A WITNESS ABOVE - Andy Straka

#1 in the Frank Pavlecek Mystery series

VERY READABLE - 3.5 stars

Plot - 3.5 stars - We first meet Frank when he discovers a dead body in the woods while he's out hunting with his falcon. He doesn't endear himself with the local authorities because of his history as a police officer who accidentally shot an unarmed black teen and was prosecuted for it and lost his job. Now, as a PI, he finds himself embroiled in another potentially racial problem while also dealing with his daughter's arrest.

Writing - 3 stars - I've noticed that mystery books from this time period seem to be a little more flowery than necessary. The language is less gritty and more grandiose, making it seem a bit stilted rather than smooth. In addition, Frank often mentioned that he'd be joking and that the person he was talking to didn't "get it," but I'll admit that I often didn't get the joke either.

Characters - 4 stars - Frank is a likable character, doing his best to bring about justice as well as support his daughter. He's passionate about his falconry. It was interesting to learn a bit about it, but I found this only to be important because it led him to discovering the body. I liked that Frank didn't take too many chances (although meeting with the gang was crazy risky), he just uncovered clues and followed through to the natural conclusions. Secondary characters of Jake Toronto and Cat kept things interesting and provided their own mysteries with their actions. Ex-wife Camille and daughter Nicole were both awkward for Frank to deal with, but both relationships seemed realistic.

Title - 3.5 stars - I assume this refers to Frank's hawk, who led him to the body originally while they were out hunting.

Cover - 3.5 stars - One of the covers (the outdoor scene) reminds me of an old postcard--pretty but in the garish and unnatural colors of days past. Another cover is less pretty but much more effective--a large bird of prey, with a deep red color that attracts the eye.

Overall - 3.5 stars - This was a surprisingly pleasant read by a new-to-me author, with an attractive main character. There seemed to be a lot of secondary characters and too many moving pieces, confusing me at times (but that could just be me since this is not my usual comfortable genre). I found the prose to be occasionally unnatural and the humor obscure, but overall, I enjoyed the mystery and will continue with this series.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Thirteen years ago, NYPD Detective, Frank Pavlicek quit the force after a controversial shoot-out that left an unarmed African-American teenager dead. The divorced father of a teenage daughter, Pavlicek now works as a private investigator and hunts with a trained falcon. While hunting, he discovers the corpse of a black, teenage drug dealer with ties to his daughter. Unable to ignore the connections to his family or the shooting that cost his career, he goes after the killer to find the truth, save his daughter …and free himself from the shackles of his past.

This was a decent enough novel. There isn't very much new in the story (which, of course, gets harder to achieve with each passing year) but there was enough to keep me interested enough to finish it. And surely that has to be seen as a win.

The characters - apart from Frank himself - did feel a little one-dimensional for most of the story. The biggest surprise was the inclusion of a falcon. That did add a little variation to what could have been a very run-of-the-mill novel.

The biggest problem with this book was editing. Or lack thereof. Shifts in action and characters made this very confusing at times and really stopped me from enjoying what could have been a really good book.

I will definitely give the author one more go to see what improvements will come.


Paul
ARH

This is the first book in the Frank Pavlicek series. When Frank Pavlicek and his partner are involved in the killing of an unarmed person during a shootout in New York, they are fired. Frank and Jake move to Virginia where Frank opens a Private Investigation office and Cat Cahill, the officer that was under fire when they made the fateful decision to fire back, owns a restaurant in nearby Leonardston. Frank is a falconer and is out with his bird, Armistead, when he stumbles across the badly decomposing body. The investigation into his death becomes complex when his daughter, Nicole is arrested as the prime suspect. Frank is sure she has been set-up but does not know why. Frank sets out to find the culprit and get his daughter's name cleared.

Andy Straka writes a good story that grips you and pulls you in. An ex-detective, makes for a great Private Investigator. PI Frank Pavlicek is such a down to earth ex-detective who has a knack of getting involved in murder cases. If you like mysteries, PI stories and falconry, pick this one up.

This is the second book I have read by Mr. Straka and it didn’t disappoint. This story gave background on why Frank Pavlicek and Jake Toronto were no longer NYPD. The story also includes Frank’s daughter Nicky and his ex-wife Camille. Of course, the story includes falconry scenarios. I learned a bit more about this type of hunting.

Characters include a prosecutor, a county sheriff, Frank’s girlfriend and the cop who was also involved in the NY shooting that cost Frank and Jake their job.

Nicky calls Frank to say she is in jail and he goes to help taking his hawk with him. He stays with Jake and finds a body while hunting. The country sheriff is less than certain that Frank had nothing to do with the murder. He wants to pin a cocaine charge and the murder on Nicky.

Camille wants to blame Nicky for the drug paraphernalia she says she found in Nicky’s room. Nicky says she doesn’t do drugs and won’t tell Frank why she and the murder victim were arguing. The final twist of this story was not something I would have ever thought was the real answer to who murdered the victim.

There was plenty of action and a good story line in this book. If murder mysteries, cop stories and even a bit of falconry are things you like to read about, you will get all of them in this book.