One of the New York Times Book Review’s Top Ten Best Crime Novels of 2020“[McMahon] tells his story with flair.”–New York Times Book ReviewThe author of The Good Detective delivers a gripping and atmospheric new novel in which a cop takes on a harrowing case and confronts old personal demons.What if the one good thing you did in your life doomed you to die?A hard-nosed real estate baron is dead, … you to die?
A hard-nosed real estate baron is dead, and detectives P.T. Marsh and Remy Morgan learn there’s a long list of suspects. Mason Falls, Georgia, may be a small town, but Ennis Fultz had filled it with professional rivals, angry neighbors, and a wronged ex-wife. And when Marsh realizes that this potential murder might be the least of his troubles, he begins to see what happens when ordinary people become capable of evil.
As Marsh and Morgan dig into the case, it becomes clear that Fultz’s death was not an isolated case of revenge. It may be part of a dark web of crimes connected to an accident that up-ended Marsh’s life a couple years earlier–and that now threatens the life of a young child. Marsh veers dangerously off track as his search for clues becomes personal..and brings him to a place where a man’s good deeds turn out to be more dangerous than his worst crimes.
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“The Evil Men Do” opens with the story of a little girl who knows things because she is a good listener and a good observer. Consequently, she easily notices the vehicle that had been following them, a Toyota truck.
McMahon switches to a first person narrative by detective P. T. Marsh. March gives readers matter of fact descriptions, factual and precise, as if writing a report. Details are complete from the blinds covering the windows to his approach from the left, waiting for his partner. Countering these clinical observations is his additional narrative in a different tone, more personal, more emotional, more hesitant, and more tragic. Readers get to know Marsh well. He is haunted by perceived mistakes in the past, and feels guilty for things not done. Nonetheless, he is dedicated to his job and to the law.
Geography unique to Georgia adds to the atmosphere. Weedy green kudzu climbs out of the Georgia mist, covering the pine trees like an old sock. The skies are an odd mix of grays and purples; maybe it is pollution from Atlanta, or maybe rain is on its way.
Detective Marsh and partner, Remy Morgan are compelling characters. Their job is to find the evidence, line up the pieces, and fit them together into a story of the crime. In this case, they find too many pieces that do not fit; perhaps there is more than one puzzle involved in this story. Events from the past also creep into the narrative. A prior death, a lawsuit, a possible payout to family of the dead, and the possible inappropriate use of force by PT all hang like dark clouds over the investigation. When readers discover the identity of the little girl, things change rapidly and dramatically. The case gets bigger not smaller.
I received a review copy of “The Evil Men Do” from John McMahon and G.P. Putnam’s Sons. McMahon created a story full of evil men, but there is good in it too, a goodness that flourishes and survives regardless of circumstance.
Kept me in suspense
Dollycas’s Thoughts
My first experience with P.T. Marsh was gripping and this one was even more so.
Swarmy Ennis Fultz is dead and he left plenty of suspects behind. A very observant little girl plays a major role and P.T. uncovers more evil than he ever could have imagined. The deeper he digs veers him in a direction that appears to be personal. A direction that could cost him his job and maybe even his life.
Mr. McMahon has created complicated characters and puts them in complex situations. I ended my review of The Good Detective saying John McMahon is now an author to watch, and I was right. I thought P.T. Marsh had turned a corner. He did but as far as I thought. He is still hurting and raw. He is smart, determined, and flawed and still trying to come to grips with the loss of his wife and son in a freaky hit and run accident. P.T. is also embroiled in a civil suit along with the police department for excessive use of force on a previous case. He doesn’t believe he did anything wrong and that could come back to bite him financially. He is trying to stay sober and do his job but it isn’t easy. His partner, Detective Remy Morgan, an African American woman is getting frustrated with P.T. but hopes when push comes to shove he has her back. P.T. has started a relationship with Medical Examiner Sarah Raines but he is clearly still in mourning. He tries to hold tight to the relationship with his father-in-law but something always seems to get in the way.
So much happens within the covers of this book. The author has cleverly plotted this story with several tentacles all entwined together. The book opens with “The little girl knew things.” but transitions to P.T.’s life quickly in Chapter 2. We continue to have visits from the little girl between many of the chapters. This process really drew me in from the start. Soon, it truly became impossible to put the book down. P.T. was continually pulled in several directions. Sometimes he followed the clues in a logical manner but sometimes he goes off on tangents that were dangerous for both him and his partner.
McMahon has delivered a compelling story that will have readers glued to the pages. I wanted P.T. to succeed, get the answers he needs and catch the bad guys, but sometimes I wanted to reach into the pages and grab him to protect him from some of his risky decisions.
The Evil Men Do is a riveting gritty suspense-filled thriller. P.T. Marsh is a character you become invested in quickly. His life is a wild ride that doesn’t let go. All the strings are not wrapped up at the conclusion of this book either so readers are left excitedly waiting for book #3. Well done, Mr. McMahon! This was a PERFECT ESCAPE!
The detective novel is one of the most celebrated forms of mystery fiction — and one of the hardest to get right. So, when a great new series comes out, I tend to take notice and shout it from the rooftops.
Consider this me shouting about John McMahon’s P.T. Marsh series, which continued with his second novel, The Evil Men Do (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, March 3). McMahon’s debut, The Good Detective, was nominated for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel. The winners will be announced on April 30.
Not only is P.T. Marsh a complicated character solving murders in Georgia, but his voice is unique, fun, and southern, which I tend to appreciate. But when it’s time for P.T. to be serious, and get angry, McMahon picks his spots with precision and great effect.
P.T. is still trying to recover from the tragic events of the first novel (don’t worry, The Evil Men Do reads great as a standalone) when an old friend and newly unretired temporary police chief calls them to investigate a friend who’d missed a weekly card game.
What appears to be an annoying welfare check turns out to be a murder with plenty of red herrings and a personal connection to the recent death of his family. That connection isn’t discovered until a great turn late in the story.
Oh, and from chapter one, we’re getting short scenes from an unnamed girl who’s being chased by one of the titular evil men. You figure out who both are in a superb reveal that refuses to adhere to traditional story structure in the best way.
Perhaps the best part of McMahon’s sophomore novel is that another engrossing story is waiting. This is a series I’ll be wrapped up in as thoroughly as Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels, and hopefully for just as long.