An investigation into the death of a drug lord in one state
intertwines with the investigation of the murder of a
police officer in another state, with Joe Gunther in the
middle of both.
Unlike many novels depicting murder investigations across
state lines or levels of federal, state, and local
departments, THE CATCH demonstrates positive relationships
across professional lines, a refreshing viewpoint. Despite
being the most recent in the Joe Gunther series and
containing many characters, Mayor's work draws the reader
into the story through quick acclimation into the
environment and careful introduction to each character.
Personal revelations bubble underneath the mystery itself,
but none of the elements of professional and personal
relationships detract from the story line. Joe Gunther is a
multi-layered real-world protagonist who makes it a joy to
follow along with him as he tries to unwind the strands of
the connections among criminals and innocent by-standers.
THE CATCH is a must-read for people who love intricate
crime novels or television shows with the gritty feel of
behind-the-scenes police work.
Joe Gunther, a Vermont cop for most of his adult life and
now the head of the VBI (Vermont Bureau of Investigation)
gets the call that every law enforcement person hates and
every friend and family member of a policeman fears -- a
cop has been shot and killed. A deputy sheriff was shot to
death during a routine traffic stop on a dark country
road. From what can been seen on the cruiser's tape
recorder of the killers, it is believed that they were a
couple of Boston-based drug runners who had been stopped by
the deputy on their way from Canada down to Boston.
Which is what brings Gunther and his team to the
investigation - an attempt to shut down the major drug
running operation. Specially that of one Alan Budney,
disaffected son of a lobsterman, now a drug kingpin, who
uses the closed, clannish lobster fishing community and his
extended family in particular, to move drugs along the New
England coast.