A once great series ruined by the author's personal political beliefs bleeding into fiction. Last thing I want when I pick up a book is to be lectured at over politics, I don't care what side of the spectrum your politics are btw! I read to escape political diatribes not to suffer through them.

I really enjoyed this book. Continuing excellent series. Plot keeps changing directions. I highly recommend

Joe Gunther arrives at the site of a stolen Mercedes with a dead man in the trunk. The car has lots of stolen items in it, including the very old flip phone belonging to a teenager who went missing several years before, and still hasn't been found. The car belonged to a wealthy man in Keene, NH, and was reported stolen a few days before. The investigation includes police from both New Hampshire and Vermont.

The first phone looked at by the police had child pornography, and that is the first case that Joe and team work on. The wealthy owner of the car, Lemuel Shaw, lies that the car was stolen from his driveway when it was actually stolen at a strip club. We later find that this was not his only lie! The plot is very complicated, and the reader only gradually learns all the complications in this case. Gunther and his VBI team work with Vermont police and some feds to find out how the man who stole the car is the dead man in the trunk.

I have loved all the Joe Gunther books, and this is probably the best. It grips the reader right at the beginning, and the reveal almost at the end is VERY exciting. The story takes place back and forth in Vermont and New Hampshire, and has some really good investigators as well as a rotten cop and the worst bad guy in the entire series.

I found this book to be quite interesting. My first time reading a book by Mayor and I truly enjoyed it.
I can't believe this is book 33 in the Joe Gunther series.
I didn't feel as though I needed to start at book one to get caught up on anything.

I was immensely pleased with this book I could not put it down it has a terrific plot line it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time and has a really really great ending that leaves you wanting more.
I liked how the author played out the mystery and kept me guessing and in suspense.
This author has so many wonderful and diverse characters. 
A wild and fast paced mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. 
I'm going to check out his other work now.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Minotaur Books,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

“Fall Guy” is the 33rd book in the Joe Gunther series by Archer Mayor, and quite possibly the last (!) adventure with Joe and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation. I have enjoyed most of these, and it’s great to see how the characters develop, grow, and change over three decades of stories.

The last two books seemed to focus on Sally Kravitz (PI) and Rachel Reiling (reporter), but in this novel they are absent and we’re back to Joe and his squad: cranky and explosive Willy, now a bit tamed by his young family, Sammie his wife, Lester the “newcomer”, and even Beverly the medical examiner and love of Joe’s life.

This time they find a stolen Mercedes with a body in the trunk and several cellphones and assorted other loot. The identity of the victim is soon found to be a small-time local robber, but who would want him dead? When one of the cellphones turns out to belong to a missing kid from several years ago, Joe knows that this is much more than a case of robbers falling out.

This is a great police procedural, we follow the team as they try one path after another, one suspect and then another. Everyone has something to hide, and even though parts of the case are solved almost immediately the whole story takes much longer to unravel, leading to an explosive conclusion.

Another great effort from Mr. Mayor. I hope he enjoys his well-deserved rest and finds it in his heart to give us another Gunther story or two.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

I was issued this book by NetGalley for my unbiased review.

This is my first book by Archer Mayor. I would be interested in reading more from him.

This was an interesting read with Joe Gunther and his team (somewhat group of misfit investigators) with an interesting crime(s) to investigate. It was a good look into police procedure, and working across state lines.

Gunther's team is quite a collection of personalities that blend together to be a very successful team.

My only problem with the book--which could just be me--is keeping the characters straight in my mind. Very enjoyable book.

Enjoyable read. The author did a good job making the reader care about the characters and getting us invested in how the investigation proceeded. The plot and action held my attefrom the first page to the last!

I have read most of the Joe Gunther series, and this is a solid installment. I think reading many of the previous books helps with the background but is not really necessary.
The team is called in when a stolen car is found with a body in the trunk. Don Kalfus is the body, and six cell phones are found with him. The team follow the phones which cross state lines and we see both Vermont and New Hampshire crime scenes. The case is complex, and it was fun to read the team go about solving it. Each member has strengths they bring to the table.
I highly recommend this book and the entire series.

Full disclosure: I am a long-time Archer Mayor / Joe Gunther fan. I've read at least half of the series, and look at these guys as part of my extended family. I welcome the opportunity to settle in with crew from the VBI at every opportunity. Fall Guy did not disappoint. Part police procedural, part exploration of Vermont (and in this case, New Hampshire) life, Archer Mayor is a master craftsman and constructs intricately woven stories with full-bodied and fully-realized characters.

I lived in New Hampshire for over thirty years, recognize most of the places from the book, and acknowledge the accuracy of their descriptions.

This is another wonderful addition to the Brattleboro-based series, and I heartily recommend it.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Another reliable, interesting novel in the Joe Gunther series. I always enjoy Joe and his crew unwinding even the most twisted crime. In this book there were multiple twists and turns. Many were predictable, others somewhat shocking.

I always enjoy these books and this one was totally engaging. Keep them coming!

Thank you Netgalley for this fun ARC.

No matter how bloody, how vile the crime, reading a new Joe Gunther books is like putting on a warm pair of socks and settling in front of the fire.

When a body is found in a trunk, Joe's crew is summoned. In the trunk they find cell phones which leads to an investigation of child sexual trafficking. This leads to the formation of a Federal Task Force which gives Joe and his fellow VBI members greater access to the resources they need. Tracking the victim through his final days leads to a perv taking pictures of his wife's daughter, a wealthy eccentric couple, the victims mother and a few other neer-do-wells.

We follow the case which as usual is well plotted but what I love about these books in Joe, Sam, Willy, Lester and Beverly. They are a family that I have read over many years. Seeing their growth, their changing dynamic and the love they have for each other keeps drawing me back in year after year.

Once again Archer Mayor delivers a fabulous read. Joe Gunther and his small but expert team are called to the recovery of a stolen vehicle. They are not there for the vehicle but for the dead body and thousands of dollars of stolen goods in the trunk. In amongst those items are two cell phones of interest. One sends them chasing a current case with an at risk victim, the other an infamous cold case that has always haunted Joe.
This is the thirty third Joe Gunther novel and I believe their success can be attributed to the first responder background of Archer Mayor. The story lines believable, the interpersonal relationships believable, the interagency cooperation necessary and believable in states like Vermont and New Hampshire. Can’t wait for the next book.

It is late winter as Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor begins and Joe Gunther, Field Force Commander of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, have been summoned out to a scene bathed in a sea of strobe lights from numerous agencies. It appears that the only party not there is the local dog catcher.

A stolen Mercedes four door sedan has been discovered abandoned. The car was reported stolen by the owner, Lemuel Shaw several days ago. Thanks to problems with the onboard GPS system, it was not tracked from the house in New Hampshire to the final resting place here in Vermont.

If it was a simple stolen car that would be one thing and would not have generated the massive law enforcement response. In addition to numerous obviously stolen items in the car, there is a dead body in the trunk.

If that was not enough, there were six cell phones in the car. At least one of the phones has pornographic images of a young child on it and the pictures are clearly very recent. That phone is also tied into New Hampshire which creates an avenue for Joe and his team to join an Internet Crimes Against Children Task force with their New Hampshire colleagues. It also gives them a way to retain jurisdictional control over a rapidly more complicated case.

One that will cross state lines repeatedly as Joe Gunther and his team works to figure out what caused Don Kalfus to wind up dead in the trunk of a rich man’s car. Along the way, they rescue a young girl from a horribly abusive situation, and solve at least one cold case from long ago.

The books in this series are always very complicated and this one is no exception. The police family are always a major factor in these books, on and off the job, and such is the case in this read as well. All hands are on deck and repeatedly a part of everything as the team works to clean up a nasty and extremely entangled mess.

Complicated and highly entertaining, Fall Guy: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor is a solidly good read that keeps readers guessing in right to the end.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022

Fall Guy is another majestic Mayor masterwork of the genre. The seemingly lockstep investigation into a recovered stolen car quickly explodes into a far-reaching mystery. Fortunately, this is a job for the iconic Joe Gunther and his terrific team from the Vermont Bureau of Investigation (VBI). Their work sends them on a collision course with mysteries past and present. They have to draw upon all their experience to combat a crafty foe who will stop at nothing to stay a step ahead of the VBI and their law enforcement allies. It's another great entry in this stellar series. Thank you to St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books for providing this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Archer Mayor has written the thirty-third in the Joe Gunther series. This is a quality book, as are all of his novels. I very much enjoy Joe’s philosophical and psychological musings as he pursues his uspects.

The Brattleboro team is all back: Willy, his wife Sammie and the others all combine to make a kick behind team. I see Willy growing as he ponders his daughter. He so loves this little girl, and it has made him softer. But not too soft…on criminals.

This is a very messy case. There are numerous leads to follow as the body count continues to rise. Bodies in car trunks, child sexual abuse, murders and bombings all factor into this story.

This is a complicated police procedural. The details are riveting. Mr. Mayor’s characters are fully fleshed out, interesting and likable. The book is very well written and plotted. It moves along apace and holds the readers’ interest. I will await the next novel in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I'm a huge Archie Mayor fan and have read every single one of his books. I used to live in Brattleboro, so it all rings true to me when he describes the area and the people.
I was particularly impressed by Fall Guy. Mayor has expanded his knowledge of police procedures and it is pretty fascinating to follow the team as they dig into a murder which leads to more and more crimes committed. This is a complex case and it comes together well. We also get even more of a look at the team itself and it is great to see their growth. I do look forward to the next book!