MRC RECOMMENDS WOMAN IN THE WIND: A JACKSON GAMBLE NOVEL
“Just when I thought it was over, Gregory Stout adds another twist. I love it when I am caught off guard. He kept the mystery going to the very end.” – The Mystery Review Crew
Woman In The Wind: A Jackson Gamble Novel
By Gregory Stout
Genre: Hard Boiled, Detective Mystery
“Nashville PI Jackson Gamble is hired by a muckraking newspaper columnist to track down a missing woman named Darlene Munson, who is in possession of a secret file that holds the proof needed to expose a far-reaching conspiracy to rig a statewide election. In the process of searching for the “woman in the wind,” bodies pile up as Gamble runs afoul of the city’s police department, and political leadership, its most widely-read newspaper, the all-powerful recording industry, and an urbane, but no less ruthless, organized crime boss. And after nearly getting killed himself, Gamble must make one of the hardest choices he has ever faced, one that may quite literally allow a beautiful woman to get away with murder.”
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Review of Woman In The Wind:
Woman In The Wind, A Jackson Gamble Novel by Gregory Stout, maybe my first novel in the series, but I never felt lost in any way. The novel stands alone, but, like all series, I feel it is best, to begin at the beginning.
As soon as I met Nashville PI Jackson Gamble, I thought of Jim Rockford, from the TV series, The Rockford Files, with the oddball clients and his ability to amass bumps and bruises through teeth-jarring fisticuffs. A political conflict and a need to do the right thing and calling it like he sees it led him to hand in his police shield. He is still recovering from his last client’s recovery, but that is another story and his lady friend, Maggie knows how dangerous his job can be.
Jackson received a call, but the man refused to leave his name. In walks Albert Glass, an investigative reporter who writes a watchdog column wanting to hire him to find a missing informant, Darlene Munson, the Woman In The Wind.
Not only is Darlene missing, but now, Albert is missing too…and the plot thickens.
We have colorful characters and descriptive details, making it easy to visualize the people and the action that happens around them. The mystery is filled with depth and suspense, and we will see how dangerous Jackson’s investigation will become. I had an SOB moment, and I think that is fantastic. The villain snuck up on me…
Organized crime, politics, corruption, conspiracy, and not-so-strange bedfellows, kept me reading. Bodies piled up. Do two wrongs make a right? How much is a life worth? I find that life is rarely black and white, but it is easy to know right from wrong. It is funny how people justify their wrongdoing.
I kept trying to figure out the mystery before I reached the end. I was quick to figure out some things, others not so much. Just when I thought it was over, Gregory Stout adds another twist. I love it when I am caught off guard. He kept the mystery going to the very end.
And that ending,…Gregory Stout created a true James Rockford ending and I love it.
About Gregory Stout:
Greg’s background includes 27 years as an executive in the automotive industry and twelve years as a teacher of American history, language arts, reading, drama, film criticism, and Latin in the public school system in suburban Chicago. He holds a BA in economics from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts in education from Aurora University.
Greg has recently won the prestigious Private Eye Writers Shamus Award for the novel Lost Little Girl! Keeping company with Mickey Spillane!
Of greater relevance, he has written more than 22 books on the history of American railroads, a logical outcome of having grown up in a family of professional railroaders. His first title, Route of the Eagles, a history of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, was released in 1995 and his most recent effort will be in print in mid-2019.
Gideon’s Ghost, his first work of fiction, was drawn from actual experiences that took place during an extended visit with relatives in a small town in Missouri during the mid-1960s. It is a book written for young adult readers, which, not coincidentally, was the age group he taught during his “second career.” Of course, like any good ghost story, some of the plot elements are imagined and some really happened. It will be up to the reader to decide which is which.
Now retired from the day-to-day workforce, he still writes for at least two hours every day (when not fishing, traveling, going to the movies, or pursuing rail fan activities). His advice to aspiring writers is “…keep reading, keep writing, and if your dream is to one day see your name in print, never, ever give up. The more you write, the better you will get, and one day your dream will become a reality.”
Greg resides with his wife and two cats, Wallace and Gromit, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, where he is also a member of the Heartland Writers Guild.
Find out more by visiting: https://www.gregorystoutauthor.com/
