Occam's Razor (Joe Gunther Series, Vol. 10)

Archie Mayor is an amazing story tellerGreat story and profound and relatable charactersHe makes Vermont a very likeable state

I am a fan of this series, although I guess in a way, I have just begun to stick my toe in the water. This is the third in the series I have read, and author Archer Mayor has published about 30 novels about his Vermont based detective Joe Gunther. In this one Joe is trying to connect the dots between two seemingly unrelated events, one, an incident where a dead body was left on a railroad track and a later double murder, as well as learn if there is any connection to a gubernatorial candidate. I will say the book had a sub plot that I found distracting, as the state legislature is grappling with a plan to reform, or overhaul police agencies throughout the state, and Joe is somewhat unrealistically called in to testify. I feel silly complaining about police procedures intruding on what is after all a police procedural, but I feel more attention should have been paid to the case at hand. But I certainly recommend the book and the series.

Great as always. This fast paced mystery is interesting and engaging and has left us (my mother and me) coming back for more! I've already bought the next one in the series and never want it to end! (Although the title was off-putting to my elderly mother for some strange reason).I "A" is for Alibi (The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mysteries)  also enjoyed Sue Grafton's "Alphabet Mystery Series" and Mark Giminez  The Color of Law: A Novel  - but beware, some of his books are about politics, which is fine if you like that kind of thing, but not if you are expecting a good legal novel.If you are looking for exciting adventure books for kids / teenagers, my mother recommends Jake Johnson And The Half Bloods (Quest 1)  Jake Johnson And The Half Bloods (Quest 1) (Jake Johnson And The Greek Gods)  and its sequel Jake Johnson And The Journey To Olympus (Quest 2)  Jake Johnson And The Journey To Olympus (Quest 2) (Jake Johnson And The Greek Gods) (Previously Published as "The God Of War") For even younger readers (6 to 9 years) try Mustachio Gets Kidnapped  Mustachio Gets Kidnapped (Mustachio and Puppy Grace) , which is a really cute story with a good moral about helping those in need. The hero of the book is a very imaginative creature which is a blue puppy with wings and a unicorn horn! And she is not just pretty, but great at rescuing a friend in trouble!

Brattleboro, VT - home to Joe Gunther and his live in love Gail is the scene of two seemingly unconnected murders. A homeless man is dumped on the tracks and run over by the train and a young mother and her child are killed in a seedy part of town. Turns out the homeless man wasn't and the child was innocent but mom was far from it....The investigations play out against the backdrop of a bill introduced in the Vermont legislature by one of Brattleboro's own that would eliminate the sixty eight separate policing agencies in the state and create one agency - the VBI, Vermont Bureau of Investigation. The bill is unpopular with every cop, sheriff and detective.And layered on all of this is the widening gap between Joe and Gail - her job at the State's Attorney is not what she wants and Joe is afraid he is not what she wants.Mayor ties all the pieces together and develops the series in the process. This installment does not have any huge twists or turns but seemlessly melds the story with character development. A must for readers of the series.

Very pleased with my purchase.

Those who prefer the more slam-bam action-filled books, will probably not like this title. A side plot involves Vermont police politics as one senator wants to combine all the police agencies in the state under one umbrella, and Joe is asked to testify to its merits. This little side-show has only a peripheral connection to the investigation into the killing of a man whose body was laid on railroad tracks to obliterate hands and head, making identification much more difficult. One of the witnesses happened to be the new boyfriend of Sammy, Gunther's sergeant, another side-plot some readers might find extraneous. The peripheral details did not bother me as they add a note of verisimilitude to the story which is, after all, a police procedural.The investigation itself soon involves illegal dumping of hazardous waste, drugs, and prostitution and another killing. (Mayor manages to get his digs in: "The truck Marshall Smith had introduced me to was a case in point. By making waste disposal such a complicated, expensive, strictly licensed enterprise, our vigilant environmentalists had inadvertently created a booming black market in illegal dumping." )Some nice lines: ""That you?" Her voice took me back to my first viewing of The Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West. She certainly seemed to have the same aversion to water."

I always love his story lines and how he works the characters together. This one was a pleasure to read.

The book starts with the question of why is a dead man positioned to have a train run over him. An interesting problem, but what makes this book a standout are the layers of complexity. The investigation proves difficult and time consuming. Successes alternate with failures. Meanwhile, there are personal problems that are important, but not intrusive. There are also politics: are the Vermont police departments going to get a major overhaul? Through it all Mr. Mayor retains a subtle touch: people are good and bad, but they are not all good or all bad.

Another Joe Gunther book and as always good to read.I generally read uk crime books but this series is enjoyable and I like the main character and his associatesIf are going to read start at book one it will grow on you as the books move on

As usual...a really good read. Mr Mayor and Joe Gunther never fail to impress, I would recommend to all who enjoy a complicated but riveting who dunnit.

A gripping read

good book,no boring bits,keeps you wanting to read more, a very good series by archer mayor, he keeps the same characters and in each book you learn a bit more of there personal lives

I am working my way through the entire Joe Gunther Series and, to date, have not been disappointed.One could say that I am entirely hooked on Archer's literary style. He makes Vermont come alive to me.