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The Nurse Murders

A Gene Hammons Novel

#2 in series

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A sadistic killer is terrorizing Phoenix, and he's got Gene Hammons' number...

It's 1936, and private investigator Gene Hammons has more work than he can handle. A crime syndicate, J. Edgar Hoover, a wealthy family from back East, and a wily stalker all want something from him. His capable-but-drug-addicted brother, still a homicide detective, is as much a hindrance as a help. Luckily, Hammons finds a professional ally in Pamela Bradbury, a fellow gumshoe with some new tricks to teach him. When the two pair up, there doesn't seem to be a case they can't solve, from kidnapping to blackmail to an intricate gold-smuggling operation.

But then a young nurse with red hair is sadistically raped and killed, and Gene recognizes the signs of a "lust murderer," having famously solved the case of the University Park Strangler years earlier. When he's contacted by the killer, Hammons knows he and Pamela must work quickly to catch the brutal murderer before he strikes again. The two come to each other's rescue more than once, and as deep feelings develop between them, it's not lost on Gene that their relationship might well prove dangerous—especially for Pamela, with her lovely red hair.

Rich in atmosphere and authentic period detail, THE NURSE MURDERS is a gritty, nail-biting race to catch a killer in a city struggling to assert itself amidst the hardships, corruption, and political machinations of post-World War I America.

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    • Kirkus

      October 15, 2023
      Even all that sun can't shed light on the dark crimes that plague Phoenix in 1936. Gene Hammons, a city cop fired for keeping his eye a little too clearly on the ball, gets an unusual request from prospective client William Jordan: to deliver the $10,000 ransom demanded by the kidnapper of a teenage boy, though Jordan isn't the boy's uncle and won't identify who he is. When Gene declines the case, Jordan hires teacher-turned-shamus Pamela Bradbury for the job. In the meantime, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover enlists Gene as an informant on the city's bountiful local crime scene. That scene instantly grows sadly richer with the fatal shooting of Gene's would-be client, who's really George Parris, a man with a richly checkered past, and the scalping of Caroline Emma Taft, whose death looks suspiciously like a couple of others in Little Rock in 1933 and El Paso last year. Joining forces first professionally and then romantically, Gene and Pamela struggle to unearth the links between the victims and rival gangsters Cyrus Cleveland and Gus Greenbaum. Their search is frustrated by the fact that their leading suspects keep getting killed, but eventually the Angel of Death, as the Arizona Republican dubs him, starts to taunt Gene over the phone. Talton juggles so many balls--period details, cameo appearances by a dozen historical figures, the city's ongoing criminal culture, the crimes that especially catch the eye of Gene and Pamela, and the development of their relationship--that it's no disgrace the mixture is marked by a wobbly focus that shifts abruptly between tight closeups on action sequences and summaries glossing over the connecting tissue. The most surprising feature is an appendix that identifies more real-life characters than anyone will have recognized.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      November 1, 2023
      There's another murderer on the loose in Phoenix, and former police officer Gene Hammons is on the case. The Angel of Death is killing red-haired nurses and taunting Gene with middle-of-the-night phone calls, prompting Gene's former captain to ask for his help. Gene teams up with fellow PI Pamela Bradbury, and together, they scour the city for clues. Meanwhile, a wealthy family requests Gene's help with a blackmailer, and J. Edgar Hoover covertly asks Gene about joining the newly established FBI. With so much crime ravaging Phoenix, can Gene continue to keep his city safe without a badge? Talton's (City of Dark Corners, 2021) skillful weaving of cultural references, such as rumblings of a second world war, Reg Manning's cartoons, and FDR's campaign for a second term, along with his succinct writing style, lift this historical mystery to the next level. Gene and Pamela's dynamic is endearing and cleverly offsets the gritty, dark atmosphere behind the murders. Another great addition to the genre! Recommended for all enthusiasts of noir and detective fiction, especially series fans.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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