I just finished the last of Steve Hamilton’s acclaimed ten-book Alex McNight series about former minor league baseball player and scarred ex-Detroit cop-turned [almost] hermit, struggling to survive the drama and disasters life throws at him. I discovered this author through an article in the Wall Street Journal chronicling his break-up with long-time publisher St. Martin’s over their lackluster marketing plan for his books.
The series revolves around the city of Paradise, located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP to natives) and its dramatic weather. Every plot point is colored by the frigid winters, brief beautiful summers, and how the hardy population attempts to survive:
“There’s a cold wind that gathers from the north and picks up weight as it builds its way across two hundred miles of open water, and then, on a later afternoon in August–hell, sometimes in July–that wind hits you square in the face and makes its intention quite clear, no matter how much you might not like the message. Summer … is mortally gut-shot, and it’s only a matter of days until it’s gone.”
And this from Alex’s long-time bartender friend as he explains why he wants to move to Arizona:
“It’s cold as hell [up here], it snows every day, and it lasts forever. What’s not to like?”
After reading the entire series, I feel like I’ve lived in this most un-California biome (I call California home).
The other characteristic that is woven throughout all the books is Alex McNight’s backstory–what made him the man we meet: independent, moral, tenacious to a fault, lonely, and the most loyal of friends to a very small circle of people. We meet him long after the death of his Detroit PD partner nearly destroyed him, after being shot three times–one bullet still lodged too close to his heart to be removed, after he moves into a string of six cabins his Dad built in the dastardly climes of the UP with the intention of selling them. Fifteen years later, he’s still there and the first book begins.
The series spans fifteen more years and counting. We spend the entire time traveling with McNight, thumping our foreheads as he gets into yet another scrape, begging him to just let some injustice go–just this once (which he can’t), and then having a drink with him at his favorite bar as he again recovers both physically and mentally from his latest escapade. We’re as exhausted as he is, ready to sit back and read a travelogue for a while–anything that doesn’t involve death, destruction, mayhem, and madness.
That only lasts until the next book. Then we his loyal readers are ready to follow him again.
Oh–yes, a month to read all ten books. Lots of other activities suffered.
More eclectic main characters:
My Winter with Berger and Mitrie
My Summer with David Rosenfelt
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy. She is the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice book reviewer, a columnist for TeachHUB, Editorial Review Board member for Journal for Computing Teachers, monthly contributor to Today’s Author and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. You can find her book at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning.
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Lovely
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Loved this series.
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You’re a reading machine, Jacqui! 😀
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No surprise my kids are too.
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Fifteen years is an impressive span. I’ve seen some series jump around years only through a few books, but this one has a good number of books. I love it when a series grips me like this.
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Me, too. I think part of the length is the publisher. They considered him of local interest (Michigan) so thought less than one a year was fine. Not any more, though he has a new series with a new character. Hmm…
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I had to sneak under the blanket just from that extract alone – I could feel the biting cold wind! Jacqui, I can’t believe you read all ten books in a month; testament to a terrific series! 😀 Great review.
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He does that with his descriptions. I’d be sitting in the California summer heat, reaching for a sweater. What a writer!
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Great, thanks to you my BTR list just got longer. Again. 😉 You definitely challenge me to stay in the game!
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I just joined NetGalley, on a hunt for more great reading. I think they’ll outstrip my ability to read–so many free books!
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Wow. Ten books in a month? And one after another? Must be awfully great reading. From the excerpts, I can tell it’s magnificent writing. 🙂
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Yeah, I got a bit carried away. I figure it’s not much different than the Youngers bingeing on Netflix though, is it?
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Wish I could binge on Netflix–just one day. 😉
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I don’t think you have time, Tess, not with all your travels. I’m pretty much a homebody.
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And all the while I’ve thought the UP sounded like a lovely place to visit. Now I know better! Thanks for the head’s up. I’ll stick to So Cal too. But the book sounds fun!
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Alex seems to think it is. He went for a visit and never left. Me, I think it’s too cold!
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Yeah, I don’t do cold. That’s why I left Ohio.
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I’ve driven up in the UP several times, usually during the summer. Wouldn’t want to be up there in the dead of winter.
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Reading Alex’s experience, I wouldn’t either.
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This sounds really good and the fact that you read them all is a testament to the quality. I think my husband would love them! Thanks for the great review of the series. 😀
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I don’t binge on Netflix shows, so this is my guilty pleasure. My son was home for a visit and we had many a reading hour to get through these books.
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Ten books in a month – maybe 2 for me. And I know you – nothing else really suffered. You’ve been super busy with your book launch plans and the blog. And I know you stopped to pet Casey once in a while.
This series really sounds compelling. You make people want to read what you read – great review, Jacqui.
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Alex is the reason I’m late on my critique group submittal. When I should have been writing, I was reading. Darn!
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Ten books in a month? I am impressed, I am lucky to get through two books. Sounds like a great set of books.
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One bit that makes reading faster is that books are getting shorter. They used to be 400 pages; now 250-300 is more normal. As are most of the ones in this series. Plus, they were page-turners!
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Not only am I impressed by Hamilton’s series, but your ability to read ten book in a month is quite impressive. Do you sleep? 🙂 Have a great weekend!
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A lot of other things suffered. Alex is such an intriguing character–lots of flaws, annoying and lovable, loyal and obdurate. I’m kind of sad to be done with him.
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