Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #969406 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Set in the remote mountains of West Virginia, this gritty contemporary detective novel, Lynskey's second to feature former PI Frank Johnson (after 2006's The Dirt-Brown Derby), will remind many of such masters of hard-boiled prose as Loren Estleman. Johnson has sought to still the memories of a deadly encounter with the Ku Klux Klan by retreating to the Appalachian town of Scarab, where people—and friends—are few and far between. Johnson witnesses what appears to be a Stinger missile strike against an unmanned aerial drone hovering above his yard, and he calls on his closest local companion, Old Man Maddox, a retired CIA agent. When the pair pursue the mystery with the local sheriff, a cascade of violence overwhelms the quiet community—murders that may be connected with a shadowy local racist cult known as the Blue Cheer. Despite a somewhat predictable resolution, the first-rate writing will leave readers eager to see more of Johnson. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* PI Frank Johnson, who moved to rural West Virginia in search of peace and quiet, stumbles on his noisiest case yet when a Stinger missile explodes in the air over his property. He thinks it ought to be a simple matter to find out why the missile was in the skies over West Virginia, but when he is beaten up, and then his best friend's wife is murdered, Frank quickly realizes he has caught the tail of a monster. Soon he is hot on the trail of a cult called the Blue Cheer, and stopping their murderous plans means putting his own neck right in the line of fire. This is the second novel to feature Frank Johnson (following The Dirty-Brown Derby, 2006),nd it definitely lives up to the buzz the author has been generating among genre enthusiasts. Lynskey has a sure hand, and he tackles the PI genre like a veteran, packing the book with great lines like "Awaking the next morning on the cusp of the DTs, I quit drinking cold turkey, a knack the Black Irish carry in their genes." Top-of-the-line hard-boiled fare from a novelist and a small press we hope to hear more from in the future. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"A new wave of young writers is experimenting with the old-style thriller . . . among the most promising is Ed Lynskey . . . an unpredictable story filled with complex characters." -- Robert Wade, SAN DIEGO-UNION TRIBUNE

"A nifty, fast-paced tale that could be torn from tomorrow's headlines . . . Lynskey's plot works well and his likable, quick-thinking private detective has a great but troubled future." -- LANSING (MI) STATE JOURNAL

"Lynskey's book moves in the brisk manner expected of top noir volumes, augmented by crisp, alternately sardonic and humorous narration." -- NASHVILLE CITY PAPER

"Packed with action . . . brings the hills to West Virginia to life with his fondness for adding local colour . . . readers with a penchant for fast-paced thrillers with grit and colour will be pleased." -- HALIFAX CHRONICLE HERALD

"This well-crafted story takes the reader for an exciting literary ride that is fast-paced, suspenseful, and stylish." -- TUCSON CITIZEN

Customer Reviews

In James Lee Burke's footsteps
Private investigator Frank Johnson has recently moved to Scarab, West Virginia, a lazy town in the Appalachians. One evening a Stinger rocket explodes over his cabin and Frank and his neighbor, Old Man Maddox (a retired CIA agent), begin to investigate. The investigation quickly turns personal when Old Man's wife, Jan, is found murdered in their home. Frank and Old Man get no help from local law enforcement so they press on themselves, soon uncovering a racist cult called The Blue Cheer with big plans. Frank calls his old pal, Gerald Peyton ("bounty hunter extraordinaire"), in for backup and then things start to get really ugly.

This is the second novel featuring P.I. Frank Johnson but he's been around for awhile now, having appeared in over forty short stories. With this novel, Lynskey is treading a similar literary path as James Lee Burke, exposing the dark underbelly of red state America. He has a fine ear for dialogue, draws distinctive characters, and neatly renders the rural West Virginia atmosphere in all of its somewhat less-than-enlightened glory.

Deep and dark
There exists a false premise --- implied, but real nonetheless --- that noir detective fiction must be limited to metropolitan settings; that only big cities, preferably on a coast, contains the requisite breadth of plot and cast of characters required for the genre. A number of novels shows this not to be true: THE LAST GOOD KISS by James Crumley and THE ICE HARVEST by Scott Phillips immediately come to mind --- and now, THE BLUE CHEER by Ed Lynskey.

This book is set in rural West Virginia and features the return of Frank Johnson, Lynskey's bloodied but unbowed PI. Johnson has moved to Scarab, West Virginia, hoping to leave the tumult he experienced in Virginia behind him while he leads a quiet day-to-day existence in the middle of nowhere. All is well until a mid-air explosion occurs literally above his head one night. Johnson quickly discovers that the cause of the fireworks is a Stinger missile, but his self-congratulations is short-lived due to his being knocked out almost immediately.

When he comes to his senses, the evidence is gone and his car has been vandalized. The local police have little interest in Johnson's report and in fact go to extraordinary lengths to discourage him. Old Man Maddox, Johnson's enigmatic friend and neighbor, is there to help, along with Robert Gaitlin, a crackerjack defense attorney whose abilities don't end in the courtroom. Their assistance, however, may not be enough against the Blue Cheer, a racist organization that has taken root in the West Virginia hills and appears to have connections even in the most unexpected places.

Johnson's unofficial --- and officially unpopular --- investigation seems to point to the Blue Cheer as the source of the Stinger launch that exploded over his yard, and he quickly comes to realize that the group has far more in mind than some innocent target practice. Johnson finds himself in a race against time that is played out against the isolated and dangerous backdrop of the West Virginia hills, even as he learns that his enemies have allies who he never would have expected.

THE BLUE CHEER may well be the novel that brings Lynskey the attention he deserves. Though the book starts slowly, he demonstrates soon enough that he is capable of catching readers totally off-guard. Lynskey also is not one to shy away from controversy, and before the story ends, he touches on an issue of racial politics --- not a simple topic by any means --- that is rarely raised or discussed but that is integral to one of the novel's more challenging subplots. His talent runs deep and dark, revealed full force in a tale you will not forget.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Great Read!
Author Ed Lynskey truly takes us on an unexpected ride in his
new work "The Blue Cheer," staring our famous PI Johnson.
Searching for some relief from the taxing life he has led, Frank
Johnson moves to West Virginia to a quiet mountain community; or
is it? Awaken to an exploding Stinger rocket in his backyard was
not something he had envisioned occurring. In his investigation,
Frank is pulled into a secret that will rock his world and those
around him. And in an attempt to keep this concealed deaths soon
occur and Frank is more determined than ever to find out the
real truth.
I believe in this work our author shows a new side of PI Frank
Johnson. Although he is still as some would call, rough around
the edges, this work allows a small insight into the heart of
the man. This was a good touch as it draws you more into the
series of this work and its main character. This story is not a
creeper but moves along at a fast clip, dropping surprises and
throwing in characters as red and shiny as a ripe apple and as
sour as a bad one. It has mystery, murder and heart, and quite a fulfilling conclusion. All in all a very good read. Well done, Mr. Lynskey.