Archer Mayor, The Surrogate Thief

The Surrogate Thief

Archer Mayor

Warner, Oct 2004, $24.95, 304 pp.

ISBN: 089296815X

Thirty-two years ago in Brattlesboro, Vermont, a rookie police detective watches his beloved wife Ellen slowly dies from cancer. Her lingering ailment negatively impacted his work as evinced by the robbery turned murder of storekeeper Klaus Oberfeldt in which evidence pointed to petty thief Pete Shea; Joe Gunther gave it a half-hearted effort, to catch the fleeing Pete, but failed. The case went cold.

In the present, a domestic issue turns ugly when a wife shoots her former husband. Though obviously a local matter, the case comes to Joe's attention because the gun used is the same one that killed Klaus. Always feeling that he failed to do his job because of the distraction, Joe, using his leverage as the chief of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, begins an investigation. When he begins, he is unaware that the two cases will make him reexamine his past tragedy and the impact it has had on him since including how he relates to his longtime lover, Gail Zigman, as she runs for political office.

THE SURROGATE THIEF is the best tale in this highly regarded police procedural series. Besides a terrific investigation into two crimes three decades apart, the novel provides a deep look at the demons haunting the hero dating back to Ellen's slow death. Fans of Joe will appreciate the insight into Ellen, especially her last days, and how that still disturbs him. Readers who enjoy an upfront and personal police investigation tale with a powerful gaze at what has motivated the lead investigator to excel over the years will want to read Archer Mayor's latest thriller.

Harriet Klausner