Fall Guy is the 33rd Joe Gunther novel by Archer Mayor. Released 27th Sept 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
I've read some (not all) of the previous books in the series and this one is similar in many ways. The newest series novel is an autumn tradition from this prolific author and this one is true to type. It's a procedural with the Vermont Bureau of Investigation playing a central role and an ensemble cast, with well written and believable characters who live and breathe. The opening sequences are staccato and shocking: an abandoned automobile found with a body in the trunk, is also tied into multi-jurisdictional crimes including an unsolved cold case child abduction. The writing is (as always) top notch, so it's a pleasure to read and long time fans are in for a treat.
I liked the fact that so many disparate characters had active and important roles in the book - investigative journalist, detectives, lawyer, private investigators and others. The witnesses they interview are well written and more than window dressing. I really like it that the author doesn't feel the need to spell it out explicitly that some witnesses are lying, hiding things, changing stories, or misleading for their own reasons and that he allows the investigators to figure things out.
The content is gritty, there's a fair bit of violence in context, and PG-13 strong language. There's a lot of hopelessness, crime, violence, substance abuse, and murder.
Four and a half stars. Very well written and engaging murder mystery/procedural.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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