An already strong investigator series only gets better with its third entry.

I had the pleasure of reading both of the novels centered on Freddy Ferguson before the latest entry into the series, 32 Minutes. Though you do not need to read those to understand or enjoy this new novel (the author is very good at touching on the emotional points or growth of the characters in earlier books), I highly suggest you do. Both the series starter, Gate 76, and the second novel, Kill Romeo, were very much worth reading.

Written in first person and mostly using present tense, we view the world filtered through the eyes of Freddy, an ex boxer who hasn’t always been on the side of the law he’s currently working. He’s flawed. Calculating as any good investigator should be but can quite often fall into the pattern of using his fists instead of his head. The character growth, both in the series as a whole and in just the standalone novel, upholds an excellent mystery plot.

If you are jumping straight into this third entry of the series, I’d say that growth is what you’d be missing out on most. While I do commend the author for including as much as they have in this for new readers, it’s impossible to provide the entirety of two books’ worth of material and back story. So, without all of that context, the main character’s flaws and impulsiveness might not strike the right chord. He’s a grown man that can have, for lack of a better word, almost tantrum like behavior. But there is a reason for it at least.

Stylistically, this kind of straddled the line between noir and hard-boiled detective but managed to bring the best of both worlds. Even with a fast pace, the description is never lacking. The world the characters inhabit feels visceral and stays easy to picture in near every scene. I highly recommend the whole series, even more so 32 Minutes, to readers who enjoy a great mystery or detective novel.

32 Minutes is available to buy on Amazon.

Verdict:

RAVEABLE