime fiction because "The Good Detective" turned out to be just as generic as its title, with elements cadged from work by other, better writers -- his widowed narrator, PT Marsh, is a scaled-down version of Reed Farrel Coleman's tough but tragic Gus Murphy, and the midsized Georgia town he prowls is a colorless cousin to John Hart's corrupt North Carolina metropolises -- and thrown together into a slapdash mystery which holds a reader's interest only by making them ask "where have I read this exact same scene before?" Mr. McMahon isn't inept: he writes competently, has a modest talent for characters, and is at least an efficient storyteller. But he's too unoriginal to make me interested in any of his future books.
October 17, 2019
Story itself wasnt bad but the ending was 🤷 nothing orignal thats for sure. I did really like that this wasn't sexual/based around sexual tension like a lot of detective books but did at times fall into the "im a alcoholic detective so im gonna be a huge butt for literally no reason" but it was few and far between compared to other similar books.
March 1, 2025
My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ enjoyed the writing and good quality characters!!
The GoodReads write up on this one gives a good if rather extended overview. Essentially this is a police procedural about Detective P.T Marsh and his partner Remy. Set in a small insular town in Georgia this has a bit of everything there is drugs and money, rich people doing really bad things and racial (seemingly sacrificial) killings and somehow its all linked…
P.T is determined to get to the bottom of it however he’s also at the bottom of a dark well himself. After his wife and young son were killed a year earlier the rising star is not so on his game.
I will say that I really liked this one I liked P.T and Remy a lot they were the standout characters for me. I mean they are our MCs but the secondary characters are quite good as well the baddies are super bad and the goodies are there to compliment the story.
I like McMahon’s writing, it is different (not entirely sure how) but it seems confident, and bold without being over the top. I feel like the story is being told to me without it actually doing that… I don’t know if that makes sense but I really like the style. The first book from this author I read was Headcases (his newest one) and I loved it… this is a different style again but only slightly. But I was really happy with the descriptions of the places, I felt immersed in the place and the grit. The emotion really jumped off the pages.
There are 3 in the series (I think) and I do intend to read the others, I am keen to see how P.T’s backstory unfolds because of course we didn’t find out all of it… where would be the fun in that.
I downgraded it to four stars just because I guess I was comparing a little bit to Head Cases and I just liked that so much and I think this was definitely not as strong but still excellent.
Overall, if you like a gritty Southern Police Procedural with some wild stuff going down then this is for you. I recommend to anyone who normally goes for PPs there is very little swearing as well for those of you who are not so keen on that. This is the first in the series so a great place to start.
The GoodReads write up on this one gives a good if rather extended overview. Essentially this is a police procedural about Detective P.T Marsh and his partner Remy. Set in a small insular town in Georgia this has a bit of everything there is drugs and money, rich people doing really bad things and racial (seemingly sacrificial) killings and somehow its all linked…
P.T is determined to get to the bottom of it however he’s also at the bottom of a dark well himself. After his wife and young son were killed a year earlier the rising star is not so on his game.
I will say that I really liked this one I liked P.T and Remy a lot they were the standout characters for me. I mean they are our MCs but the secondary characters are quite good as well the baddies are super bad and the goodies are there to compliment the story.
I like McMahon’s writing, it is different (not entirely sure how) but it seems confident, and bold without being over the top. I feel like the story is being told to me without it actually doing that… I don’t know if that makes sense but I really like the style. The first book from this author I read was Headcases (his newest one) and I loved it… this is a different style again but only slightly. But I was really happy with the descriptions of the places, I felt immersed in the place and the grit. The emotion really jumped off the pages.
There are 3 in the series (I think) and I do intend to read the others, I am keen to see how P.T’s backstory unfolds because of course we didn’t find out all of it… where would be the fun in that.
I downgraded it to four stars just because I guess I was comparing a little bit to Head Cases and I just liked that so much and I think this was definitely not as strong but still excellent.
Overall, if you like a gritty Southern Police Procedural with some wild stuff going down then this is for you. I recommend to anyone who normally goes for PPs there is very little swearing as well for those of you who are not so keen on that. This is the first in the series so a great place to start.
April 4, 2019
I have mentioned before that one of the joys of reading is the discovery of new and worthy literary voices in genre fiction. Please add John McMahon to the list. His recently published and remarkably sure-footed debut combines police procedure, a damaged but ultimately upright protagonist, and an unsettling mystery with a hint of the supernatural to make this new series entry a memorable one.
THE GOOD DETECTIVE begins with an interesting premise. P.T. Marsh, a detective with the Mason Falls, Georgia Police Department, is the narrator of the piece. Still recovering from a tragic incident occurring two years ago, P.T. has been abusing alcohol and has become somewhat unreliable as a result. Still, he remains a good enough investigator that he keeps his job thanks in part to his friends on the force. However, his judgment is quite clouded, as we learn just a few pages into the book.
P.T. meets a local strip club dancer who has a physically abusive boyfriend named Virgil Rowe and decides in a fit of drunken impulse that he will have a come-to-Jesus moment with him. He confronts Virgil at his home, smacks him around just enough to get the message across, and leaves. But he gets an unpleasant surprise the next morning when he is called to Virgil’s house and is tasked with investigating the man’s murder. P.T. thinks, but is not entirely certain, that Virgil was alive when he left him the night before. As the investigation unfolds, though, he recognizes that he is slowly coming under the microscope, in spite of his efforts to remove evidence of his presence from the crime scene.
Meanwhile, the ritualistic murder of teenager Kendrick Webster appears to intersect with Virgil’s passing, leaving P.T. to wonder if he might have accidentally killed the primary suspect in Kendrick’s homicide. The investigation initially leads him to a local group, but he soon finds that Kendrick’s is just the latest in a series of similar murders that have occurred in the region at regular intervals over the past century. Worse, these crimes have preceded an upward turn of political fortunes for a locally prominent family.
Something has been happening in the usually peaceful area of rural Georgia around Atlanta for quite some time, and P.T.’s discovery of it puts him squarely in the crosshairs of powerful forces that would rather remain unknown. P.T. sets up a plan to rescue a kidnapped young woman and end the cycle of death and power for good. He may be too late, though, not only for the potential victim but also for himself.
McMahon promises that we will see more of P.T. Marsh, and readers of THE GOOD DETECTIVE will hold him to that. The supernatural element to the mystery set forth here is an intriguing one, and McMahon will no doubt address it and other aspects of P.T.’s life in future installments when he takes us back to Mason Falls, a quiet place where deadly secrets abound.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
THE GOOD DETECTIVE begins with an interesting premise. P.T. Marsh, a detective with the Mason Falls, Georgia Police Department, is the narrator of the piece. Still recovering from a tragic incident occurring two years ago, P.T. has been abusing alcohol and has become somewhat unreliable as a result. Still, he remains a good enough investigator that he keeps his job thanks in part to his friends on the force. However, his judgment is quite clouded, as we learn just a few pages into the book.
P.T. meets a local strip club dancer who has a physically abusive boyfriend named Virgil Rowe and decides in a fit of drunken impulse that he will have a come-to-Jesus moment with him. He confronts Virgil at his home, smacks him around just enough to get the message across, and leaves. But he gets an unpleasant surprise the next morning when he is called to Virgil’s house and is tasked with investigating the man’s murder. P.T. thinks, but is not entirely certain, that Virgil was alive when he left him the night before. As the investigation unfolds, though, he recognizes that he is slowly coming under the microscope, in spite of his efforts to remove evidence of his presence from the crime scene.
Meanwhile, the ritualistic murder of teenager Kendrick Webster appears to intersect with Virgil’s passing, leaving P.T. to wonder if he might have accidentally killed the primary suspect in Kendrick’s homicide. The investigation initially leads him to a local group, but he soon finds that Kendrick’s is just the latest in a series of similar murders that have occurred in the region at regular intervals over the past century. Worse, these crimes have preceded an upward turn of political fortunes for a locally prominent family.
Something has been happening in the usually peaceful area of rural Georgia around Atlanta for quite some time, and P.T.’s discovery of it puts him squarely in the crosshairs of powerful forces that would rather remain unknown. P.T. sets up a plan to rescue a kidnapped young woman and end the cycle of death and power for good. He may be too late, though, not only for the potential victim but also for himself.
McMahon promises that we will see more of P.T. Marsh, and readers of THE GOOD DETECTIVE will hold him to that. The supernatural element to the mystery set forth here is an intriguing one, and McMahon will no doubt address it and other aspects of P.T.’s life in future installments when he takes us back to Mason Falls, a quiet place where deadly secrets abound.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
March 24, 2019
Holy mackerel. This book is amazing. A mix of very complicated murder mystery, Southern gothic traditional and just simple great writing. I cannot wait for the next P.T. Marsh story.
May 11, 2019
Dollycas’s Thoughts
This is a gritty, compelling, emotional, terrifying story that I escaped right into and only came out for air when I had to get some sleep. I dove back in the next day as soon as I was able and stayed there even after I stopped reading the author’s words. This story has stuck with me since.
Detective P.T. Marsh is still trying to recover after losing his wife and son in an accident almost 2 years ago. He had always had good instincts but he is seriously off his game, drinking too much and having blackouts. His poor judgment leads him to the home of an abusive boyfriend after meeting his girlfriend and noticing the bruises covering her body. After beating the guy to shreds he leaves him with a deadly warning. Back on the job the next day he and his partner are called to a murder. Soon he realizes they are headed on the same path he took to the victim of his beat-down. Did he blackout and kill the guy? No way, but can he really be sure? Especially when the techs are going to find evidence he was there the night before.
While he tries to cover his tracks he makes a huge discovery in the victim’s garage. Evidence of arson that leads them to a field that been burned. As he looks over the fire scene he makes another grisly discovery. A young black teen’s body with a noose around his neck. Did the abusive boyfriend lynch this kid and light the field on fire to cover his crime?
P.T. takes on the case while trying to keep his involvement secret from everyone. What he finds is appalling and shocking and could rock the town of Mason Falls to its core.
The author has created vivid characters P.T. Marsh is a strong man. Flawed, smart, a complicated man facing demons of his own. Finding himself wrapped up, in this case, may be the thing that finally breaks him. His partner Remy is a young rookie who knows something is up with her partner but he shuts her out at every turn. His chief and the other officers have faith in him, but he is holding on to his job by the tips of his fingers. He made a stupid decision to try to scare off an abuser and it could be the final nail in his coffin.
Mr. McMahon takes on serious issues in his debut novel. A layered story featuring the racial divide found in Mason Falls, Georgia dating back decades, back even as far the civil war. Little clues lead to huge reveals. With the current climate these days it wasn’t as hard to wrap my head around these ghastly acts as it would have been just a couple of years ago. So sadly, this story definitely had a ripped from the headlines feel. Something you could see on the nightly news today.
McMahon does an excellent job of setting each scene taking the reader right into the drama. This story was an emotional journey both for the characters and for me as the reader. Anger, repulsion, fear, heartbreak, and more. The story had a slow build but soon following P.T. step by step was riveting. The dialogue was true to life with a few curses as expected in this genre.
For me, John McMahon is now an author to watch. He ends his acknowledgment with “P.T. Marsh will be back. Stay tuned.” That makes me happy because I believe the man has turned a corner and I would like to see where the author takes this character.
This is a gritty, compelling, emotional, terrifying story that I escaped right into and only came out for air when I had to get some sleep. I dove back in the next day as soon as I was able and stayed there even after I stopped reading the author’s words. This story has stuck with me since.
Detective P.T. Marsh is still trying to recover after losing his wife and son in an accident almost 2 years ago. He had always had good instincts but he is seriously off his game, drinking too much and having blackouts. His poor judgment leads him to the home of an abusive boyfriend after meeting his girlfriend and noticing the bruises covering her body. After beating the guy to shreds he leaves him with a deadly warning. Back on the job the next day he and his partner are called to a murder. Soon he realizes they are headed on the same path he took to the victim of his beat-down. Did he blackout and kill the guy? No way, but can he really be sure? Especially when the techs are going to find evidence he was there the night before.
While he tries to cover his tracks he makes a huge discovery in the victim’s garage. Evidence of arson that leads them to a field that been burned. As he looks over the fire scene he makes another grisly discovery. A young black teen’s body with a noose around his neck. Did the abusive boyfriend lynch this kid and light the field on fire to cover his crime?
P.T. takes on the case while trying to keep his involvement secret from everyone. What he finds is appalling and shocking and could rock the town of Mason Falls to its core.
The author has created vivid characters P.T. Marsh is a strong man. Flawed, smart, a complicated man facing demons of his own. Finding himself wrapped up, in this case, may be the thing that finally breaks him. His partner Remy is a young rookie who knows something is up with her partner but he shuts her out at every turn. His chief and the other officers have faith in him, but he is holding on to his job by the tips of his fingers. He made a stupid decision to try to scare off an abuser and it could be the final nail in his coffin.
Mr. McMahon takes on serious issues in his debut novel. A layered story featuring the racial divide found in Mason Falls, Georgia dating back decades, back even as far the civil war. Little clues lead to huge reveals. With the current climate these days it wasn’t as hard to wrap my head around these ghastly acts as it would have been just a couple of years ago. So sadly, this story definitely had a ripped from the headlines feel. Something you could see on the nightly news today.
McMahon does an excellent job of setting each scene taking the reader right into the drama. This story was an emotional journey both for the characters and for me as the reader. Anger, repulsion, fear, heartbreak, and more. The story had a slow build but soon following P.T. step by step was riveting. The dialogue was true to life with a few curses as expected in this genre.
For me, John McMahon is now an author to watch. He ends his acknowledgment with “P.T. Marsh will be back. Stay tuned.” That makes me happy because I believe the man has turned a corner and I would like to see where the author takes this character.
February 7, 2021
Detective P T Marsh and his partner, Remy, are investigating what they feel is a hate crime. A young black teenager has been tortured, beaten, hanged, and set on fire. What Detective Marsh did was something no cop should ever do ... he tampered with the evidence. He removed the rope around the young man's neck in the hope that they can keep this part of his death secret.
Amid rising racial tension and media scrutiny, P.T. uncovers something sinister at the heart of the young boy's murder--a conspiracy leading all the way back to the time of the Civil War.
This is the first in a series featuring P T Marsh. He's always been respected as a good cop, but the death of his pregnant wife and son has him reeling. He's drinking way too much, but it's the only way he can put his memories to rest. If he continues the drinking, it won't be only his health affected .. it may cost him his job.
There's lots of action with frequent changes of direction and multiple varied suspects that bear watching. Marsh is an interesting character, not the pillar of the framework around which law enforcement is build. Characters are deftly drawn amid an intricate plot. I look forward to reading the books following.
Many thanks to the author / Putnam Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Amid rising racial tension and media scrutiny, P.T. uncovers something sinister at the heart of the young boy's murder--a conspiracy leading all the way back to the time of the Civil War.
This is the first in a series featuring P T Marsh. He's always been respected as a good cop, but the death of his pregnant wife and son has him reeling. He's drinking way too much, but it's the only way he can put his memories to rest. If he continues the drinking, it won't be only his health affected .. it may cost him his job.
There's lots of action with frequent changes of direction and multiple varied suspects that bear watching. Marsh is an interesting character, not the pillar of the framework around which law enforcement is build. Characters are deftly drawn amid an intricate plot. I look forward to reading the books following.
Many thanks to the author / Putnam Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
January 21, 2020
Southern Illuminati
It had been a year since my wife and son were gone, and it had finally sunk in. They weren't coming back. -Detective P.T. Marsh
The lynching of a Southern Baptist preacher's son has eerie similarities to a lynching 25 years ago. What's the connection? What secrets are the powerful old Georgian families hiding? And how far will they go to keep it a secret?
Good book for a first time author but the writing style i couldn't connect with. One reviewer said "Staccato style of writing". Yes that's it. Short, detached and spiky way of telling the story. The ending turned out to be a bit unrealistic. Sacrificing virgins? Spirits guiding people? I will look for book 2.
It had been a year since my wife and son were gone, and it had finally sunk in. They weren't coming back. -Detective P.T. Marsh
The lynching of a Southern Baptist preacher's son has eerie similarities to a lynching 25 years ago. What's the connection? What secrets are the powerful old Georgian families hiding? And how far will they go to keep it a secret?
Good book for a first time author but the writing style i couldn't connect with. One reviewer said "Staccato style of writing". Yes that's it. Short, detached and spiky way of telling the story. The ending turned out to be a bit unrealistic. Sacrificing virgins? Spirits guiding people? I will look for book 2.
May 23, 2019
Bizarrely similar to the Charlie Parker series, except that this detective hears his dog talk in his head, rather than ghosts. Predictable and yet oddly unconvincing...
December 6, 2019
This book took me longer than normal to read one of its length. I think it was more a lack of focus on my part rather than the book. I like the book, but I didn't feel much of a connection to any of the characters. The victims were names, and I felt sad at their outcome, but I didn't feel outrage like I should have. I do like how race is explored, and I wish the book had been a little bit braver in that area.
July 6, 2022
Me ha gustado mucho. Un libro que no debiera pasar depercibido. Buena trama y bien hilada. Ritmo ágil, puede decirse que se lee solo. El final adecuado. No hay otro posible.
September 3, 2025
"Ja sam detektiv. (...) Svijet je prepun murjaka. Dobrih momaka. Koji imaju dobre namjere. Pametnih. (...) Ali veoma je malo dobrih detektiva."
Ime naslovnog dobrog detektiva je P.T. Marsh. P.T. je doista dobar detektiv, vrlo perspektivan, samo što ima i jednu - ne baš profesionalnu, ali onakvu kakva utječe na profesionalnost - manu: sklonost alkoholu. Alkoholu se odao nakon gubitka žene i sina, zbog čega sada zna imati rupe u sjećanju i ostale pogodnosti koje prekomjerno uživanje u piću sa sobom nosi.
Kada ga jedna striptizeta zamoli da malo zastraši njenog dečka zlostavljača, P.T. to dobrodušno napravi, međutim, jutro nakon njegova posjeta, spomenutog dečka nađu mrtvog, a P.T. se ne sjeća što se točno dogodilo. Da stvar bude gora, isti tip ispadne upleten u ružno ubojstvo jednog crnog dječaka. Situacija se komplicira, nemiri oko pitanja rasizma u gradu rastu, a dodatna otegotna okolnost u svemu je to što je razlog smrti glavnog osumnjičenika možda upravo detektiv koji tu smrt istražuje.
P.T. Marsh nije loš lik, iako mi je djelovao 'već viđeno'. Dobar istražitelj kojega muče vlastiti demoni povezani s osobnim gubitkom - P.T. jako, jako, nalikuje nekakvom miksu Nesboovog Harrya Holea i Engerovog Henninga Juula. Best of both worlds?
Slučaj koji P.T. istražuje već je u samom startu jedna golema zbrka, iako na prvi pogled izgleda kao da su krivci i motiv očiti. Međutim, kopanjem ispod površine otkriva se puno više od blata rasizma, a motivi sežu do daleko u prošlost, i vuku i u nadrealne sfere.
Sam slučaj je zanimljiv i dobro postavljen, smješten u južnjačko okružje čija atmosfera baš nekako vlada čitavim romanom. Vječni problemi rasizma i bogatih privilegiranih obitelji koje misle da im je sve dopušteno ovdje su uklopljeni u malo drugačiju priču no što biste na prvu očekivali, koja je nekako i jeziva i fascinantna. Obrate sam uspjela predvidjeti, čak su me i oni podsjetili na nešto već viđeno, ali odgovarali su priči.
Sve u svemu - dobar detektiv - solidan roman.
Ime naslovnog dobrog detektiva je P.T. Marsh. P.T. je doista dobar detektiv, vrlo perspektivan, samo što ima i jednu - ne baš profesionalnu, ali onakvu kakva utječe na profesionalnost - manu: sklonost alkoholu. Alkoholu se odao nakon gubitka žene i sina, zbog čega sada zna imati rupe u sjećanju i ostale pogodnosti koje prekomjerno uživanje u piću sa sobom nosi.
Kada ga jedna striptizeta zamoli da malo zastraši njenog dečka zlostavljača, P.T. to dobrodušno napravi, međutim, jutro nakon njegova posjeta, spomenutog dečka nađu mrtvog, a P.T. se ne sjeća što se točno dogodilo. Da stvar bude gora, isti tip ispadne upleten u ružno ubojstvo jednog crnog dječaka. Situacija se komplicira, nemiri oko pitanja rasizma u gradu rastu, a dodatna otegotna okolnost u svemu je to što je razlog smrti glavnog osumnjičenika možda upravo detektiv koji tu smrt istražuje.
P.T. Marsh nije loš lik, iako mi je djelovao 'već viđeno'. Dobar istražitelj kojega muče vlastiti demoni povezani s osobnim gubitkom - P.T. jako, jako, nalikuje nekakvom miksu Nesboovog Harrya Holea i Engerovog Henninga Juula. Best of both worlds?
Slučaj koji P.T. istražuje već je u samom startu jedna golema zbrka, iako na prvi pogled izgleda kao da su krivci i motiv očiti. Međutim, kopanjem ispod površine otkriva se puno više od blata rasizma, a motivi sežu do daleko u prošlost, i vuku i u nadrealne sfere.
Sam slučaj je zanimljiv i dobro postavljen, smješten u južnjačko okružje čija atmosfera baš nekako vlada čitavim romanom. Vječni problemi rasizma i bogatih privilegiranih obitelji koje misle da im je sve dopušteno ovdje su uklopljeni u malo drugačiju priču no što biste na prvu očekivali, koja je nekako i jeziva i fascinantna. Obrate sam uspjela predvidjeti, čak su me i oni podsjetili na nešto već viđeno, ali odgovarali su priči.
Sve u svemu - dobar detektiv - solidan roman.
March 23, 2020
I think I’m going to like this series. Marsh is a likable character…but he’s going to die from exhaustion if John McMahon puts this much on his plate in every book. It made me tired just trying to put his cases in a normal work day. He has to solve Rowe's murder… exonerate himself;… rehabilitate himself and his reputation on the force… and expose and then fight the local backwoods cabal. Wow! Is there that many hours in a day? It’s a great start to a very promising series but lets save something for future books. Great dog...by the way.
June 28, 2024
Solid mystery. The case goes in all kinds of directions but it gets wrapped up nicely. I liked the added twist of “the luck” factor. I’m interested in the sequels but not dying to read them.
March 6, 2020
Sometimes Hokey Plot but has Good Series Potential
Review of the G.P.Putnam's Sons paperback edition (Feb. 2020) of the hardcover original (March 2019)
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. The Good Detective is a nominee for Best First Novel. The winners will be announced April 30, 2020.
The Good Detective uses quite a few clichés of the genre, including the alcoholic detective battling his demons (in this case a family tragedy), the faithful dog (who "speaks" wise advice to him of course), the loyal partner, the possible bad cop insider and the huge villainous conspiracy which only the partner team is able to uncover. To this is added an American Southern rural environment with the stereotypical racist network but with a superstition / supernatural twist element.
Despite those clichés, I did really like the detective team here and can forgive the fallback to standards of the genre in a first novel. I thought the italicized flashback inter-chapters on one of the murders were unnecessarily graphic though. Their only purpose (aside from horror frisson) seemed to be to telegraph the cult element of the conspiracy. That whole supernatural element seemed ridiculous though when it was revealed in the end.
Still, I'll be interested to read what partner detectives P.T. Marsh and Remy Morgan of Macon Falls, Georgia get up to in the 2nd novel in the series The Evil Men Do (expected March 2020).
Review of the G.P.Putnam's Sons paperback edition (Feb. 2020) of the hardcover original (March 2019)
This reading was part of my investigation of the novels nominated for the 2020 Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America. The Good Detective is a nominee for Best First Novel. The winners will be announced April 30, 2020.
The Good Detective uses quite a few clichés of the genre, including the alcoholic detective battling his demons (in this case a family tragedy), the faithful dog (who "speaks" wise advice to him of course), the loyal partner, the possible bad cop insider and the huge villainous conspiracy which only the partner team is able to uncover. To this is added an American Southern rural environment with the stereotypical racist network but with a superstition / supernatural twist element.
Despite those clichés, I did really like the detective team here and can forgive the fallback to standards of the genre in a first novel. I thought the italicized flashback inter-chapters on one of the murders were unnecessarily graphic though. Their only purpose (aside from horror frisson) seemed to be to telegraph the cult element of the conspiracy. That whole supernatural element seemed ridiculous though when it was revealed in the end.
Still, I'll be interested to read what partner detectives P.T. Marsh and Remy Morgan of Macon Falls, Georgia get up to in the 2nd novel in the series The Evil Men Do (expected March 2020).
April 26, 2019
Good, not great.
Fast paced, but not really gripping.
2.8 stars rounded up, I think.
This certainly has promise and I would read the next in the series.
It is a true detective/police procedural. Follow along with the detective, and I haven't read a book like that in a while. It's not my favorite genre and the particulars of the case the detective is working on didn't really grab me enough.
Still, I see promise here.
Fast paced, but not really gripping.
2.8 stars rounded up, I think.
This certainly has promise and I would read the next in the series.
It is a true detective/police procedural. Follow along with the detective, and I haven't read a book like that in a while. It's not my favorite genre and the particulars of the case the detective is working on didn't really grab me enough.
Still, I see promise here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 594 reviews