Fear the Reaper

 

Fear the Reaper by David Housewright 
6/22/26; 320 pages
St. Martin's Press/ Minotaur
Rushmore McKenzie Novel #23

Fear the Reaper by David Housewright is a very highly recommended investigative mystery. This is an excellent addition to the series but can easily be read as a stand alone novel. Rushmore McKenzie was once a police detective in St. Paul, Minnesota, but now does occasional investigations as an unlicensed PI after becoming an unexpected millionaire. 

Rushmore along with his wife and good friend, Bobby Dunston, St. Paul head homicide detective, are visiting Patty and George at their retirement home on the Minong Flowage in Wisconsin. The group heads to Terrible Timmy’s Terrific Wine Club at Patty's insistence. While there a man stands and begins to point an AR-15 at the crowd. Bobby and Rushmore immediately take the suspected shooter down before he shoots and restrain him until law enforcement arrives. 

Since the police department is small, the local sheriff asks McKenzie if he would be willing to help to further investigate who was the intended target. Complicating matters are Wisconsin's open carry laws, so, since no shots were fired, the charges against the gunman are minimal. McKenzie accepts the assignment and sets out to interview everyone who was at the wine bar again. Security footage helps point out anyone who was acting in a questionable manner,  but once he starts questioning people, all manner of secrets and hidden activities come to light. 

The writing is masterful in this fast-paced, well-plotted series. I was engrossed in the complicated plot from start to finish. All the clues uncovered are logically followed up along with all lines of inquiry. McKenzie may be questioning everyone who was present, which represents a lot of characters, but the logical investigation helps keep all the various characters separate as distinct individuals. There is so much going on in the group of suspects that it seems that if he want to, McKenzie could probably uncover several more crimes along the way.  Everyone seems to have secrets they are keeping and want to keep hidden, which creates a complicated, intricate tangle of clues and potential motives.

McKenzie is a wonderful character who can be very personable, funny, and relatable, but he can also read the room and body language at the same time. He is a fully realized character, with strengths and weaknesses. Reading previous novel in the series will provide a richer experience because you will know his background and former cases, but this can still be appreciated as a standalone because enough background on his character is provided. 

Fear the Reaper is an excellent choice for everyone who enjoys intricate investigative mysteries along with those already following the series. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.