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The Dead Survivors: A Mars Bahr Mystery (Mysteries & Horror)
Killing Cousins
North of Nowhere: An Alex McKnight Novel (Mysteries & Horror)
Murder in the Rough: A Sarah Deane Mystery
The Corporal Works of Murder
Cutter's Run
Red House (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)
Jamaica Blue
Murder Makes a Pilgrimage: A Sister Mary Helen Mystery
Death Goes on Retreat
The Bright Silver Star
O' Artful Death
Cover-Up Story (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)
For the Love of Mike (Molly Murphy Mysteries)
Angel Fire
The Hangman's Knot
The Janson Directive
The Wrong Stuff
Killing Time (St. Martin's Minotaur Mysteries)
Murder at the Cat Show
A Fine Line
Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon
The Havana Room
Never Tell
Shot

Average customer rating:

DYNAMIC CAST OF CHARACTERS
A strong recommendation with some mild reservations
Police Procedural with warm protagonist
Starts off with a bang, ends up needing to be shot
Great Book

The Dead Survivors: A Mars Bahr Mystery
Kj Erickson
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Alone at Night (A Mars Bahr Mystery)
The Last Witness (A Mars Bahr Mystery)
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ASIN: 0312983247

Book Description

A SUSPICIOUS DEATHWhen Frank Beck, a sympathetic dreamer on a lifelong losing streak, is found hanged during a lonely Minnesota snowstorm, everyone assumes that he committed suicide. But Minneapolis Homicide Detective Marshall Bahr can't make sense of the numbers inscribed on Beck's right arm or the fact that a guy who was described as sloppy could tie a perfect hangman's noose for himself.... A LEGENDARY BATTLEMars begins to dig deep into Beck's life and uncovers an obscure fact in the dead man's ancestry-a connection to the Battle of Gettysburg-and to make sense of its bearing on this homicide, he needs to understand nineteen seconds of action at the end of this historical battle. Could Beck's death-by-hanging be related to the Civil War?A PSYCHOTIC KILLER ON THE LOOSEThen another body turns up-and another. Now Mars is on the trail of a serial killer whose motive seems to be related to a contemporary controversy about Gettysburg. From the freezing Minnesota winter to Richmond, Virginia, Mars embarks on an investigation where he discovers that past and present co-mingle-and old grudges lead to modern murder

Customer Reviews:

DYNAMIC CAST OF CHARACTERS.......2004-03-07

In this follow-up to 2001's THIRD PERSON SINGULAR, K.J. Erickson continues to develop her characters: Marshall "Mars" Bahr, a detective assigned to a special unit by the mayor; Nettie, Mars' capable assistant; psychologist friend, Karen Pogue; various members of the police department including the mayor and a young patrolman; and Mars' son, Chris, one of the most delightfully precocious ten year olds I've ever seen in a mystery.

This police procedural starts out slowly with the apparent suicide of a Minneapolis businessman. At first the cops don't even suspect that the death is a homicide, and the story builds steam gradually as Mars and Nettie come to understand that the cryptic numbers inked on the dead man's arm match those of other seemingly unrelated victims, all of whom had ancestors connected to the Battle at Gettysburg. It becomes a race against the clock for a team of computer techs to match data to try to prevent further murders.

I enjoyed this second installment in a very promising series. Erickson has a dynamite cast of characters to work with, and I can't wait to read book three, THE LAST WITNESS, and the forthcoming ALONE AT NIGHT. ~Lori L. Lake, author of Stepping Out, Different Dress, Gun Shy, Under The Gun, and Ricochet In Time, and reviewer for Midwest Book Review, The Independent Gay Writer, The Gay Read, and Just About Write.

A strong recommendation with some mild reservations.......2004-03-05

KJ Erickson's first book. THIRD PERSON SINGULAR, was one of my favorite books of the last year. It was nominated for the Barry Award. The strength of the book lies in the superb characterizations and apparently effortless writing. With this, her second book, Ms. Erickson, once again, reveals her prodigious skills.
Mars Bahr, Minneapolis Homicide Detective, is back. When a friend approaches him and asks him to look into the death of a man, an apparent suicide, he discovers the most probable cause of death is murder. A mysterious set of numbers is found on the man's arm. The noose that he hung himself with is made of a very unusual type of cloth not used in this country for decades. Mars and his partner, Nettie Frisch, investigate. As they look into leads, there appears to be a connection to the victims and their ancestor's involvement in the Battle of Gettysburg.
Again, characters are rendered with vital realism. Mars is a sympathetic character quite easy to like. His trials and tribulations are of much interest to the reader. A problem with this book is that, perhaps the author was trying to do too much. The Civil War connection implies a strong agenda Ms. Erickson was trying to follow. I found this aspect of the story to be a bit of a stretch of reality. It also made the plot a bit too unnecessarily complicated. However, Ms. Erickson still manages to do enough right to make this book an above average effort. Ms. Erickson would do well to concentrate on simpler plots and letting her characters shine. Anyway, Ms. Erickson is for real. A strong recommendation.

Police Procedural with warm protagonist.......2003-03-01

This is a readable book. I liked the main character, but the plot was not cogent enough to engage my long term memory after I finished the book. This book is a good choice if you need a bit of mind candy while slogging through some intricate epic that's dripping in Tolstoyan angst and intricacy. You'll need the contrast in order to keep the plot straight.

I fear that the author hit the standard 2nd novel hump. The series has the potential to be an engaging winner. The first novel in the series got good reviews, but unfortunately, I didn't read the first in the series. Don't give up on this author, they show real promise with their characterizations.

The book is worth reading if you are one of those people who read four or more books a week, you can polish it off in a few hours, but the plot might not stick.... You WILL remember the protagonist with warmth and even some affection.

Starts off with a bang, ends up needing to be shot.......2002-12-01

I was very excited about this book when I first started it. I thought it was well-written, interesting, and that it was going to be one that I could not put down. Unfortunately, the author veered off into an unnecessary hospital emergency that left the reader trying to determine how this was related to the plot- it wasn't, it only was a buffer that detracted from the story line. After this the story became more and more frustrating and boring.
It started out with promising development of characters that turned into boring and tiresome creatures that had no depth. The detectives assistant being the worst, but also by the time the 'hero' had said "You got it in one" for about the 100th time, I personally found myself rolling my eyes and counting the pages till the end.
The only redeeming features of this book was the historical aspects and description of Richmond, Va.

Great Book.......2002-06-30

This was a wonderful followup to her first book.

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