Title: The Good Detective by John McMahon
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss
Summary:
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 died in an accident. Since that night, he’s lost the ability to see the line between smart moves and disastrous decisions. Such as when he agrees to help out a woman 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 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’s certain is that his fingerprints are all over the crime scene.
The trouble is only beginning. When the dead body of a black teenager is found in a burned-out field with a portion of a blackened rope around his neck, P.T. realizes he might have killed the number-one 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 his own personal demons, P.T. races headlong toward an incendiary and life-altering showdown.
Review:
The Good Detective by John McMahon is a clever mystery with a suspenseful plot and a likable protagonist.
Detective P.T. Marsh is still struggling with his grief over the tragic death of his wife and son one year earlier. He is drinking too much and he is no longer considered the rising star of the small town police force. His latest error in judgment lands him in a heap of trouble that just keeps snowballing. His latest case involves the murder of Virgil Rowe, the man he threatened in the hours before his death. Even worse, his memory of what happened after punching Rowe in the face is a black void.
The situation worsens when P.T. and his partner Detective Remy Morgan unexpectedly discover the half-burned remains of teenager Kendrick Webster. Remy and P.T. are careful to deep certain details to themselves that could inflame racial tensions and hamper their search for the killer(s). Late in the investigation, the case hits close to home for both Remy and Marsh. The investigation takes a stunning turn as the detectives search for another missing teenager before it is too late.
J.T. and Remy know they need to solve Kendrick’s murder quickly. But J.T. is distracted by his growing concern he will be arrested for Rowe’s murder. No matter how hard he tries, he just cannot remember what happened that night. But he quickly becomes focused on trying to figure out what happened to Kendrick and he is dismayed to discover Rowe might be connected to the teenager’s death. J.T. and Remy are also puzzled by some of the details at the crime scene. Their attention is soon focused on an ex-con with ties to white supremacy but is he their killer? According to Kendrick’s father, the man is innocent but the police force’s attempt to bring the man in for questioning culminates in tragedy.
Although everyone else believes Kendrick’s case is now closed, J.T. remains unconvinced. He continues searching for answers to the strange details discovered at the murder scene. J.T. eventually uncovers a very horrifying discovery that stretches back to Civil War era and includes a mystical ritual that has reaps shocking results. Could what he has unearthed possibly be true? And if it is, is there any way J.T. can prevent it from happening in the future?
The Good Detective is an engrossing mystery with a unique storyline and engaging characters. The investigation into Kendrick’s murder is interesting and moves at a steady pace. J.T. is a flawed yet appealing protagonist whose path to redemption is challenging. With some very unforeseen twists and startling turns, John McMahon brings this riveting mystery to a satisfying conclusion. Fans of the genre are sure to enjoy this debut mystery.
