Book Review: The Surrogate Thief

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

The Surrogate Thief     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Archer Mayor
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: Joe Gunther # 15
Mysterious Press, 2004, 294 pages

In his latest mystery, Vermont Bureau of Investigation Officer Joe Gunther is rolling back the years. Thirty years ago, when he was just starting out on the force, Klaus Oberfeldt was robbed and beaten to death in his store. Gunther, distracted by the death of his wife, let the case go cold and no-one was ever caught. Now, with new evidence, the case has been reopened and Gunther has to return to his past to find a long-lost murderer.

After the rather lacklustre "Gatekeeper", his previous novel, Mayor returns to form with a tightly crafted tale. Whereas "Gatekeeper" sidelined Gunther, "The Surrogate Thief" brings him to the fore once again. By taking us into the past, Mayor allows us to understand much more about Gunther and why he behaves in the way that he does. In addition, the past affects the present and we see Gunther examining his life and his relationship with Gail Zigman.

The mystery itself is interesting and Mayor ties all the loose ends together well. In taking on a small town case, as opposed to the large drugs investigation of "Gatekeeper", Mayor's prose is sharper and the novel more compelling as a whole. As always, his description of locales is strong, and in this case, Gunther gets the opportunity to get out of Vermont to follow clues in Massachusetts.

A strong novel that will not disappoint Mayor's many fans.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

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