Ticket 2 Ride

One of my favorite mystery writers is the English-born attorney James Patrick Hunt, whose novels are based in the American Midwest.

Born in Surrey, England, but grew up in Oklahoma and Baltimore, he attended St. Louis University, and earned his law degree at Marquette University. 

Hunt’s writing style is economic, factual and avoids any flowery use of language or overwrought mystery-speak. Less is more.

How do I find Hunt’s writing? Looking through new mystery books and discovering his character Maitland.

Evan Maitland, a seller of antiques and as a bounty hunter part-time after being bounced off the Chicago police force fake charges. I thought of the English sleuth Lovejoy. Antiques and mystery solving. Maitland and Lovejoy have little in common besides their love of antique furniture, but I enjoyed whatever Maitland book I started with.

Maitland (2005), Maitland Under Siege (2006), Maitland’s Reply (2009), Get Maitland (2011)

Then came police Lt. George Hastings of St. Louis, Missouri. St. fucking Louis? That’s an odd place. Hunt seems to know the region like the back of his English hand. Chicago is his other fav location, the old neighborhoods, cultural history, and sense of corruption.

If Hunt has a niche, it’s his ability to spin interesting stories in offbeat places involving characters that don’t fit the crime novel stereotypes.

The Betrayers (2007), Goodbye Sister Disco (2008), The Assailant (2009), The Silent Places (2010).

Hastings was introduced in The Betrayers. A divorced, single father, who would develop a relationship with an attorney, and navigate the familiar territory of a daughter, ex-wife, new girlfriend, and a demanding job. Hastings is not the typical noir cop, particularly one in authority. He’s divorced, but not because of the job, as his wife found a bigger earner. He’s not an alcoholic or a burnout. Hastings is a supportive, but watchful leader, and he is methodical as an investigator. He’s like countless other real life middle manager cops trying to be an effective leader while coping with the police bureaucracy and public attention to solve cases.

The plot is this: Two cops are gunned down at a routine traffic stop, that was in fact an execution. A multi-jurisdictional task force puts Hastings in charge of the fast-moving investigation. The story takes some strange turns as the real reason for the murders comes into focus.

Goodbye Sister Disco finds Hastings on the case of kidnappers who take the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The kidnappers keep the police in the dark, and on the run, as the plan goes awry. There are no usual suspects in this caper.

The Assailant has Hastings on the trail of a killer who targets certain types of women. The murders mounts, and the type of victims changes, increasing the focus and fear of case.

The killer is someone that flies under the radar, but who Hastings is alerted to, and vice versa. A bit of cat and mouse.

The Silent Places is the last of the Hastings series. This is in my opinion, the least believable of the George Hastings books. Hunt ventures into David Baldacci territory with the wild plot and the villain. I can’t offer an explanation of why the story is so high-powered; constructed a bit differently, the plot might have been less sensational and the villain less of a Rambo-type character.

I will hand it to Hunt that his knowledge of police organizations and how law enforcement personnel interact with each other is spot-on.

At the end of the day, Hunt is a fine writer. He takes the reader to the criminal underbelly in his stories, painting real and original characters, a modern noir. His characters are smart, but not smart aleck. They are interesting and never cliches. Hunt has a talent for dissecting people, probably his legal training, and it makes his characters real and engaging.

Hunt has written other books, which I will talk about in an upcoming blog.