A Matter of Motive (Avalon Mystery)

By Michael Hachey

Book Overview

When Dexter Loomis accepts the position of police chief in the resort town of Higgins Point, he suspects that he may be in over his head. A week later, when he's staring at the dead body of the mayor's daughter, he's sure of it. Lacking any real police training, Dexter turns to an old friend, seasoned homicide detective Ann Summer, for guidance. Ann has her father's recent suicide to deal with, but she also has a thirst for justice, and agrees to help. Together they delve into the underside of the bucolic little Wisconsin town, uncovering a variety of suspects--along with blackmail, embezzlement, drugs, and murder--until the clues put Ann on the trail to truth about her father, while she and Dexter find themselves directly in the path of the killer.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803496885
• ISBN13: 9780803496880
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 1.0" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Hachey Captures Small-town Murder Scene

Michael Hachey has written a winner on his first try. While the plot could be a bit tighter, Hachey gives us characters who ring true and are a delight to follow. The relationship between the main characters is wonderful and believable. Dexter Loomis is a somewhat unwilling and completely inexperienced police chief, and Ann Summer is a very experienced and well-connected state crime bureau detective. While the reader expects them to become lovers, it doesn't happen, and the result has a ring of truth as well as relief. Ann's partner while not an original character, is funny and tough, and Dexter's paramedic friend is a good and original sounding board for the new chief. The other characters in the book, however, are the people who can be found in small towns anywhere in the country, and that's what really makes this book a fun read. From bankers to plumbers, from waitresses to the town bad-boy, Hachey has them all wired. The result is a fun read about a man trying to do his best for his neighbors and not really trusting himself as he tries to solve a crime that would rock any small town to its foundations. Publisher's Weekly says a sequel will not be anticipated, but they're wrong and completely out of touch with those readers who enjoy leaving the big cities for the heartland of America. Plenty of readers will want to know what happens when Dexter and Ann meet again.