Warren C Easley
Author of Matters of Doubt
Series
Works by Warren C Easley
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Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Short biography
- [excerpted from author's website]
Formerly a research scientist and international business executive, Warren C. Easley received a Kay Snow Award for fiction in 2012 and was named the Northwest's Up and Coming Author in 2017, both honors bestowed by Willamette Writers. His fifth Cal Claxton book, Blood for Wine, was shortlisted for a Nero Award in 2018, and the eighth, No Witness, earned him the 2022 Spotted Owl Award from Friends of Mystery for the best mystery novel by a Pacific Northwest author.
Warren lives in Oregon with his wife, and his love for the state is evident in his Cal Claxton Mystery Series. He's an avid hiker, skier, and fly fisherman, but his main exercise involves keeping up with his Australian shepherd, Archie - namesake to Cal Claxton's beloved companion in the series.
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Lawyer Calvin Claxton runs a one-man law office in Portland Oregon. He would be doing well financially, according to his accountant, if it weren't for his tendency to take on the cases of people who would otherwise not be able to afford good representation. As a result, he's determined to cut back on pro bono work and take on only paying customers, So when Danny Baxter aka Picasso, a scruffy street kid and accomplished muralist shows up and asks him to help solve the murder of his mom who show more had disappeared when he was a child, a case gone cold until her body was found recently, Cal refuses despite the fact the local police still don't seem too interested in the case. However, after a little time and research, he decides to at least talk to the kid and soon finds himself embroiled in a very complicated and, as the bodies begin to stack up, dangerous case.
Matters of Doubt, the first in the Cal Claxton Mysteries series by Warren C Easley was first published in 2013 but the series is being republished by Poisoned Pen Press and, after reading it, I can understand why. Told in the first person by Cal Claxton who is one of the most likeable protagonists you will find in the genre, this is a well-written and compelling story. Along with a very interesting mystery, Easley also brings in complicated issues like homelessness especially among youth, and the difficulties the homeless face including from the law and he does it with empathy and compassion but without pity.
Matters of Doubt gets a high recommendation from me. I will definitely be reading more of this series in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less
Matters of Doubt, the first in the Cal Claxton Mysteries series by Warren C Easley was first published in 2013 but the series is being republished by Poisoned Pen Press and, after reading it, I can understand why. Told in the first person by Cal Claxton who is one of the most likeable protagonists you will find in the genre, this is a well-written and compelling story. Along with a very interesting mystery, Easley also brings in complicated issues like homelessness especially among youth, and the difficulties the homeless face including from the law and he does it with empathy and compassion but without pity.
Matters of Doubt gets a high recommendation from me. I will definitely be reading more of this series in the future.
Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review show less
Warren C. Easley's Matters of Doubt is a solid, original mystery—no wonder Poisoned Pen Press has chosen to reissue this 2013 title. The novel, set in Portland Oregon, features Cal Caxton, a former LA prosecutor who has retired and moved north. He didn't retire rich, and his new, small law practice is hovers on the brink of bankruptcy. Given the genre, this, of course, means that an impoverished client shows up at Claxton's door, and Claxton takes on the case. Picasso, the young, show more quick-to-anger, homeless man (and exceptionally gifted artist) who becomes Claxton's client, wants to know who killed his mother when Picasso was just a child. Her body has been recently found, and Picasso wants the justice she didn't receive the first time around.
The novel abounds in suspects—a restaurateur, turned blackmailer; a wealthy lobbyist, and a right-wing radio personality—every one of whom is in a position to make Claxton's life very uncomfortable. Claxton's sidekicks—a Cuban refugee turned capitalist-private-investigator and a doctor running a clinic for homeless youth—add to the novel's twists and provide interesting alternative perspectives as events unfold. Given the characters and setting, Matters of Doubt resonates even more today than it probably did upon release, given last year's violent altercations between police, protestors, and counter-protestors in Portland.
Matters of Doubt provides a deeply satisfying read. If you read mysteries, check out this title, the look for further Cal Claxton titles released from Poisoned Pen Press in the future.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less
The novel abounds in suspects—a restaurateur, turned blackmailer; a wealthy lobbyist, and a right-wing radio personality—every one of whom is in a position to make Claxton's life very uncomfortable. Claxton's sidekicks—a Cuban refugee turned capitalist-private-investigator and a doctor running a clinic for homeless youth—add to the novel's twists and provide interesting alternative perspectives as events unfold. Given the characters and setting, Matters of Doubt resonates even more today than it probably did upon release, given last year's violent altercations between police, protestors, and counter-protestors in Portland.
Matters of Doubt provides a deeply satisfying read. If you read mysteries, check out this title, the look for further Cal Claxton titles released from Poisoned Pen Press in the future.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less
Moving Targets is the sixth book in Warren C. Easley’s mystery series featuring Portland lawyer Cal Claxton. When Angela Wingate came into Claxton’s law office in Old Town to ask him to look for the hit-and-run driver who killed her mother, neither of them had any idea there was more to her death than an unfortunate accident and an unrepentant driver. As soon as Claxton begin looking into it, though, her mother’s lawyer and the CEO of the family business betrayed suspicious hostility. show more Digging deeper, Claxton discovers a conspiracy so outlandish, he’s not quite sure how to resolve it. Worse, the investigation as put a target on Angela and his back, putting them in the crosshairs of a very dangerous killer.
Moving Targets inhabits Portland completely, capturing the look and feel of the city and its unique zeitgeist. The story is rooted in the real conflicts about the future of the city, the constant gentrification and the sense the city is losing its identity as the people who make Portland weird are driven out by rising housing costs.
The story also inhabits contemporary America. Angela’s mother is changed by her participation in the Women’s March. Claxton’s lover Winona is changed by traveling to Standing Rock to protest DAPL, leading her to question their relationship. Portland has been the focus of federal investigations into the Russian mob and the population of immigrants is significant enough that recent local surveys at a clinic and a performance have added Slavic to the usual ethnic identifiers.
The mystery is fair, scrupulously so. I had an idea where the story was going by the time I was a third of the way through. More players were added in time, but the general outline was visible and just needed filling in. This may frustrate some readers who prefer more mystery to their mysteries. I prefer it when the detective can grasp the big picture quickly even if there’s no concrete evidence. That’s this story, Claxton’s problem isn’t so much wondering what is going on, it’s how to prove it.
My biggest complaint about Moving Targets is that I discovered this series on the sixth book, not the first. However, that does mean I have five books to look forward to that I expect to be enjoyable. I confess I may rate it more highly than someone who lives, say, in Coral Gables. A lot of my pleasure came in the sheer Portlandness of it. I know where he is in my city. I have been to those places, eaten at Pambiche, and enjoyed the exhilaration of a sunny day in a rainy spring. There were a couple places where the foreshadowing approached had-I-but-known territory, but other than that, the writing was engaging and evocative.
For organizers and activists made anxious by rising nationalism and corruption in our politics, Claxton has something to offer too, a reminder that the arc is long, and that sometimes the struggle is the reward. Wise words and a reminder that even when we know we will lose, we must still resist. If our reward is the struggle, that is still better than accepting injustice.
I received a copy of Moving Targets from the publisher through NetGalley.
Moving Targets at Poisoned Pen Press
Warren C. Easley author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/10/31/9781464211300/ show less
Moving Targets inhabits Portland completely, capturing the look and feel of the city and its unique zeitgeist. The story is rooted in the real conflicts about the future of the city, the constant gentrification and the sense the city is losing its identity as the people who make Portland weird are driven out by rising housing costs.
The story also inhabits contemporary America. Angela’s mother is changed by her participation in the Women’s March. Claxton’s lover Winona is changed by traveling to Standing Rock to protest DAPL, leading her to question their relationship. Portland has been the focus of federal investigations into the Russian mob and the population of immigrants is significant enough that recent local surveys at a clinic and a performance have added Slavic to the usual ethnic identifiers.
The mystery is fair, scrupulously so. I had an idea where the story was going by the time I was a third of the way through. More players were added in time, but the general outline was visible and just needed filling in. This may frustrate some readers who prefer more mystery to their mysteries. I prefer it when the detective can grasp the big picture quickly even if there’s no concrete evidence. That’s this story, Claxton’s problem isn’t so much wondering what is going on, it’s how to prove it.
My biggest complaint about Moving Targets is that I discovered this series on the sixth book, not the first. However, that does mean I have five books to look forward to that I expect to be enjoyable. I confess I may rate it more highly than someone who lives, say, in Coral Gables. A lot of my pleasure came in the sheer Portlandness of it. I know where he is in my city. I have been to those places, eaten at Pambiche, and enjoyed the exhilaration of a sunny day in a rainy spring. There were a couple places where the foreshadowing approached had-I-but-known territory, but other than that, the writing was engaging and evocative.
For organizers and activists made anxious by rising nationalism and corruption in our politics, Claxton has something to offer too, a reminder that the arc is long, and that sometimes the struggle is the reward. Wise words and a reminder that even when we know we will lose, we must still resist. If our reward is the struggle, that is still better than accepting injustice.
I received a copy of Moving Targets from the publisher through NetGalley.
Moving Targets at Poisoned Pen Press
Warren C. Easley author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/10/31/9781464211300/ show less
This is the first book in a new mystery series featuring small town Oregon lawyer Cal Claxton. In Matters of Doubt, a homeless street artist who calls himself Picasso bikes all the way out to Cal's office from Portland, hoping to get help solving the mystery behind his mom's death. Cal is dubious, but Picasso's story, and the developments that ensue, pull him in until he's completely embroiled in a situation that's deeper than either of them had expected.
I don't normally love mysteries show more because for me the characters often take a back seat to the plot, but Easley is a local author so I thought I'd give him a try. I'm so glad I did! Easley brings in characters so full and real, I felt like I ought to be looking for them--and in some cases, avoiding them--on the streets of Portland. For those who do love mysteries, there are enough twists and turns here to keep you guessing right through to the very last page.
Easley's next book is supposed to be out in a year and I for one will be among the first readers. show less
I don't normally love mysteries show more because for me the characters often take a back seat to the plot, but Easley is a local author so I thought I'd give him a try. I'm so glad I did! Easley brings in characters so full and real, I felt like I ought to be looking for them--and in some cases, avoiding them--on the streets of Portland. For those who do love mysteries, there are enough twists and turns here to keep you guessing right through to the very last page.
Easley's next book is supposed to be out in a year and I for one will be among the first readers. show less
Awards
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- #134,404
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 12
- ISBNs
- 52