Kj Erickson

When the body of a young woman is discovered on the bluffs of the Mississippi River, Special Detective Mars Bahr of the Minneapolis PD is assigned to lead the investigation. It doesn't take long to identify the victim, a pretty and multi-talented high school senior from the suburbs. Despite the investigative team's best efforts, the search for her killer stalls. There is a lack of physical evidence and the most likely suspects have airtight alibis. Months later, information about a similar show more murder in a different location launches the investigation into high speed. Will Mars and his team find enough clues, not just to identify the killer, but to put him away for good?

This is one of the best police procedurals I've read in a long time. I went through it quickly because I couldn't bear to put it down. I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next. The author provides clues at the right time for readers to figure out the killer's identity and motive at the same pace as the investigators, and I experienced the ups and downs of the case right along with them.

The main character does have some personal problems -- he's a divorced workaholic -- but he has few vices. He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke (although he does carry a pack of cigarettes), and he swears only occasionally. He has a good relationship with his ex-wife, and he's a good father to his eight-year-old son, Chris. He's a thorough investigator, a strong leader, and is respectful of his superiors. I especially enjoyed the scenes with the son, Chris, whose favorite Saturday morning activity is shopping garage sales for kitchen equipment. I think this series will have crossover appeal for cozy mystery readers. I already have the next book in the series on my TBR shelves, and I'm sure it won't stay there for long! show less

I couldn't resist the lure of the description on the back cover: a murder that looks like suicide, with a motive apparently connected to the Battle of Gettysburg and a current controversy over a regimental flag. It sounded like the perfect book for an amateur genealogist like me. I was favorably impressed by the first book in this series when I read it a few weeks ago, and I was hoping for more of the same. Unfortunately the second book in the series didn't live up to the promise of the show more first one.

I admire the author's creativity in coming up with the concept for the murder and its historical anchor. I just wish it had been better executed. I couldn't get past the flaws in the research process the characters used to find vital statistics for 19th century individuals. In the book, a team of researchers sat in front of computers and used online databases to look up birth and death dates for men who fought at Gettysburg. If only it were that easy in real life! Most of the databases referred to in the book either don't exist or don't provide the kind of results the characters in the book found. Although more and more records are being digitized and made available online, many more are available only in historical archives, county record offices, church offices, or other places that must be visited in person. The author doesn't appear to have included archivists, professional librarians, or genealogists in her acknowledgments list, any one of whom could have helped the author to better understand sources of information for 19th century individuals and how to access them. show less

Minneapolis police dective Marshall ("Mars") Bahr takes on a case of a teenager found murdered and abandoned. What put her down was an artful puncture wound to her aorta. And that was just the start of the mystery. This is a new authort (new to me anyway) and she is a master at creating characters that I want to go meet for lunch. I even like Mars' kid and I never like the kids. She has two other Mars books already finished. I love it when that happens.

#3 Marshall “Mars” Bahr police procedural series set in Minneapolis. Mars has two weeks left before he and Nettie jump ship from the Minneapolis police department to start working for the state’s expanding cold case squad. What he doesn’t need is a hugely high-profile case, but that’s exactly what he gets when one of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ basketball players’ wives is found murdered in her home and “T-Jack” is a prime suspect—but he has an air-tight alibi, having show more been in a conference with his wife’s parents present at the time of her murder. The new police chief, who is a media hound and not at all adept at handling this type of case, promises a quick resolution and Mars is doing his best to make that come true, if only so he can leave the department with a clean slate. Of course things are never that simple and there seems to be obstacles at every turn, but eventually Mars comes up with a solution—one that I totally didn’t see coming.

On a personal level, Mars’ son Chris is growing up and his ex-wife has a new beau that Chris isn’t fond of. Mars has some hard choices to make both personally and professionally in this book and manages to rise to the occasion like a pro. This is by far my favorite in the series so far. Lots of seat-of-your pants action, a great visit with some characters that finally started to flesh out and grow on me in the last book, and a wonderful portrayal of the Twin Cities area by someone who obviously lives here. I am looking forward to the next—and unfortunately, I believe the last—book in this series. show less