Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Review: King Maybe

King Maybe cover
 I always like a rogue, so the Junior Bender mysteries are catnip tp me. He's a burglar
who constantly finds himself burgling for other crooks, the incentive being that they won't kill him. And those are the ones he's friendly with. And unfortunately for him, their motives for hiring him are not always apparent. So he always has to keep one step ahead of ...well, everybody.

     In this installment, we start right in the middle of a burglary. Which is a setup. Which results in his being chased by pro killers. And leads to another burglary--which is also a setup. And leads to another...well, a Junior Bender mystery usually winds up miles from where it started, with Junior up against the clock to wrap up all the subplots by the last page.

    Luckily, Junior has accumulated a wonderful cast of supporting characters by now, from Lost Louie to Stinky the fence to his teen-age daughter to his mysterious main squeeze. They give Tim Hallinan lots of room for witty banter and ethical musings.

     I will say that this one was a little bloodier than I like, but that shouldn't ruin your reading. It certainly won't ruin mine. I'm queuing up Junior's next adventure.

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