Gunther and his crew become embroiled in crimes that started with a murder in Boston and are focused in North Hampton. A high end jewelry burglary ring uses women refugees as slave labor to re-design stolen works, and it's profitable enough to murder to protect the profits. ( )

First half of book is vintage Mayor -- fast pace, intriguing plot, great set-up. Second half not so much as suspects pop up randomly towards end of book and it has one of the most rushed, unfulfilling endings of any of Mayor's Joe Gunter novels.

Mayor moves out of Vermont in chi-chi Northampton, MA home of Smith College and the uber-enlightened Me Generation and its sucessor X, Y, Z generations schooled in all the usual ultra-liberal schtick.

However, crimes such as jewelry heists and the illegal smuggling and importation of workers can take place anywhere as Mayor has deftly shown in this mystery which takes on the tones of a thriller at times. ( )

Archer Mayor has long been a favourite of this reader.

Paradise City is the twenty third entry in Mayor's Joe Gunther series. Joe is a Lieutenant with the Vermont Bureau of Investigation.

Paradise City's opening scene lands us smack dab in the middle of a a robbery. A set of thieves who have targeted a wealthy older woman's home in Boston. But when the woman, Billie, confronts them, she is beaten and left for dead.And the only thing the thieves take is her antique jewellery.

Meanwhile, in Vermont, the State Police are happy to pass on the investigation of an unusual robbery and arson case to Joe and his team.

When Boston and Vermont compare notes, it looks like they might be after the same criminals. Word on the street is the goods are headed to the same fence. Billie's niece Mina is not satisfied with the way the inquiry is progressing and starts her own investigation. We are also privy to the viewpoint of someone inside the operation.

As always the crime is inventive, believable, the plotting tight, the dialogue rings true and the investigation is detailed. Archer Mayor himself is a death investigator for Vermont’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, a detective for the Windham County Sheriff’s Office, and also has 25 years experience as a volunteer firefighter/EMT. His books reflect that insider knowledge.

But what I enjoy most about this series are the recurring characters and their personal lives. Joe's life has had its up and downs lately, but he takes a backseat this time to Agent Willy Kunkle. Willy is a difficult man at the best of times, but he is finding things increasingly difficult. He's partnered up with Agent Samantha Martens both professionally and personally. The recent addition of a baby daughter to their lives has Willie more reckless and surly than normal. I've enjoyed following the personal lives of Gunther's characters over the years. When I open the latest book, it's like old familiar friends are waiting to tell me the latest news.

Now, this is the first time I've chosen to listen to one of Mayor's books. After having firmly established a mental image for the characters over time, I wondered how the narrator would interpret Mayor's work. William Dufris was the reader - and I needn't have worried. The voice for Joe is low pitched, even -paced, kind of gravelly with an almost folksy tone to it. He just sounds wise, and ready to handle whatever is thrown at him. But not all even paced - the angry Joe voice was quite impressive! Dufris provided believable voices for the female characters as well. His narration is expressive and captures the tone of the scenes and action. Not surprising though - Dufris is a multi award winning reader. When looking at an audio book, I will sometimes choose a book solely based on the reader. I'll be adding William Dufris to my list of preferred narrators. ( )

Police are after a number of jewel thieves. Some of these people are breaking into homes and stealing the jewels and other valuables.

Three men break into the home of the wealthy "Billie" Wilhelma Hawthorne in Boston. When she confronts the men, one of them strike her and leave her for dead.

Her granddaughter, Mina, finds Billie and gets her to the hospital in critical condition. She also wants to take part in finding the thieves against the detective who is assigned to the case, advice.

In Vermont, thieves are breaking into homes of the wealthy, here they aren't just robbing, they are setting fires to destroy evidence.

Joe Gunther and his team of investigators are assigned to the case.

A side story tells of a woman who is an illegal emigrant is smuggled into the US and forced to work in the jewelry smithing business.

The author does a nice job in capturing the reader's attention and in making us feel empathy for the innocent characters.

I think the book will interest mystery fans, and those of police procedurals. I am anxious to read more novels by Archer Mayor. ( )

My first book in this series. I can sense there is a lot of character development in the series. This book dragged for the first 2/3 s but had a fast action packed conclusion. Think I'll try another. ( )