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SKELETON'S KNEE, THE by Archer Mayor Warner Books, November 1994 $out of print ISBN: 0446400998 Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

THE SKELETONíS KNEE is the 4th book of the Joe Gunther series. This book is a strong, solid addition to this series. Unlike previous books, Gunther is forced to leave his comfort zone (Brattleboro) and go to Chicago in order to solve the mystery. THE SKELETONíS KNEE begins with Joe Gunther receiving a phone call from Beverly Hillstrom, chief medical examiner. She has finished the autopsy of a body that died of an aneurysm, which resulted from a bullet embedded in the spine over twenty years before. Upon searching the dead manís property, Gunther uncovers a skeleton with an artificial knee. The artificial knee leads Gunther from Brattleboro, Vermont to Chicago as he searches for both an identity for the skeleton as well as the cause of death. Once in Chicago, he realizes that his skeleton leads directly to the Outfit (the Mob) and radical protestors from the late 1960s. Gunther needs to solve the mystery in order to protect his life and reputation.

Archer Mayor is a seasoned writer, which is apparent in this book. The characters are well developed and complex, the plotting moves at just the right pace, there are numerous twists and turns to keep the reader guessing and Mayorís understanding of the topic is apparent. The only element that this book does not contain, which appears in the next book of the series (FRUITS OF THE POISONOUS TREE) and lightens as the series continues from that point, is a sense of darkness and hopelessness. All of Mayorís books come with the understanding that regardless of the crime, the police will triumph over the crime and/ or criminal.

THE SKELETONíS KNEE also demonstrates Mayorís ability to describe realistically both a big city and a rural community police department in addition to the two distinctive locales. By using a character that is familiar with both the big city and the rural community, Mayor saves his writing from the trap of criticizing one location while raving about the other. Guntherís descriptions convey both the positive and negative elements of Chicago and Brattleboro.

Although certainly a lessor known author, Archer Mayor will play strongly in the genre of police procedurals as THE SKELETONíS KNEE demonstrates.

Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, September 2002

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)

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