Mark Mynheir's The Corruptible ~ Reviewed

The Corruptible: A Ray Quinn Mystery

Mark Mynheir

Paperback: 352 pages

Publisher: Multnomah Books (April 5, 2011)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1601420749

How much money would it take for you to betray the truth?

Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator—but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That’s something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that’s about the best he can hope for.

As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who’s taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray’s world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.

In what should be an open-and-shut case, Ray stumbles across Logan Ramsey in a seedy motel room. Only Ray wasn’t the first to find him. Now Logan’s dead, the client’s information is nowhere to be found, and Ray’s employer is less than forthcoming with the details. Suddenly the line between the good guys and bad guys isn’t so clear. With a foot in both worlds and an illuminating look at an unhappy ending that could well be his own, which will Ray choose?

Review:

The Night Watchmen Detective Agency is in business. At the helm are the dynamic duo of Ray Quinn and Crevis.

Ray still struggles with his war wounds from his stint as a homicide detective. Crevis has a few challenges of his own. But they have the desire to overcome their struggles and catch the bad guys. A new job comes knocking and flashing some serious money. Simply find an ex-cop who took off with sensitive financial information. Simple, straightforward and those tempting big bucks.

But as Ray knows, there really is no such thing as simple. And while this cat and mouse drama goes on, Ray is finding out that his best friend Jim maybe isn’t a friend at all.

I love Mynheir’s writing. Tense, taut and action rich, but with a depth that builds terrific characters. The fact that Mynheir’s writing comes from hands-on experience adds another dimension. If it’s in one of his books, you can be pretty certain it’s authentic procedure (at least in one state). If you love cop books, mysteries and/or wounded heroes this is one that you’ll need to add to your library.

Reviewed by: Kelly Klepfer