IN A HARD WIND - David Housewright

Rushmore 'Mac' McKenzie is asked by a friend for a favor - look into the murder of a real estate developer in a nearby community and help prove the innocence of the friend's friend. The evidence against the woman (Jeanette Carroll) is overwhelming but Jeanette doesn't seem too worried, and yet she won't offer up an alibi for where she was at the time of the murder. McKenzie promises to look into it, but he won't try to get the woman off is he thinks she's guilty.  But upon meeting the woman, just like his friend, he believes in her innocence.

But two more bodies are soon discovered in the same location, including that of Jeanette's husband who had been missing (and presumably had run off with another woman) years earlier. And then Jeanette disappears, leaving her passport, driver's license, and credit cards in a pile on her table. Her guilt seems all but convicted now, yet Mac still believes that there is something else going on and that she didn't commit the murders - at least not that of the real estate agent.  Of the others, he wants to know more.

McKenzie sets off to track the now disappeared Ms. Carroll and discovers a much more interesting history than he ever expected.

This is the 20th book in the Mac McKenzie series and there's a reason a series lasts this long ... it's just plain good.

If you don't already know Mac, you don't get much background on him (a passing paragraph suggests why he's able to spend his time helping others) but it's probably all you need to enjoy the book. Like most detective mysteries, what's key here is 1) the protagonist, 2) the mystery, and 3) the supporting cast.  In all three of these things, author David Housewright has excelled.

McKenzie has been a great character for some time now (I'm not sure how many of these books I've read, but I've reviewed 5 to date) and I've seen some real growth to this character. Although you won't know it if you haven't read some of the other books, I think the relationship he has with Nina has grown through the course of the books, and while her role is minimal here, it feels very authentic.

The character of Jeanette Carroll seems most challenging - how do you make the reader truly like and believe someone when all the evidence and everything they do seems to point to them as guilty?  In large part, the reader has to truly trust in the protagonist and trust in his 'gut' feelings about a person.  But you also have to give the reader a good reason to trust the guilty-looking character, and Housewright really delivers with Ms. Carroll.

But the mystery here is exceptional.  The twists and turns in the plot are quite serpentine and it's a lot of fun going on this investigative journey with McKenzie. All the clues are in the book and we discover them as Mac does. 

There were tiny little moments that I found bothersome.  I'm hardly an English teacher and my own use of the language would make a teacher cringe, but when I read incorrect pronoun use in a major published novel, I can't help but wonder who's editing these.  Two such incidents popped out at me here: "Harry agreed to meet Swenson and I..." (it should be "Swenson and me") and "You and her were dancing in the gazebo." (It should be "You and she...".)

Looking for a good book? In a Hard Wind by David Housewright is a near perfect blend of character and story. This 20th book in the Mac McKenzie series is a truly delightful read.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

4-1/2 stars

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In a Hard Wind

author: David Housewright

series: Mac McKenzie #20

publisher: Minotaur Books

ISBN: 9781250863584 

hardcover, 320 pages