Threshold - G. M. Ford

G.M. Ford writes tough guys - he has two other series featuring a journalist and a P.I. that I've enjoyed in the past. Ford's latest book, Threshold, introduces us to Detective Mickey Dolan. I was eager to meet this new character.

Dolan's marriage has ended and he's been on limited duties due to excessive force complaints. But, when a  powerful city councilor repeatedly demands that the department assign a detective to look into the 'disappearance' of his wife and daughters (there's a custody dispute), Mickey is put on the case. It may have been a local women's shelter group who helped the trio disappear. That group is run by a mother/daughter team who have seen their own share of violence. Ending there would have provided the basis for a good tale I think. But, Ford adds another somewhat paranormal element - Grace, the daughter, can revive people from comas.

I think the coma plot device would have been better left out. It just seemed cheesy to me and detracted from what could have been a really good detective novel.

There's also lot of Mickey's personal life in this book. I always enjoy secondary story lines, but Ford's exploration of gay relationships just seemed clumsy. Many turns of phrase were also dated...

"The place is wired for sound and pictures. Other than that, it's cleaner that Nancy Reagan's ass."

I'm not sure if this is the first book in a new series from Ford. It does take time to build a new character, but I'm not overly enamored with Mickey. Yes, his perspective changes and his actions 'redeem' him, but I never fully engaged with his struggle or his redemption. I've read the Leo Waterman series and really enjoyed them, but sadly Mickey fell flat for me.

That being said, Threshold was a quick read and an easy way to kill a few hours on a plane. Read an excerpt of Threshold. Now, that's just my opinion. See what other on the TLC tour thought - full schedule can be found here.

G.M. Ford broke onto the mystery scene with Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca?, a gin-soaked tome featuring Seattle private investigator Leo Waterman. The six-book Leo Waterman series was nominated for several awards, including the Shamus, the Anthony, and the Lefty. In 2001, Ford launched a new series featuring disgraced reporter Frank Corso and his goth assistant, Meg Dougherty. In 2011, after a twelve-year hiatus, he decided to write a new Leo Waterman novel, Thicker Than Water, which Thomas and Mercer promptly bought. His eighth Leo Waterman book, Chump Change, followed in 2014. Ford lives and works in Seattle, and is married to the beautiful and talented mystery author Skye Kathleen Moody.