"An exciting , refreshing and unique mystery"
Though Vermont's TUCKER PEAK is popular in a small way
by the ski crowd, the owners of the resort know they must
expand or declare bankruptcy. The announced plan quickly
runs into an environmental nightmare as protesters arrive
to stop any further development of the pristine mountain. At about the same time, a series of crippling robberies
push the TUCKER PEAK ownership closer to shutting down the
ski lodge. However, the state knows the importance of
tourist money especially from the ski industry. So when
the local law enforcement asks for help, the Vermont Bureau
of Investigation sends its best, Joe Gunther, to
investigate the felons. Joe quickly determines the
identity of the thief, but the individual is missing and
his girlfriend murdered. Joe concludes that several of the
environmentalists could not care less about hugging a tree
let alone a mountaintop as they have something else in mind
that could kill the dedicated police officer. TUCKER PEAK is a hard-boiled detective story with the
added twist that it occurs on an isolated Vermont
mountain. The who-done-it is solved rapidly and easily
only to lead to another who-done-it and several why-done-
its. Joe feels out of place in this backdrop, as he seems
more like an inner city blue collar cop, but that adds
layers of personality to the tale as Archer Mayor has done
in his previous Gunther novels. This is another winning
story in a series in which all the novels are worth reading. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted October 21, 2001
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