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jwilly19's review
3.0
Enjoyable, though a little cliched. Protagonist is appealing but also conveniently escapes every jam. I was also a little troubled by the negative and simplistic depiction of the black criminals in this story. Maybe the author gets better about this as the series goes on. I hope so.
julie7's review against another edition
2.0
2⭐ = Below Average.
Audio.
I've read another by the same author and enjoyed it... but despite this being from the same series, it wasn't great at all. The plot was acceptable but not captivating.
The narrator's voice was absolutely dreadful. It was as if he was shouting all the time, with short stilted sentences. I so wish that I had read a physical copy, as I might have been able to immerse myself in the storyline if I had.
Audio.
I've read another by the same author and enjoyed it... but despite this being from the same series, it wasn't great at all. The plot was acceptable but not captivating.
The narrator's voice was absolutely dreadful. It was as if he was shouting all the time, with short stilted sentences. I so wish that I had read a physical copy, as I might have been able to immerse myself in the storyline if I had.
boleary30's review
3.0
Went back and read the first of the series since I like a later one so much. As often happens you can see the seeds of potential, but it is not as good as later ones.
wolson's review
3.0
Maybe 3.5 stars. Decent murder mystery set in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. Author has been favorably compared to some other noir/detective mystery writers such as Raymond Chandler. I will likely read more of his stuff.
ncrabb's review against another edition
If you read this, you will experience a snapshot of the life of the fictional detective Rushmore McKenzie. He used to be a cop in Minneapolis, but you learn in the prologue about the circumstances that caused him to walk away from that job and embark on a career as a private investigator. He has no actual license to do that job, but if they get nasty about it, he can walk away from that as well. He certainly has enough money. Read the prologue for details.
Mac McKenzie is one of the most likable fictional detectives you'll meet anywhere. He lives alone, and he is coming off a hard landing from a bad relationship. He is if nothing else a survivor. You will see that as you read this book. He gets a call one day from a distressed family in a town not far from the Twin Cities. Their nine-year-old daughter has Leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant from a relative, she will surely die. The problem is, her older sister, Jamie, left the town upon graduation from high school and never came back. The family begs Mac to find the older sister in time to benefit the younger one. He agrees, and the adventure begins! What seems like a simple cut-and-dried case becomes anything but. Before this book ends, the dead bodies will pile up. Mac is responsible for some of those bodies. But he had no choice, as you will see if you read it.
I admire the talent of this author very much. He pulls together several intriguing and interesting plot lines that join well at the end. I didn't see the final solution coming. That's always satisfying. There are also vivid scenes here in which you assume that all is hopeless for poor Mac McKenzie. I love authors who can craft that kind of scenario. It's a wonderful conflict. You can't see how that poor person is ever going to get out of that jam, and yet you know somehow it must happen since you are still several minutes or even longer away from the end of the book. I'm always impressed by anyone who can make those things come together without tweaking my disbelief meter too much.
In short, this is worth the time you'll spend reading it. If you do the audio edition, the narrator is phenomenal. He is perfect for the main character. There are no falsettos here, there are no stupid accents, it's just a glorious straight read with just enough drama built into it to draw you into the book without the messenger distracting you.
Mac McKenzie is one of the most likable fictional detectives you'll meet anywhere. He lives alone, and he is coming off a hard landing from a bad relationship. He is if nothing else a survivor. You will see that as you read this book. He gets a call one day from a distressed family in a town not far from the Twin Cities. Their nine-year-old daughter has Leukemia. Without a bone marrow transplant from a relative, she will surely die. The problem is, her older sister, Jamie, left the town upon graduation from high school and never came back. The family begs Mac to find the older sister in time to benefit the younger one. He agrees, and the adventure begins! What seems like a simple cut-and-dried case becomes anything but. Before this book ends, the dead bodies will pile up. Mac is responsible for some of those bodies. But he had no choice, as you will see if you read it.
I admire the talent of this author very much. He pulls together several intriguing and interesting plot lines that join well at the end. I didn't see the final solution coming. That's always satisfying. There are also vivid scenes here in which you assume that all is hopeless for poor Mac McKenzie. I love authors who can craft that kind of scenario. It's a wonderful conflict. You can't see how that poor person is ever going to get out of that jam, and yet you know somehow it must happen since you are still several minutes or even longer away from the end of the book. I'm always impressed by anyone who can make those things come together without tweaking my disbelief meter too much.
In short, this is worth the time you'll spend reading it. If you do the audio edition, the narrator is phenomenal. He is perfect for the main character. There are no falsettos here, there are no stupid accents, it's just a glorious straight read with just enough drama built into it to draw you into the book without the messenger distracting you.
bookworm42's review
3.0
This book magically showed up on my bookshelf so I thought I would give it a go. It is the male equivalent of a Nora Roberts novel. A basic murder action book, seriously easy read but for the time investment a decent read when you are looking for something light and brain candy like.
ericwelch's review against another edition
4.0
Faced with the possibility of having to turn in an embezzler and come away with nothing or leave the police department and collect a huge finders fee from the insurance company, St. Paul detective Rushmore MacKenzie chooses the latter. Now he works similar to [a:Lawrence Block|17613|Lawrence Block|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1303856083p2/17613.jpg]’s Scudder: he has no license but does things to help people. In this story he’s been hired to find the sister of a girl who needs a transplant. Jamie Carlson had left home at 18 (never satisfactorily explained) never to return, after graduating high school, and now they need to see if she’s a match for her younger sister, Stacy who needs a bone marrow transplant.
MacKenzie finds the sister quickly enough. She’s married, with a child, TC, to a used car salesman in St. Paul who is involved with a rather shadowy group of elite businessmen who all made their money selling at a discount. He tells her of the need to be tested for the transplant, and she agrees to go home but is viciously murdered before she can. Mac’s oldest friend is a homicide detective on the St. Paul police force and he’s working on a case that’s soon linked to Jamie’s death, not to mention the involvement of the ATF and FBI.
As with any first book in a series, there are some loose ends and the occasional requirement to suspend credulity (what Mac does with a concussion at the end of the book defies belief despite its explanation). Nevertheless, a good read.
I discovered Housewright after reading Penance, one of the Holland Taylor series. This new series, featuring Rushmore MacKenzie shows promise, and I’ve already started on [b:Tin City|628590|Tin City (Mac McKenzie, #2)|David Housewright|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348714823s/628590.jpg|1771740], second in the series.
MacKenzie finds the sister quickly enough. She’s married, with a child, TC, to a used car salesman in St. Paul who is involved with a rather shadowy group of elite businessmen who all made their money selling at a discount. He tells her of the need to be tested for the transplant, and she agrees to go home but is viciously murdered before she can. Mac’s oldest friend is a homicide detective on the St. Paul police force and he’s working on a case that’s soon linked to Jamie’s death, not to mention the involvement of the ATF and FBI.
As with any first book in a series, there are some loose ends and the occasional requirement to suspend credulity (what Mac does with a concussion at the end of the book defies belief despite its explanation). Nevertheless, a good read.
I discovered Housewright after reading Penance, one of the Holland Taylor series. This new series, featuring Rushmore MacKenzie shows promise, and I’ve already started on [b:Tin City|628590|Tin City (Mac McKenzie, #2)|David Housewright|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348714823s/628590.jpg|1771740], second in the series.
northstar's review
3.0
A St. Paul cop named Rushmore McKenzie comes into a large sum of money and begins "helping" people on the side (shorthand for "not a licensed PI"). An acquaintance asks him to search for his long-lost older daughter, because his younger daughter has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. This somehow morphs into a gangs-and-guns hardboiled story.
The plot kept me curious, although I guessed one element pretty quickly. But Housewright tries to make McKenzie both tough and funny and neither one comes off perfectly. It was fun to read about the various neighborhoods and streets in my home city but while I accept that crime and organized crime occur everywhere, I just didn't buy into the concept of St. Paul noir.
I might read another in the series but this one was more violent than the books I prefer.
The plot kept me curious, although I guessed one element pretty quickly. But Housewright tries to make McKenzie both tough and funny and neither one comes off perfectly. It was fun to read about the various neighborhoods and streets in my home city but while I accept that crime and organized crime occur everywhere, I just didn't buy into the concept of St. Paul noir.
I might read another in the series but this one was more violent than the books I prefer.