Book Review: The Second Mouse

Reviewed By: Catherine Thompson - RAM

The Second Mouse     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Archer Mayor
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Joe Gunther # 17
Mysterious Press, $32.99 hardcover, 292 pages

Joe Gunther, now with the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, ends up looking into a case that at first doesn’t seem to be any of his business. The VBI handles major crimes, like homicides; Michelle Fisher’s death appears to be from natural causes, though the state police first on the scene can’t say exactly what those causes might be. Her partner Archie died six months earlier, and interviews with neighbours and her mother indicate that Michelle was depressed. But when it turns out that Michelle died of propane poisoning, Joe smells a rat, in the form of her landlord: Archie’s father, a loud-mouthed, abusive man.

Joe and his team go on the hunt in blue-collar Bennington, following a confusing trail of half-leads and semi-connected crimes. During the investigation, Joe stumbles upon a violent and careless trio of criminals whose leader is bent on making the score of a lifetime and who doesn’t care who gets in the way.

The Second Mouse is Mayor’s sixteenth Joe Gunther novel, and as always it’s a solid, competent mystery. I didn’t care much at first for the switching between Gunther’s investigation and the criminal minds of Mel, Ellis, and Nancy, but I got used to it, especially once I realized that what I was witnessing was the imminent collision between the two plot lines. The denouement seemed almost like an afterthought, following the excitement of the climax, but it brought the story full circle to where it began.

I like the character of Joe. He’s what I imagine good police officers in rural areas are like: steady, solid, dependable men and women who understand their jobs and perform them to the best of their abilities.

Catherine Thompson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Catherine Thompson - RAM