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Badger Games
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Jon A. Jackson
Atlantic Monthly Press (Hardcover)
ISBN: 0-87113-851-4
Publication Date: June, 2002
List Price: $24.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): A former freelance contractor to the Mob and longtime nemesis of hard-boiled Detective "Fang" Mulheisen, Joe Service is now in the employ of the Lucani, a cadre of rogue government agents who have recently lost an operative known only as Franko. Franko, last seen in a Kosovar mountain village in the path of a drug-smuggling ring, was from Montana - so Joe and his lover, Mafia princess Helen Sedlacek, head to Butte to see what they can learn. But they're not the only ones. A volatile mercenary nicknamed the Badger is also looking for Franko; and the Lucani have sent backup - to help Joe or contain him, he's not sure - in the form of a bombshell who rivals Lara Croft for sex appeal and dangerous moves. They are quickly caught up in a deadly hunt in the rough-hewn mountain landscape, culminating in a terrifying night in the tunnels of an abandoned mine.
Review: Readers expecting an appearance by Detective Sergeant Mulheisen in this ninth entry of the mystery series, Badger Games, will be disappointed. Accidently skip a page and you've missed the only reference to the namesake of the series.
That being said, this is a reasonably entertaining book. Joe Service is one of those characters for whom you end up feeling sorry: sure, he's got a lot of faults (killing people being one of them), but look past these faults and he's not a bad guy. The plot is fairly complicated but Jackson keeps the story moving along at a brisk pace to its inevitable conclusion.
The books in this series read like chapters to a greater story. But, as in the case of Badger Games, it isn't necessary to read the previous installments to enjoy the book at hand. It's not clear where Jackson is taking this series, but it sure is a grand ride.
Special thanks to Atlantic Monthly Press for providing a copy of Badger Games for this review.
Review Copyright © 2002 Hidden Staircase Mystery Books
Other mysteries by Jon A Jackson:
The Diehard
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Random House (1977)
ISBN: 0-394-41030-0
The Blind Pig
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Random House (1978)
ISBN: 0-394-42613-4
Grootka
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Foul Play Press (1990)
ISBN: 0-88150-179-4
Hit on the House
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Atlantic Monthly Press (1992)
ISBN: 0-87113-495-0
Deadman
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Atlantic Monthly Press (1994)
ISBN: 0-87113-562-0
Dead Folks
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Atlantic Monthly Press (1996)
ISBN: 0-87113-638-4
Man with an Axe
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Atlantic Monthly Press (1998)
ISBN: 0-87113-708-9
La Donna Detroit
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Atlantic Monthly Press (2000)
ISBN: 0-87113-810-7
A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery
Atlantic Monthly Press (2004)
ISBN: 0-87113-920-0
