2nd EditionA BJ Vinson MysteryB. J. Vinson is a former Marine and ex-Albuquerque PD detective turned confidential investigator. Against his better judgment, BJ agrees to find the gay gigolo who was responsible for his breakup with prominent Albuquerque lawyer Del Dahlman and recover some racy photographs from the handsome bastard. The assignment should be fast and simple. But it quickly becomes … bastard. The assignment should be fast and simple.
But it quickly becomes clear the hustler isn’t the one making the anonymous demands, and things turn deadly with a high-profile murder at the burning of Zozobra on the first night of the Santa Fe Fiesta. BJ’s search takes him through virtually every stratum of Albuquerque and Santa Fe society, both straight and gay. Before it is over, BJ is uncertain whether Paul Barton, the young man quickly insinuating himself in BJ’s life, is friend or foe. But he knows he’s stepped into something much more serious than a modest blackmail scheme. With Paul and BJ next on the killer’s list, BJ must find a way to put a stop to the death threats once and for all.
First Edition published as The Zozobra Incident & The Bisti Business by Martin Brown Publishers, LLC, 2012.
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**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**
The BJ Vinson Mystery series by Don Travis could probably be read as a standalone, though I would never recommend anyone do that with any series. This series follows the cases of Confidential Investigator BJ Vinson. There are characters that are introduced in the first book that are part of each of these books. There are some references to cases or actions in previous books, which is why I think for full enjoyment you should read this series in the appropriate order.
For the most part, this series takes place in New Mexico and as I’ve never traveled to this area, and know very little about it, I found the location fascinating. The author does a fantastic job throughout the series of bringing the area, food, people, and scenery to life. I don’t know anything about the area so I can’t confirm if it’s authentic but it certainly feels that way.
The first book in the series is The Zozobra Incident, and as weird as the name was to me, it absolutely makes sense when you read the book. If you’re from the area or familiar with it, you probably have an idea. I did not, and this was just further fascination about learning of the area.
BJ is quite the character and I struggled to like him at first. He could be abrasive, cocky and was more than willing to use physical aggression to force answers out of someone. BJ had served in the marines, he was a police officer until he was injured in the line of duty and then he moved on to his current work. He wasn’t a private eye, because that was too low class and dirty for him. He was wealthy and at the rate he attracted attention, good looking. In this first case, we’re following along with he’s been hired by his ex who was a prominent, out attorney. Del is being threatened by naked photos of himself and asks BJ to find the culprit and stop it. I thought both Del and BJ were jerks and seemed to deserve each other, but they were not to be. Though there is the drama of BJ’s personal life, the focus of this story is really on his work and solving the mystery of the threats against Del, and the events that unfold during his search.
The setting of this book is in the early 2000’s and it really had more of an old time feel, like those old private eye books in the 70’s or 80’s. That added to my struggle with this first book a little, along with my dislike of BJ. It also really makes you realize how advanced technology has become in less than 20 years.
I sometimes struggle with first books in the series just because there’s so much information purge. The first book introduces the characters, behaviors, settings, and tone for future books. It’s a lot to take in, plus add all the information that BJ’s learning in his quest to solve Del’s problem. By the end of this book, BJ’s personal life has settled down with the new man in his life. This is definitely a mystery, detective series and not a romance. There are some elements with BJ’s personal life, especially in this first book, but it’s really just a small part. Having read all the books in the series, I can definitely recommend if you enjoy mysteries and detective books, that you read this series now!
Rating: 4 stars