The Man Who Killed His Brother

Rating:
Summary: As Noir as it gets
Review: ...Former P.I. Mick Axbrewder has been having a very tough time of things since he accidentally shot his brother, a cop. He can't find regular work and has taken to bouncing, providing muscle, and alcohol--lots of it. Now, however, his neice is missing and his brother's widow and his ex-partner are expecting Mick to sober up and figure out what is going on in the sunny town of Puerto del Sol.

This book works on a couple of levels. It's a hard-boiled Chandleresque mystery (complete with those dark metaphors that sit in a paragraph like a black widow spider on a freshly painted white wall). It's a study in overcoming alcoholism. And it is a study in contradictions: the darkness in sunny Puerto del Sol, the noble acts of a tortured character.

I think the only flaw is that the book is incredibly bleak at times, something that can be said of some of Donaldson's other work. Mick is painted in many shades of self-loathing, but only rarely reaches the darkest despair. Some readers might find that a bit of a tough, at times wondering how Mick can go on...I don't know if this version will be better than the original or not, and I'll edit this review when I'm able to compare. ...

Rating:
Summary: strong mystery
Review: In Puerta Del Sol Mick "Brew" Axbrewder does his best to drink himself to death in order to obliterate the memory of killing his brother. The commission yanked his private investigator's license because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him. He didn't do jail time because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him when Brew intervened. When he is sober he works for Ginny Fistoulari, his one time sleuthing partner and lover.

He must sober up and tackle the disappearance of his niece as her mother hires Ginny's firm because she knows that Brew will work harder than anyone else will even without the impetus of killing her daughter's father. Ginny and Brew discover that nine girls in six different schools have disappeared when they were isolated from other schoolmates and adults. Seven of the girls were found dead from a heroin overdose after working the streets as a prostitute. Gin and Brew must find Alathea before the same fate befalls her.

THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER reaches rock bottom when the novel opens but the reader sees flashes of good in this tortured person, as he seeks sobriety in order to find his niece. A lifetime won't be long enough for Brew to forget that he killed his sibling but working the case gives him glimpses of a redemption that could be his if he turn his life around and works for the common good. The mystery is creatively designed and organized and Gin and Brew mix well together, but what else would anyone expect from Stephen R. Donaldson.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: strong mystery
Review: In Puerta Del Sol Mick "Brew" Axbrewder does his best to drink himself to death in order to obliterate the memory of killing his brother. The commission yanked his private investigator's license because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him. He didn't do jail time because the man his brother was chasing had a gun and would have killed him when Brew intervened. When he is sober he works for Ginny Fistoulari, his one time sleuthing partner and lover.

He must sober up and tackle the disappearance of his niece as her mother hires Ginny's firm because she knows that Brew will work harder than anyone else will even without the impetus of killing her daughter's father. Ginny and Brew discover that nine girls in six different schools have disappeared when they were isolated from other schoolmates and adults. Seven of the girls were found dead from a heroin overdose after working the streets as a prostitute. Gin and Brew must find Alathea before the same fate befalls her.

THE MAN WHO KILLED HIS BROTHER reaches rock bottom when the novel opens but the reader sees flashes of good in this tortured person, as he seeks sobriety in order to find his niece. A lifetime won't be long enough for Brew to forget that he killed his sibling but working the case gives him glimpses of a redemption that could be his if he turn his life around and works for the common good. The mystery is creatively designed and organized and Gin and Brew mix well together, but what else would anyone expect from Stephen R. Donaldson.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Well Done Hard Boiled Dectective Story
Review: Stephen Donaldson is better known for his fantasy and science fiction, but anyone reading this hard-boiled detective story will have no doubt that this is an authentic Donaldson work. Mick "Brew" Axbrewder is an alcoholic ex-private eye who accidently shot his police officer brother while trying to stop a robbery. His ex-partner and occassional love interest wants him to dry out so that he can track down his niece, who has gone missing. But in trying to find his niece, Axbrewder discovers some truly disturbing secrets. Even for detective fiction, this is dark stuff. Donaldson seems to know the psychology of an alcoholic very well, and he writings convincingly about Axbrewder's struggles with liquor. The plot is top-notch, and the characters are convincing and human. I cared what happened to Axbrewder and his partner, and was actually shocked at some of the horrors they uncovered. The biggest problem with the book is that the plot has some holes; it is extremely difficult to accept that a police department would blithly ignore seven 12 and 13-year old girls showing up dead within a two-year period. Still, you can see, even twenty years ago, that Donaldson had talent, and it is nice to see this book reissued.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done Hard Boiled Dectective Story
Review: Stephen Donaldson is better known for his fantasy and science fiction, but anyone reading this hard-boiled detective story will have no doubt that this is an authentic Donaldson work. Mick "Brew" Axbrewder is an alcoholic ex-private eye who accidently shot his police officer brother while trying to stop a robbery. His ex-partner and occassional love interest wants him to dry out so that he can track down his niece, who has gone missing. But in trying to find his niece, Axbrewder discovers some truly disturbing secrets. Even for detective fiction, this is dark stuff. Donaldson seems to know the psychology of an alcoholic very well, and he writings convincingly about Axbrewder's struggles with liquor. The plot is top-notch, and the characters are convincing and human. I cared what happened to Axbrewder and his partner, and was actually shocked at some of the horrors they uncovered. The biggest problem with the book is that the plot has some holes; it is extremely difficult to accept that a police department would blithly ignore seven 12 and 13-year old girls showing up dead within a two-year period. Still, you can see, even twenty years ago, that Donaldson had talent, and it is nice to see this book reissued.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre effort
Review: While not entirely lacking in emotional resonance, this book is definitely a drop in quality from Donaldson's science fiction and fantasy. I got the impression that he tosses these mysteries off, for fun and without much attention to detail, between writing the books he really cares about. It's not that it's entirely unworthwhile, but mostly the characters resonate only in two dimensions, and come off as insanely obtuse. The plot is so simplistic as to be laughable. You'll have it figured out by Chapter Two. This can be a fun, quick read nevertheless, but don't expect the grace, dignity, and care that Donaldson generously lavishes on his sci-fi/fantasy works.