5. Night Hunter by E. D. Ward

#1 Harry Circus - ME State Trooper
read on my iPhone
2017, Piscatuqua Press
208 pgs.
Adult Murder Mystery/Police Procedural
Finished 1/9/18
Goodreads rating: 3.5 - 2 ratings
My rating:  2
Setting: Downeast "Berryville," Maine, 1980's?

First line/s:  "The beat-up old Jeep Wagoneer labored to climb the hill that led to what the locals called 'The Bog' in the small town of Berryville, Maine."

My comments:  I was quite excited to read of this murder mystery set in Downeast Maine, but it was riddled with problems.  I DID like the story, and although it was written in a choppy, weird manner, I didn't really mind that part.  It was different, almost set out like an outline but the real "writing" never happened.  There were so many things for me to dislike.  In no particular order:  I never got a sense of where Downeast this took place.  There were mentions of Machias, and driving to Augusta and Bangor.  Yes, the blueberry bogs, but nothing to give me a picture of the setting.  Disappointing.  There was nowhere near enough information about each of the "main" characters.  Pat and Marge were completely fascinating, and I would have read a book about just them.  But.....how old were they?  Other than their standard outfits, what did they look like?  They had no income and lived on poached meat, but how did they buy all the rifle shells, beer, and tobacco?  Very exasperating:  every character, when speaking to another (and there was a lot of dialogue) said the other person's name.  Every time.  Constantly.  Ugh! And now to Harry Circus himself.  That is a HORRIBLE surname for a protagonist.  HORRIBLE!  We actually know very little about him.  He is obsessed with keeping his wife, Annie, happy, and is overly lovey dovey with her.  Too much of that, yuck.  Unneeded.  How old are they? They were friends with the murdered banker?  How?  Were they close in age?  He loves to drive fast.  He has a bit of compassion in him, but is frequently unkind to others, especially his subordinates.  He drinks a lot of coffee, as does everyone we encounter in this book. 

All in all, this book is a good outline for a better book.  A first attempt outline.  I'm surprised that it actually has been printed in book and Kindle format.  There's a second installment already available, Across the Singing Bridge.  I actually think I'm going to read it to see if Marge and Pat return.  It has no reviews on Goodreads.  None.  What am I in for?

Goodreads synopsis: E.D. Ward’s first novel in the Harry Circus mystery series is a story of unforgettable suspense from the dramatic opening to the bloody finish. In rural Down East Maine, a seasoned State Trooper, Harry Circus, is driven to solve the most gruesome murder he’s ever investigated. The body of Lester Sawyer, local banker and good friend of Harry’s, is found disemboweled and partially skinned on the remote blueberry barrens, north of the small town of Berryville. 
Tension mounts as Harry, with the help of his counterpart, Constable Ralph Bailey, follows the scent of the murderer to the brutal end where he discovers the long-kept secret of a mother and daughter.  NOTE FROM MUDDY PUDDLE:  This last line is not at all correct!