The Sniper's Wife (Joe Gunther Series) FROM THE PUBLISHER
"The call to Detective Willy Kunkle came from the NYPD. Willy's ex-wife, Mary, had been found dead in her New York apartment and he was asked to provide the next-of-kin ID. Although he hadn't been in touch with Mary since their divorce, Willy knew he was the only one left to vouch for her remains." "Now, years after fleeing the city, Willy returns laden with misgivings that are deepened all the more by seeing Mary's pathetic corpse on a gurney. With a fresh puncture mark in her arm and heroin still in the syringe, the police think she overdosed. But while the evidence is compelling, Willy's instincts tell him something is missing." "Driven by his loss, his doubts, and a blossoming guilt, Willy defies the authorities in an increasingly dangerous search for answers along New York's mean streets. Pulled deeper and deeper into a past before Vermont, before the drunken abuse he inflicted on Mary, before his abandonment of his family and friends, Willy encounters his ghosts from Vietnam where he was known as "the sniper," a lethal loner who struck without mercy." From gutted slums to the town houses of Brooklyn Heights, Willy Kunkle will plummet through the dark shadows of his past, confront his demons... and live up to his menacing nickname.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
This intricate, first-rate thriller delves into the troubled past of Mayor's most complex character, Detective Willy Kunkle, of Joe Gunther's Vermont Bureau of Investigation. When Kunkle learns that his ex-wife Mary overdosed on heroin in Manhattan, he hastens there to identify her body. Suspecting murder, he convinces Ward Ogden, a high-ranking NYPD detective, to reopen the case. In tracing Mary's life in New York, Kunkle revisits his own Manhattan childhood, membership in the NYPD, the trauma of Vietnam and strained relations with his dysfunctional family. When he's arrested during a raid on an illegal club, Joe and Detective Sammie Martens, Kunkle's lover, come to New York, and the two country cops prove they're as astute as their city counterparts. As the plot becomes more convoluted but never confusing Kunkle's quest for Mary's killer parallels Ogden's and Joe's. A harrowing chase through New England leads them all to the defunct Portsmouth Naval Prison in New Hampshire and a heart-stopping finale. Mayor's understanding of human behavior makes his tortured protagonist an unforgettable character. His powers of description not confined to Vermont, the author imbues well-known and obscure New York neighborhoods with a sparkling sense of place. A riveting plot and exceptional writing will surely enhance Mayor's reputation. (Oct. 22) FYI: Mayor's last Joe Gunther mystery was Tucker Peak (Forecasts, Oct. 15, 2001). Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Fans of Mayor�s sturdy Brattleboro series (Tucker Peak, 2001, etc.) know Willy Kunkle as the stormy petrel of Joe Gunther�s Vermont Bureau of Investigation. But Mayor�s series hero likes Willy and has always supported him, enduring his quirkiness for the sake of his talent. Now, however, Joe�s loyalty is about to be severely tested. Wild Willy�s own case begins with a phone call that sends him flagrantly AWOL. The call, from a New York cop, informs Willy of the sudden demise of his ex-wife and asks whether he can make his way to the city to identify her body. Willie ID�s her, all right, then proceeds to ID her cause of death as something other than accidental. Turns out the former Mrs. Kunkle was deeply involved in a good many complicated, illegal activities, including blackmail, the enterprise that eventually got her snuffed. Driven by his own peculiar code of honor, Willy mounts an investigation that is both unorthodox and lethal, sending out bad guys in body bags at a pace that does nothing to endear him to local law enforcement. Still, he does solve the case and even gains an insight or two into the mystery of Willy Kunkle. And Joe, accompanied by Detective Sammy Martens, Willy�s patient and understanding lover, arrives in time to extricate him from the NYPD�s tender mercies.
Wild Willy holds the stage well enough, but those sharp, edgy Brattleboro portraits, series mainstays until now, will be missed.
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