The Good Detective is John McMahon’s debut novel and it is an excellent read. The story centers around a Georgia detective, P.T. Marsh, who is dealing with the grief of losing his wife and child in an automobile accident. He drinks too much, but after trying to help a woman who is being physically abused by her boyfriend, he realizes he may have killed the primary suspect in a larger murder investigation.
The characters are believable and interesting, while the Georgia setting plays an important role in the development of the story. Most importantly for me, the plot never stops moving forward. P.T. is a guy you not only empathize with but you root for to get out of the mess he’s in and solve the crime.
The New York Times book review by Marilyn Stasio calls the book “…pretty much perfect,” which is high praise for a first novel.
I couldn’t agree more.