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boleary30's review against another edition
3.0
Alex McNight is an outstanding character as are his supporting cast that appear in each novel. But this book drags a bit and is muddled.
trixie_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't like it as well as previous Alex McKnight books. Wasn't Leon a rather inept private eye when he and Alex were "partners" in a previous book? Here he seems suddenly very savvy and wise.
kiwi_fruit's review against another edition
3.0
[b:The Lock Artist|6811221|The Lock Artist|Steve Hamilton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442590100l/6811221._SY75_.jpg|7018945] was my first introduction to Steve Hamilton. I enjoyed that book, so I decided to try one of his popular Alex McKnight mysteries. This novel starts with an unexplained suicide of a young man on the shores of an isolated lake, soon followed by the murder of the suicide victim’s father, an ex cop.
Alex is a retired Detroit police officer living in an isolated snowed-under place in the Upper Peninsula, he is recovering from physical and psychological scars (presumably from earlier cases), spending his time renovating cabins and driving a snow plow. Chief Maven, an old acquaintance but no friend of Alex, asks him to investigate this is pattern of deaths (son/daughter-police officer father) that is rapidly escalating. How are these killings linked to each other and who is behind?
It wasn’t too hard to jump right into this series despite the novel being #8 in the sequence. The MC was a flawed but likable character and nicely drawn, the suspenseful story was perhaps more convoluted that it ought to be
Spoiler
(why involve the mobster? Page filler?)Spoiler
(with a somewhat predictable ending)I wasn’t blown away but I liked this book and will probably go back to the start and try the first novel in this series.
trusselltales's review against another edition
5.0
It's been quite a while since I read a Steve Hamilton book, and I'd forgotten quite how good a writer he is. Alex McKnight, former police officer with a bullet fragment lodged near his heart, gets an unexpected visit from the unlikeliest of people, local police chief who far from being his biggest fan...but who needs his help investigating the suicide of a friend's son down in Misery Bay. As you'd imagine, all is not as straightforward as the initial investigation suggested and McKnight is pulled into a series of deaths.
The setting of this book is vivid - I feel like it's always endless winter in the McKnight world! The interaction between Alex and police chief Maven was one of the high points of the book for me - the way the dislike of each other took a back seat as they united in a common aim. Highly recommended intelligent thriller.
The setting of this book is vivid - I feel like it's always endless winter in the McKnight world! The interaction between Alex and police chief Maven was one of the high points of the book for me - the way the dislike of each other took a back seat as they united in a common aim. Highly recommended intelligent thriller.
raven88's review against another edition
3.0
Having waited (almost) patiently for four years for the next instalment of the Alex McKnight series I tucked myself up for an evening in front of the fire and immersed myself in this tale of wintry despair, suicide and murder.
What never fails to disappoint with Hamilton's writing is his depiction of place and atmosphere. As a reader you are transported to the snowy bleakness of the shores of Lake Superior or the warm confines of McKnight's watering hole the Glasgow Inn and you feel that you are really getting the authenticity of each location.
Likewise you never have to take `leaps of faith' as in Hamilton's drawing of characters or plot-line, you really believe that people can act in the way they do for whatever reason. McKnight's formerly frosty relationship with police chief Roy Maven reaches a new level of grudging mutual respect as they find themselves drawn into this convoluted investigation and it's a joy to behold.
The plot-line is exceptionally well-executed and the story twists and turns keeping the reader on the back foot as our intrepid duo seek to unveil a killer targeting law enforcement officers and their families.
If you have not read Hamilton yet I would heartily recommend him- you will not be disappointed.
What never fails to disappoint with Hamilton's writing is his depiction of place and atmosphere. As a reader you are transported to the snowy bleakness of the shores of Lake Superior or the warm confines of McKnight's watering hole the Glasgow Inn and you feel that you are really getting the authenticity of each location.
Likewise you never have to take `leaps of faith' as in Hamilton's drawing of characters or plot-line, you really believe that people can act in the way they do for whatever reason. McKnight's formerly frosty relationship with police chief Roy Maven reaches a new level of grudging mutual respect as they find themselves drawn into this convoluted investigation and it's a joy to behold.
The plot-line is exceptionally well-executed and the story twists and turns keeping the reader on the back foot as our intrepid duo seek to unveil a killer targeting law enforcement officers and their families.
If you have not read Hamilton yet I would heartily recommend him- you will not be disappointed.
mikedeab63's review against another edition
4.0
This is like slipping on an old pair of sneakers. Hamilton has done such a nice job of deep characterization in the previous seven books that he needs to waste little time in placing the pieces on his board, so to speak. Not that he rests of stereotypes of cardboard characters. He puts the series structure and the past character relationships to good use in turning on of the key adversarial relationships on its head here, pitting McKnight and Maven on the same side. It works really well at putting the characters in uncomfortable places and seeing how they react.
The plot itself is functional enough, but feels a bit forced. We get interspersed chapters from the antagonist POV, not unusual in crime fiction, but not my favorite technique and it rarely lends much here other than to verify that he's crazy and given we see the aftermath of his crimes, there was little doubt of that.
If this is your first Hamilton, you might wonder about the raves this series has garnered to date. I think this is mainly due to the fact that after some previous books that really beat up his protagonist, this one less directly affects McKnight. He pushes events forward with his usual stubborn nature, but the personal stakes are lacking for him.
Still, like other long running series, by this point, you're likely reading to spend time with old friends and watch relationships grow and change. On this point, this book succeeds.
The plot itself is functional enough, but feels a bit forced. We get interspersed chapters from the antagonist POV, not unusual in crime fiction, but not my favorite technique and it rarely lends much here other than to verify that he's crazy and given we see the aftermath of his crimes, there was little doubt of that.
If this is your first Hamilton, you might wonder about the raves this series has garnered to date. I think this is mainly due to the fact that after some previous books that really beat up his protagonist, this one less directly affects McKnight. He pushes events forward with his usual stubborn nature, but the personal stakes are lacking for him.
Still, like other long running series, by this point, you're likely reading to spend time with old friends and watch relationships grow and change. On this point, this book succeeds.
phxkevin's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this book is a lot like driving fast on a twisty road with snow and ice, although you personally know that you the reader will arrive safely. Worth the ride.
What the author(s) do with this series: Steve Hamilton started off slow but gets better and better this is part of the series called the Alex McKnight Novels. This paragraph applies to all books in this series. Alex is a former pro baseball player and a former cop. Both of those careers ended before they barely got started. McKnight becomes a very reluctant private investigator and brings a level of expertise not seen in most books.
The author always gives us a tour of Michigan as he does his investigation and invariably it’s cold. His description of the weather is almost visceral.
Do you need to read this series in order: YES or you miss out on too much of the back stories.
Triggers: Suicides, homicides and the regular ample supply of violence – Our erstwhile private detective often ends up in the hospital. Many of the crimes investigated are homicides caused by guns, fires, beatings and so on. Child abuse in the past. Cruelty, helplessness
On a frozen January night, a young man hangs himself in a lonely corner of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; in a place they call Misery Bay. Alex McKnight does not know this young man, and he won't even hear about the suicide until two months later, when the last person Alex would ever expect comes to him for help. What seems like a simple quest to find a few answers will turn into a nightmare of sudden violence and bloody revenge, and a race against time to catch a ruthless and methodical killer. McKnight knows all about evil. Mobsters, drug dealers, hit men—he’s seen them all, and they’ve taken away almost everything he’s ever loved. But none of them could have ever prepared him for the darkness he’s about to face.
What the author(s) do with this series: Steve Hamilton started off slow but gets better and better this is part of the series called the Alex McKnight Novels. This paragraph applies to all books in this series. Alex is a former pro baseball player and a former cop. Both of those careers ended before they barely got started. McKnight becomes a very reluctant private investigator and brings a level of expertise not seen in most books.
The author always gives us a tour of Michigan as he does his investigation and invariably it’s cold. His description of the weather is almost visceral.
Do you need to read this series in order: YES or you miss out on too much of the back stories.
Triggers: Suicides, homicides and the regular ample supply of violence – Our erstwhile private detective often ends up in the hospital. Many of the crimes investigated are homicides caused by guns, fires, beatings and so on. Child abuse in the past. Cruelty, helplessness
On a frozen January night, a young man hangs himself in a lonely corner of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; in a place they call Misery Bay. Alex McKnight does not know this young man, and he won't even hear about the suicide until two months later, when the last person Alex would ever expect comes to him for help. What seems like a simple quest to find a few answers will turn into a nightmare of sudden violence and bloody revenge, and a race against time to catch a ruthless and methodical killer. McKnight knows all about evil. Mobsters, drug dealers, hit men—he’s seen them all, and they’ve taken away almost everything he’s ever loved. But none of them could have ever prepared him for the darkness he’s about to face.
catmum's review against another edition
5.0
Alex is asked by his old nemesis, Chief Maven, to help find out why an old friend's son committed suicide. He soon learns this wasn't the only suicide in the U.P. that winter.
This may be the best entry in the Alex McKnight series. I do hope Steve Hamilton doesn't wait another six years before bringing him back again.
This may be the best entry in the Alex McKnight series. I do hope Steve Hamilton doesn't wait another six years before bringing him back again.
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