Lowertown

by Richard A Thompson MD

Overview

Herman Jackson is a former bookie and small-time racketeer from Detroit trying to live down his shady past by running a legitimate bail bond business in St. Paul, but it is January, and definitely the winter of his discontent. Somebody has used his name and license without his consent, or even knowledge, to bail out a vicious killer who immediately disappears. The only solid lead Jackson has is a laptop computer found in the killer's apartment which contains details of vicious crimes, past and future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781938473098
Publisher:	Forty Press
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Series:	Herman Jackson Mystery
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.52(d)

Editorial Reviews

10/28/2013
In Thompson’s suspenseful third mystery featuring St Paul, Minn., bail bondsman Herman Jackson (after 2009’s Frag Box), public defender Trish Hanover goes missing after her latest client, Ray Valento, a recidivist sex offender and suspected serial killer, makes bail when someone posts a phony bond in Jackson’s name. While the police appear strangely uninterested, the bondsman is left to pursue leads on his own in the bitter cold of winter. Enlisting the help of old friend “Wide Track” Wilkie, new love Naomi Ford, and an eccentric savant known as the Prophet, Jackson tracks the fugitive into the heart of the gritty, industrial part of the city known as Lowertown. It soon becomes clear that Valento isn’t acting alone, and that the killers will do anything to keep Jackson from discovering the truth. Crisp prose and characters with soul complement a plot that occasionally demands a suspension of disbelief but keeps the reader engaged until the end. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

12/01/2013
In St. Paul, MN, bail bondsman Herman Jackson takes his reputation seriously, so when someone forges his bond to get Ray Valento, a "garden-variety sociopath" out of jail, Herman is determined to find the villains. He's particularly worried because an assistant DA, Trish Hanover, is now missing, and she fits the profile of Valento's victims. Herman connects with his best buddy and bounty hunter, Wide Track Wilkie, and the duo assemble a team to find Valento, his accomplice, and, hopefully, Trish. On the streets, Herman gets close enough to the action to get bashed in the head, but the bad guys are moving further afield. Turns out Valento came from a remote area of northern Wisconsin, and snowmobiles will be the vehicles of choice for the final leg of a dramatic showdown. VERDICT Witty isn't easy to do when your story involves chasing a serial killer, but Thompson has that magic touch. His third series entry (after Frag Box) is one to grab for those looking for a dark, fast-paced, and sardonic read. A good choice for Chris Knopf, Howard Shrier, or Tom MacDonald fans.

Library Journal