Chat

In which Mayer explores the problems of sexual predators in chat rooms, and vigilantes in the same space. That's along with a side story of an attack on Joe's family in retaliation for an old case. Pretty good, and Joe seems to have gotten a new love interest as well.

Joe Gunther, head of the Vermont Bureau of Investigations, finds himself embroiled in two mysteries. The first hits a little too close to home when his mother and brother are involved in a serious and suspicious auto accident that nearly kills them. A local businessman with a grudge agains Gunther and some ties to illegal activities is suspected to have tampered with the car and Joe calls on local law enforcement to help him try to prove it. The second case is that of two dead men who had seemingly been flirting with young girls in internet chat rooms and had agreed to meet the girls in local motel rooms. Gunther and the VBI think they have a vigilante on their hands and finding the killer will prove to be extremely difficult due to show more cleverly hidden email addresses and user names. As Joe gets closer to solving both cases a sinister figure targets Joe and his family for a final showdown.

This is the first book I have read by Mayor and I really enjoyed the story. Nothing like starting on book 18 of a 26 book series! It stood up well on its own and characters from past books were explained well so I didn't get confused. Gunther is a very likeable hero, certainly with flaws, and I look forward to reading more about him. Maybe I'll start with book #1? show less

In reviewing this book, Marilyn Stasio said Mayor was a "dependable" writer. Of late in the blogosphere, dependability has been derided. But I think there's much to be said for developing a series that stays good right through, and Mayor has done this. Again. Without fireworks, switchbacks, or flashy narrative tricks, he tells a good story about people who seem real in a place that is grounded. Innovation is fine, but I'm glad he just keeps telling good stories.

This is one of the best in Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series. We see little of his family - mother and brother - and here we see them in crisis. You can see the family traits and where Joe get's his persistence and his instincts for solutions.

Joe Gunther of the Vermont Special Investigations Unit is investigating the death of two men who seem to have nothing in common. However, after researching their history, he learns that they both had been using internet chat rooms. They both had child pornography on their computers. Joe and his unit suspect that the men were lured to the area by someone seeking revenge for a prior sex act.

The author always adds other cases to the investigations ongoing in his unit. In this respect, he seems influenced by the geat Ed McBain, one of the fathers of police procedurals.

In "Chat," Joe's brother, Leo is in a car accident at the start of the story. Leo and his mother are hospitalized. Leo tells Joe that he believes that there was a malfuntion show more in the car.
Since Leo knows a lot about cars, Joe's unit investigates the mechanic where the car had been serviced and find something amiss.

The plot moved along nicely and kept my attention throughout. The author provides a taste of life in Vermont and this added to the uniqueness of the novel.

Joe Gunther is a terrific protagonist. He's savvy, brave and a good unit supervisor. He also shows his human side. He has a new girlfriend and is flattered that she shows interest in him. The other characters are equally interesting and well drawn.

This is the 19th novel with Joe Gunther and the series never fails to entertain. show less

Joe is investigating his brother's auto accident (Leo said it was the car, not the road) and they mysterious deaths of two men in Brattleboro, one floating in the river and one in a motel room.

As always, a fun read.

This is a good book. It was easy to pick up even though I've never read a Joe Gunther book before. Not my typical genre, but I liked it!