Rating: 
Summary: Alex McKnight is Back, and Better than Ever.....
Review: Ah, summer in Paradise...that's Paradise, Michigan, on the upper peninsula. This is the very best time of the year on Lake Superior, yet a suddenly introspective Alex McKnight is holed up in his cabin reading detective novels and taking a good look at his life. As his 49th birthday approaches, he takes stock of all his failures...his marriage, an unimpressive baseball career that never went past the minors, a stint with the Detroit police department that ended abruptly with a bullet that's still lodged in his chest and a dead partner, and his very short attempt at private detecting. Not a lot here to be proud of; not a lot of reasons to get up in the morning and join the human race. But an unexpected invitation to a poker game from friend Jackie Connery, proprietor of his favorite watering hole, the Glasgow Inn, changes all that. What starts out as a simple high stakes card game in an expensive home on the lake, turns ugly when three masked men break in, hold the players at gunpoint, and rob the owner's hidden safe. This night sets off a chain reaction of murder, greed, kidnapping, secrets, lies, and revenge, and as Alex is pushed out of his funk and back into action, he finds the true meaning of loyalty and friendship..... Steve Hamilton is back with the fourth installment of his marvelous Alex McKnight novels, and this is a series that just gets better with each new book. His well paced, intricate story line is entertaining and intriguing, and filled with subtle twists, and vivid, riveting scenes. His terrific cast of well defined, original characters come alive on the page, and inhabit a spectacular north woods setting full of atmosphere. But it's Mr Hamilton's crisp, intelligent writing that really makes this novel sparkle, and his witty and irreverent dialogue is unrivaled and stands alone in a class by itself. If you're new to Alex McKnight and Paradise, start at the beginning with A Cold Day In Paradise, and read them all. If you're already a fan, North Of Nowhere is another suspenseful and compelling mystery, you don't want to miss.
Rating: 
Summary: Poker game gone wrong!
Review: Alex McKnight gets invited to a poker game at a private residence and then armed men break in and rob a safe full of money. The owner of the house thinks Alex did it. Chief of Police Maven thinks Alex's bar-owning friends did it. And Alex, thinking that he's clearing his best friend's name, stubbornly goes through all the suspects until he eventually trips on the real architect of the robbery. I like Alex's tenacity, but this adventure, especially the end, gets too unbelievable and convenient. Still it's a good yarn and enjoyable to read. There's something unsatisfying about Hamilton's endings. Things just don't fall into place nicely. However, it's the character of Alex McKnight that is the real draw for me.
Rating:
Summary: a very fast and fully enjoyable read
Review: Alex McKnight has returned to Paradise-Michigan, that is. In his fourth outing, summer has finally set in. It is July and the increasingly reclusive Alex is asked to attend a poker game with his good friend, Jackie, owner of the local bar that Alex frequents. Unfortunately, the poker game at the house of a wealthy local businessman, Winston Vargas, is interrupted by an armed robbery in which everyone is forced to the floor at gunpoint. Vargas, alone, is robbed as he is forced to open his safe. The aftermath is quite perplexing as half the men attending the game are arrested for the robbery. Alex is convinced they are innocent and does what he can to clear their names. However, things get increasingly violent as Alex gets closer to the truth. Steve Hamilton, Edgar winner for best first novel A COLD DAY IN PARADISE has written one of his best novels yet. I am always impressed with his ability to give the locale a certain immediacy to the reader. The first two books in the series took place primarily in the winter cold. Now we get a feeling of this Upper Michigan location in the midst of the summer season. Life is very different as boating and fishing become the primary pastime of the residents and visitors. We are treated to in depth descriptions of this area frequented by tourists. Alex is a loner, yet, he proves in this book that he is a loyal friend who will stop at nothing to defend those he is closest to. His character gives this series the true sense of realism and makes every return visit a pleasure. Pacing is never a problem with Steve Hamilton and this novel is no exception as the book proves to be a very fast and fully enjoyable read. With his talent, Steve Hamilton deserves a much wider audience.
Rating:
Summary: Nowhere Near the Best
Review: Alex McKnight is a delight as always. The lyrical descriptions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula are a joy to read. However, the plot is contrived, convoluted and improbable. The cast burgeons until there are so many people involved; I ended up being indifferent to the outcome. Alex is in a black depression. To get him out of the house, his good friend Jackie forces him to sit in on a poker game held at the opulent home of Winthrop Vargas. Armed robbers appear and rob Vargas' very secret safe. Suspicion of an inside job spreads to the poker regulars who were the only outsiders who knew Vargas had a safe and kept money in it. Murder of one of the robbers follows. Alex is galvanized into action to protect his friend Jackie. A wild boat chase on Lake Superior unmasks the wrongdoers. Alex's former partner Archie provides some welcome comic moments. Alex enthusiastically chases so many red herrings, I lost faith. Many of the characters are stereotypical. I think Steve Hamilton needs to infuse Paradise with some new blood.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: Nowhere Near the Best
Review: Alex McKnight is a delight as always. The lyrical descriptions of Michigan's Upper Peninsula are a joy to read. However, the plot is contrived, convoluted and improbable. The cast burgeons until there are so many people involved; I ended up being indifferent to the outcome. Alex is in a black depression. To get him out of the house, his good friend Jackie forces him to sit in on a poker game held at the opulent home of Winthrop Vargas. Armed robbers appear and rob Vargas' very secret safe. Suspicion of an inside job spreads to the poker regulars who were the only outsiders who knew Vargas had a safe and kept money in it. Murder of one of the robbers follows. Alex is galvanized into action to protect his friend Jackie. A wild boat chase on Lake Superior unmasks the wrongdoers. Alex's former partner Archie provides some welcome comic moments. Alex enthusiastically chases so many red herrings, I lost faith. Many of the characters are stereotypical. I think Steve Hamilton needs to infuse Paradise with some new blood.
-sweetmolly-Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: FRIENDS AND FOES?
Review: Alex McKnight is back in full force again, and this time it his closest friends who become possible enemies in this tense game of cat and mouse. McKnight joins his buddy Joe from the bar and his cronies for a poker game at a millionaire's plush estate. In the middle of the game, three men burst in and tell the guests to lay down on the floor or they'll be shot. Uh-oh. After the smoke clears, Alex finds himself a prime suspect in setting up this heist. From there on, Alex is embroiled in a labyrinthine plot where his closest friends aren't the people he thought they were. Interesting plot, with some twists and turns that may shock; this is an intense entry in this ever-improving series.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: FRIENDS AND FOES?
Review: Alex McKnight is back in full force again, and this time it his closest friends who become possible enemies in this tense game of cat and mouse. McKnight joins his buddy Joe from the bar and his cronies for a poker game at a millionaire's plush estate. In the middle of the game, three men burst in and tell the guests to lay down on the floor or they'll be shot. Uh-oh. After the smoke clears, Alex finds himself a prime suspect in setting up this heist. From there on, Alex is embroiled in a labyrinthine plot where his closest friends aren't the people he thought they were. Interesting plot, with some twists and turns that may shock; this is an intense entry in this ever-improving series.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome Back to Paradise!
Review: Alex McKnight returns in his fourth mystery set in the northern Michigan town of Paradise. Facing his 49th birthday, Alex is going through somewhat of a midlife crisis. It takes being held up at gunpoint to spur this reluctant private detective back into the private detecting business. Along the way Alex learns a thing or two about friendship and loyalty.
As always, Steve Hamilton has an ear for dialogue. Although the fourth book in the series, his characters are still as fresh and exciting as ever. Alternating scenes of humor and suspense, Hamilton never slows down, even managing to throw in a surprise or two.
If you haven't read Hamilton, what are you waiting for? Move over Robert B. Parker, you've got a fresh voice taking your place.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder and mayhem in Michigan.
Review: Alex McNight, the former Detroit cop who lives a reclusive life in Paradise, Michingan, is back in "North of Nowhere," by Steve Hamilton. McNight has kept to himself a great deal lately. His good friend, Jackie Connery, proprietor of the Glasgow Inn, decides that Alex needs to get out more. Jackie invites Alex to play poker at the home of Win Vargas, a very wealthy man with a great many secrets. The evening ends disastrously, when Vargas's home is invaded by masked men who rob Vargas and vandalize his prized collection of artifacts. Subsequently, several of Alex's friends who sat in on the poker game are arrested for being involved in the home invasion and Alex decides to do a little investigating of his own. He crosses paths with his old partner, private investigator Leon Purdell, who now works for Vargas. He also has words with his old nemesis, Police Chief Roy Maven, who hates Alex and would welcome any opportunity to arrest him. In the course of his investigation, Alex gets beaten and shot at, but he is determined to get to the bottom of the strange goings-on around him. Who is really behind the robbery of Vargas's home and why are Alex's friends being framed? Steve Hamilton has a relaxed prose style that is easy to take, and "North of Nowhere" moves along quickly. I have always liked Alex, who is down to earth and businesslike in his approach to life. He is not superhuman or driven, as are so many heroes in mystery-thrillers these days. Unfortunately, by the time Alex gets to the bottom of who staged the robbery, lives have been lost and friendships have been irrevocably shattered. In "North of Nowhere," Steve Hamilton demonstrates how greed and selfishness often blind people to what truly matters in life. It is a sad lesson that is often learned the hard way. Hamilton's description of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is, as usual, colorful, and the dialogue is natural and fast moving. Sadly, the mystery in "North of Nowhere" is not particularly compelling and the ending is anti-climactic and a little bit flat. However, "North of Nowhere" does have its moments and it is always pleasant to be in the company of the formidable ex-cop and loyal friend, Alex McNight.
Rating:
Summary: Great Entry
Review: Author Steve Hamilton has a nice feel for life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and his portrayal of life in that sparsely-populated place makes a great background for a mystery.
This title, North of Nowhere, tells a lot about that life and the
people who live there.
The hero, McKnight, is in the position many of us find ourselves,
getting older and wondering what in the world happened to his
great life, his ambitions, and his dreams. As his life has become
a series of perceived failures, he has become more reclusive
until he barely leaves his cabin except for a little Canadian beer
in a friend's quiet local tavern. And he is happy with that existence
until his buddy, who owns that tavern, challenges him to a
"friendly" poker game, and who goads him by telling McKnight
that if he can't play a little poker with some local guys, he ought
to be sent to the Yukon where he can really live alone.
So McKnight goes off for some friendly poker at the home of
a guy he doesn't know, and who seems a rather antagonistic
host, but he is determined to make the best of that situation,
get done, and never come back. But then the unbelieveable
happens, and some armed robbers crash the party, forcing the
homeowner to open his safe, and in the process destroying some
local artifacts he has collected.
Afterward, ex-cop McKnight is troubled by some of the events
and the people involved, so he can't keep out of it when one of
the robbers turns up dead, and the local police chief tells him to
keep out of the investigation.
From there, many surprises await McKnight as he tries to figure
out who the robbers were and whether they had some relatiionship
with the victim.
The author does a very nice job of explaining some of the fascination the area holds for lovers of the quiet life-style of
the U.P., while touching on the questions of further development
and the infusion of more money, and the effect those influences
will have on the future of the "nowhere" of Michigan's U.P.
The mystery has some nice suprises that give an unexpected
twist to the conclusion, so the reader will be advised not to
take much for granted here as the story is pursued.
A very nice mystery with plenty of atmosphere.
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