by Archer Mayor
Part of Joe Gunther, book 23
First published 2012
Joe Gunther leads the Vermont Bureau of Investigation as reports pile up about burglaries across the state. The thieves target electronics like flatscreens and computers, but they also steal antiques and jewelry. In Boston, an elderly woman walks into her Beacon Hill home and catches burglars in the act. They kill her brutally. Boston police discover the stolen goods match what disappeared in Vermont. Both sets of items appear headed to the same buyer. Word spreads that someone with money and power collects these specific pieces in Northampton, Massachusetts, known as "Paradise City." Gunther joins forces with Boston investigators to track down the operation. The murdered woman's niece arrives seeking her own form of justice. Three different groups converge on Northampton with the same target but different ideas about punishment. Each wants to solve the mystery, but their methods for dealing with the criminals vary drastically.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement
Setting: Vermont, Boston, Northampton, Beacon Hill
Period: Contemporary
306 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: violence