I had the extreme privilege of reading yet another of Mark Myheir's fantastic novels. This one, THE NIGHT WATCHMAN, features ex-cop Ray Quinn, as he is drawn into investigating a suspicious death in the Condo where he is working as a night watchman (hence the title).We meet Ray on his way to work, and in doing so find out why he is no longer a detective with the Orlando Police Department. Seems that a year ago he was ambushed when approaching the home of a suspect. He sustained two wounds that left him almost paralyzed. He gets around with a cane these days. His partner wasn't as lucky. Quinn works with an over-anxious guard named Crevis. Motor-mouth would be a better description of him. Tall, thin, and supremely naive, Crevis wants, more than anything, to be a cop. Quinn becomes his hero, much to Ray's annoyance. When he lets in a woman to check in on her brother his world begins to come crashing down on him...again.
Pam, the sister of the now dead minister David (and dead stripper also found in his room), hires Quinn to clear her brother's name and to clear the ministries name. That would be a simple thing if it weren't for a few things. Quinn no longer is on the force, the case has been closed by the lead investigator, his life remains in danger, and everything he does seems to not only bring him closer to the truth, but in a way, further from the answers he needs. To make matters worse, Ray doesn't believe in a God that would let things like this happen. Prayer isn't something he holds of any value. So he resorts to human logic (albeit twisted in some areas). Ray has also grown from a somewhat cynical cop to a downright rude ex-cop. He begins to push away every means of help. Oh, and there's someone on the force that's dirty, so it's not like he can walk in and come clean with anyone on the force.
Quinn has 2 constant friends, "The Duke", whose portrait has a place of honor in his home, and Jim Beam, his strength and pain killer respectively. In this sense it reminds me of an old seedy detective story. Lots of whiskey, pretty women, people who want him dead, and even a sidekick.
The story has plenty of style, reality, action and real life application. I better stop before I give too much away. Just remember, not everything is as it appears. I give Myheir credit for not getting this guy saved somewhere between the pages of this first Ray Quinn book. It would have been too pat, and so out of synch with who Quinn is. Instead Mynheir stays true to his characters. This is a must read for all mystery fans. If I forget to post this on Amazon, just realize that my personal rating would be just above a 4.5, and from me that's more than excellent.
You can purchase his book online at:
ChristianBook
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Random House
He also has a personal site that you might want to check out. When I reviewed THE VOID, by Mark Mynheir, I knew I'd stumbled upon a truly great writer. It was great revisitng him. You can visit him at his site by clicking on his picture below.
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