Robbed Blind

Jack McMorrow Mystery #13

by Gerry Boyle

In Robbed Blind, Gerry Boyle's signature character Jack McMorrow returns in a fourteenth novel, beginning a two-book arc that will see the acclaimed series come to an end thirty years after McMorrow first appeared in the now-classic, Deadline. This time around, freelance investigative reporter McMorrow finds himself in the tattered Maine mill city of Clarkston, immersed in an overnight world of store clerks, shelf stockers, and eccentrics as he chases the details of a zombie-masked robber taunting the down-and-out city. But when The New York Times pulls the story and McMorrow can't bring himself to leave, his wife questions why yet another story has gone from assignment to unpaid mission to find a killer.

Genres: Fiction

386 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2022

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robbed Blind is written by Gerry Boyle and is Book #13 in his Jack McMorrow series.
Gerry Boyle is a Maine author, gifted in the ‘art of Noir”, gifted in his Jack McMorrow character, and gritty, very realistic descriptions of central Maine and its citizens.
Gerry Boyle’s early career was as a journalist, reporting for the Rumford Falls Times , and then the Waterville Morning Sentinel as a reporter and columnist, which is where I first became acquainted with his work.
His first Jack McMorrow book, Deadline, was published in 1993. I have to assume that the character of Jack McMorrow was based on Gerry Boyle’s own experiences.
He has published 12 Jack McMorrow books. Robbed Blind is the 13th.
He has also published 2 Brandon Blake books.
I am familiar with Gerry Boyle’s early work as a reporter and columnist, having lived in central Maine and reading the Waterville Morning Sentinel for decades now. I was interested in his early works because I always want to support a Maine author. His books were very good. I also like reading about places and characters that I know about and can relate to. Jack McMorrow’s residence in the town of ‘Prosperity’ is a dead ringer for a town not too far from my own in rural, central Maine.
When I was awarded a copy of Gerry Boyle’s latest book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review, I was happy to delve back into the Jack McMorrow character again.
Although I like Gerry Boyle’s writing very much - it is tense, to the point, realistic, well-plotted and very personal, very NOIR, this was a bit of a frustrating, depressing read for me.
On page 202, our character, Jack McMorrow, loses it when confronted with Jason - a gun-toting,
militia/mercenary wanna-be, a felon, a drunk, a scumbag and domestic abuser. “Really, I’m sick
to death of people like you. Angry, stupid, filled with entitlement and self-pity. Always picking on somebody you think won’t fight back.”
My feelings exactly about so many of my fellow humans. I don’t like those feelings but they stare me in the face everyday. I understand Jack McMorrow and his frustrations very well.
When the last words of the book were.…….”to be continued”, I was surprised and confused.
But I read a press release from the publisher Islandport Press, which stated that “Islandport Press
and Gerry Boyle have reached an agreement for 2 new Jack McMorrow mystery titles that will effectively bring an exciting close to the popular series after more than 30 years and 14 novels.”
Five Stars ***** and I can’t wait for the next Jack McMorrow title.
Thank you to Library Thing.

[Zara Lei Norman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was awesome… and what a cliffhanger! Boyle has really mastered the art of the thriller novel, he has it down to a science but still manages to throw some curveballs. I was surprised by a twist or two! Wonderful

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lived in New England for several years and enjoyed reading mystery and thriller titles situated in the region. Numerous authors have provided readers with exciting police procedurals, mysteries, and suspense titles that highlight the area’s diverse geography and characters to life. None does it better the Gerry Boyle and his Poverty, Maine, ace reporter of the human condition, Jack McMorrow. In Robbed Blind, McMorrow is a stringer for the New York Times developing a feature article on people in small towns in Maine who work the late night to early morning shift while a robber, called the Zombie, is holding up mom and pop stores at gun point. At 4:45 a.m. one morning he calls on a small 24-hour convenience store to talk to the clerk only to find she has just been robbed and assaulted. McMorrow develops a professional friendship with her which leads him to a press-friendly police officer, an odd religious Catholic traditionalist who collects artifacts from closed churches, and assorted other small town frightened natives who have concerns about the Zombie being able to evade the local police force. Additional illegal events rock the small town of Clarkston that McMorrow follows up on seeking justice for his new found friends while the police have given their full time to catching the Zombie.

A sub-plot takes place in McMorrow’s home town of Prosperity that involves his twelve year old daughter, her friend, and a group of government anarchists using the young girl’s mother’s rural and remote large property to train with weapons for a “war” against local, state, and federal officials. Jack finds out about this potentially violent militia but is warned to stay away or put himself and his family in danger. Jack, of course, cannot ignore the warning and the book ends with the reader wondering whether the source for the surprise assault on Jack can be tied to his story on the Zombie or his interest in stopping the anarchists from attacking government officials.

A book that ends with a cliffhanger that will not be resolved until the next book in the series is reminiscent of television rather than a book series. But I look forward to the next Jack McMorrow book and am rooting for a positive outcome as the author begins wrapping up the series. Robbing Blind is well worth reading and is a wonderful primer on how investigative journalists ply their trade.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robbed Blind (Jack McMorrow, 13) by Gerry Boyle

New York Times freelance writer Jack McMorrow is tracking down "The Zombie killer". A murderer wearing a zombie mask. Although the Times cancels his assignment he carries on. As he digs deeper into the investigation, his life is in danger. It won't stop him from getting to the truth, what ever risk he must face.

A fast paced crime noir with likable characters, well crafted dialog and vivid details. I was pulled into the story following Jack along the streets of Maine as he strives to solve this mystery. With questionable characters and motive unclear, I was engrossed from the start in this compelling case.

Overall I enjoyed Robbed Blind and recommend to those who enjoy procedural crime noir. I look forward to the final book in this series.

[Susan Emmet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surely the darkest in the series. So much here that we see on the daily news.
Anti-government militias, widespread drug use/abuse, poverty, religious zealots of many stripes, people who hunker down and try to live a good life, domestic violence, the gulf between law and order, police corruption, the real push to give in and give up to the craziness...
I was intrigued with characters and plot for the first half of the novel and then it slid downhill a bit until the awfully disappointing conclusion. Just stuttered to an end and set up for the next book.
Seemed like a cheap way to end.
But the book made me think about all the splits in contemporary society and how horrific the toll poverty exacts.

[Matthew Cost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack McMorrow is back for another scintillating installment from Gerry Boyle. This time there is a Zombie masked robber on the loose, a private militia training in the woods, and no Clair around to watch his back. The action is fast and furious as Jack splits his time between home issues and a town under siege. Don't miss "Robbed Blind" by Lit Legend Gerry Boyle.

[Tony Sannicandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good story. Always ends making me want more.