Presumption of Guilt
A Joe Gunther Novel
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
A forty-year-old skeleton is found encased in a concrete slab at a recently decommissioned nuclear energy site. It becomes a case for the Vermont Bureau of Investigation (VBI) and its leader, Joe Gunther, since they have the resources and the ability to investigate an old, very cold, missing persons case that has now been reclassified as murder. The victim was Hank Mitchell, and Gunther must chase down old rumors and speculations—who benefited from his death and the disappearance of his body? And was his death somehow tied to New York City mafia money being laundered through the construction project?
But what seems the coldest of cold cases roars back to life when one of the central figures in this mystery is shot to death, right after speaking with Gunther. And when a young police officer—the son of VBI investigator Lester Spinney—is kidnapped, is that meant to be a warning to the VBI team to drop the case?
After all these many years, the truth behind the murder still has to the power to kill, and it’s up to Gunther and his team to capture the living and finally put the dead to rest.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A cold case heats up Mayor's excellent 27th Joe Gunther novel (after 2015's The Company She Kept), set in and around Brattleboro, Vt. When roofer Henry "Hank" Mitchell went missing in 1970, most assumed he'd abandoned his family and moved west to join the free love movement; 40 years later, though, his body is discovered inside a concrete slab at the decommissioned Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, leaving special agent Joe Gunther and his team at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation to solve the man's now decades-old homicide. The subsequent murder of Hank's old business partner and the kidnapping of VBI investigator Lester Spinney's son suggest Hank's killer is still at large and won't go down without a fight. Evocative prose, a strong sense of place, and a simple yet satisfying conclusion elevate this expertly crafted whodunit. Trip-wire tension complements intelligent detective work, fascinating forensics, and an airtight plot; the rich shared history of Mayor's deftly drawn ensemble cast adds texture and depth without leaving new readers in the dark.
