Florida author Jonathon King burst onto the crime writing scene a decade ago with The Blue Edge of Midnight, which introduced an intriguing and multi-layered hero, former Philadelphia cop turned private eye Max Freeman, and won the prestigious Edgar Award for best first novel.In Shadow Men, Freeman, who lives in an isolated shack in the Florida Everglades, is approached via his good friend Billy Manchester, a lawyer, by the descendant of three men who vanished without a trace while working as labourers on a dangerous road building project 80 years ago. The client has discovered old letters from his ancestor detailing all sorts of injustices and horrors faced by those building the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades, horrors that may have lead to a violent end. From the opening chapter, King brings the Everglades vividly to life on the page – the atmosphere, setting, and history of an area filled with murky water and murkier deeds. As we follow Freeman on his chase for the truth, themes of corporate greed, family ties, sense of self, and more are all woven into a well-written and gripping tale. Packed with excitement, colour, and memorable, fascinating characters; highly recommended.Review originally written for Good Reading magazine in Australia.
Not quite sure how I discovered this author, Jonathon King, but love his writing style. Similar in style and quality to Michael Connelly and John Sandford. This was the first title of King's that I "read" (I listened to the audiobook version read by David Colacci). It is one of his Max Freeman series, though not the first. The story moves between the present time investigation conducted by Freeman and decades earlier deaths that occur in the course of the early 1900s construction of Florida's Tamiami Trail into the Everglades. The central protagonist, Max Freeman, a former Philly policeman, is hired by a young man wanting to learn the circumstances of the mysterious deaths of his grandfather who worked the construction of the Trail. Freeman begins to unravel complex details about the construction project that even present day corporate entities are determined to keep hidden. Characters are well drawn, plot twists abound, and resolution -- at last -- is satisfying and not too far-fetched! Good read, good author!!
What do You think about Shadow Men (2004)?
Shadow Men by Jonathon King - Jonathon King is among my favorite authors. Having said that though, I didn't enjoy Shadow Men as much as I did the two previous books in the series. I did still like it. It was well written and there is always depth to his characters. What separates this book from the first two was the story itself. Like I said, I still enjoyed reading it but the plot was lacking the grittiness from King's other novels.
—Frederick
Max Freeman, an ex-cop turned PI who is haunted by the violence in his past, investigates an 80-year-old murder case. The result is a pretty formless thriller without any thrills. Author Jonathan King seems to recognize the plodding nature of Max's investigation, because he makes a number of digressions to scenes of violence from his hero's years on the Philadelphia police force and an unrelated sub-plot concerning a policeman who beats his girlfriend. The conclusion of the mystery is unsatisfying and there is scarcely a single scene of true suspense. The prose is direct but unremarkable. The strongest aspect of the book is its Everglades setting, but King does not evoke it nearly as well as, say, Tony Hillerman's masterful description of the southwestern desert.
—David Bonesteel
This is the third book in the Max Freeman series. Max left Philly man years ago and gave up being a cop. He lives in the shacks of the Everglades and would pretty much prefer not to associate with others. He is a very private man. His high school buddy is a succesful lawyer who has Max freelance as a private investigator. His old girlfriend is on the police department and feels missing girls are not missing but dead. She thinks an ex cop from Philly is responbile and convinces Max to find evidence to arrest him. The plot moves at a quick pace and both stories are told well. Max is investigating a cruise ship company who is threatening their illegal workers after a boiler blows up. You feel for these people who are trying to make a living and are exploited by the rich people. He also is helping out with the missing girls. King keeps his storyline tight and when clues are presented, he doesnt give you a false lead or red herrings but you need to figure it out and decide how to use the infomation to determine what happened to these girls.
—Teresa in Ohio
