I
have considered myself a fan of Mike Knowles since I read his first book in his
incredible Wilson series. His writing is well-plotted and well-researched,
leading to captivating books which are meticulous in details and richness. I
was excited to see his latest book, Tin Men, was a departure from the Wilson
series, as I was interested to see how he could handle creating new characters
and new plots.
Tin
Men differs from the Wilson series a great deal. The biggest difference is the
changing from crime novel to a police procedural. I tend to read many crime
novels but few police procedurals, as I find the point of view of the criminal
more entertaining and more noirish. However, Knowles has crafted a procedural
in which the detectives are straddling the thin line between cops and crooks. This
balancing act led to a book which hooked me from the beginning and held my
attention until the very last page.
The
plot is an engaging one; a female cop is found brutally murdered within her
home and her unborn fetus removed from her womb. The cops assigned to
investigate the crime all bring personal baggage to the case.
There
is Os, a brutish cop who is not squeamish about using brutal methods to avenge
victims and seeks justice by all means necessary. He also happens to be the
father of the missing baby, but he keeps this fact close to the vest.
His
partner is Woody, a cop looking to avenge the death of one of his fellow
officers, but also the man struggling to put the ghosts of his dead wife and
child to rest within his heart and his mind. His reliance on illegal drugs is
not making it any easier to quiet the voices in his head, nor is it helping him
in his quest for justice in this case.
The
outsider in the investigation is Dennis, a cop who is always on the outside
circle from the others in blue. He is full of bravado, but his colleagues see
him as a lazy outsider who doesn’t deserve respect or accolades for his
accomplishments. Dennis believes this might be the case which forces those
around him to afford him respect.
This
book is a hell of a page turner and deserves a wide audience. Knowles juggles
the multiple plot lines and points of view with mastery and ease. Each plot
thread propels the story forward and brings it to a satisfying climax. Knowles
is certainly an author you should seek out.
Highly
Recommended.
