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Mayor, who writes the highly atmospheric Vermont mystery series starring Joe Gunther, investigator with Vermont's major-crimes unit, mixes the personal with the criminal in this eighteenth Gunther novel. The action starts in Dartmouth, New Hampshire, where Joe's mother, who uses a wheelchair, and his brother, a butcher, suffer serious injuries in a car crash. Joe's brother suspects foul play, and Joe's investigation into the vagaries of auto mechanics bears this out, along with the suspicion that the owner of the machine shop, whose son committed suicide after Joe's investigative work sent him to prison, is trying to get to Joe through his family. Joe juggles his family investigation with a double-homicide case in Brattleboro in which two men, with no identification on them, are found murdered. The chat of the title refers to Internet predators, who figure into the crimes. Many chapters begin with a slice of chat from different people; as a device, it's tedious and feels tacked on. This isn't one of the best in the series, but Mayor's many fans will be interested nonetheless.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2007 Booklist

Relationships always drive Mayor's plots, but never more so than in this intricate, suspense-filled 18th Joe Gunther novel (after 2006's The Second Mouse). When Gunther's mother and brother are almost killed in a suspicious car accident, he helps Deputy Sheriff Rob Barrows narrow in on a local, lawless family with a grievance against the Gunthers. Meanwhile, the investigation of two similar but seemingly unrelated deaths leads Gunther's colleagues at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation to online chat rooms where older men pick up teen girls. Gunther's former lover, Gail Zigman, makes an appearance, but Lyn Silva, last seen in 2004's The Surrogate Thief, takes center stage as his new love interest. This book takes Gunther all over Vermont, offering occasional breaks from the tension with evocative descriptions of mountains and snow. Though Mayor is considered a regional writer, his books intelligently deal with subjects of national concern, and Gunther's crime-solving skills and personal charisma have broad appeal. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

On the same night that an unidentified body of a man is found floating in a lake near Brattleboro, VT, detective Joe Gunther must leave his investigative team at the scene and return to his hometown, where his mother and brother have been seriously injured in an automobile accident. The 18th case in Mayor's outstanding series is one of the hardest for Gunther because it becomes apparent that someone is trying to kill his loved ones. Torn between his loyalty to his coworkers and his commitment to his family, he discovers that people rise to the occasion and offer help in unexpected ways. All the ingredients for a great mystery are here: fast pacing, a believable plot, a plausible solution, and characters so real they walk off the pages. Mayor's books just get better and better. Don't miss this one. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Happy families, unhappy families, bloodthirsty families...suddenly Special Agent Joe Gunther is hip-deep in family business. There's nothing much new about a snowy night in Vermont, but on this one Joe Gunther's mom and brother come close to killing themselves. "It was the car, not the road," whispers Leo Gunther just before going into a coma. And since his brother is famously car crazy, car savvy and almost obsessively careful, his remark sets Joe thinking. And investigating. It's not long before the notorious Griffis family casts its dark shadow. Years earlier, Joe had arrested young Andy Griffis, who went to prison and subsequently killed himself. His volatile brother, who swore vengeance, had access to Leo's car and could have tinkered with it. Meanwhile, two mysteriously similar murders preoccupy the hard-pressed cops at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation. Were the vics the Internet predators they appear to have been? If so, should the VBI be checking out the possibility of other vengeful families? "Family, family, family," says a VBI colleague plaintively. "I mean, what do you get out of the whole deal?" The answer: "I guess we just do the best we can." After 18 installments (St. Albans Fire, 2005, etc.), Gunther's adventures remain as consistently readable as anything in the genre. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Mayor, who writes the highly atmospheric Vermont mystery series starring Joe Gunther, investigator with Vermont's major-crimes unit, mixes the personal with the criminal in this eighteenth Gunther novel. The action starts in Dartmouth, New Hampshire, where Joe's mother, who uses a wheelchair, and his brother, a butcher, suffer serious injuries in a car crash. Joe's brother suspects foul play, and Joe's investigation into the vagaries of auto mechanics bears this out, along with the suspicion that the owner of the machine shop, whose son committed suicide after Joe's investigative work sent him to prison, is trying to get to Joe through his family. Joe juggles his family investigation with a double-homicide case in Brattleboro in which two men, with no identification on them, are found murdered. The "chat" of the title refers to Internet predators, who figure into the crimes. Many chapters begin with a slice of chat from different people; as a device, it's tedious and feels tacked on. This isn't one of the best in the series, but Mayor's many fans will be interested nonetheless. Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.

On the same night that an unidentified body of a man is found floating in a lake near Brattleboro, VT, detective Joe Gunther must leave his investigative team at the scene and return to his hometown, where his mother and brother have been seriously injured in an automobile accident. The 18th case in Mayor's outstanding series is one of the hardest for Gunther because it becomes apparent that someone is trying to kill his loved ones. Torn between his loyalty to his coworkers and his commitment to his family, he discovers that people rise to the occasion and offer help in unexpected ways. All the ingredients for a great mystery are here: fast pacing, a believable plot, a plausible solution, and characters so real they walk off the pages. Mayor's books just get better and better. Don't miss this one.

Relationships always drive Mayor's plots, but never more so than in this intricate, suspense-filled 18th Joe Gunther novel (after 2006's The Second Mouse). When Gunther's mother and brother are almost killed in a suspicious car accident, he helps Deputy Sheriff Rob Barrows narrow in on a local, lawless family with a grievance against the Gunthers. Meanwhile, the investigation of two similar but seemingly unrelated deaths leads Gunther's colleagues at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation to online chat rooms where older men pick up teen girls. Gunther's former lover, Gail Zigman, makes an appearance, but Lyn Silva, last seen in 2004's The Surrogate Thief, takes center stage as his new love interest. This book takes Gunther all over Vermont, offering occasional breaks from the tension with evocative descriptions of mountains and snow. Though Mayor is considered a regional writer, his books intelligently deal with subjects of national concern, and Gunther's crime-solving skills and personal charisma have broad appeal. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.