Reed Farrel Coleman: Where it hurts, Putnam (Penguin Random House), 9780425283271, paperback

Reed Farrel Coleman is a new discovery for me, although a seasoned thriller writer, a former colleague at Penguin Random House US only pointed him out to me recently.  “Where it Hurts” is written in the best tradition of Chandler and Hammett, American Private- eye, modern noir crime fiction. It does not come as a surprise that the novel has been nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Novel, not his first nomination. Farrel Coleman was also chosen to continue writing Jesse Stone novels after Robert B. Parker passed away.

The book develops tempo from the very beginning, never lets up, there are no boring stretches to bridge in this thriller and the main character, Gus Murphy, a former Long Island cop, is a very likeable guy.  The next book “What you break” was published in February 2017 and is already sitting on my ever growing pile of books to read.  “Where it hurts” also comes with very strong recommendations from fellow thriller writers such as Lee Child, Linda Fairstein, Jeffrey Deaver and CJ Box.

Gus Murphy lost everything he once held dear when his son dies unexpectedly sending him into a downward spiral of grief and rage, eventually costing him his marriage and leading to his resignation as a Long Island cop.  He now drives a courtesy van for a run- down hotel spending each day in a grey, depressed fog not caring whether he lives or dies.  He is shaken out of his pain when Tommy Delcamino, a small time criminal, looks him up trying to hire him as a private eye to look into the 4 month old killing of his son TJ, as the Suffolk police do not seem interested to solve his son’s murder.  Gus brushes him off rudely despite feeling sympathy for the man’s grief. When Tommy is killed himself, Gus feels he owes it to father and son to check into whether Tommy’s original accusations against the Suffolk PD hold true. Once he starts digging,  there is no turning back.  

Farrel Coleman introduces a whole cast of bad ass, low life characters in "Where it hurts"  with a counterbalances of Gus's new friends, broken figures such as Father Bill and Slava who like Murphy have experienced the vinegar taste life can leave.  Great modern noir crime fiction at it's best.