Tucker Peak by Archer Mayor

I was first introduced to Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther series with The Marble Mask, the eleventh novel and theone previous to Tucker Peak. I like the situation that Mayor has created with Gunther in establishing the Vermont Bureau of Investigation (VBI), a sort of red-headed stepchild of Vermont law enforcement agencies. With the VBI, he has introduced the element of conflict and the battle for legitmacy for Gunther and his contemporaries as they try to establish some respect in the hierarchy of Vermont state agencies. I am not familiar with how the different law enforcement entities are structured or how they fit into the overall scheme of Vermont but Mayor's world is exciting. The author is a town constable and he even pokes fun of his own position.

Tucker Peak, to me, was head and shoulders above The Marble Mask. More action/thriller than mystery, it had more page-turning excitement than the previous novel.

Joe Gunther and the VBI are summoned to the ski resort of Tucker Peak to help the local law enforcement investigate a rash of burglaries. Very quickly, it becomes apparent there is more going on than some delinquents looking to score some fast cash. Joe and fellow VBI-er Sammi Martens go undercover since the nature of the break-ins seems to be inside jobs. The resort is also under attack from an environmentalist group, who is benign but may harbor a more violent element.

About two weeks into their assignment a woman is seriously injured during an accident on the ski lift, one that was nearly fatal. Following that, there is a series of sabotage affecting the ski resort and setting back its plans for improvement and upgrades. The environmentalist group is blamed for the sabotage and the suspected mastermind behind the burglaries is nowhere to be found. Nobody has seen him and leads are coming up as dead-ends.

Mayor's writing style flows easily and leans more toward hard-boiled detective fiction. That's what sets his work apart from others I've read. Throughout the novel, Joe Gunther is interacting with other law enforcement people, cajoling, wheeling and dealing to get what he wants and keep VBI's nose in the clear and improve its standing in the state. He also knows how to get what he wants from the criminals, ne-er-do-wells and suspects. He's the perfect go-between among his co-workers at VBI, smoothing ruffled feathers and doling out big brotherly advice to ensure that everyone gets along and does their job. The result is a likeable character that you certainly want on your side.

As I mentioned earlier, Tucker Peak is a level up from the previous novel for action and excitement for fans of cozy whodunits to detective noir and everything in between.