Tag Man (Joe Gunther Series #22)

by Archer Mayor, William Dufris (Read by)

Overview

"Archer Mayor's Vermont police procedurals are the best thing going..." —New York Times Book Review

Across Brattleboro, Vermont, rich people (some with dark secrets) are waking up in their high security, alarm-equipped homes to find a Post-it note stuck to their bedside tables reading, "You're it." There is little sign of disturbance anywhere, nothing stolen (that anyone admits,) and only a bit of expensive food eaten as a signature. The Press loves the story and dubs the burglar the Tag Man.

But who is he? And what's he actually doing? In fact, he's quickly running for his life, for what he discovers in one of these houses appears to be proof of a heinous string of murders. But is it? Joe Gunther, struggling to recover from a devastating personal loss, leads his VBI team to untangle the many conflicting pieces of evidence, while the burglar himself struggles for survival in the no-man's-land between the police and the villains. With no one knowing what to believe, or who to trust, with Tag Man running for his life in a way he never imagined possible, as no one knows who's watching as they sleep, or who truly did what, the Tag Man is critically acclaimed author Archer Mayor at his very finest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538541524
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	12/04/2017
Series:	Joe Gunther Series , #22
Edition description:	Unabridged
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

ARCHER MAYOR is a death investigator, a sheriff's deputy, and a volunteer firefighter and EMT in addition to being a novelist. He lives in Newfane, Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

Mayor’s 22nd Joe Gunther procedural (after 2010’s Red Herring) offers strong ensemble play from Gunther, head of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, and VBI staffers Willy Kunkle, Sammie Martens, and Lester Spinney as well as their Brattleboro police colleague, Ron Klesczewski. The action centers on the person known as “Tag Man,” who breaks into supposedly secure, occupied houses, explores them, takes nothing of value, but leaves a Post-it as his calling card. The Tag Man enjoys the challenge and the risk, until he makes a grisly discovery and is identified by one of his victims, who sends a hit man after him. Gunther, though on medical leave following a grievous personal loss, volunteers to help Klesczewski unmask the Tag Man. Multiple games of cat-and-mouse ensue as the Tag Man tries to elude both police and a determined killer. Vermont’s history and geography again serve Mayor well in this deadly and highly entertaining entry. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

It's hard to imagine a more likable thief than Mayor's Tag Man—or, for that matter, a more companionable lawman than the time-and-trouble-tested Sage of Brattleboro.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Vermont's history and geography again serve Mayor well in this deadly and highly entertaining entry.” —Publishers Weekly

“Every library needs Mayor's police procedural series ... on its shelves.” —Library Journal

From the Publisher

Every library needs Mayor's police procedural series (Red Herring) on its shelves. Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team try to figure out who's behind the puzzling "tag man" burglaries.

Library Journal

Joe Gunther of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation is investigating a suspect known as the “Tag Man.” He breaks into affluent people’s homes at night, spies on them, eats some food, and then leaves a note that says “You’re it.” William Dufris has the gift of making the listener forget about the narrator as he keeps the suspense going. Just when things seem to be falling into place, the plot twists unexpectedly. Dufris makes the characters feel like old friends, each one distinctly defined by his or her vocal quality—and he is especially great at making the listener root for the “Tag Man,” a very intriguing character! Joe Gunther fans and newcomers will enjoy this entertaining mystery. M.M.G. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2012 - AudioFile

Joe Gunther (Red Herring, 2010, etc.) returns in the strange case of a burglar not so much. In Brattleboro, Vt., the privileged classes are experiencing the downside of being upper. That's because Tag Man has made it unavoidably clear where he sees his targets of opportunity. Tag Man is the slick, savvy operator who slips ghostlike past sophisticated security systems but never seems to steal anything of substance. He's struck the houses of Brattleboro's rich and famous half a dozen times now, pilfering esoterically--a wedge of chocolate cake here, a spread of caviar on crackers there--and leaving behind nary a clue. Except, of course, his signature calling cards, sardonic "You're it" Post-It notes that have made him the media's favorite antihero and earned him his jokey nickname. But then, suddenly, the game takes a significantly darker turn. Someone, somehow, has promoted Tag Man from a figure of fun to a serious threat. Someone, in fact, contemplates murder if certain hard-eyed individuals can locate Tag Man who, perceiving his difficulties, has quite sensibly gone on the lam. Which means that Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team find themselves in an anomalous position. They have to catch a thief, all right, but in order to protect him. It's hard to imagine a more likable thief than Mayor's Tag Man--or, for that matter, a more companionable lawman than the time-and-trouble-tested Sage of Brattleboro.

Kirkus Reviews